Managing Memory

I rec'd an email from a user of MobileOptimized asking how I manage my Treo's memory since GoodLink uses so much of it. Considering that I've had similar emails in the past, I thought I'd post the bulk of my reply here...

I believe I promised you a reply a few days back. I apologize... I was out of town and then spent a good amount of time yesterday playing catch-up after the holiday.

Reading your email, I use some of the same apps you do, but others I don't. I too saw my available memory shrink down after installing GoodLink, but since 24/7 corporate email was the justification for getting our Treo's, I couldn't complain too much. I use PowerRun for a few items and keep others in local memory. Here's a brief breakdown:

In Local Memory:
GoodLink
BackupMan
ChatterEmail (w/ POP support)
DataViz Tech (see below)
FileProg
Fonts4OS5
KBLightsOff
KeyCaps600
MergicVPN
PowerRun
PowerUp (not needed when I have Chatter turn on the radio after a reset)
pTunes Deluxe
RemoteLock
TreoAlarm

On my 2GB SD Card and handled by PowerRUN:
9.95 Solitaire
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Agile Messenger
Directory Assistant
MobileTS
PacDude100
pssh
SiEd
STRIP
TCPMP
Zap!2016

On my 2GB SD Card, but *NOT* handled by PowerRUN:
DocumentsToGo Premium (I used Dataviz' Tech program to move all parts of DocsToGo to the SD card. When all is done, there's a few libraries in local memory, but the bulk is on the SD card)

I actually spent quite some time installing one app, then testing it, to find which worked well on an SD card and which didn't. Some gave mixed results, others were straightforward. pTunes, for example, ran just fine from the SD card, but the .WAV and .OGG plugins wouldn't work, nor would some themes, so I moved it back to local memory. DocsToGo was great on the SD card via PowerRUN except that if I opened an attachment (.doc or .xls) from within GoodLink, it would give me memory errors when it tried to spawn DocsToGo. Using the Dataviz Tech add-on to move everything to the SD card worked w/o issue.

Another thing I did to free up some space was to delete all the ringtones I never use. Go to Prefs -> Sounds & Alerts. Click on Tones (default is to Volume), then click on Manage. On any sound listed, click on the Details... button, then choose Delete. Its not a lot, but if space is a commodity, it can help. NOTE: if you ever update your ROM, you'll need to repeat this process as ROM upgrades will put back all the ringtones.

Last thing... make sure you have latest ROM updates. There are now updates for unlocked, Sprint, Cingular (AT&T Wireless), and Verizon 650's that address some memory issues resulting from the NVFS. Of course, if space is severely low for you, you will need to install the updates via the "backup, load from SD card, then restore" route.

As of right now, with everything installed and configured as shown above, I have 6.7Mb of free memory and my phone almost never freezes or resets unless I'm roaming. Keep in mind as well that memory might not be your only issue. If you're getting a lot of resets, there's two things to look at:

1) if you have a Cingular 650, make sure you have a new SIM chip. You can always call them and they'll send you a new one at no charge... however they ship out pre-programmed so once you ask for you it, your phone will stop working until you get and install the new one. There were some issues with older 32K Gemstar SIMs in Cingular 650's. A quick google search will provide more info.

2) take a peak at my "avoiding resets" article. Depending on *how* you use your Treo, you may find some of this information to be helpful.

On a side note... I recently switched from SnapperMail to ChatterEmail. Snapper was very stable, but occasionally my Treo would freeze with the screen on and drain my battery. Once I went to Chatter, this went away. I've had one or two freezes with the screen off, and an occasional reset, but in the end I'd rather have it freeze with the screen off instead of on.

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