Hero or Zero smartphone? - Staying ahead of the need for RAM

[slitchfield]

Using a mixture of diagrams and literary quotes, Steve Litchfield re-examines the thorny issue of RAM, explains why it has been an issue for years and identifies the models that have been up to scratch and those that haven't. Where do the devices you've owned sit in the grand RAM pantheon? Finally, he asks whether the upcoming crop of devices have sufficient of this precious resource? Comments welcome!

Read on in the full article.

[Dubito]

Sadly, the reason I am progressively less and less likely to buy Nokia next is clearly represented by the way their devices are grape-shot either side of the line, and the yet-to-be-launched N8 is only just comfortably above it.

My likelihood of getting an N97 mini has gone from certain to slim, even before seeing that.

Nokia seem to practice "just enough" hardware design, and frequently get it wrong. They do some things great, like cameras and speakers, but rarely all together, and never all the time. Case in point: Speakers and screen on the N97 mini were a step backwards.

With full acknowledgement that they sell to more markets, at more price points, than just about anyone else - few of their "flagships" have deserved the label.

A flagship is an opportunity to give the engineers free reign. Just imagine if Nokia had done the software for the i8910.

I'm overjoyed with how cheap the N8 is going to be at launch, but I'm rather less happy with some of the design decisions which got them there.

Dubito
twitter.com/jonathanhepburn
sumdubito.blogspot.com

[stirly]

Interesting article, and one that is close to my heart. As an N86 owner, I'm generally happy with the RAM available to me, but only because I keep an eye on it. If I wanted ALL my calendar and email entries from the last two years on Nokia Messaging, my RAM would take a bit hit, so I set it to be only the last couple of weeks - not ideal if I am looking back for a past event.
On the whole I am happy with the device and the RAM within, but as ever, more would be nice (or what would be NICER still would be the ability to have all the calendar and email entries stored on the 8gb of memory space built into the device!!!- Is that so much to ask for for??!! )

Originally Posted by stirly

On the whole I am happy with the device and the RAM within, but as ever, more would be nice (or what would be NICER still would be the ability to have all the calendar and email entries stored on the 8gb of memory space built into the device!!!- Is that so much to ask for for??!! )

You were not alone.
I've been writing a lot in the last nokia conversation when they bring up the 10 things about nokia E series. I own the RAM unhappy Nokia E61i, and I'm hitting the ram barrier every now and then.

I told nokia that their team is not abusing the device enough, or is not seriously developing a great 'E' devices, or must be fired and replaced.

It is a shame that if I put the e-mail/SMS on the microSD, I lost the ability to take out the microSD, and if I put the e-mail/SMS on the phone memory, my phone will be unhappy.

Shame on nokia.!!!!

Hi steve,

I'm a frequent visitor of AAS and other symbian web site, and have been yelling about this a lot. And I think you brought the issue very well. Nokia need to revolutionist their SDRAM & the Flashram(Hard drive?) NOW. IN A BIG WAY!!!

There is also another issue that nokia have been lacking compared to competitor. I see in the fruit company product (the one that have 1 product to rule them all). It can use most language. But nokia still playing the protected market.

i.e. If I bought the iFruit2 or iFruit3 in the US, I could write korean, japanese, chinese, thai, rusian, arabic, etc.... and nokia failed a big one on this....

not only i can't write the above character, but also not able to read the character. it is so funny to have E series phone that only be able to read local language.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

There is also another issue that nokia have been lacking compared to competitor. I see in the fruit company product (the one that have 1 product to rule them all). It can use most language. But nokia still playing the protected market.

i.e. If I bought the iFruit2 or iFruit3 in the US, I could write korean, japanese, chinese, thai, rusian, arabic, etc.... and nokia failed a big one on this....

not only i can't write the above character, but also not able to read the character. it is so funny to have E series phone that only be able to read local language.

I can't? You just forgot to install the language packs. Noob.

My N900 has 1GB of RAM (admittedly 256MB RAM + 768MB swap), but it still trashes the hell out of any smartphone in the market today.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I can't? You just forgot to install the language packs. Noob.

I'm kind of symbian veteran. have been using symbian since 3650. But don't know about the language pack at all. Maybe you can be more specific on how to install the language pack.

[Dubito]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I can't? You just forgot to install the language packs. Noob.

That right there is a reason Symbian is losing market share to iPhone and Android which, let's face it, is chasing iPhone not Symbian.

Symbian may be a great power-user platform if you know how to work it, but the majority of sales go to "noobs", not power-users.

S60 is a constricting user-experience for first-time users. That's one big reason it's being trashed in the non-specialist press.

Originally Posted by Dubito

That right there is a reason Symbian is losing market share to iPhone and Android which, let's face it, is chasing iPhone not Symbian.

Symbian may be a great power-user platform if you know how to work it, but the majority of sales go to "noobs", not power-users.

S60 is a constricting user-experience for first-time users. That's one big reason it's being trashed in the non-specialist press.

It still doesn't answer on how to install the new language (pack). As far as i know, there is only one way to install new language, that's by changing the product ID. and it's not qualified as "installing the language pack". because what it does, doesn't add new language, but change the language on the phone.

[Dubito]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

It still doesn't answer on how to install the new language (pack). As far as i know, there is only one way to install new language, that's by changing the product ID. and it's not qualified as "installing the language pack". because what it does, doesn't add new language, but change the language on the phone.

Well, maybe you can't.

For a longer answer, Google and you may find a solution which breaks your warranty and needs a bit of work. Maybe the N900 has a different, more flexible system - it is, after all, not Symbian.

Nokia yet again lagging behind, not one single Symbian has more than 128mb of RAM and you won't see any for at least another 2 months and by then the competition at the high end has already moved onto 512mb of RAM.

Also the N900 has 256mb of RAM. Swap does not equal RAM, it resides on the flash memory.

[slitchfield]

I'm somewhat dismayed by several of the previous comments have completely ignored the difference between RAM and storage memory - that I went to GREAT lengths to clarify 8-(

Please guys, read the whole piece. This is NOTHING to do with free disk space.

Originally Posted by slitchfield

I'm somewhat dismayed by several of the previous comments have completely ignored the difference between RAM and storage memory - that I went to GREAT lengths to clarify 8-(

Please guys, read the whole piece. This is NOTHING to do with free disk space.

Hi steve,

I'm aware of the RAM is !NOT! the free disk space. I know when browsing lots of web site, my nokia web browser will die, and therefore i use opera at 95% of time.

but there were more than RAM that nokia failed at. the free disk space is also lame, and also CPU power is also lame.... why the new touch enable phone such as N97 have a slower CPU than E72? even the new C6 will have slower CPU than E5? Not to mention the language (pack?).

I think nokia designer were sabotage-ing nokia at the inside.

Please note, I use nokia, i love nokia. and i wish nokia put better CPU, better RAM & better disk space on their product.

[Seft]

I'm quite surprised that you chose to model RAM requirements over time in a linear fashion. Moore's law and all that suggests exponential growth.

[slitchfield]

Originally Posted by Seft

I'm quite surprised that you chose to model RAM requirements over time in a linear fashion. Moore's law and all that suggests exponential growth.

Only over the long term. I was looking at a range of phones running essentially the same platform (e.g. S60 3rd Edition) over a fairly short time period 8-)