WM05 Memory
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HOW DOES WINDOWS MOBILE 2005 MEMORY WORK?
How Does WM05 Memory Work?
Okay.....it comes up over and over again....those that say that the 700w is crippled due to Palm only putting in 32mb of Memory so it is the worst phone on the market today....and the other side saying they are just nay sayers and don't know what they are talking about that it will do anything anyone wants it do....and everything in between.
So, I wanted to lay out some FACTS on this issue, instead of dealing with it thread by thread and post by post in the TreoCentral Forums.
The current standard amount of RAM in WM for the last 12-18 months has been up to 64 of RAM. I say up to 64 mb of RAM because during the vast majority of this time all of these devices were WM03 devices. In WM03, the memory management was handled VERY diferently than in WM05. In WM03 you used the Flash ROM to boot up the device (some even had persistent storage to help with this and /or with normal storage of files and apps). Then it split the storage ROM and the RAM with the infamous slider:
This gave you the opportunity to take RAM and use it for storage or manage your storage with an SD card and give yourself more RAM. But at least out of the box the standard was around 64 mb of RAM with around 25-40 or so available after everything was booted up. In reality you could easily have more memory available as well. If you did not need much ROM, or storage memory, you could then use that to increase your RAM memory.
Even all WM05 devices that I am aware of in the price range of the Treo 700w has 64 mb of RAM.
Now here is a pretty good summary of how WM05 handles memory:
QUOTE:
Implications of Memory Management in Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PCs
Rom
Since Microsoft decided switch to storing all information in flash, there are benefits and trade offs. First as a benefit, all your data is stored in flash and the flash is not erased if you run the battery of your Pocket PC dry. This is now called persistent storage. Second, the flash space in the Pocket PC is split between storage and rom. So the amount of data or programs you install on your Pocket PC is limited by the amount of free storage (flash) on your device. Also note that the storage in flash is not compressed like it was in prior versions so you cannot store as much information in flash. 'Also due to this design, (unless NOR Flash with Execute In Place (XIP) is used) programs that are installed stored in flash are copied to ram to be executed thus they occupy twice the space.' Finally the directory of data stored in the boot rom is merged with the storage flash so the user sees the file system as one. If a file in the boot rom is replaced by a file in storage flash the storage flash file is used.
RAM
So the ram inside the Pocket PC is now dedicated to running programs. So if you attempt to run multiple programs that are "hogs" like you used to in Windows Mobile 2003, they may not run or the operating system may close some of them. Users should be aware that the 32mb size limitation for a single program still applies to Windows Mobile 5.0 applications. The memory management for programs still applies as well where the operating system flushes pages of programs that are no longer needed, thus optimizing the use of ram in the system for other programs to execute.
Conclusion
Overall this new model of storage and execution space in [I][B]Windows Mobile 5.0 more closely resembles the way your PC stores programs in rom (like your hard disk) and execute programs in ram. [/B][/I] [I][B]I believe that the benefits of storing all information in flash outweigh the loss of space and ability to run large applications[/B]. [/I] This is the same model that the Smartphone has used since it's introduction in 2002.
WM05 MEMORY MANAGEMENT AND REGISTRY EDITS
I feel it worth making a special note of how WM05 manages the memory and [making registry edits]. Unlike in WM03 you cannot make a modification in the registry and just pull out the battery to reset the phone, because in WM05 if you did this you would loose your changes. To the best of my understanding the reason behind this is due to the way WM05 manages it's memory. In WM05 there are TWO copies of the registry.....one in the storage memory (like a harddrive on a desktop) and a copy of that in the RAM (which the live one being used and modified when you make changes). When you make changes to the Registry in WM05, you are actually making changes to the Registry in the RAM only. The OS then needs time or the opportunity to copy the modified reg in RAM to the permanent copy in Storage. It will do this at some point on it's own. But if you want it take effect immediately and you need to reset the phone to do that, you will need to use a Soft Reset software utility to do that as it will copy the RAM copy of the Registry back to the Storage and save it before it resets. If you manually reset right after you modify the Reg, the copy of the Reg in RAM never had a chance to update the permanent copy in Storage......so you loose your changes.
PRO OR CON?
Now on the 700w it has 32 mb of RAM out of the box, and after the OS and PIMs load you have about 10-15 mb of free RAM left to launch other programs, multitask, multimedia, etc... This may very well be MORE than enough for you, or you may find yourself feeling limited. This claim is based solely on your personal use, needs, and wants and nothing more.
The 700wx with Sprint has 64 MB of RAM. Doubling the amount of RAM and bringing back into the fold of the standards in the industry.
As with any claimed feature or limitation, this is can only be fairly answered by each individual user. It is important to know the facts about it. Look at what you want or expect to be able to do with it. Then decide if this suites your needs....then it is a pro.....or if your needs exceeds the memory....then it is a con. NO ONE PERSON is right or wrong when they come up with their answer!!!!!
The 700w /wx is a GREAT PHONE!!!! I do believe that it is the perfect phone for a lot of people. It will make hundreds of thousands very happy customers. But if your personal needs exceeds the lower amount of memory the 700w offers compared to nearly every other WM device (including the 700wx), then you will be disapointed. It is simply making an educated decision with knowing what you want to do with it.
MEMORY MANAGEMENT
There are several articles that will help you best to manage and be the most productive with the memory available.
TREO CENTRAL FORUM DISCUSSION
Here is a discussion on this topic at the Treo Central Forum:
