[eds817]

I just upgraded from the 8320 (64mb) to the 9700 (256mb) and was wondering if RIM will ever make a device with real memory?

I was looking at the iPhone 3gs with 32gb but since I can't stand AT&T decided to stay with BlackBerry and I'm happy I did.

But if Apple can make a handset with that much memory why can't RIM? I never got far enough into the iPhone to see how the memory is used/allocated.

When I had the 8320 I had very few apps added due to the limited memory. Now with the 9700 I have quite a few more apps and feel I am finally getting to use the BlackBerry the way it was designed. However I'm wondering how much more it can do if it had 32gb? I know I can add a SD card, I have a 16gb but that doesn't help with apps.

Am I misunderstanding how memory is used on a handheld device?

[SHoTTa35]

I guess if you ever need to load that many apps on your phone then you might need more RAM but when do you ever "need" that many apps? If you have 40-60 apps, you'll still have enough ram and a 32GB card for Media (when those come out).

The iPhone uses it's storage for apps and media so you kinda loose out on media if you have lots of apps and vice versa. iPhone apps are also generally bigger than BBs, most are 10MB i'd say but BB apps are 1MB or LESS in most cases.

[eds817]

Now I am a little more confused...

When I open DM and go to Application Loader -> Add/Remove Applications it tells me I have Total space available: 224.2mb. But when I go to Options - Status on my phone it says I have File Free: 107.2mb and when I go to BB App World -> My World it says I have 102mb free.

Why the differences?

[afropoika]

@SHoTTa35: Good point. I quickly compared one thing... the Dictionary.com app for BlackBerry measures roughly 265KB, but the iPhone version 35MB. The difference here is higher than 13500%. So this begs one question: do you really need that much more application memory on your BlackBerry? It seems to me the iPhone is rather inefficient regarding application size...

Plus, the 16GB, 32GB and soon to come 64GB you see are storage space only. What about RAM? The iPhone 3GS has only 256MB RAM, just like most new BlackBerry smartphones. However, given the much greater size of each application, if the iPhone were multitasking capable you would still be able to multitask more and better with a BlackBerry.

[Xopher]

One other thing to remember is even though the iPhone has 16/32GB of app space, it is still running those applications in a 256MB application memory, just like the current BBs. It's just the integration with additional memory that gives the iPhone the advantage of larger and more graphically-enhanced applications.

I do agree, though, that at least the OS should be opened up to allow apps to be stored on BBs with added internal memory.

That being said, I have 45 apps installed on my Tour and still have 70MB free. I really don't need a lot more apps installed (maybe a few more games), so I haven't hit any memory walls (other than the dreaded 552 error with OS 4.7, but got aournd that with OS 5.0).

[eds817]

What is the minimum amount of memory needed to run a 9700 effectively?

[afropoika]

Well, it was said that nobody would ever need more than 640KB memory. Currently, we do not actually need more than 256MB application memory (though 128MB was clearly limiting for many). BlackBerry applications are generally light (rarely going above 1MB) and utilize available memory carefully (remember this is all Java, therefore automatic garbage collection is also doing its duties).

At some point (especially when OpenGL ES takes off and hopefully for more devices than Storm2) we will need more application memory and/or RAM.

[SHoTTa35]

You can run your phone with 10MB of RAM effectively. I think after that it might start errasing some stuff to free of app ram. You definitely shouldn't be down there at all, not on a Tour or Bold 9700 or Curve 8900.

[95yj]

Well, it was said that nobody would ever need more than 640KB memory

LOL. Actually, that was 10 pages of 64KB of memory. And a 10MB hard drive was huge and more than could possibly be filled up.

[afropoika]

...yet people are struggling to keep all necessary data on 10GB...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[es_bih]

I guess if you ever need to load that many apps on your phone then you might need more RAM but when do you ever "need" that many apps? If you have 40-60 apps, you'll still have enough ram and a 32GB card for Media (when those come out).

The iPhone uses it's storage for apps and media so you kinda loose out on media if you have lots of apps and vice versa. iPhone apps are also generally bigger than BBs, most are 10MB i'd say but BB apps are 1MB or LESS in most cases.

You're confusing rom and ram.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[eds817]

You're confusing ROM and ram.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

So does the 9700 have 512mb of memory? 256 onboard and 256 flash? Does the OS occupy the onboard and the apps I install the flash?

[Reed McLay]

So does the 9700 have 512mb of memory? 256 onboard and 256 flash? Does the OS occupy the onboard and the apps I install the flash?

BlackBerry - 9700 Specifications - New BlackBerry Bold 9700 Specs

Fash Memory is a technology. Using that technology, their is 256 Mb of addressable memory.

SD Micro cards employ the same technology, but they are not directly addressable. In function, they are comparable to your computers hard disk dirve.

To me, comfortably settled in wiith my 64 Mb Pearl, the secret to happyness is archiving to my SD Micro card. Thanks to BlackBerry App World, I have way more applications installed and archived on the media card, then I can ever hope to run in 64 Mb.