Two Problems: Please Help

Dear AndroidPit,
First, let me get this out of the way. I am brand new here. Thus, please forgive me if these issues have been addressed elsewhere. I have a couple of problems with my new (yet loved) HTC Desire. I live in the U.S. and my carrier is U.S. Cellular. My first problem: I live in a house with a metal roof. I am having serious signal problems with my phone. Is there a way to correct this? Second issue: My carrier gives us 5GB worth of data transfer. I realize that is a lot. Nonetheless, I am very nervous about going over my limit and charged the national debt. Is there an app available that will help me keep up with my usage? Lastly, I am very thankful to be here. I am kind of an old guy of 58 years old and things like this have a steep learning curve for me. Please be patient with me as we work through my issues. Thank you so much.

Charles Blakemore

Hello Charles and welcome to AndroidPIT..

To address some of your issues..

As far as data use.. get in the habit of using you WiFi in you home instead of your carriers data.. this will also help with the metal roof (except for phone calls/text msgs). Also ask you carrier if there is a way to check Data use in between billing cycles. Many have special numbers you can call like #data or on their website etc.

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Thanks for responding, Jay! Okay, let me make sure I understand. Instead of using my carrier's 3G connection on my phone, I should use my Wi-Fi while at home playing with my phone? I had heard somewhere it doesn't count against my data transfer limit if I do it that way. Is this correct or am I misunderstanding you? Thanks for the welcome. I'll try not to be too much of a pest.

Yes.. that's correct.

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As for an App to watch your 3G usage you might want to try:
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3G Watchdog http://www.androidpit.com/en/android/market/apps/app/net.rgruet.android.g3watchdog/3G-Watchdog
.

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Market Link

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Jay, you're amazing. I just installed 3G Watchdog and it looks like just what the doctor ordered. I am wondering if you can walk this idiot through the initial settings? Does it do it automatically based on my carrier and what I enter as a quota for the month? It seemed to.

It will monitor your phones 3G usage... you filling your monthly quota (5 gig) per (1 month) and your billing cycle date.. once running it should be fairly accurate.. I would trace it manually at first and compare to ensure accuracy.

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So, I need to call my carrier and make damned sure I know when my monthly bill is due. Thanks again, Jay.

Also... if you use a task killer app... make sure you have the task killer "ignore" this type of app! "Very important!!!"

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I refuse to use a task killer. They are more trouble than the free price we pay for them. I hear they can actually cause the battery to drain quicker. Better to let the phone have its way. I am reasonablly sure they don't call them smart phones for nothing. I just wish they'd have put a longer life battery in these things.

When you first get a smart phone you play with all the time.

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More like instantly addicted. I wonder if they'll have a 12-step program for Droidaholics???

My name is justJay and I am an Androidoholic!

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I'm new, too, and I'm loving the phone!
How do I actually purchase an app from androidPIT?
I found what I want, but can't see where to buy.
Also, what do I do with a QR code?
Thanks
(USCellular is my carrier)
Well, I figured out how to purchase! But, please help with the QR code.

I can't answer for your carrier, Colton, but mine bills me for the apps I might want to purchase. I also have 24 hours to decide whether or not I want to keep the app before the charge goes through. Check with your carrier for their policies on this.

QR codes are much like a bar code you find on hard products like cans of tuna, clothing, and such. You can see these QR codes on various sites that have smartphone capabilities. You will need a bar code scanner app on your phone to make them work. Simply find the scanner of your choice, activate it, then scan the QR code. It will do the rest for you.

Thanks!

Most indiviudals buy/download their Android apps from the official Android Market. Buying apps from AndroidPIT is possible, but only with the AndroidPIT App Center. This can be found here: http://www.androidpit.com/en/android/blog/392902/AndroidPIT-Launches-App-Center

AndroidPIT is, as we like to say, an Android portal. We have a Blog & News section, forum, test report section, apps database, wiki, and a developer community, as well as two AndroidPIT apps. The AndroidPIT app market (accessible through the App Center app) is not as large as the official Android Market, but I believe that we maintain a better communication with our developers than Google does. Regardless, when using the App Center, if you find an app you like, it will link to the app on the AndroidPIT app store if it is available there. If it is not available from AndroidPIT, there will be a link to it on the official Android Market.

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