In the past, we offered lists of our favorite BlackBerry applications--many of which are free, some open source--and even asked the pros at RIM for their opinions on the best third party BlackBerry apps. We knew you'd want to try each and every one, so we also wrote up a quick lists of tips to help free up smartphone memory. This week, we're taking your knowledge of BlackBerry memory management a step further. What follows are detailed instructions on how to use the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software to determine your exact memory usage at any given time, your device's total application space, as well as when you should start deleting those unused apps to avoid performance issues.

1) Update your BlackBerry Desktop Manager, BlackBerry Handheld Software

Before you attempt to determine your RIM smartphone's memory usage, you should ensure that your PC is running the latest version of BlackBerry Desktop Manager and that your smartphone's operating system is also up to date. To find out which version of the desktop software you've got, launch the application, click the Help option at the far left of the screen and select About BlackBerry Desktop Manager from the dropdown menu. If your software isn't version 4.3 or higher, visit RIM's site for an upgrade.

To find out if you have the newest version of the BlackBerry handheld software on your device, visit your carrier's website--you may have to login--and locate the software upgrades page. From there, make sure the software running on your smartphone matches the latest version available from your service provider. Click the Options icon your BlackBerry home screen, followed by About to see which software you're currently using. (Note: Users connected to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) may need to go through their IT departments to upgrade handheld software.)