A common theme with the Android software platform is memory usage. Googling 'Android memory' will return a load of hits on how to optimise your memory usage, or how to free up more memory.

With the growth of the Application markets for Android I've been encountering more and more memory issues. Users want more Apps, and those Apps are becoming bigger and bigger, or are using third party plugins to run.

To effectively develop for the Android platform you should really consider how the system memory works.

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I like to keep abreast of the technology industry in general, and one of the recent articles published by the inquirer piqued my interest.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1932583/offers-unlimited-smartphones

Its all about data plans from '3' and how they have gone from a 1 gig limit to an unlimited tariff.

The problem with the article is this quote, from Marc Allera, Three's sales and marketing director.

"We expect to see more people using mobiles than PCs to access the internet by 2015."

It's the sort of sensationalist statement that is supposed to create a band-wagon, let alone entice people to jump on it.

My point is that the mobile revolution is already here. It is taking place already. People are subtly integrating smart mobile devices into heir everyday life, without really realising it. The statement above is supposed to make you think, "Hey why aren't I using my phone for all my surfing! I need to do that too!".

The reality is far different. Your home pc (or Mac) is a multi functioning beast. It plays the role of several different appliances, all happily bundled into one. You surf, play games, do your banking, watch TV and a whole host of other activities, because it is an adaptable technology platform.

Your smart mobile device is not a replacement product. It's not even in competition.

To quote a recent argument I was involved in, if a PC/Mac is a 'Car' then a smart mobile device is a 'motorbike'. They both fulfil similar roles, but in totally different ways. Just as you would use each type of transport for specific journeys, you would use your pc/phone for different tasks. To suggest that the functionality of the two is totally interchangeable is wrong.

Suggesting that more people are going to use a mobile to browse the internet on does not signify an increase in mobile browsing, it signifies a fundamental shift in how people use the internet. And that sort of social change is never driven by technology.

I've never used the getJar application market place, I had heard of it, but never really considered it as competition for the regular Android market. I was recently approached by their PR agency with a press release detailing how they are launching a pilot program, called getJar+. It looks like they are switching to an AD based revenue stream rather than a pay per app system.

I'll give them a try, but I'm holding back on judgement until I've seen what they host, and how easily they interface with my mobile platform.

The full press release is included below.

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