Problem 1: Battery is so **** that if i use the phone for 1 and a half hours it goes completely flat.

Problem 2: Updating and searching for updates and preparing installations can take up to an hour for the process bar to load.

Problem 3: FM Transmitter is about as much use as a chocolate BBQ. Can't hear anything even though all volumes are turned up to full. Can't even listen to online radio stations via their websites.

Can someone please help me out here?

Thanks.

Answer 4 problem 1 : Might be your battery is not genuine....buy new battery to compare it....

Answer 4 problem 2 : this is depend on your connection & repo...not by your device....

Answer 4 problem 3 : try using other handfree & see the result...if it the same the flashing your device is a gud start...

leave it plugged in to charger,connect to wifi and do updates,im guessing its still on an old firmware version...

1 How fast your battery goes flat depends on what you are doing with it and how much battery you started with. Before testing. make sure it is fully charged.

2. Updating can take a long time, but I've never seen it take an hour. There is a program called Faster Application manager that you might try.

3. My FM transmitter plays louder if I am transmitting to something that plays loudly.

Depending on which firmware you are using (it is highly recommended that you use the latest firmware 20.2010-36.2 iirc) and how heavily you use the device, your mileage with battery life varies.

There are many factors that can effect battery usage such as (and this is not a fully exhausive list of the potential factors):
- Enabling R&D mode.
- Using any programs from extras-testing, extras-devel or any other experimental repositories/applications as per indicated by their respective developers.
- Having backlight at full strength when you do not really even need such bright screen. Even having backlight timeout set for too long can have impact on battery life when it is not necessarily needed.
- Having too many programs running in background. Having too many widgets running on the home screen and you having switch back and forth between multi tasking or switching to other home screens, etc.
- Having too many chips enabled (such as wireless chipset, bluetooth chipset, accelerometer chipset, etc) when it is not needed.
- Running programs that have significant impact on the performance of the device (firefox fennec/Nightly is a perfect example of this, so is OpenOffice). HAM (Hildon Application Manager) with many repositories enabled including extras-testing and/or extras-devel significantly reduces the usability of the battery, especially extras-devel).
- Not using autodisconnect program and/or having autodisconnect settings set too high for it to have any impact on saving excessive battery consumption. Note that this pont reinforces the point above on having too many chipsets enabled and when not in use. Also for me I find having 3G constantly enabled decreases usable battery life.

Points highlighted above answers to questions 1 and 2. Question 3, with listening to online radio stations could be issues with having bluetooth enabled and using wireless LAN to stream the music from online radio station. Both wireless LAN and bluetooth uses very similar radio band (2.4GHz band) and could easily interfere each other when both of those have antennas are in relative proximity of each other. Remember, N900 is a small device with at 4 chipsets using radio networks (wireless LAN, bluetooth which also has FM receiver capability, mobile/cellular connectivity, and FM transmitter). All these chipsets have antennas in close proximity as they share the same PCB board.

1. If your phone is indeed brand new, it might still be running an older firmware version. If you go to your phone application and choose the dial pad, type *#0000# to see what version firmware you have. The latest version is PR1.3 and it´s mentioned in the dialling pad as V.20.2010.36-2

2. HAM (Hildon Application Manager) is really, really slow. Basically you have two options here. Work from the command line with apt-get, or install Faster Application Manager.

3. Try FM Boost, which should improve signal strength of the transmitter.
http://maemo.org/packages/view/fm-boost/

Edit: redundant as others have already posted the same suggestions. Typing is slow on the n900

Thanks very much for your reply.

ah! i didnt actually have the headphones plugged in at all and was thinking the sound would just come straight out the mobile speakers is that incorrect?

QUOTE=stew-b;]leave it plugged in to charger,connect to wifi and do updates,im guessing its still on an old firmware version...[/QUOTE]

Which would need updating on the phone and where would i update it from? The only updates i am aware of are firmware and catalogue but you probably know way better than i do!

Regarding the firmware, i have just done "*#0000# and it says: V 20.2010.36-2 RX-51, Nokia N900" what would be the relivent firmware for this exact version?
Is it an easy process and is there a guide for total newbies like me?

QUOTE=geneven;1062087]Updating can take a long time, but I've never seen it take an hour. There is a program called Faster Application manager that you might try.[/QUOTE]

Thanks shall look into that!

@ tuxsavvy, very useful information there thank you! & thanks to everyone else.

Wow! ok well im pleased to know i have the latest firmware!
You guys have been so helpful and i am most grateful to all of you.

Mart

I don't understand fully your scenario here. I presume this is referring to the FM transmitter from post 1. Do you wish to receive an FM signal to eg. listen to Radio1, using the FM receiver or are you trying to use your phone to send a signal to a nearby radio using the FM transmitter? Are the mobile speakers you refer to those on the n900?


Also if you could be a little clearer as to which applications you are running/ which steps you have take to try do what you want to here, it will be easier to help.

Think very carefully. Is this phone brand new? Or is it second hand/refurbished?

If it is brand new, never touched by another person it sounds like the battery is fuc***. Perhaps too old and stored in noin ideal conditions (possible if it has been on the shelf since 2009).

If it is second hand/refurbished, again battery also do a COMPLETE reflash. rootFS and eMMC.

The FM transmitter is known to be a bit wimpy (for legal purposes) however there is a program in the application manager called FM booster that increases it's power. It helps ALOT.

Also ONLY use application manager over wifi...