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App Storage and Memory Issues - iPhone vs Android

Interesting:
From 2009, but still relevant?
Daring Fireball Linked List: Droid Limited to 256 MB of Storage for Apps

"This is another one of those things where I simply don’t understand why Motorola doesn’t follow Apple’s lead and provide ample built-in storage rather than relying on removable SD cards. I just checked, and I have about 1.8 gigabytes of apps installed on my iPhone. Many of the top iPhone games weigh in at 50 or even 100 MB each. My two biggest games alone (Texas Hold’em and Need for Speed Undercover) weigh in at just over 256 MB combined. Just two games. Did Motorola even look at the size of popular apps in the App Store before releasing this?"

And this:
Google fails to address app storage issue with Droid and Android 2.0 – Android and Me

"The Droid ships with a 512 MB ROM which contains only 256 MB available for app storage.
...
Have you seen all the awesome iPhone and iPod Touch games? Hardly any of them would fit on an Android phone. It is not uncommon for popular titles to easily exceed 100 MB. For example, the game Myst takes up a whopping 727MB."
 
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Okay - yeah - rooting...I'd be willing to give it a go, I guess. It's just that I keep seeing "use at your own risk" and "make sure you know what you are doing" and "you could brick your phone" - all of those scary, scary phrases.

Can you point me toward some resources geared for a novice? Will all of my apps work the same? Can I have a similar UI to the HTC Sense? And most important - can I still get my work emails on the Exchange Server?

While we're on the subject - do you know WHY the Android OS won't allow use of the SD card? Or - why there isn't more phone storage for apps like the dreaded iPhone has? And - why does rooting your phone void the warranty?

I'm not really familiar with the eris at all, best check out the specific root forum for it

All Things Root (Eris) - Android Forums

You will void your warranty, but there should be a method of 'unrooting' if you need to make a warranty claim......provided the claim isn't as a result of your rooting ;)

As for the lack of on-board storage on some android phones: your guess is as good as mine. Maybe just to save money, or make the phone cheaper.
 
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Wait - is it possible that the Samsung on AT&T has different flash memory than the Verizon's version?
Motorola Droid X vs. Samsung Fascinate (Galaxy S)

"The Droid X and Fascinate both take a two-pronged approach to storage, with internal and expandable memory on board, but the Droid X offers more. It comes with 8GB of internal memory and a 16GB microSD card preinstalled, while the Fascinate offers only 2GB of internal memory and a 16GB microSD card preinstalled."

Yes, they're all a little different on all four major US carriers.

Another thing to note, while the Vibrant (my friend owns it) has 16gb of internal memory (I believe 13gb is usable), only 2 to 4gb is used for App storage, the rest is used as a storage deivce.

Unless there is a way to change that and he hasn't figured it out yet.
 
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Would you be willing to verify with your friend how much app storage there is on the Vibrant? I'm curious...

Thank you!

He has 1.5gb left. I'm sure he hasn't used up more than 200mb, so I guess you could say roughly 1.7gb to start with...

He also has 13gb of internal memory left for music/videos.


Oh, also - is there a way (a list or a website perhaps?) to find out how much memory is available specifically for apps on smartphones? I was under the impression that "flash memory" was what I needed to look for - I guess that's wrong.

Not that I'm aware of, but they work in a funny way.

The Nexus One has 512mb ROM and 512mb RAM.

I believe only about 210mg was available for app space when I got it. Some users have reported about 30mb more space after FroYo.

I know that the ram jumped up on mine from about 150-170 to 250 when everything is killed in Advanced Task Killer after upgrading to FroYo.
 
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honestly, you would probably be happier with an Iphone. First off, the Eris is, as everyone has said, utterly outdated in the world of Android unless you've rooted and even then, it lags in the back of the pack. Secondly, Google's Market really doesn't contain that many apps that are huge. There isn't the support yet for games like in the App Store, and in fact, I'm not sure that most Android phones can even support some of the higher end games that the App Store has.

If you want a phone for Apps (I hardly ever use the 30 or so I have on mine) and just because you want as many apps as you can get, then the Iphone is where you need to be.
 
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[sigh] Yeah, that seems to be where this is heading, and that makes me sad. I really prefer the interface of the Android phones. Hopefully - like Anthony said above - the manufacturers making these phones get hip to this and increase the storage by the time I'll be making this decision next fall.

I just took a tour around the App Store in iTunes, and put in the keyword "maps" and I was astonished at the variety! (I make maps for a living, and I am a geography geek - so...there ya go.) One app of historical maps was 72mb! Wow!


honestly, you would probably be happier with an Iphone. First off, the Eris is, as everyone has said, utterly outdated in the world of Android unless you've rooted and even then, it lags in the back of the pack. Secondly, Google's Market really doesn't contain that many apps that are huge. There isn't the support yet for games like in the App Store, and in fact, I'm not sure that most Android phones can even support some of the higher end games that the App Store has.

If you want a phone for Apps (I hardly ever use the 30 or so I have on mine) and just because you want as many apps as you can get, then the Iphone is where you need to be.
 
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honestly, you would probably be happier with an Iphone.

If you want a phone for Apps (I hardly ever use the 30 or so I have on mine) and just because you want as many apps as you can get, then the Iphone is where you need to be.


I happen to agree.

I am an apps guy, but I tend to run 30. If I don't use an app several times a month (at least), it does not stay on my phone. Plus, the download process on Android is FAST... I sometimes download rarely used apps at the timeI need them -- then delete.

But, as noted, if the OP wants to load 500 on his device,that is his/er prerogative, and it does seem that an iPhone would better suit his/her needs.
 
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I have 157 apps on my phone......... and it runs just as smooth as it did with just stock apps....... if you want to be an app collector theres nothing wrong with that..........I originally did like someone mentioned above..... tried alot of apps.....found the ones I like but rarely use and deleted them....... then when I needed them I just d/l them again...... but even as fast as the d/l process is...... its not fast enough when you actually need an app......so I decided that A2SD was the route to go....... and Ive never looked back..... now even if I only use an app 1 time every 3 months....... its not hurting anything being on the phone.... no reason to delete it..... what else am I gonna do with 16Gb of SD space? store a bunch of photos that I will look at 1 time in 3 years? I already have about 300 songs, thats more than I need........ I have a few movies that I might watch in case Im stuck somewhere and bored........ this leaves me with A LOT of wasted space on a SD card that may as well be filled with apps.....

as far as your Eris goes..... there are several root methods..... most of them quick and painless...... and AFAIK there has still never been a single case of anyone 'truely' bricking their phone by rooting an Eris...... there have been plenty of cases of people claiming they bricked when all they needed was a battery pull.... but never an actual case of bricking......

as far as the warranty goes....... yes rooting your phone using ANY method voids the warranty.... but its very easy to flash back to stock....... after which theres no way to tell you were ever rooted...... and if the phone is in a state that it cant be flashed to stock (wont turn on)...... then theres no way for them to turn it on and verify it was rooted...... so warranty isnt an issue IMO

as always one of the nice things about Android is choice.......... so its your choice to do as you see fit..... remain status quo, root, goto iCrap, whatever
 
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Yeah, since I'm stuck no matter what with my contract, I can't upgrade for another year anyway - I'm giving serious consideration to rooting it. I'm embarrassed to tell you how ignorant I am, but when I read the instructions I couldn't understand them - it seems to be written in another language!

I saw on Craigs List there's a couple guys who will root my phone for me. What do you think about that? Is that a bad idea, or is that pretty common?

Or - can you point me to the very VERY beginner's guide?


as far as your Eris goes..... there are several root methods..... most of them quick and painless...... and AFAIK there has still never been a single case of anyone 'truely' bricking their phone by rooting an Eris...... there have been plenty of cases of people claiming they bricked when all they needed was a battery pull.... but never an actual case of bricking......
 
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as I mentioned there are various methods available now to root your eris....... the easiest by far is this one:

Universal 1 Click Eris Root App Apk - No PCs, No Scripts Needed, EASY - xda-developers

you should do a little reading before you root though to decide if you want a different rom or if you just want to add abilities like overclocking, a2sd, etc

my advice is use a different rom as they are IMO all faster than stock...... probably the best one to start with to get your feet wet (again IMO) is plainjaneT2....... this rom looks and feels just like stock only faster...... it gives you the ability to overclock, a2sd, wireless tether, and a few other things......it also has alot of the 'bloatware' like amazonMP3, etc removed...... as I said though I suggest taking a look through the various roms to pick which one suits your needs....... make sure when you flash a rom that you read ALL the instructions in the thread you d/l from and also d/l any extra files from the thread you may need....... some roms you need to reflash google apps etc

you can read through the various eris roms here:

Droid Eris Android Development - xda-developers

as always good luck and ask if you get stuck
 
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Thank you very very much! You've been really helpful!

Two quick questions - what is "overclocking" and will this process allow me to get live wallpapers, or is that just something the Eris can't do?


as I mentioned there are various methods available now to root your eris....... the easiest by far is this one:

Universal 1 Click Eris Root App Apk - No PCs, No Scripts Needed, EASY - xda-developers

you should do a little reading before you root though to decide if you want a different rom or if you just want to add abilities like overclocking, a2sd, etc

my advice is use a different rom as they are IMO all faster than stock...... probably the best one to start with to get your feet wet (again IMO) is plainjaneT2....... this rom looks and feels just like stock only faster...... it gives you the ability to overclock, a2sd, wireless tether, and a few other things......it also has alot of the 'bloatware' like amazonMP3, etc removed...... as I said though I suggest taking a look through the various roms to pick which one suits your needs....... make sure when you flash a rom that you read ALL the instructions in the thread you d/l from and also d/l any extra files from the thread you may need....... some roms you need to reflash google apps etc

you can read through the various eris roms here:

Droid Eris Android Development - xda-developers

as always good luck and ask if you get stuck
 
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overclocking is the process of increasing the processors frequencies..........which basically speeds the processor up...... the Eris has a stock speed of 528mhz........ most people who OC the eris tend to stick around a few different spots....... 710mhz, 768mhz are the most common..... this translates into faster performance from the phone

some livewallpapers will work on the Eris........ but its generally considered a waste of time... the Eris just doesnt have the power to do anything else and run LWP......... so it may be kinda cool to check em out and show em off once or twice........ but you wont really be able to use the phone for anything while they are on...... to be honest.... IMO LWP in general are worthless..... even on the best phones they just suck.... they just take too much away from resources to be worth the hassle
 
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Nonsense, you can do whatever you like with Android. It's not a "walled garden" like the iPhone. The choice you're experiencing to do whatever you like with your storage does not exist.
/sarcasm

This is only partially true.

My phone is choc full of apps and I can't put any more on. The reason is the App makers are not including the code to send apps to the SDCard.

Only 15% of my apps can be moved to my 16GB SDCard.

Until everyone starts complaining to the App Makers who don't allow the Apps to be moved to the SDCard, they will take the easy way out and do nothing.
 
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Are there any ex (or current) iPhone users that would be willing to share their experience?

Not sure what or how much info you want but....I have an iphone (dont hate me) and have pretty much since day 1. Im looking to switch to Android which is why i am here. I don't know how things work on this side yet but the iphone is like an ipod. You can just install whatever music, games, photos to the phone. Everything is just saved in the same area on the phone which is of course good and bad. Once you fill up your space, that's it. And this is the one and only good thing about CrapTunes. You can just uncheck an app or apps and then sync. This removes the app from the phone to free up space for you. The apps you unchecked are still in CrapTunes so if you ever want them back, you just check them and sync and they are back on your phone. There are some other ways to free up space on it but I'm sure there are on Android too.
 
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This is only partially true.

My phone is choc full of apps and I can't put any more on. The reason is the App makers are not including the code to send apps to the SDCard.

Only 15% of my apps can be moved to my 16GB SDCard.

Until everyone starts complaining to the App Makers who don't allow the Apps to be moved to the SDCard, they will take the easy way out and do nothing.
That's the one nice thing about 2.1 Apps2SD. Its a little more involved because you need to make a Linux filesystem partition on your memory card, but once you do, you can put ANY app on the SD card as long as it fits in the partition (usually 500 MB or so). And, you can still use the apps even when the SD card is mounted on the PC unlike Froyo.
 
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This is only partially true.

My phone is choc full of apps and I can't put any more on. The reason is the App makers are not including the code to send apps to the SDCard.

Only 15% of my apps can be moved to my 16GB SDCard.

Until everyone starts complaining to the App Makers who don't allow the Apps to be moved to the SDCard, they will take the easy way out and do nothing.

I have about 170MBs of apps on my phone (Droid Incredible) and I tried to dl Mega Jump (40MB app) and says I have no space. Phone storage says I have 582MBs!
I contacted HTC and all they tell me to do is clear cache, data, etc. Then do a soft reset by removing the battery while the phone is on. If that doesn't work they tell me to remove any 3rd party apps because they can cause issues. And if that doesn't work a hard factory reset.

That is bull! No other phone is having these types of issues. I did a search and could not find any other non HTC Android phone with memory issues like this.

HTC needs to do something about this to fix the issue. I have all the apps that can be partially moved to the SD card moved. From what I have read there is a max on the /data/data folder. That folder is only viewable if you are rooted and I am not. I do not think rooting would solve this problem either.

If someone can explain how rooting would fix this issue I would appreciate it.

Thank you. :)
 
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That's the one nice thing about 2.1 Apps2SD. Its a little more involved because you need to make a Linux filesystem partition on your memory card, but once you do, you can put ANY app on the SD card as long as it fits in the partition (usually 500 MB or so). And, you can still use the apps even when the SD card is mounted on the PC unlike Froyo.

The 2.1 Apps2SD is an app? I am guessing you need root to do this.
 
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