diff --git a/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c b/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c
index 8bf165812a..960bbdb313 100644
--- a/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c
+++ b/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c
@@ -38,11 +38,23 @@
 #include "skin_buffer.h"
 #include "statusbar-skinned.h"
 
+static bool skins_initialising = true;
+
+/* Hosted platforms use the host malloc to manage the buffer */
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
 static char *skin_buffer = NULL;
 void theme_init_buffer(void)
 {
     skin_buffer = buffer_alloc(SKIN_BUFFER_SIZE);
+    skins_initialising = false;
 }
+#else 
+#define skin_buffer NULL
+void theme_init_buffer(void)
+{
+    skins_initialising = false;
+}
+#endif
 
 void settings_apply_skins(void)
 {
@@ -149,7 +161,7 @@ struct gui_wps *skin_get_gwps(enum skinnable_screens skin, enum screen_type scre
         {
             case CUSTOM_STATUSBAR:
 #ifdef HAVE_LCD_BITMAP
-                if (skin_buffer == NULL)
+                if (skins_initialising)
                 {
                     /* still loading, buffers not initialised yet,
                      * viewport manager calls into the sbs code, not really
diff --git a/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_parser.c b/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_parser.c
index 43c2ffa304..c0ea3e3ca9 100644
--- a/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_parser.c
+++ b/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_parser.c
@@ -1613,11 +1613,15 @@ bool skin_data_load(enum screen_type screen, struct wps_data *wps_data,
     wps_data->backdrop_id = -1;
 #endif
     /* parse the skin source */
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
     skin_buffer_save_position();
+#endif
     wps_data->tree = skin_parse(wps_buffer, skin_element_callback, wps_data);
     if (!wps_data->tree) {
         skin_data_reset(wps_data);
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
         skin_buffer_restore_position();
+#endif
         return false;
     }
 
@@ -1639,7 +1643,9 @@ bool skin_data_load(enum screen_type screen, struct wps_data *wps_data,
         !skin_load_fonts(wps_data)) 
     {
         skin_data_reset(wps_data);
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
         skin_buffer_restore_position();
+#endif
         return false;
     }
 #endif
diff --git a/apps/menus/main_menu.c b/apps/menus/main_menu.c
index 1d22dba7ea..98f664eda6 100644
--- a/apps/menus/main_menu.c
+++ b/apps/menus/main_menu.c
@@ -147,7 +147,9 @@ enum infoscreenorder
     INFO_DISK1, /* capacity or internal capacity/free on hotswap */
     INFO_DISK2, /* free space or external capacity/free on hotswap */
     INFO_BUFFER,
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
     INFO_SKIN_USAGE, /* ram usage of the skins */
+#endif
     INFO_VERSION,
     INFO_COUNT
 };
@@ -157,7 +159,9 @@ static const char* info_getname(int selected_item, void *data,
 {
     struct info_data *info = (struct info_data*)data;
     char s1[32];
+#if defined(HAVE_MULTIVOLUME) || ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
     char s2[32];
+#endif
     if (info->new_data)
     {
         fat_size(IF_MV2(0,) &info->size, &info->free);
@@ -242,12 +246,14 @@ static const char* info_getname(int selected_item, void *data,
             snprintf(buffer, buffer_len, SIZE_FMT, str(LANG_DISK_SIZE_INFO), s1);
 #endif
             break;
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
         case INFO_SKIN_USAGE:
             output_dyn_value(s1, sizeof s1, skin_buffer_usage(), byte_units, true);
             output_dyn_value(s2, sizeof s2, skin_buffer_usage()
                                             +skin_buffer_freespace(), byte_units, true);
             snprintf(buffer, buffer_len, "%s %s / %s", str(LANG_SKIN_RAM_USAGE), s1, s2);
             break;
+#endif
     }
     return buffer;
 }
@@ -328,10 +334,12 @@ static int info_speak_item(int selected_item, void * data)
             output_dyn_value(NULL, 0, info->size, kbyte_units, true);
 #endif
             break;
+#if ((CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED) == 0)
         case INFO_SKIN_USAGE:
             talk_id(LANG_SKIN_RAM_USAGE, false);
             output_dyn_value(NULL, 0, skin_buffer_usage(), byte_units, true);
             break;
+#endif
             
     }
     return 0;
diff --git a/lib/skin_parser/skin_buffer.c b/lib/skin_parser/skin_buffer.c
index ecfe04b167..608b03434d 100644
--- a/lib/skin_parser/skin_buffer.c
+++ b/lib/skin_parser/skin_buffer.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  * $Id: skin_buffer.c 25962 2010-05-12 09:31:40Z jdgordon $
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2002 by Linus Nielsen Feltzing
- * Copyright (C) 2009 Jonathan Gordon
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Jonathan Gordon
  *
  * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
  * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
@@ -26,17 +26,72 @@
 
 #include "skin_buffer.h"
 
+/****************************************************************************
+ * 
+ *  This code handles buffer allocation for the entire skin system.
+ *  This needs to work in 3 different situations:
+ *    1) as a stand alone library. ROCKBOX isnt defined, alloc using malloc()
+ *       and free the skin elements only (no callbacks doing more allocation)
+ *    2) ROCKBOX builds for normal targets, alloc from a single big buffer
+ *       which origionally came from the audio buffer, likely to run out of
+ *       room with large themes. No need to free anything, just restore to
+ *       the start of our buffer
+ *    3) ROCKBOX "application/hosted" builds, alloc using the hosts malloc().
+ *       We need to keep track of all allocations so they can be free()'d easily
+ * 
+ * 
+ ****************************************************************************/
+
+
 #ifdef ROCKBOX
+#include "config.h"
+
+# if (CONFIG_PLATFORM&PLATFORM_HOSTED)
+#   define USE_HOST_MALLOC
+# else
+#   define USE_ROCKBOX_ALLOC
+# endif
+
+#endif
+
+#ifdef USE_ROCKBOX_ALLOC
 static size_t buf_size;
 static unsigned char *buffer_start = NULL;
 static unsigned char *buffer_front = NULL;
 #endif
 
+#ifdef USE_HOST_MALLOC
+
+struct malloc_object {
+    void* object;
+    struct malloc_object *next;
+};
+struct malloc_object *first = NULL, *last = NULL;
+
+void skin_free_malloced(void)
+{
+    struct malloc_object *obj = first, *this;
+    while (obj)
+    {
+        this = obj;
+        obj = this->next;
+        free(this->object);
+        free(this);
+    }
+    first = NULL;
+    last = NULL;
+}
+
+#endif
+
 void skin_buffer_init(char* buffer, size_t size)
 {
-#if defined(ROCKBOX)
+#ifdef USE_ROCKBOX_ALLOC
     buffer_start = buffer_front = buffer;
     buf_size = size;
+#elif defined(USE_HOST_MALLOC)
+    (void)buffer; (void)size;
+    skin_free_malloced();    
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -44,13 +99,24 @@ void skin_buffer_init(char* buffer, size_t size)
 void* skin_buffer_alloc(size_t size)
 {
     void *retval = NULL;
-#ifdef ROCKBOX
+#ifdef USE_ROCKBOX_ALLOC
     /* 32-bit aligned */
     size = (size + 3) & ~3;
     if (size > skin_buffer_freespace())
         return NULL;
     retval = buffer_front;
     buffer_front += size;
+#elif defined(USE_HOST_MALLOC)
+    struct malloc_object *obj = malloc(sizeof (struct malloc_object));
+    if (!obj)
+        return NULL;
+    obj->object = malloc(size);
+    obj->next = NULL;
+    if (last == NULL)
+        first = last = obj;
+    else
+        last->next = obj;
+    retval = obj->object;
 #else
     retval = malloc(size);
 #endif
@@ -58,7 +124,7 @@ void* skin_buffer_alloc(size_t size)
 }
 
 
-#ifdef ROCKBOX
+#ifdef USE_ROCKBOX_ALLOC
 /* get the number of bytes currently being used */
 size_t skin_buffer_usage(void)
 {