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Android Phone for development

DextaDexta Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
edited September 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
I'm an iOS developer expanding my skillset to Android Development.

I'd like to get an android phone to run Applications on (this phone won't be used for anything except running apps so I don't want a contract), but know nothing about Androids.

Whats the best phone to get for this purpose?

Dexta on

Posts

  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Hop over to eBay and pick up any of the following:

    HTC Nexus One
    Samsung Nexus S
    HTC G2
    Motorola Droid

    The reason I recommend the following isn't because of any specific hardware on the phone, but that they implement pure Android. You could certainly buy a phone that has a manufacturer shipped experience instead. Good phones like that include basically any Samsung Galaxy S phone (like the Captivate or Fascinate), anything by HTC that doesn't have a weird form factor (Evo 4G, Droid Incredible).

    If you planned to develop stuff that isn't particularly hardware intensive, you could also just buy a new Optimus V. It's from the prepaid Virgin Mobile carrier, so you wouldn't have to go on contract to buy new. As far as budget Android phones go, it's pretty great. Would only run you $150, and you could add data on a monthly basis for as low as $35 if you wanted to test your application over 3G instead of Wifi.

  • DextaDexta Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    Whats the most popular android phone?

  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    There are no clear frontrunners. Even when a phone comes around that's obviously better than all of the other models on the market, it'll get usurped before it can achieve high adoption rates.

  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    Older droid phones are slow as shit.

    I can tell you with certainty that you want to avoid the HTC Hero and Motorola Backflip

    Make sure you get one that runs Android 2.2

    I would say the Droid 1 is probably the oldest one you could get and not have an aneurysm

    this is a discord of mostly PA people interested in fighting games: https://discord.gg/DZWa97d5rz

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  • DextaDexta Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    Going for the latest and greatest isn't really ideal for the android market with all this fragmentation. I'd like to go for the lowest common denominator that still has decent marketshare, to help ensure an app can run on as many phones as possible. So Droid 1?

  • Iceman.USAFIceman.USAF Major East CoastRegistered User regular
    The Galaxy S II has taken a pretty good bit of the market, and it's JUST starting to land in the states. I'm not even sure you can buy it yet or if it's only being advertised. I had a Nexus S for a while and the SII is really just a cut above.

  • illigillig Registered User regular
    Get a "pure Google experience" phone. The nexus S is still a great choice if youre on a GSM network. If you're willing to wait a little, or are on Verizon, then hold off until the Nexus Prime lands. It should be based on the galaxy S II which is an absolute beast hardware wise (so it will last you a while).

  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    I think the SDK has an emulator if you want to play with it while you ponder on the phone options.

    one of those newsed letters - a blue sky
  • DextaDexta Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    Yea but the emulator is just not the same.

    I'm not looking to use the android as my primary phone, i already have an iphone

This discussion has been closed.
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