That idea has already been proposed, but it's going to take some time for someone to implement it, the reason that there are quite a few very useful apps already for the N900 is because they've been carried over from the N810.

Untouchab1e, if you only use IM why don't you just switch the phone into GSM mode from the settings? GSM has more than enough speed for you to be able to IM and for it to update widgets in the background.

While 3G does consume more battery life than 2.5G it might be the constant switching that's doing the killin noticed on my Metro rides that if I leave my N900 on searching for a connection it'll thrash the battery life as it connects to a tower only to disconnect within minutes as the subway goes back under a tunnel. So now I just put it in offline mode when in the underground sections of the subway.

I have switched from butterfly to Pdigin/haze for my MSN connection. It seems to help alot with battery atm. I just now changed to GSM and will see if that will make it even better.

My battery life is the worse in areas where the n900 has to keep searching for a signal. Add that to the fact my n900 doesnt pick up as well as my previous phone, and it can make for a bad experience. I dont know if the firmware update can help with this, but I hope so.

Well maybe something can be changed in the frequency of 3g network searching, in the firmware. But i dont think much can be done about it.

I just need some kind of app that turns on 3g when i open a dataroaming connection, and turns it off again when i close the connection.

That way the phone won't consume so much battery when its not being used.
But this won't be a fix for all the ppl out there who dreams of being online on IM services all the time.

Didn't help with me. Online but idle all day and It didn't last any longer than with 3G.

When 3g is activated, does your phone jump between 2.5 and 3g/3.5 alot? Cause the jumping is what seems to be draining my battery.

Maybe getting a cell provider like 3 so my phone never jumps off 3g network could be a good thing after all...

I've had been using only gsm for about two days now, and i think i get at least 3+ hours more battery life a day.

What I was wonder is if 3g improve voice quality from phone calls. If so, i don't think I'll be willing to turn off the 3g, cause Either way it wouldn't last two days, and you mind as well leave it on, cause you'd have to charge it every night any ways.

Are any of you familiar to whether it improves voice reception quality or is 3g only for the speed of transferred data?

Turning off 3G totally won't work for me. I signed up for a data-plan only so I could use the N900 exclusively as a Skype phone. I don't have voice or texting service on my T-mobile plan. So I need 3G enabled all the time, or the phone needs to recognize that there'a wifi available and then turn 3G off when wifi connection to Internet is available.

Hi,

Not that tech savvy so gonna ask instead of doing it,

Can we make a brainstorm about this?

currently I don't use 3G 'cause provider doesn't have a descent plan for it ATM.
But I heard it's gonna change so probably will be using it in the near future.

It would be cool to have
A) a widget to switch GSM/dual/3G

B) better would be to have a proggie that, with the right settings, knows when to switch; ie.

-Start with GSM only;
-switch to dual IF bigher bandwith is demanded; (can it be deteted when it's just ie. IM that want's a status update or when a full flash site needs to be loaded?)
-switch to GSM when on wifi
or when no longer demanded (after x min of low demand?).

That way, with maybe a small initial delay between switches, you always use the best connection.

some other maybe usefull settings: Delay the search for 3G (switch to GSM if 3G is not found try again in x min.) That way you will be on 3G when there is 3G but wont drain battery when not in reach.

have a always on, always off setting.