This exactly depends on how they designed the hardware. In some case, the volatile information is stored in something like CMOS as in the case of PC. In other cases, the information is not considered crucial and handled over to user input, as it happens in your handset. This all is stored in HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) or beyond. And you have virtually no mean to reach there, especially in case of low profile controller devices like handsets. Java and other languages stand on builtin OS. They can't reach therein. ________________________________________ To Learn is to Change

The subject naturally drew my attention. When I started programming in early 90s, I, literally, hardly thought or heard of Designing. The only way to me was to study practical project sources from big guys (especially, those who Born to Code in C) line by line, read printed-on-paper bundles, and wonder, Gee! How do they do it? C and it's closest predecessors were the only rival to each other in the jungle. Pascal was my fav that turned my nose to Delphi. Great. Still I was ignorant of Designing the code base. Then came newborn successors like Object Pascal, C++ followed by Java. The era of older design pattern got all upside down. Objects brought it all with them to Design code before you do the coding. Now In the age of .NET, we know or hear much about how they do design their code. My contemplation is: It all began well with Java (Pals, I am fan of C#.NET). If you study the Guideline from Java, and comply accordingly, you will come halfway with it. There are tools. I hardly use any. I visualize what I want to do. Take care of user friendlyness. I always remember a quote of Norton, "Firstly, I make sure it runs, then I make it efficient", may be efficient in all respect starting from user's point of view to developers points. The tier design approach helps me much. And the abbstraction philosophy I like the most. Though it all varies from projects to projects depending on types. For database, Requirement Analysis and Firsthanded database design helps me. In Systems Programming, I follow different approach. What so ever the type is, my own approach of "Test Run, Test Run, and Test Run", helps me better than anything else. My own design grid might come to some help to you. +-Steps--------------------------+-Presentation Layer-+-Logic Layer-+-Backend/Abstraction-+ | Requirement Analysis | | | | |--------------------------------|--------------------|-------------|---------------------| | System Design & Pseudocoding | | | | |--------------------------------|--------------------|-------------|---------------------| | Coding and Development | | | | |--------------------------------|--------------------|-------------|---------------------| | Test | | | | |--------------------------------|--------------------|-------------|-------------------