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New devices support at least Android 4.0 and many people started to change their phones. Do you still think that we should target Android version 2.x?
I ask this because it won't be that easy for me to support 2.x because of my native libraries. I also have to buy Android 2.2 froyo device for my tests. So, I am trying to find out if all of the effort is feasible or not.
Gingerbread 2.3.3 is on 1/3 of active android devices so I think it is something to care about.
I've has same issue too. Resolved restricting some functionality like above:
int sdkversion = 6; //or whatever
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT<sdkversion){
...DO NOTHING ABOUT THAT FUNCTIONALITY...
} else {
...DO IT...
}
This should help you out :) I always check it out before embarking on a new idea.
http://www.appbrain.com/stats/top-android-sdk-versions
As for your native libraries, there are plenty of apps out there that only support 4.x versions and still do very well. There are some really decent devices that run gingerbread (2.3 I believe) and are perfectly suitable to all recent apps, but due to manufacturers wont be receiving an update.
Of course, various folk root their phones and use custom roms, so maybe it's not that bad afterall. These stats, can't take that into account, obviously.
HTH.
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Lenovo a6000 is not able to run material design code .
First of all, a question like this will provoke opinionated, heavily biased answers and provoke flamewar like discussions between religiously fanatic fanboy groups. It is not very wise to ask a question like this.
Furthermore, one single phone is never enough to really get your app tested. It gets you the impression how your app works on one device, but how it will work on all the others, you will never know. You will always need a variety of devices, and I am not just writing about phones, phablets and tablets, but also of different vendors. Because each vendor introduces "his" own peculiarities and quirks and you will notice that while running fine on a Nexus, your app might crash on an HTC or Samsung. Or while running nicely on those, it might not on a Huawei.
Why?
Because.
Because the vendor did something the others did not, and no one expected it. But your customers will hold you responsible for it. Because your app is crashing. And you don't want this.
So bottom line: There is no best phone for testing. Get a number of different devices from different vendors and test on all of them. Yes, it is expensive and tedious work, but you asked for it...and your customers will be thankful for a stable app. :)
Google nexus series is the best. Just use nexus for tests
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Is there a drawback creating android applications using old sdk version? Other than the obvious one; you can't use the newer functions. Will this application slower if I set build target an old sdk compared to the latest api version when executed on a device?
Yes, not being able to use the new features is obvious. But it depends on what you are targeting and your user base is. In general, it depends on what you are trying to do. A game will usually want to use OPEN GL ES 2.0 so you need the android version that supports that. If you don't care about a specific feature it is best to follow this:
http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html
for an idea on a potential market share of an application. Older phones will increase the potential market. Besides versions you also need to know if you want to target an tablet or phone. That includes different UI changes/looks.
You won't be able to use new features, of course, if you don't need any new features there is no problem. You will also be able to deploy an application that users with older phones will be able to usecas well.
Cheers
There is no drawback other than not being able to use new features.
No, your application will not be slower.
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I want to buy a couple of the most commonly used Android phones to test my app on. This is surprisingly hard to figure out.
The Android Dashboard states that 2.3.3 is the most commonly used OS, but I can't seem to find any phones that run it... Wikipedia seems to say that only the HTC Flyer has it.
What Android phones could I get with Android 2.3.3?
All devices running Android 2.3.x use the same public application framework (Gingerbread, API level 10) so there is no difference between the different revisions from a developer's point of view (other than bug fixes and optimizations). Any cheap Gingerbread device should be fine as long as you keep it updated.
I have a little over a year old LG-P500 (Optimus) which runs 2.3.3. I don't suppose you'll be able to find one in the market and most of the new ones have moved on to >= 3.0. I suppose, you could try your luck in the seconds market.
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I am searching for the cheapest Android 1.5 device suitable for developing on it. As the emulator is too sluggish for my needs, I want a real device.
Can you recommend any source where to get such an old device? I looked at eBay, but do not know which device to search for. Maybe you can recommend a list of Android 1.5 devices still available?
The HTC Dream/G1 should be the cheapest option. I got mine for 88 bucks shipped from eBay... works perfectly.
Actually, the OS may be Android 1.6 (I can't remember as I eventually installed CyanogenMod) but it shouldn't matter since you can still write and test 1.5 applications on it.
Update: According to the phone's Wikipedia page, the official OS version is 1.6.
The most recent (and probably powerful) 1.5 device was probably the Dell Blaze, but it won't be easy to find. The G2 also came with 1.5.
The G1 and MyTouch are the original android devices, and they shouldn't be too expensive on craigslist or ebay.
Huawei devices are cheaper too, and suitable for development in most cases http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFamily.do?method=index&directoryId=2037&treeId=37
pd: check android models :p
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What are some things you wish you had known about Android when you first started out or before you published your first app on the market? I am nearing completion on my first and am starting to make sure I have crossed my proverbial Ts and dotted the Is
Save you keystore file.
If you lose it, you will not be able to update your app.
Use <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="3" android:targetSdkVersion="4"/> to be compatible with 1.5 and newer devices.
Make your icons based on the Icon Design Guidelines.
Test your app on all Android versions before release to Market, or, if you're too lazy, just on:
1.5 (older one, lacks support of some classes that 2.x does)
2.1 (most modern devices)
2.2 (most current, not much devices for now, has some internal rendering changes)
Earlier than 1.5 are hard to find, so can be safely ignored.
android-remote-stacktrace is also very useful thing
Here's some things you can try:
Stress-testing
adb shell monkey -v -p your.package.name 500
It will help you to do some stress testing before publishing to Market.
Test your app for memory leaks. It's very easy to leak context. This post will help http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/01/avoiding-memory-leaks.html.
Test your app on some device with Sense UI like EVO4G. Many things are different there.
Take a look at this https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2094588/android-development-tips-tricks-gotchas for some more pointers about Android development
Have a look at this blog. I have jotted down the problems i faced and some stuff i would like to pass on to new developers
http://seventhsoulmountain.blogspot.com/2014/01/gotchas-and-lessons-learnt-android.html