Mon, April 21, 2008 — CIO — Just like any other computer, your BlackBerry has a set amount of internal memory to perform tasks and run applications. Some devices have more memory than others, and some can be outfitted with external cards, but one fact remains the same whether you use a BlackBerry 6230 or Curve 8320: The more services you employ and apps you run, the more memory you need. As you increase the number of applications and processes running on your device, you'll eventually see degradations in performance and perhaps system crashes.

Over the past weeks, we've brought you BlackBerry keyboard shortcuts, tricks for advanced users, free software downloads, as well as tips on how to extend your battery life and put your Bluetooth to good use. This week, we're offering up seven device memory tweaks to keep your RIM smartphone fast and responsive.

(Note: You can check how much memory your device is using at any given point by clicking the Options icon on your BlackBerry home screen--the icon looks like a wrench--and clicking Status. You'll then see a number of bytes for your total device memory [File Total] and your free memory [File Free].)

Delete Any Unnecessary/Unused Applications

The more applications you have on your BlackBerry, the less free memory that's available to you. New BlackBerrys ship with a wide variety of applications that you may not need or even know about. And you've probably downloaded a number of third-party apps with good intentions, then only used them occasionally if at all.

Deleting unwanted or unused applications is simple, and depending on how many you've got, it can really improve your device's performance.

To delete programs from your BlackBerry, click the Options icon on the device's home screen. Then scroll all the way to the top of the list and select Advanced Options. When you click Applications inside this menu, your device will build a list of all apps on your device. Scroll through them and you'll probably find a number of programs that you don't need. Delete apps by scrolling over them and hitting your BlackBerry menu key. Select Delete and confirm that you want to remove the app when the dialogue box pops up.

A few examples of applications you may want to remove are the Help app, games like BrickBreaker, the Password Keeper and the BlackBerry Messenger--if don't use instant messaging or employ another app, like AIM for BlackBerry. (Note: You often need to restart your device for app deletions to take effect.)