How do you manage your 'non-expandable memory' phone?

That time of the year has begun, you find a drool-worthy phone that fits your budget., spending your hard saved money to get that in your hands and then you see ' External memory support : No' .. dilemma whether to sacrifice the ease in carrying everything you need, everywhere or to give up and go for the other one.

cloud storage? heh..poor network anyone? except you in the metros. also quite costly.

How do you manage your non-expandable memory phone? break-down your memory into categories.,
express your view, so that next time, i wont hesitate in buying one.

K

axelzdly1 said:
That time of the year has begun, you find a drool-worthy phone that fits your budget., spending your hard saved money to get that in your hands and then you see ' External memory support : No' .. dilemma whether to sacrifice the ease in carrying everything you need, everywhere or to give up and go for the other one.
cloud storage? heh..poor network anyone? except you in the metros. also quite costly.

How do you manage your non-expandable memory phone? break-down your memory into categories.,
express your view, so that next time, i wont hesitate in buying one.

if you can avoid it , its best to get a phone with an sd card slot
otherwise there is always otg which frankly is a pain for every day use but is a boon for DSLR users like me

The thing is it completely depends on the user.
I have a N4 with 16gb usable barely 12gb and its a lot for me!
My music takes up like 6gb the rest is random pics and apps.
I don't game much. Only arcade time pass stuff but I do tinker around with new Roms and such.
So unless you watch HD movies or play massive games just get a SD card suitable phone.

8GB
no mp3 files, use 8tracks, shoutcast. had last.fm subscription, but they pulled the service from India. space is the reason didn't use flyte or itunes. I also still use dedicated mp3 player when required, more than space saving issue, it is a battery saving issue.
download games, play them, then delete them eg: Infinity Blade, Infinity Blade II, Real Racing 3, Asphalt 8 etc. Still have some large titles, Galaxy on Fire II.
same is true for other content. Podcasts, vidcasts, audiobooks, comics.... don't hoard, just consume and delete. Then re-download if required.
backup photos and videos periodically, only maintain some albums in phone everything else gets transferred to pc
rest of the critical data is synced with cloud

have about 1GB-200 mb free usually

I desperately wanted a m Nexus series phone but ended up buying Optimus G , which is a little better than Nexus 4.
Reason being obvious ... I cant live without External Memory Card support.
I have tonnes of photos , a huge music and media library (720p music videos and clips , FLAC or 320kbps bitrate music ) , and on top of it I have at least 5-6 HD games like NFSMW , Asphalt 8 , Strike Team , etc .
I use multiple SD cards , btw.

I too cannot live without expandable memory. I carry around some music, a lot of video content, books, click many photos / record HD videos. So I have to have spare room for content. My rule is to try and keep 50% of space free.

The problem with internal memory is that what is advertised is not what you get. My Xperia ZR is supposed to have 8GB internal memory. But out of the box only around 4.6GB is free. Then when you update all the factory installed applications' and system applications' updates sit in this free memory. Over a period they will be significant. Then although photos and videos sit on the SD card, their thumbnails sit in internal memory. In my case it is usually more than a whopping 2GB! If you use Firefox to regularly browse then its data and cache can easily cross 500MB.

So unless you can get a 32GB model it is better to have expandable memory.

And it is not at all okay , for having anything less than 16gigs when you have a high performance SoC and want to play lots of HD games.

Install ES File manager and stream any content from your PC
content= audio, VIdeo, Images - no games.

streaming is love, streaming is life

^I do the same but not via ES manager

PS: Get a good router

It is rumored that Android L will not support SD Card altogether. They are moving to cloud storage. I don't know, how we Indians could adopt it.

ariftwister said:
It is rumored that Android L will not support SD Card altogether. They are moving to cloud storage. I don't know, how we Indians could adopt it.

my cloud is in my pc

H

90% of my used storage is taken up by music (46%), photos(31%) and videos(33%). Rest 10% accounts for games(57%) and documents(43%). Total used storage is 51% and total capacity 30gb.
Figures brought to you by DataSense. How do I manage it?

Less stored music, more streamed audio (I use Sound Cloud, Spotify and ShoutCast Radio).
Less stored video, more YouTube. Watch movies on a god damned TV/Screen.
Cloud stored documents on OneDrive (this is not imp. with others but my docs are 4+ gb

)
Games: play it, uninstall it (ofc games like 2048 are not an option)

Pictures, I've set the phone to sync all to OneDrive as well as when I connect it to my laptop, it just copies the large files to my documents and delete it from Phone storage.

hsr said:
90% of my used storage is taken up by music (46%), photos(31%) and videos(33%). Rest 10% accounts for games(57%) and documents(43%). Total used storage is 51% and total capacity 30gb.
Figures brought to you by DataSense. How do I manage it?

Less stored music, more streamed audio (I use Sound Cloud, Spotify and ShoutCast Radio).
Less stored video, more YouTube. Watch movies on a god damned TV/Screen.
Cloud stored documents on OneDrive (this is not imp. with others but my docs are 4+ gb )
Games: play it, uninstall it (ofc games like 2048 are not an option)

Pictures, I've set the phone to sync all to OneDrive as well as when I connect it to my laptop, it just copies the large files to my documents and delete it from Phone storage.

What is this Datasense?

K

sling-shot said:
What is this Datasense?

its to track data usage on windows phone(inbuilt feature)

This is mine...

*img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/03/sygataju.jpg

E

ariftwister said:
It is rumored that Android L will not support SD Card altogether. They are moving to cloud storage. I don't know, how we Indians could adopt it.

And memory manufacturers are making 128GB SD cards. Don't know who wins

Esoteric Eric said:
And memory manufacturers are making 128GB SD cards. Don't know who wins

That might be the day SailfishOS comes to the rescue.

G2 has 32GB, and usable ~25GB.

Most of it consumed by music, backups etc.
Free memory is around 4-6 GB
Not a problem for me.

D

My 16gb card consists entirely of hd movies. Now whats the point of cloud storage when i can get instant access to all the content in my phone without wasting any bandwidth & battery.
Cloud storage is limited to music and docs only even if have cheap and fastest Internet.
Plus i use my phone to download torrents.dont know about other brands but Samsung phones needs expandable storage.

Now I am really laughing. Out of 4.7GB storage in my phone 2.6GB is "thumbnails"
They are really hitting my head with these nails!

Esoteric Eric said:
And memory manufacturers are making 128GB SD cards. Don't know who wins

They wont stop until they make 1tb SD card. :lol:

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ariftwister said:
It is rumored that Android L will not support SD Card altogether. They are moving to cloud storage. I don't know, how we Indians could adopt it.

Gollum said:
my cloud is in my pc

HotLink if above doesnt work

I opted for an inbuilt memory card as I knew the speed will be faster than using micro-sd card, and so I bought HTC One X+ with 64GB with 54GB available for use.

My current readings from ES Explorer:

Movies - 15.84 GB
Music - 9.3 GB
eBooks (epub,mobi,pdf) - 3.23 GB
Videos - 2.64 GB
DCIM - 2.20 GB
Android (Apps & Games) - 4.67 GB
Gallery & Pictures ~ 500MB

Available ~ 18 GB

Copying an 1GB movie takes only a few seconds in a USB-3 interface. Technically, I didn't tested yet its actual speed.

sling-shot said:
Now I am really laughing. Out of 4.7GB storage in my phone 2.6GB is "thumbnails"
They are really hitting my head with these nails!

copy the name of thumbnail files.
delete them
create dummy files with same name. (use ES explorer)

My hatred for limited storage started from the day of my brother's wedding.

Took around 15 mins of video and when they were about to give each other the ring,
then WHAM!!storage full.
Quickly i deleted my Real Racing 3, and continued taking video just before the vows part started...
then a bit later they started walking down the isle for the exit, and then BAM !! storage full again..

Why does phone manufacturers put 1080p or 4k video capture with such limited storage space. Its like the whole world uses their phones for making VINE videos... If people cry for a large battery on na Snapdragon 800 5" display,why doesnt the same cry for larger storage on high end camera phones. Ok marriages happens once in a blue moon but i am sure there are other people who want to take.. like.. 5 mins of video without having their phone screaming for space.

Currently using:
Moto G- 12 Gb usable space with 340MB free
Xperia M- 2 GB usable + 16GB SD card with 150MB+ 2.2GB free
Tegra Note 7 - 12GB usable+ 32GB SD card with 1GB+980MB free (packed to the gills with games thanks to Apps2SD feature on JB 4.3)

As you can see,i'm not someone who can embrace limited storage phones ever. If i lose my Xperia M, i'll have to get rid of my Moto G too for a new phone with expandable storage. Cloud Storage is not a "Solution", it is a medicine to let you live a bit longer, with pains..

ankush28 said:
copy the name of thumbnail files.
delete them
create dummy files with same name. (use ES explorer)

They will start growing sooner or later depending on media changes. It is only a temporary fix.

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mikael_schiffer said:
Cloud Storage is not a "Solution", it is a medicine to let you live a bit longer, with pains..

You are right. Whoever suggests that 'cloud' storage or 'USB' storage for additional needs seriously need to re-examine ***** ****.

Consider your situation narrated above. Is it possible to have a cloud storage with good upload to save a 1080p video direct? Or can you image moving around looking like a joker with a thumb drive hanging out of your phone?

We need a) good internal memory b) a reasonable option to expand it and the right to use it as good as the internal memory (definitely not as a third class citizen where only a few photos or text files can be saved)

Well it depends on your usage type. I am fine with the 32GB in my phone. I get 25GB usable, and I still have over 14GB left. I have around 4GB of music, one season of TV Show around 2.5GB(I keep one at a time till I finish it), 3GB around apps, a GB of pics etc. Now the phone is mostly used for music/internet/ebooks. For music I use Gaana/Saavn and TuneIn via 3G, they don't consume much data. eBooks are small in size. So I think even 16GB would have sufficed me. I might put a few more GB of music in it, and I don't play any HD games as I don't get any time.

I felt sd was necessary when my older phones had some 100MB and 4GB internal respectively. But with 32GB I'm absolutely fine.

I agree cloud storage is not possible in India with the exorbitant data pricing and pathetic network condition, but streaming audio is a good possibility. And music always used up most of my storage space. I use cloud storage for documents only.

How do I manage my non-expandable phone? Well It's quite simple. There are only two ways, either get one of those OTG Pen drives, or don't keep anything on your phone. Both are pretty wise IMHO.

I had S4 16 GB with (10.7 GB user accessible though) and an SD card of 32 GB, then I realized more than half SD card storage space are not used, and 5-6 GB always free on the phone. What's worthy keeping on a mobile phone other than some office documents and music (loseless mostly)? And how much storage do you ultimately need after all? 1080p videos on a 5" phone or what? Storage only should matter to people who don't have access to a PC, and how many are like that nowadays?

ithehappy said:
How do I manage my non-expandable phone? Well It's quite simple. There are only two ways, either get one of those OTG Pen drives, or don't keep anything on your phone. Both are pretty wise IMHO.

I had S4 16 GB with (10.7 GB user accessible though) and an SD card of 32 GB, then I realized more than half SD card storage space are not used, and 5-6 GB always free on the phone. What's worthy keeping on a mobile phone other than some office documents and music (loseless mostly)? And how much storage do you ultimately need after all? 1080p videos on a 5" phone or what? Storage only should matter to people who don't have access to a PC, and how many are like that nowadays?

I would also like to add that it might matter if you don't have access to cheap wifi as well.

tkin said:
I agree cloud storage is not possible in India with the exorbitant data pricing and pathetic network condition, but streaming audio is a good possibility. And music always used up most of my storage space. I use cloud storage for documents only.

I thought data pricing is pretty decent in India compared to, like say, the USA, where they dont even have decent SMS packs.
Anyways, i dont think streaming audio is a good option. Its so network dependent, and if you want pure 384kbps audio(pretty standard now) then there is that huge toll on data. Imagine listening to your fav tune and then you went to a basement to pick your car. And what about travel, in train or in an airplane, how can you get music at that time? Cloud music/Online Streaming music barely fulfills the needs of a music lover. And dont get me started on Battery drain. For people who sleep with Streaming music playing, i pity their battery.

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ithehappy said:
How do I manage my non-expandable phone? Well It's quite simple. There are only two ways, either get one of those OTG Pen drives, or don't keep anything on your phone. Both are pretty wise IMHO.

OTG pen drives are a pain to use,specially those dangling ones. Even the compact snap ons add to the bulk, and with big phones , the OTG pokes and its very very irritating
"or dont keep anything at all" WOW wise argument. You are afraid of people smoking near you, well DONT BREATHE AIR AT ALL !!! LOL

today's "Modern technology" simply creates more compromises, and we consumers simply accept it with our pants down. Google is pushing(or forcing) their CLOUD gimmick down our throats and we are gagging on it with a wide smile

P

axelzdly1 said:
That time of the year has begun, you find a drool-worthy phone that fits your budget., spending your hard saved money to get that in your hands and then you see ' External memory support : No' .. dilemma whether to sacrifice the ease in carrying everything you need, everywhere or to give up and go for the other one.
cloud storage? heh..poor network anyone? except you in the metros. also quite costly.

How do you manage your non-expandable memory phone? break-down your memory into categories.,
express your view, so that next time, i wont hesitate in buying one.

Well, at first I always remain alerted to buy a device which supports internal SD card but again I I stuck onto situation like this then I am going to store my personal files and folders over the Cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox etc.

mikael_schiffer said:
I thought data pricing is pretty decent in India compared to, like say, the USA, where they dont even have decent SMS packs.
Anyways, i dont think streaming audio is a good option. Its so network dependent, and if you want pure 384kbps audio(pretty standard now) then there is that huge toll on data. Imagine listening to your fav tune and then you went to a basement to pick your car. And what about travel, in train or in an airplane, how can you get music at that time? Cloud music/Online Streaming music barely fulfills the needs of a music lover. And dont get me started on Battery drain. For people who sleep with Streaming music playing, i pity their battery.

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OTG pen drives are a pain to use,specially those dangling ones. Even the compact snap ons add to the bulk, and with big phones , the OTG pokes and its very very irritating
"or dont keep anything at all" WOW wise argument. You are afraid of people smoking near you, well DONT BREATHE AIR AT ALL !!! LOL

today's "Modern technology" simply creates more compromises, and we consumers simply accept it with our pants down. Google is pushing(or forcing) their CLOUD gimmick down our throats and we are gagging on it with a wide smile

I have a G2

Data pricing in India is $hit, 1GB 3G for more or less 200-250/- That's about $4, I think its better in USA.

Storage space is always an issue, specially because if you want to use all the cool features that made you buy the phone you really need loads of storage. The reason I got the galaxy S3 and not the nexus 4 was that it had a removable battery and SD card slot. As a backup I still carry a small OTG cable so that I can see movies off pen drives (pity it won't connect to external HDDs)

tkin said:
I have a G2

Data pricing in India is $hit, 1GB 3G for more or less 200-250/- That's about $4, I think its better in USA.

3G price in USA for 1GB , no time limit though..
Verizon $80 (Rs4800)
AT&T $65 (Rs3950)
Sprint $70 (Rs4200)
T-Mobile $50 (Rs3000)

An individual, moderate data user would pay the least through T-Mobile. at $2,088 (Rs 1.2lakh)over two years, but Sprint’s unlimited plan isn’t much more expensive at $2,120 over two years.

SHOCK LAGA???? Dont you feel "3rd world" right now?? India has one of the cheapest telecom rates in the world...and USA the opposite...

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..but then,the Rs35 Chicken McGrill in India costs $9 (Rs 480) in USA so i guess they can easily afford those data plans

H

Value Index in United States | Net Index from Ookla
Value Index in India | Net Index from Ookla

No nonsense, no speculation, just pure data. Go figure.

To the guy above:
Try and search services like glassdoor or linkedin. What to search for? Average/mean salary rates per annum. I'll quote one from glassdoor for a web developer in US and India.
$65,000 and ₹3,00,000
I'll just simplify the math as well, $65,000 = ₹39,58,175

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MOAR data here from the OECD: Broadband and telecom - OECD

mikael_schiffer said:
3G price in USA for 1GB , no time limit though..
Verizon $80 (Rs4800)
AT&T $65 (Rs3950)
Sprint $70 (Rs4200)
T-Mobile $50 (Rs3000)

An individual, moderate data user would pay the least through T-Mobile. at $2,088 (Rs 1.2lakh)over two years, but Sprint’s unlimited plan isn’t much more expensive at $2,120 over two years.

SHOCK LAGA???? Dont you feel "3rd world" right now?? India has one of the cheapest telecom rates in the world...and USA the opposite...

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..but then,the Rs35 Chicken McGrill in India costs $9 (Rs 480) in USA so i guess they can easily afford those data plans

You are quoting price of Unlimited 4G LTE AFAIK!

That also included unlimited calls, texts on some carriers.

*i.imgur.com/xfvpBnx.png

Definitely indian pricing and speed both are CRAP. Same applies to broadband internet connection.

Wow, better move to the US of A

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hsr said:
Value Index in United States | Net Index from Ookla
Value Index in India | Net Index from Ookla

No nonsense, no speculation, just pure data. Go figure.

To the guy above:
Try and search services like glassdoor or linkedin. What to search for? Average/mean salary rates per annum. I'll quote one from glassdoor for a web developer in US and India.
$65,000 and ₹3,00,000
I'll just simplify the math as well, $65,000 = ₹39,58,175

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MOAR data here from the OECD: Broadband and telecom - OECD

umm so whats your point?

mikael_schiffer said:
umm so whats your point?

India is not third world when it's about telecommunications, but fourth world, simple

H

mikael_schiffer said:
umm so whats your point?

My point is, this thread is way offtopic and since OP has fled the scene I'm locking this down.
[MENTION=143631]axelzdly1[/MENTION] PM me if you want this reopened