Database Users

Athena GPS and Battery Life

I am currently using my Hermes with an external Bluetooth GPS receiver that has 30 hours battery life. I need this because I do not use the GPS in my car but out mountainbiking or hiking. I love the idea of using the larger Athena screen with digital mapping, but I am worried about battery life if the GPS is built-in since the calculations will probably drain the battery. Has anyone tested the GPS on battery power? How long does it last? Has anyone found good spare batteries?
I have also noted with interest the problems with GPS reception. Has anyone tested this in remote locations (where reception should often be good) or under cloud cover?
I will post a separate thread on this, but I am also concerned about using the hard drive while out mountain biking. Is that just a non-starter given all of the vibration and indirect impact?

Kurvenal said:
I am currently using my Hermes with an external Bluetooth GPS receiver that has 30 hours battery life. I need this because I do not use the GPS in my car but out mountainbiking or hiking. I love the idea of using the larger Athena screen with digital mapping, but I am worried about battery life if the GPS is built-in since the calculations will probably drain the battery. Has anyone tested the GPS on battery power? How long does it last? Has anyone found good spare batteries?
I have also noted with interest the problems with GPS reception. Has anyone tested this in remote locations (where reception should often be good) or under cloud cover?
I will post a separate thread on this, but I am also concerned about using the hard drive while out mountain biking. Is that just a non-starter given all of the vibration and indirect impact?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't be sure..I wouldn't want to test it....but having said that, my cousin chased someone who stole his Ameo and they deliberately dropped it onto the concrete pavement to avoid a much deserved beating. lol.
It withstood the fall barring a few scratches and still works fine...so who knows for sure. If your truly worried about the Microdrive, why not transfer the GPS software to the Mini SD card?
I know I did, in case I drive over bumpy terrain and suffer the scenario you outlined above. No issues so far for me.

Ameo for outdoor digital mapping
I have the option to test the Ameo (T-Mobile's name for the Athena) for 30 days so will take it out on some rides to test. I am wondering if it makes more sense to continue to use my external Bluetooth GPS receiver since I will want to put my Ameo in sleep mode when I am riding (as opposed to looking at a map) to conserve battery power and protect the hard drive, which I presume will cause the in-built GPS to lose its signal. If that is the case, then every time I stop to look at my map I will have to switch on the unit for hunt for a signal again, whereas if I have the external GPS on all the time (no problem given its long battery life) the Ameo will pick up the coordinates immediately when I switch it on and display my position on the map. I suspect the GPS in the Ameo is better placed for use in a car with constant power supply. It definitely might be useful, however, to have a backup on the SD card. I am not sure that will work for my Memory Map Pocket Navigator though since I need to send a license to my handheld every time I install. How did you manage to do it?

Does anybody know about WAAS/EGNOS support on the Ameo?
I installed GPSInformation and it has a tickbox to enable them, and it seems to say "ok" when you tick it. However, if you quit the app, when you re-run the box is unticked again.
Does this mean you have to enable WAAS everytime you use the GPS receiver?
Does software like Virtual earth, google maps and TomTom etc enable WAAS by default?

had my one day old ameo out mtbing today.
no problems except the internal gps is appalling, it needs direct view of sky, no tree cover at all, with white part facing upwards to get any kind of signal.
maybe I'm doing something wrong...
on my mdapro with bluetooth GPS i would leave memory map running in my gillet pocket with the external in my backpack with no worries.
not tried external with this one yet
I think memory map installs the licence to main memory (maybe a reg key)

As an update to that, after setting both hardware and software ports to none, and turning off the automatic control of gps in the control panel, it's working really well inside the house, and in my pocket.
Battery had dropped 4% after 1hr ride to work, this morning, running mem map & media player. So not bad at all, there were some odd spikes on the mm track record, where I'm presuming the signal got a bit hazy, but other than that good.
Was accurate enough to record when I'd changed lanes on dual carriageway.
Vibration didn't seem to cause any issues, and this was on my recumbent trike, which is prone to loosening fillings..

Do you have a better battery indicator program. The standard one only seems to measure in 10% intervals?

Turn GPS Off?
Out of interest, is the GPS chip always running? If so, is there a way to turn it off? I would hope it only turns on when needed, but just trying to increase battery life...
-Krip

The GPS chip only comes on when you use it. You can see its on because there is an extra flash on the left hand led. You get a GSM flash, then a GPS flash.

Pyrofer said:
The GPS chip only comes on when you use it. You can see its on because there is an extra flash on the left hand led. You get a GSM flash, then a GPS flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip! Never noticed that before. But your correct, the GSM led blinks twice as fast after starting TomTom.

It also flashes a different colour, I see a green GSM flash, then orange GPS flash. I dont know if it changes again when you have GPS lock, because im inside

GPS Today

GPS Today
I am very impressed with this program so far. Found it at
http://www.freewareppc.com/download/travel/gpstoday.shtml
Like Google Maps but with a Today Plugin.
Works easy and fast!!
Try it!
Mobo

Sounds cool, I'm trying it now. Here's a link to the full page with the description: http://classic.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=26396
Application Description
GeoTerrestrial GPSToday is a lightweight today screen plugin that will allow you to utilize the full capabilities of your device.
* It utilizes intelligent algorithms to always maintain and display a fix on your position right on your today screen, without draining the battery.
* Always see your full street address, not just geo-coordinates.
* Currently WORKS in the US only!
* Slide the red icon over to the right to start the GPS in continuous mode, or single-tap the red icon to start the GPS in quick-fix mode.
* GPSToday always shows the distance to the nearest contact from your device's address book.
* Single tap to create a new contact with your current location as the address, or save the current location as an existing contact's address. Imagine not having to type the full street address on the PPC keyboard!
* You will never need the stylus to use GPSToday!
* Speed, heading and satellite data is shown clearly on the today screen whenever the GPS is running.
* In-pocket tap protection. A single tap on the today screen only operates the GPS in quick fix mode. To fully start the GPS in continuous mode requires an iphone like sliding motion, guaranteeing no pocket accidents.
* Single tap from the today screen to access fully draggable online maps!<
* Always see all your address book contacts on the map. Just tap a contact to quickly call/email or send sms.
* Single tap from today screen to quickly do a yahoo local search around your current position and see the results on a live map. Just tap a result to call or open the website.
* High quality Yelp Reviews for local search results!
* Fetch the full street address for any point on the map.
* GPSToday automatically disables data access when your device goes into roaming mode.
* And many more features.
* Best of all, its free!
Update Description
Added Note: Currently Works in the US only!

i'm trying t too

I'm really curious how can it be "without draining the battery" when internet is active and gps is active. If those two features are active then battery must be drain more than normal usage. Hopefully, someone can measure it. If it is true, we can have GPS open all day long without worry about battery drain and in the same time no need to wait for "cold" boot and have instant gps when open tomtom or other gps application.

I had it on my device for the last few days and while it does offer direction, speed, etc it does consume battery life. It stays active and when it hits open sky, begins the search. Several trips home from work monitoring my speed yielded a very warm battery...

I'm really curious how can it be "without draining the battery" when internet is active and gps is active. If those two features are active then battery must be drain more than normal usage. Hopefully, someone can measure it. If it is true, we can have GPS open all day long without worry about battery drain and in the same time no need to wait for "cold" boot and have instant gps when open tomtom or other gps application.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should be no extra Battery drain with GPS on because GPS doesn't require the transmitter to be turned on like the internet access does.
The receiver in the unit always stays on (so you can get calls) so receiving satellite data doesn't require any more power than normal.
The internet connection DOES drain the battery though as it needs to turn on the transmitter each time it sends data.

i used it this morning and last night.
first off, it leaves the data connection active while it updates your location/address so yeah, it drains the battery. i lost 10% or so in about an hour of constant use. but keep in mind that also had the screen on while i was watching it. next, its a little buggy because, for me, it would stop GPS'ing when the screen shut off and once the screen came back on, it would get the sats for about 20 seconds then stop. i have to go into the map, choose MORE, and chose run GPS to make it stay on. all in all, its a really neat app, i love the speed part.

I just found this the other day and tested it. One problem I had was I had to go to the map to keep my connection open. It kept turning on and off until I clicked on the map and it didn't turn off afterwards. I didn't have to keep it open. I just opened and closed it. It seems to get a pretty quick connection when outside. It seems to be a memory hog I think for what it does. I start at 11 mb with just this on the Today screen using NexVision rom, which I usually started at 15. I like the plugin. I wish it didn't use at much ram as it does.

OK.. I might just be lame but I ran the cab on this.. Did the soft reset and there is nothing installed for it.. In my programs there is no listing for it and on my storage card (where I installed it) there is only a listing for a help file that does not open...
Any ideas??

RevSand said:
OK.. I might just be lame but I ran the cab on this.. Did the soft reset and there is nothing installed for it.. In my programs there is no listing for it and on my storage card (where I installed it) there is only a listing for a help file that does not open...
Any ideas??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NM... just installed it to the device and it works.. hmmm not a fan of it there but it will have to do...

Asphyx said:
There should be no extra Battery drain with GPS on because GPS doesn't require the transmitter to be turned on like the internet access does.
The receiver in the unit always stays on (so you can get calls) so receiving satellite data doesn't require any more power than normal.
The internet connection DOES drain the battery though as it needs to turn on the transmitter each time it sends data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you delve a little bit deeper into how GPS receivers work, you'd understand that it actually does draw quite a bit of power. Also, the mogul does not use aGPS, which uses the cellular tower information to help get a faster fix without as much effort on the part of the GPS chip. Your explanation of "The receiver in the unit always stays on (so you can get calls)" doesn't make any sense in this case since the technologies do not rely on each other.
To prove my point:
Turn off the cellular radio on your phone in the comm manager. Turn on Bluetooth. They both use a receiver, however bluetooth uses far less power than the cellular radio. Your battery will last longer. The GPS radio also uses power, perhaps less than cellular, but more than not using it at all.
BOTTOM LINE: Leaving GPS on will eat your battery. Period.

it's a today plug in. if it doesnt show up, reinstall it to your device

This program makes my mogul really slooooooooooow...

hmmm, I was really trying to prevent downloading on device but i'll do it and hope all works.
Update. I now see the gps but my phone is slow as dirt. Cant even click on Start or anything....whenever I receive a new message I get same issue...bout to soft reset again to see if it works a little better....

seems to be running better just needed time to boot up I guess....should we be changing anything on GPS settings? I feel like I just got a new toy man...

Seems like a cool new toy.. I cannot wait to get outta the cave I am working in right now and see how well it really works with a sat signal...

Dishe said:
If you delve a little bit deeper into how GPS receivers work, you'd understand that it actually does draw quite a bit of power. Also, the mogul does not use aGPS, which uses the cellular tower information to help get a faster fix without as much effort on the part of the GPS chip. Your explanation of "The receiver in the unit always stays on (so you can get calls)" doesn't make any sense in this case since the technologies do not rely on each other.
To prove my point:
Turn off the cellular radio on your phone in the comm manager. Turn on Bluetooth. They both use a receiver, however bluetooth uses far less power than the cellular radio. Your battery will last longer. The GPS radio also uses power, perhaps less than cellular, but more than not using it at all.
BOTTOM LINE: Leaving GPS on will eat your battery. Period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and besides that, even if the gps doesnt need extra power to recieve GPS data it still has to do something with the data, that means the processor is running, stuff is being written to and from RAM, then displayed on the today screen, all this takes more power that doing nothing
anyway, i ended up having to prime the GPS with google maps to get this thing going, and the today plugin flickers rather annoyingly (and its definately eating the battery, i got it charging now but its charging up a lot slower than usual)

hmm, i have google maps on my laptop for mobile. I will attempt to install later. as far as the gps working, I was driving to work and it showed me how fast I was going and how far i was from work. I didnt even put it to search for work but it must have found the address somehow in my phonebook?
I'm lookin at the program and its linking to an Autozone that is 5,397.7 miles away from me. I know which one they are referring to since i saved that name and number but i'm pretty sure its closer than 5 thousand miles from me...WTF
i'm still trying to learn how to use this...

program seemed REALLY cool.. but while it was installed and looking for a signal it seemed to REALLY lock up my phone... I could not do anything on it for a couple mins. I will keep an eye out for a newer version when it comes out since I did really like the concept of this program...

Thank you
Hi all,
First, its wonderful to see so many positive comments about the software just days after its first release. Now we know we are on the right track!
Secondly guys, apologies for the bugs/issues you faced, or are still facing. This is still version 0.9, so its actually a beta release (not that that's an excuse!). Also please excuse us for the lack of documentation.
About the "without draining the battery" part, I agree the language is somewhat confusing. It was meant to compare with the consumption that would occur if the GPS were actually running all the time. You'll agree that if you start up the GPS at 8:00 in the morning on a typical Phone-PDA and leave it running non-stop along with an active internet connection, it will not last until noon. With GPSToday one can get the same benefit throughout the entire day. There have been some inconsistencies though, with some users reporting almost no perceptible change in battery life, and some being seriously affected.
Please note that tapping the red icon on the today screen is intentionally meant to temporarily start the gps, obtain a fix if available, and then stop. To start the GPS in continuous mode from the today screen itself, drag the red icon over and drop it onto either of the two icons on the right. Once you are done, you must remember to stop it by repeating the same gesture. Also, try this once if the automatic mode is not able to get a fix the first time you go outdoors.
Memory: our tests indicate significantly less than 1MB consumption when the map window is closed, and about 1.5 Mb overall when the map window is being actively used. We agree this is a bit high (but nowhere close to the 4mb one of you is reporting). Some of this is also an offshoot of the fact that it uses up only a tiny amount of storage memory, < 200kB. Nevertheless, expect to see ram usage being reduced significantly in later versions.
Lastly, please fetch the latest version 0.9.1 which fixes some battery life issues and other minor fixes, from Pocketgear at http://classic.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=26396. Make sure the download filename is GPSToday091.CAB. We recommend a soft reset immediately after installtion. We also promise that from v 1.0 onward soft resets will not be required!.
Thanks!
GT, Inc

Do most of you leave your GPS on constantly?

Hey guys - have a question for those of you that have used Dream/Magic.. I notice that most of the really interesting Android apps are location-aware apps.. which got me wondering whether people constantly leave their GPS on and if so, how this goes with the battery life. Or are most of these location aware apps using tower-based triangulation?
For example, some apps let you know if one of your friends is in the area - surely such an app would be kind of useless if your friend had to intentionally turn both GPS and the app on before leaving home.
Thanks!

My understanding is that the Android API has a location call which will use whatever is available... cell tower triangulation, wifi hotspot location and GPS. So apps will just default to the most accurate in any given circumstance, no need to leave on GPS to necessarily get the location features.
Personally I leave GPS and WiFi on and I get about 18 hours out of the battery with some talktime and fairly heavy usage on the screen. I don't get enough for two days even if I turn everything off so the way I see it I'm resigned to charging every day and might as well have the features

georgefrs said:
My understanding is that the Android API has a location call which will use whatever is available... cell tower triangulation, wifi hotspot location and GPS. So apps will just default to the most accurate in any given circumstance, no need to leave on GPS to necessarily get the location features.
Personally I leave GPS and WiFi on and I get about 18 hours out of the battery with some talktime and fairly heavy usage on the screen. I don't get enough for two days even if I turn everything off so the way I see it I'm resigned to charging every day and might as well have the features
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your understanding is not correct. As a programmer, you can specify minimum required accuracy, which means that you can force it to require GPS over cell tower.
@rahux: cell tower location doesn't use any extra power since it is connected to the cell towers anyways. Regarding "leaving your gps on", that is really an inaccurate way of saying "not force-disabling the gps". The gps does NOT consume any extra power just because you have it enabled in the system settings... it only consumes power when an application/service is actually USING it, and you can tell when something is using it because the GPS icon will be visible. In other words, if all your gps-aware software is well behaved, then there is NEVER any reason to disable the gps, and if any of your gps-aware software is NOT well behaved, then you should probably uninstall that software rather than disabling the gps.

@lbcoder
That makes sense. Thanks That makes a lot of sense. Just curious - how long would it take to get a GPS signal then? I know my current WinMo phone always takes over a minute to find satellites, sometimes longer (on a clear day in the suburbs). Suppose it doesn't really matter anyway.
Thanks!

I leave it on solely because of "Wheres my Android". I get a GPS fix in less than 5 seconds and [knock on wood] if I ever lose my phone, I want the GPS ability. The developer had written somewhere that you used to be able to force GPS on through the app remotely but that functionality was removed.

I have a g1 & with my GPS enabled I am only down about 25% of my charge on the average day of probably about 15 hours of intermintent use mainly on messaging & web apps.. And some apps do not work with the cell location, but do with GPS.. 1 being an atm location finder for my bank,,

I always leave mine on. The difference in battery life is minimal. The only time you need to worry is if you have an app misbehaving in the background that is checking your location CONSTANTLY. My favorite GPS Speedometer app does this, once you run it there's no way to get it to release the GPS and it will kill your entire battery in just a couple of hours.
But under normal circumstances, simply leaving the hardware enabled isn't going to make any significant change to your battery life, it all depends on how much your background processes are using it.

HD2 and Memory Map

been out trying the HD2 using memory map. its a brilliant bit of software that uses ordinance survey mapping and the gps system on the phone.
much better than the i900 that i used to have memory map installed on.
follows the pre-drawn track (walking) very well and obtains satelites very well too.
i also use memory map extensivly when off road driving, but normally use it on a laptop with a gps dongle. this mainly because screen size is quite important when following a track when driving. however the nice big screen on the HD2 overcomes this ;-)
memory map is resident on your home pc and it is much easier drawing tracks that way, but easily downloaded to your phone once done via active synch.
this phone gets better all the time. incidentally, over an hours walking with gps and memory map running used about 20% of battery from full charge. again much better than the i900. my g/f used her iphone over the same period with the equivalent app running and she was down to 57% of power, so a gain over the iphone there as well.
Mike

I can also say a big thumbs up for the HD2 and Memory Map
The only reason for me having it on the phone is that its a back up to a handheld gps unit when im working out in the middle of the back and beyond as a medic if I need to call in airmed then I can give them an exact gps, its great as my phone never leaves me but I have left the dam hand held gps in the car before now, made the call and thought oh [email protected] but so far its not been too bad.
Not had the chance to play live with it yet but so far the tests iv run have been great.

I have the old 2004 edition. Had a few problems to start with but with rotate (to get all the menus) and Pinch to Zoom from BsB it works very well.
I wonder what will happen now that Ordinance Survey maps are in the public domain.

I used the 2005 version as that was on the laptop, plugged in let it synch up and installed not a problem.
The only issue I did have was with the maps but think I was having issues with my sd card at the time so did a backup formated it and then dragged it all over again and its been fine since.
As for the maps I don't know I do know they have been available on the net for a while if you know were to look. The only thing I would really like to see them add to it is to be able to swap from os to satalite view.
I know they wont make it backwards compatible but there has been one or two times it would have been great to get a shot of the surrounding area but its not a must have feature for me just one that would be nice to have.
For that I guess I have google maps so always a back up I guess.

I went out with my hd2 running memory map and was surprised at how little my battery went down, expected the battery to wear down quicker than it did with my x1, didn't seem to, although I wasn't looking at the map as often as I did when navigating down scafell in the pitch black!
Also like the new version of the software with the more finger friendly buttons and the lightening quick loading of overlay list or map tiles - which is probably down to the snapdragon!!

HD2 and Memory Map - my experience
I purchased Memory Map (the whole of the UK at 50,000:1) for my computer a long time ago but have updated it to the latest 5.4 version at no cost. I used to print out maps as required from the computer but have now downloaded relevant sections to my HTC HD2.
The ideal would be to download the whole UK map (which is about 4GB) to my HD2 16GB storage card. Unfortunately this is not possible from the Memory Map version I have - and I do not intend to spend several hundred pounds on purchasing the same mapping in the edition that does have this capability. When required, I load individual areas of the country taking up just under 200MB and now have about nine of these. As an example two sections of less 200MB each cover the West Country from Lands End as far as a line joining Bristol to Southampton. The whole of the Isle of Man takes up only 10MB. Loading a 200MB section takes less than fifteen minutes. Theoretically the section maximum is 400MB but the set up does not seem to function correctly with areas taking up more than 250MB.
The HTC HD2 provides a comparable map reading GPS experience to other specialist devices such as SatMap, latest Garmin mapping satnav, or Adventurer 2800 but obviously is far less robust and less able to cope with some adverse weather conditions. It may well lack some of the more sophisicated features of these devices but is perfectly adequate for my hill walking expeditions. Of course with more adventurous routes I also carry maps/compass as a backup as I did with my specialist Garmin satnav.
Apologies for the length of this reply and to readers not residing in the UK but I hope this is of use to those who have, or who are thinking about acquiring, Memory Map.

a previous experiment with mm and the HD2 (weekend before last) i first tried putting the phone in my top jacket pocket between location checks, after locking the screen (to save power) with mm still open. however it seems the whole phone shuts down so live tracking is lost. however was very pleased with how quickly location was again found once the screen was activated and then unlocked.
this weekend i tried leaving the phone on and just put it in my pocket. was very impressed at power usage as per my first post and also the fact that even though the phone was in my pocket, the gps retained signal and live tracking was accuratly plotted.
of course used in a vehicle power is not an issue at all and the screen is certainly big enough to follow a pre drawn track when off roading.
Mike

Just got a HD2 and want to use my MM on it, what are the GPS settings to use in MM?
Cheers ... FF ...

floyd fan said:
Just got a HD2 and want to use my MM on it, what are the GPS settings to use in MM?
Cheers ... FF ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for me it worked on install, if not then i think you have to make sure gps device is set to nema or similar for it to work.
Mike

floyd fan said:
Just got a HD2 and want to use my MM on it, what are the GPS settings to use in MM?
Cheers ... FF ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manufacturer NMEA
Port COM4
Baud 4800

steveianson said:
I have the old 2004 edition. Had a few problems to start with but with rotate (to get all the menus) and Pinch to Zoom from BsB it works very well.
I wonder what will happen now that Ordinance Survey maps are in the public domain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am afraid Ordnance Survey Maps are not in the public domain - at least the ones useful to MemoryMap aren't (25k and 50k). In any case the maps need to be in MM format - something done by MM not OS. OS has released a few datasets into the PD - CodePoint (Postcodes) and some others. There are many complaints on the blogs that OS has released such a resticted set.
Some one also mentioned satellite views. There is on the Internet aerial photographs in MM format. All you need do is download them and put them in the map folder used by MM. They are then available. Works like a dream and you can switch between photograph and map easily. Used in 3D word they are brilliant and the 3D route follower is almost like being there!! The main problem is the size of the file when trying to use on the HD2. But it is possible to send parts of the image from your PC to the HD2.
I use MM all the time for walking in the New Forest. It is interesting looking at the stats afterwards.
BTW - I retired from OS in Sep 2008 afetr working there for 42 years. I am still in touch with several senior colleagues so "have my finger on the pulse" so to speak.
Cheers to all
Ian

[Q] Android location services and GPS

Hi guys, I know that some people say to disable location services and/or GPS because they drain the battery (under Android system in battery usage). I just want to clarify. I came from an iPhone, and on the iPhone I leave location and GPS on, but as long as the app is closed, the GPS will NOT run (just that its functionality remain on) so there is no drain.
Is this the same on Android? Is it okay to leave them on but not run any location-based apps?

Bump...

It'll constantly bounce the GPS signal AFAIK, so will use it up. buuuut, on 4.4.2, you can edit your location preferences GPS accuracy etc and it tells you battery use on it. However I believe it's on perma unless you disable it totally

I wouldn't be so sure. I have GPS, WIFI, BT and all other crap 24/7 and I loose about 3% charge over about 7hrs sleep, personally I don't think it's worth bothering or lifting my finger to shut it off. Also when I drive I see my correct location on the map, after screen goes off and I need to check again few min later, the map shows my last location and it takes few seconds to update to new one. If it was working with screen off it should have been updated right away, no? At least it's working in some low power mode. I think what really kills the battery is all those push services like e-mail etc, especially when not set properly, but the best way is to test yourself.

fterh said:
Hi guys, I know that some people say to disable location services and/or GPS because they drain the battery (under Android system in battery usage). I just want to clarify. I came from an iPhone, and on the iPhone I leave location and GPS on, but as long as the app is closed, the GPS will NOT run (just that its functionality remain on) so there is no drain.
Is this the same on Android? Is it okay to leave them on but not run any location-based apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically 100% the same.
However for practical reasons things are not quite the same - as long as you have many, many apps and your data (WiFi and/or Mobile) active certain apps will try to connect from time-to-time, and some will try to get a location. Unfortunately Google Services is one of those, and an older version of that was generating a really huge amount of power consumption. The problem is reported to be a lot better now but I can not confirm since I am anyway keeping my data connections OFF for most of the time when I am not really using those.

xclub_101 said:
Technically 100% the same.
However for practical reasons things are not quite the same - as long as you have many, many apps and your data (WiFi and/or Mobile) active certain apps will try to connect from time-to-time, and some will try to get a location. Unfortunately Google Services is one of those, and an older version of that was generating a really huge amount of power consumption. The problem is reported to be a lot better now but I can not confirm since I am anyway keeping my data connections OFF for most of the time when I am not really using those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess this is one of the few things that iOS is better than Android at - managing how apps run. I use Greenify to freeze inactive apps, but the limitation is that I will not receive push notifications. On iOS apps are frozen yet push notifications are functional (that's ironically the downside of iOS too - no true multitasking). I don't disable my data connections because I want my push notifications, but I do turn off GPS. :/

fterh said:
I guess this is one of the few things that iOS is better than Android at - managing how apps run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, when coming from a situation when there was absolutely no multitasking at all (and that was successfully sold as a "feature" for quite some time) I can really see that being easier
fterh said:
I use Greenify to freeze inactive apps, but the limitation is that I will not receive push notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the latest Greenify PRO version has something to improve that too. But I will have to test a lot more to see the real limits of that.