Memory Question

**Nihilist** · 11-12-2008, 11:15 PM

Quick question,

What is the difference between Application Memory Free Space and Device Memory Free Space?

My application memory free space is 25.0 MB but my device memory free space is 858.9 MB. Will adding a microsd card increase application memory or device memory? Which one affects performance? and if I get the microsd card, can I install all of the applications on the card?

Also, is the free space amount good? The only apps I have are google maps, etrade mobile and at&t navigator.

Thanks everyone

**Nihilist** · 11-12-2008, 11:27 PM

Actually I think I figured it out. I just deleted the password keeper and my memory went from 25MB to 33MB.

So I guess my next question is what is the device memory and why can't we integrate the two into one big huge memory system?

**Nihilist** · 11-12-2008, 11:37 PM

Sorry, one more question...

What memory (for lack of better words) do emails, SMS and bb messenger messages fall under? Is it saved in device memory?

I think it's really weird that it's partitioned like this... Anyone know the reasoning behind it?

**1911** · 11-13-2008, 06:22 AM

Application memory is RAM, its used by software to operate, the more RAM u have, the more efficient your phone is, thus better speed performance(not internet performance), Device memory is storage memory. Its for you to store stuff such as photos, songs etc. Therefore device and application memory is 2 totally different thing.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**Nihilist** · 11-13-2008, 08:49 AM

So why does the application memory decrease/increase when I add/remove programs but the device memory hasn't moved? If app memory is like RAM it should only be affected if I have an application running

**Nihilist** · 11-13-2008, 01:56 PM

Anyone?

I'm now down to 26.6 MB since last night and I haven't installed anything...

**cns187** · 11-13-2008, 01:58 PM

im curious as well

**masterchief1128** · 11-13-2008, 02:27 PM

Its called a memory leak guys. Read around on here and you'll see that term a lot. Hold alt and hit the back button, this shows your running programs. There should only be five running: browser, phone, messages, bb messenger, and the home. If there are more apps running that's where the memory is going. The bold DOES have a memory problem where even if you close apps after seeing them memory will slowly "leak" even there's no app using it. Its really frustrating...hopefully there's a solution soon.

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**Nihilist** · 11-13-2008, 03:29 PM

I understand the memory leak problem but that's not what I was asking.

What's the difference between device memory and application memory? Is there a way to repartition it so device memory is higher?

I'm assuming that application memory is what is increased with the microsd card, so I would rather get an 8gb card and allocate 900MB to the device memory if possible.

I was also wondering why RIM would do something stupid like this...

**ydaraishy** · 11-13-2008, 03:35 PM

I suppose you could say: application memory is space allotted to the JVM, a lot like RAM; applications get stored in this space as well, I believe. It is constant and can't be reallocated, while device memory is space for more permanent storage, a lot like hard disk space.

MicroSD card space is treated separately, and is treated like a "second hard disk".

Application memory changes because there's apps running in the background, some apps aren't written correctly and "leak" memory, application memory is used to store messages and contacts and other things, so it will fluctuate over time.

**Nihilist** · 11-13-2008, 03:43 PM

So application memory is pretty much everything and device memory is for holding documents, music, and voyeuristic pictures?

This seems to be an incredibly stupid and shortsighted move by RIM. Why make application memory so little as compared to the device memory when you can easily add a microsd card if you need space just for storage?

Terrible.

**ydaraishy** · 11-13-2008, 03:53 PM

I don't think it's that terrible (Palm, for example, do pretty much the same thing).

**Nihilist** · 11-13-2008, 04:02 PM

Yea, but it doesn't mean it's right.

Why would you allocate 90% of your internal memory to storage (which is easily upgradeable with a cheap microsd card) and only give out 128MB to the non-upgradeable portion and make that section the most important part of the phone's memory which holds the applications, messages, etc.?

It's not smart.

**ydaraishy** · 11-13-2008, 04:12 PM

There are obviously good security reasons for this: application memory is sandboxed from the rest of the system. There may be other good reasons to do this, such as backwards compatibility, or similar; I don't know deep details about Blackberry internals (go ask RIM!).

**sgl9x** · 11-13-2008, 04:23 PM

Maybe with less memory a phone has, the less it costs to produce. So they make more profit. I know memory is one of the most expensive parts of the phone besides the display.