Next NX might be coming out too soon for more than 16MB of RAM?

[Shogmaster]

Check out this article at PIC:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=5245

It's news item on Palmsoure announcing that OS 5.2.1 will allow developers to put up to 128MB of RAM.

If this timeframe is what I think it is, then the SDK for OS 5.2.1 would be just getting to the OEMs only recently and work on the next NX was probably already done and is too late for the OS 5.2.1..

Hopefully I'm just paranoid, but the SAMSUNG SGH-i500 OS5 smartphone that will have 32MB of RAM is nowhere in sight, and is stated for something like 3rd Q instead of 2nd Q according to one article I read.

And please, no mentioning of iQue 3600. It's "32MB of RAM" is divided into 16MB for programs and 16MB dedicated for the GPS maps, so it's not really 32MB of RAM.

[T1000X]

You bring up a cool and interesting point. It's awesome to hear the devices are being written to be able to address 128MB of RAM, but I'd doubt we'd see a Palm 0S5 device with that much! All I want is an NX model with 32MB of TRUE RAM (not like the Garmin as you've pointed out how it does it), possibly 64MB, and maybe even Bluetooth. I'm hoping the soon to be announced models will have that kind of RAM.

[somas1]

While I find the 11MB of user accessible ram on current sony os5 units to be lacking , I think the quest for a 32MB or even 128MB pda is a little pointless.  If I am really going to save everything of interest to me in ram then I need a pda with at least 20 gigs of space.  If I need to work with large databases that must be sycned, then the fact that my pda has 128MB means I will soon have 130MB of databases that need to be in ram.  I'd prefer a means to really sync large databases on external cards and leave the memory/megahertz nonsense on my desktop. 

[n2ifp]

I disagree, 32mb is NOT pointless. It's just enough to give some breathing room for some maybe a little better apps that can run in RAM. Using PowerRun for example needs quite a bit of RAM to run apps, where a few more megs would sure be a benefit. Especially when updates come out and steal another meg or so.

BTW, some already are planing to use gigabyte CF and MS Pro storage cards.

Obviously not everyone needs all that 128mb of RAM either. Then again at one time, a 10mb hard drive on an IBM XT was considered all the storage one could ever possibly need :). 

I wouldn't want to store everything in RAM either, but it does get chewed up rather quickly these days, even when one is trying to be frugal.

If a new model comes out with only 16mb of RAM, I think I'll pass.

We don't need 200-300 HP cars either :D!

[Spiral]

Also, more ram allows for more advanced and larger programs.

On the other hand...still can't store more than prc's and pdb's in the internal memory, which is a very annoying attribute of PalmOS

[somas1]

Originally posted by Spiral
Also, more ram allows for more advanced and larger programs.

If you really believed that you'd be using a PPC :D


Originally posted by Spiral

On the other hand...still can't store more than prc's and pdb's in the internal memory, which is a very annoying attribute of PalmOS

What do you want to put in ram, jpegs?

[T1000X]

Well, I think storing native Office documents in RAM would be nice, or other common file types.

[jmg_NX21]

More internal RAM for those BLOATED Acrobat Reader docs =/

Netfront just scares me from everything I have read...

BUT more h/w capabilities scares me that programmers and companies will get lazy in their optimizing s/w... (Microbloatware for the Mac OS)

[studentdoc]

Actually, 32/64 MB would be great for some of the medical apps I run. If I had that much, I could store them in memory, not memory stick, and they would open quite a bit faster, which is helpful when you are going through several references looking for a bit of info. Also, anything with graphics, especially with Palm finally supporting 320x320 color apps natively, will benefit from more RAM.

Just becasue most Palm apps are small does not mean that no one could benefit from having more RAM. Your (Somas) argument against more RAM sounds like MS saying no one will ever need more than 640 KB of RAM because VersaCalc only requires 64 KB. Times and applications do change, you know?

[somas1]

Originally posted by jmg_NX21
More internal RAM for those BLOATED Acrobat Reader docs =/

Netfront just scares me from everything I have read...

BUT more h/w capabilities scares me that programmers and companies will get lazy in their optimizing s/w... (Microbloatware for the Mac OS)

I agree with you 100%

If bluenomad, CESD of Datebk5 or Jeff Mitchell of xcade tell me they'd be able to do a lot more with 64MB of ram then I'd buy the argument that more memory is essential for quality programs.  Until then as far as I am concerned the only really good reason for a whole lot of ram is for bloated programs like netfront and avantgo.

[somas1]

Originally posted by studentdoc
Actually, 32/64 MB would be great for some of the medical apps I run. If I had that much, I could store them in memory, not memory stick, and they would open quite a bit faster, which is helpful when you are going through several references looking for a bit of info. Also, anything with graphics, especially with Palm finally supporting 320x320 color apps natively, will benefit from more RAM.

Just becasue most Palm apps are small does not mean that no one could benefit from having more RAM. Your (Somas) argument against more RAM sounds like MS saying no one will ever need more than 640 KB of RAM because VersaCalc only requires 64 KB. Times and applications do change, you know?

I did not say that more ram is not useful, I said the desire for  128MB of ram is overrated.  There are a bunch of other improvements that can be made to the Palm Os besides the amount of ram it can address that would help for more advanced programs to be written for the platform.

BTW are you using an os5 machine?  I have not found memorystick access to be the problem it was with dragonball powered machines

[T1000X]

I think more RAM is essential. Like studentdoc mentioned, more RAM means more data can be stored on the device and not on a memory card. I can think of more ways to fill RAM, like installing applications directly into it and running them from there. Also, even optimized full ARM programs take up a chunk of space. Look at some of the PPC games that are written on ARM processors and optimized for them. Each game can be at least 3.4MB or more in size.

[somas1]

Originally posted by T1000X
I think more RAM is essential. Like studentdoc mentioned, more RAM means more data can be stored on the device and not on a memory card. I can think of more ways to fill RAM, like installing applications directly into it and running them from there. Also, even optimized full ARM programs take up a chunk of space. Look at some of the PPC games that are written on ARM processors and optimized for them. Each game can be at least 3.4MB or more in size.

I never said more ram would not be useful just that it was overrated.  A year from now you will prolly have a Palm with 128MB and be upset that it does not have 500MB.  The fact that we lived through this cycle on the desktop does not mean that we have to do it again on our palms.  Give me a bunch of cheap multi gig removable cards that allow real synchronization and spare me the windows xp-like system requirements

 

[msanto]

Originally posted by Shogmaster
Check out this article at PIC:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=5245

It's news item on Palmsoure announcing that OS 5.2.1 will allow developers to put up to 128MB of RAM.

If this timeframe is what I think it is, then the SDK for OS 5.2.1 would be just getting to the OEMs only recently and work on the next NX was probably already done and is too late for the OS 5.2.1..


Frankly that was my thought as well. If the next NX's don't have > 16 MB, I'm passing ...

[studentdoc]

I understand.

No, I still have a Clie T615. I understand the newer ones are faster and I am planning to upgrade soon. It looks like my next one will be a Palm, though, not a Clie. I kind of like the Zire 71 and will go with that (even though it has LESS memory:rolleyes: ) until SOMEONE comes out with a OS5 model that has VG in a tablet form.

[somas1]

Originally posted by studentdoc
I understand.

No, I still have a Clie T615. I understand the newer ones are faster and I am planning to upgrade soon. It looks like my next one will be a Palm, though, not a Clie. I kind of like the Zire 71 and will go with that (even though it has LESS memory:rolleyes: ) until SOMEONE comes out with a OS5 model that has VG in a tablet form.

Why not get the garmin model then?  Is the gps antenna on it too bulky for you?

[Gabo]

Well my T615C dead a few weeks ago, so I am looking for a new one. The big point for me is the hires+ screen in the NX model, the VG is a must for me, but I don't like the thumb keyboard design, but if a new one is coming soon I'm going to wait and see.