The BlackBerry Java Virtual Machine initiates a RAM garbage collection operation only when the BlackBerry JVM cannot allocate an object because of a lack of space in RAM. The RAM garbage collection operation typically takes 500 to 600 milliseconds to execute. The garbage collection operation removes any freshly allocated variables that are no longer referenced in RAM. To make sure that the lack of a reference in RAM is a sufficient condition for removing the object, a RAM garbage collection operation can only be performed when objects have not been paged out to flash memory.

• Idle garbage collection on a BlackBerry device