Posted on July 29, 2009, at 11:26 am .
RIM has updated their App World documentation from version 1.0 to version 1.1 and there are a couple interesting changes.
The most interesting feature is the ability to store applications on the SD card to be used later. BlackBerry users will be able to remove applications and reinstall them without paying a second time. BlackBerry App World archives a record of the application to save memory and so that the user does not have to maintain the application on the BlackBerry device.
Some BlackBerry users have complained that the Flash memory on the device is too small, and that it’s stagnating to the app experience and development process. For example, some iPhone games are upwards of 100mb, which until recently wouldn’t make any sense to download. Now we’ll be able to download applications which are much larger in size, and only call them to the device when needed.
From a technical standpoint, the SD card isn’t able to run applications. This would be great in that you could be running very large apps without worrying about using too much of your on-device memory. Currently, it just can’t work because the SD card and the Java “brain” don’t communicate in that fashion. There are also a ton of quality assurance concerns with running an app from an SD card. RIM can’t control the quality of the SD card and therefore would lose control of the software experience. Keeping software running on the flash memory maintains internal control.
In the end, this is a small step in the right direction but we aren’t totally there. On device memory should be in the tens of gigs, in order to future proof the device.
See the official documentation from RIM.
Question: What are some of the larger apps you’ve downloaded?
[Via]
Posted on April 3, 2009, at 5:10 pm .
“My blackberry has been clearing my phone log at random. Yesterday it also cleared all my text messages. Why is it doing this and how can I stop it from doing it?”
This seems to be a feature RIM has implemented when you run out of device memory. Phone logs and messages begin to purge themselves to allow the OS to continue running smoothly. There are several ways to fix this issue, the first being to manage your memory. Uninstall any applications you don’t use and through the Desktop Manager. Remove items such as languages, sample videos and help files if you don’t use. The second way to help to keep your Berry from running out of space is to delete old messages and clear Browser cookies and cache.
Menu key and select Options > Cache Operations. Clear History & Clear Cookies
Lastly, Themes are a memory hog. Try to limit yourself to as few as possible. “Plus” themes seem to be a lot bigger in size than standard Today, Icon and Zen themes. So be aware of the size when installing new themes.
Thanks for the questions Susan A.
To get your BlackBerry questions answered by BlackBerry Joe, leave them in the comments.
Posted on October 3, 2008, at 12:33 am .
Earlier this week SanDisk announced the introduction of 16GB microSDHC (high capacity) cards, which makes me stare at the media-enabled BlackBerry Bold sitting beside me with both wonder and greed. However, those of you not fortunate enough to have an OS 4.6 BlackBerry may be wondering if your BlackBerry can support the new SDHC cards. Thankfully, our good friend Al Sacco over at CIO has already composed a useful chart depicting which BlackBerrys make the cut. We’ll spoil the ending for you, though: all BlackBerrys OS 4.5.0.81 and higher should be fine.
Supported microSD Memory Card Sizes Based on BlackBerry OS
Posted on October 1, 2008, at 9:48 am .
reQallreleased a beta version their memory aid software for BlackBerry today. reQall for BlackBerry helps BlackBerry users stay organized on the go by allowing them to create, edit and share reminders right from their BlackBerry using either voice or text input. To learn more about reQall, visit their reQall for BlackBerry page or download the beta version directly from the link below via your BlackBerry:
http://www.reqall.com/blackberry
Posted on August 20, 2008, at 7:48 am .
BoxTone just launched a free application for monitoring your BlackBerry’s health, and as someone who needs to count every kilobyte lest he be smoten by the Almighty Rogers Overage Charge, I can say this is a must-have for the heavy-duty BlackBerry user. Graphs show the progress of 24-hour monitoring of vital information like…
• Signal strength
• Battery remaining
• Memory free
• Data sent/received
• Calls made/duration
Solid app, and big ups to BoxTone for making the utility free to all. Hop in on the open beta at my.boxtone.com/insight.
Posted on August 7, 2008, at 1:26 pm .
As previously rumored, Virgin Mobile is now offering the BlackBerry Pearl for free on a three-year contract. The big seller here is that they’re throwing in 8 GB memory cards on all activations. Yow. Plenty of carriers hand out 1 GB cards as incentives, 8 GB cards are not only hard to find, but can get pretty pricey, too. As for plans, Virgin’s got voice and text plans starting at $25/month and BlackBerry plans from $15/month and up. If you want more info, the web store is really cleanly set up, and makes picking your options pretty dang easy.
(via MobileSyrup)
Posted on August 1, 2008, at 9:47 am .
Better double-check your BlackBerry before making that weekend trip across the border, as now Homeland Security can detain laptops, mobiles and recordable media of all types for an unspecified amount of time as part of routine inspections. Any information gleaned from the media can be shared around government agencies as needed for decryption and translation, although original copies must be destroyed when if the media is returned. Throw your BlackBerry into checked luggage, because otherwise you could be losing it for months on end, even if you’re a returning US citizen and you aren’t under any particular suspicion.
“They’re saying they can rifle through all the information in a traveler’s laptop without having a smidgen of evidence that the traveler is breaking the law,” said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Notably, he said, the policies “don’t establish any criteria for whose computer can be searched.”
As a Canadian who often has to fly through the US with my laptop, I don’t like sound of this one bit. Of course, there are some solid tips out there for deterring complete invasion of privacy, including using virtual private networks in order to keep data accessible but not on your person; looks like we’re all going to have to sign up with WICKSoft. To get the full details, you can read the whole report here.
(via WindowsMobile Cool)
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 6:40 pm .
As you can tell from our Zumobi hands-on impressions post, the mobile widget application can be quite the memory hog by BlackBerry standards (highly understandable considering what it provides) and has been a little troublesome for members of the BlackBerry Nation rocking, ahem, less-than-new devices. However, our friends at Zumobi aren’t ones to rest in times of need, and have put together a video of handy memory management tips so your BlackBerry is running clean and your Zoomspace is quick.
Check out the video above (compiled partially from tips offered right here on BlackBerry Cool), but make sure to post your own memory management tip in the comments. Special thanks to the lovely Beth for compiling the video!
Watch the BlackBerry memory management video after the jump
Posted on July 16, 2008, at 8:00 am .
The bigger memory cards for BlackBerry can get pretty expensive, but this is a solid deal. Meritline is selling 8GB A-DATA microSD cards for a scant $39.99, complete with converter and free standard shipping within the US. The downside is that us international folks are boned – it looks like the only shipping method I qualify for up here in Canada is FedEx International which runs a scandalous $59.52. And here I was looking to replace my junky 512 card for the BlackBerry Bold. Looks like we’ll have to find another place for cheap memory cards up in the cold, desolate north… Seen any good deals lately?
(via BerryReview)
Posted on May 22, 2008, at 7:33 am .
One of the consistent complaints about BlackBerry is the lack of internal memory available for applications. Sure, microSD cards add some storage for media files, but programs have to be launched directly from the device. Well, Aerize has an interesting solution that involves swapping out applications stored on your BlackBerry’s physical memory onto the memory card so you can store more apps. These guys have an awesome sale going on now, where you can grab not only the card loader, but their fine file explorer (which includes a zip and unzip utility) for half off regular price. These are some very handy tools for those looking to save some room on their handheld… be sure to take advantage before the sale runs out on Friday!
