Possible to upgrade the internal 4GB memory??

[smack bob]

Obviously not having one yet and few people do I'm wondering what do people think the chances will be we can crack open the diamond and replace the 4GB memory with something larger. I'm hoping it will be like the case of early ipods where they used a CF card as the storage medium and a simple replacement gave you more memory...

[jasjamming]

Obviously not having one yet and few people do I'm wondering what do people think the chances will be we can crack open the diamond and replace the 4GB memory with something larger. I'm hoping it will be like the case of early ipods where they used a CF card as the storage medium and a simple replacement gave you more memory...

buy one, crack it open and share with us if it is possible.

[Cyrus Kourosh]

May be... Just try :D
http://www.techlivez.com/2007/03/8-gb-flash-memory-for-mobiles-byhtml/
http://www.physorg.com/news72544557.html

[someone1234]

The chances of there being a CF, SD or microSD card in there are zero.

It may be possible to stack the NAND flash chips, or replace the ones in there, but i think it will only be feasible if they use TSSOP package. If they use BGA chips it'll be alot more dificult to do and require special equipment. Even with that equipment its dangerous because of the densly packed components that will be close to the flash chip.

I can see after a little while, if the phone is that popular, some companies selling them premodded with more capacity.

[Pawel062]

if i remember correctly its a samsund moviNAND in there. no microsds. you would have to find out if they make bigger ones and probably solder on the new ones. with it being so thin you will not be able to fit anymore chips in there.

[shoey5]

if i remember correctly its a samsund moviNAND in there. no microsds. you would have to find out if they make bigger ones and probably solder on the new ones. with it being so thin you will not be able to fit anymore chips in there.

Not sure if Samsung has higher density chips already but I think they do. It's just a matter of time before costs drop and the Diamond suddenly starts shipping with 8 gigs of ram. Though they should have gone with something similar to the Apple with the iPhone and if the chips are available now, released a 4 gig, 8 gig and possibly even higher model at initial release with the added cost of course. If I'm buying an unlocked non-subsidized version of the Touch Dimaond, at the cost, I would have easily spent an extra $200 to get an 8 Gig or 16 Gig model. I'm sure a lot of people would agree.

I'm not complaining though, I would have liked at least 8 gigs of ram and a larger capacity battery but this is pretty much the phone I've been wanting for so long, good amount of program memory, vga display, everything I want (bluetooth, gps, radio...) plus extra (hard screen, accelometer..) and I couldn't ask for a better size in form factor than the Touch Diamond.

[Dark Fire]

Though they should have gone with something similar to the Apple with the iPhone and if the chips are available now, released a 4 gig, 8 gig and possibly even higher model at initial release with the added cost of course.

I'm hoping that HTC are clever enough to release models with more memory later - they were certainly clever enough to do that with the Touch. However, having said that, I can't see myself needing more than 4GB anyway.

[Pawel062]

i remember i even went as far as getting the model number for the nand on the diamond when i investigated the chipset it had bac when i had one of the first diamond roms. If anyone wants when i find some time i can go bac and look once more. pretty sure it was a samsung. though i think there wasnt any bigger sizes at that time.

[someone1234]

I'd be interested to know what chip it is.

[Pawel062]

I'd be interested to know what chip it is.

here is the link:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/products/fusionmemory/Products_MoviNAND.html

if you look. 4gb is the biggest it gets for the size of the chip. you will see what i mean when u check the page and the specs for each of the sizes.

[someone1234]

Wow, not what i was expecting. That architecture looks like it should be slow. I'll try to find a proper datasheet for it.

[imranbashir_uk]

From the link provided 8GB is available. Also as I suspected and mentioned before it is a BGA package, so no modifying for the casual user. In fact depending on what’s on the reverse side of the pcb, and how far into the keep-out area HTC have encroached while laying out the circuit, it might mean no modification at all, unless you’re prepared to re-solder on a whole bunch of passive components.

[JASTECH]

Here is a shot of the Nvidia that seems to show a SD slot inside.
89704

[someone1234]

From the link provided 8GB is available. Also as I suspected and mentioned before it is a BGA package, so no modifying for the casual user. In fact depending on what’s on the reverse side of the pcb, and how far into the keep-out area HTC have encroached while laying out the circuit, it might mean no modification at all, unless you’re prepared to re-solder on a whole bunch of passive components.

yep, i agree. I think its unlikely removing such a small BGA chip is going to be feasible with the densly packed PCB we can expect in the phone.

[PAPPL]

Any updates?
I like HTC Diamond, but no expandable 4GB flash is a no go for me. So if Samsung is developing 8GB flash drives it is possible HTC will release a 8GB Diamond version too.
HTC Touch Pro as alternative device is too big and i don't like the slideout keyboard (had one on HTC TyTN).

[marco899]

In the early days it was possible to upgrade you're ram on the ipaq hx4700. Perhaps these guys are offering some upgrades in the future: http://www.pocketpctechs.com/main~unit~Mfg-M59~area~upgrades~action~select_unit.htm

[someone1234]

it sounds unlikely from the BOM lists i've seen. Most likely they're using samsung uBGA packages, so stacking isnt an option.

That makes it more expensive to upgrade (because you have to throw the old chip out, or reball it and sell it for a pitance), and alot harder and riskier (because the uBGA package is tiny, if you rip a pad off while removing it, you'll need a new pcb!)

[eddddd]

If no one finds the trick to plug a usb key , we will pay for a professional service that could change Nand's , as long as a new model with more memory will not be released...

4gb: use Rss (a few podcasts), mp3 and Gps maps and you 'r quickly done :-(

[Jbbrack03]

It's been a while since anyone posted in this thread. Has anyone figured out a way to increase the storage capacity of this phone yet? I've got one and the 4 gigs just does not cut it. I would love to really upgrade this to more memory. Any new input?

[daveeckert]

I recall a post where someone cracked a phone open, and the community agreed an upgrade could not be done.

[businello2000]

hi everyone

i opened my phone and i can tell you that there is a chip inside for the external memory and is bga package

yes you can change the chip but only if
-the new chip has the same pins
-you have skill to use an hot air soldering station

i can tell you that is not easy

i used to change this kind of chip on the sony ericsson t28 but the chip had only 6 pin
i hope this information will be usefull for someone and sorry for my rusty english

[grahamkdt]

Is 4GB not enough for you guys? How many albums can you listen to at once? How many movies can you watch at once? How many photos can you view at once? How many applications can you use at once....

How much storage do you need? Has anybody actually filled the 4GB? If so, what have you got it loaded up with? It amazes me how we all want more! Whatever we get given, it's never enough! Storage memory, program memory, processor speed, etc, etc. Give me more, more, more!! :eek:

[jcws6]

Is 4GB not enough for you guys? How many albums can you listen to at once? How many movies can you watch at once? How many photos can you view at once? How many applications can you use at once....

How much storage do you need? Has anybody actually filled the 4GB? If so, what have you got it loaded up with? It amazes me how we all want more! Whatever we get given, it's never enough! Storage memory, program memory, processor speed, etc, etc. Give me more, more, more!! :eek:

I use the newest version of TomTom on my Touch (with 8GB microSD), and I've been thinking about upgrading to a Diamond. TomTom uses about 1.83 GB alone, so that effectively cuts the Diamond's storage in half. If you're going on a long trip and wanted to load your Diamond up with music or something, 2GB isn't a whole lot of space these days.

Plus, I planned on using the Diamond as a USB drive instead of carrying a Cruzer on my keychain anymore (would be easier to just carry a small USB-miniUSB connector). If I store 1GB of files on the Diamond, that leaves 1GB of usable space.

You can see how some people can run out of memory on this device quite quickly. Sure, it's "just a phone." But people who buy a device like this aren't planning on using it just as a phone.

[sle118]

Sorry for waking up an old post from the deads....

The phone has a chipset that supports the microSD interface.

With Android now ported to the Diamond, it would theoretically be possible to find the microSD Trace on the board and add microSD to a Diamond?

Anyone has info about the pinouts of that chipset?