Net Savoir

I have an HTC desire and I really do love it. Well, mostly. I love everything about my phone except the lack of space in phone storage. I had hoped Froyo would end my misery, by allowing me to move apps to the SD card, but it’s only helped a small amount. There’s just not enough app-makers who think it’s important to add App2SD functionality. And given the pitiful amount of memory on my phone, I am really limited to just the apps with App2SD.

I’ve known for a while that it’s really the compulsory Google, HTC and Orange apps that were really eating into my space, so I thought I’d make a spreadsheet to work out where all the space goes. Out of my supposed 120MB remaining after Android OS is installed, this is what I’ve got:

• 17MB which has to be kept free (Otherwise nothing works – data syncs etc)
• 17.75MB for basic data: Basic Contacts, Calendar, Settings, etc.
• 33MB for Google Apps I can’t remove
• 13.4MB for Orange Apps I can’t remove
• 9.2MB for HTC Apps I can’t remove
• 28.5MB is used very quickly if I enable any of the Social Networking features HTC are so proud of (like Facebook and Flickr contacts sync, showing a friend stream of Flickr, Twitter, Facebook contacts, enabling Twitter notifications, etc)
• 1.5MB is left free for new apps (WTF?)

Obviously, I’ve worked out a few tricks. Uninstalling Adobe Flash updates scores you 10MB space. Disabling all the social networking features gets you nearly 30MB back. All in all, I can wrangle about 40MB for new apps that can’t be put on the SD card. But that’s a compromise – I’d really LOVE to be able to use those social networking features. That’s one of the bonuses of having a smartphone!

So, this explains why HTC Desire users bitch and moan when your app is bigger than 200kb and doesn’t have App2SD.

Anyway, after calculating which compulsory apps I used and which I just wish I could get rid of, I was left with these figures:

• 24.25MB Compulsory apps I find useful (Or at least, would find useful If I were using the social networking features)
• 31.35MB Compulsory apps I don’t use and can’t remove (without rooting).

In these compulsory apps, there’s gems from Orange like a Monopoly game demo using 3MB of space which won’t even let me play an entire game all the way through. Also, there’s an Orange app store and Orange Maps – as If the Google versions weren’t enough.  In fact, I don’t use any of the Orange apps. Add to this that Orange kindly got me a Froyo update 6 months after everyone else in the world, it leaves me feeling somewhat miffed at Orange for wasting my time and phone space.

From HTC and Google, there’s a 2MB Youtube app (which pre-Froyo was unnecessary since the Youtube Mobile site is so good – why do we need it now?), a 1MB flashlight, a 1MB calculator. All of these have better, smaller alternatives available, but I can’t get rid of the stock versions.

I’m constantly removing apps so I can try new ones. I search for smaller apps and apps with App2SD. I clear my caches and user data regularly. But to think that over 30MB of space is used with apps I just don’t even want is ridiculous. Plus, out of the remaining 25MB of compulsory apps I do use (even if they’re not all essential to me) – not one of them can be moved to the SD card. Why? Oh, they’re probably worried I’ll remove it. Guys, I’ll put it on the SD card if I have a choice. But if I have no choice I might find myself rooting my phone and removing it.

So, Android. A couple of requests:

• Stop letting phone providers add bloatware which can’t be removed.
• Make your own essential apps App2SD!

So, after that rant and a realisation that my idea fix is not likely any time soon, I’m just one step closer to rooting my phone.