So I want to create an Android app(s), but I dont own, or plan to get, an Android phone (due to Verizon's forced plans). Is there a way to buy an unlocked Droid or other android phone and use it as a test platform? If I just buy and unlocked phone with no plan or anything can I just plug it in and test the app?
I am buying in the US, and plan on buying one that comes unlocked
yes. Just about any device you buy you can use for testing. Some of the carriers will sell you devices at full retail cost with out having you activate or sign up for any plan. You'll only have access to internet through wifi though. Which means your testing may not reflect the users experience is some cases.
I'm not sure if my answer constitutes ads. But anyway, I feel my answer solves the problem.
Unlocked Droid on Newegg.com: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875209212
Verizon-only contract-free Droid on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Verizon-Motorola-A855-Android-contract/dp/tech-data/B0046NR5PK/ref=de_a_smtd
Google Experience Devices are unlocked or unlockable where the vendor allows root access. Nexus One and Motorola Xoom are an example of such devices. Depending upon the unit, it could refer to subsidy unlocked which is another thing.
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Probably my question is very stupid, but I can't find a clear answer.
For now, I'm developing and testing my apps on Nexus devices, so I have no problem with debugging.
I also want to buy cheap/weak phones and tablets to test, but I'm afraid to unfortunately buy a phone/tablet with debugging unavailable.
Since Android is very open, for manufacturers and carriers, is such a thing possible?
Any device that legitimately has the Play Store on it must be capable of serving as a development device.
Some manufacturers -- usually firms whose names you might not recognize -- will pirate the Play Store and therefore may not allow USB debugging mode.
So, if you stick with a major-manufacturer, Play Store-capable device, or another device that others have confirmed supports USB debugging mode, you should be safe.
Android's code is opensource, so people can do whatever they want.
But I don't think the any of the manufacturers or carriers would make the usb debugging option disabled.
Before buying an new phone or tablet, you can check for the full specifications to be sure.
I just want to know the actual difference between android dev phone, android nomral phone and android rooted phone.
Can we not buy dev phone from a physical shop or from some where else except android marketplace?
Can we buy android rooted phone?
If yes then from where ?
A developer phone can only be bought from Google, if you are a registered developer. The Android source tree contains (almost) all source code needed to re-build and flash the phone.
A normal phone is what you can buy in a shop.
A rooted phone is a normal phone that someone has gained root access to. Root access does not necessarily mean that you can re-build the software, although there are some community-driven projects that will help you do that, for example CyanogenMod.
You can't buy a rooted phone, instead you buy a "normal" phone and root it yourself. Have a look at XDA Developer's forum for some guidelines.
The one exception is the Samsung Nexus S that you can buy as a "normal" phone, unlock the boot loader and then build software for using the Android open source project. I assume the Galaxy Nexus will give you the same possibility, but I haven't tried it myself yet.
If you are developing apps, you do not need root access. You can just use any normal Android phone for that. But if you are developing some platform features, you need a rooted phone or a developer phone. Or you can get one of the many developer boards available, like the Beagleboard and the Pandaboards. These boards will not look like a phone, but they are superb for platform development.
Basically, it all boils down to what you are going to use it for.
You can develop software on almost every android phone but there are some differences.
Dev phone has unlocked bootloader, and will allow you to flash new OS images easily. (but you can unlock bootloader on other phones too, almost every bootloader out there was already hacked, and some phones are unlocked as well)
Phone coming from carrier will contain a ton of crappy carrier branded software, and you will be unable to remove it (but you can root phone, unlock bootloader and flash another OS image voiding all the warranty in process), and there could be some restrictions like "you bad boy do not uses VoiIP - we like to sell you minutes) - but you can also develop software with it
Rooted phone is the same phone, but OS is hacked to allow you root access (there is a linux below the covers) - some applications need this, but it is not really portable. You can develop software with it, but some things working with rooted phone may be unavailable to real users in field.
Conclusion: if you like to see what most users in field are experiencing, stick to standard phone without alterations.
I'm trying to test an application on an actual Android device (the main reason is to test the Bluetooth functionality, which the emulator cannot help with :( ). To help with my endeavor, I'm thinking about buying an Unlocked HTC G1 from eBay. My question is will I be able to use the unlocked phone without any SIM card at all? Ideally, I'd like to be able to use wi-fi and other native apps, but my main focus would be to test my application, without having a SIM card.
If there are any better phones, or alternative strategies that I should employ, I'd be grateful to hear about them.
Thanks in advance!
I develop Android games and have Google's ADP 1 (G1) and Nexus One, both SIM unlocked and regularly used without SIM, not problems at all. Also the former is rooted, while the N1 is not.
I have a G2 without a SIM card that I use for testing, works perfectly, the difference is you wont see some apps in the market. You can either buy an unlocked phone or get a lock one and unlock it for under 10$ on ebay.
you won't have any problems no android phone that I know of requires service to use. I test with my G1 all the time with no sim in it.
I want to test my android app on a phone. I do not have an android phone so I was going to purchase one. Question, I can get a phone on eBay etc without a contract will this work to test my app? Or must it be an unlocked or rooted phone? Can I install and test my apps on a phone that has not been unlocked and does not nave a contract?
Ordinarily you can develop applications (but not hack on android itself) on any android device intended for the average consumer.
HOWEVER there may be some difficulty in setting up a user account to be able to do anything at all on the device without putting a (compatible?) sim in it.
A little web searching is showing two potential solutions - one which appears to require root is to manually change the settings database and thus skip account setup.
Another is to use the adb command line to get around the no sim message and launch the settings activity to enable wifi and do account setup that way. It doesn't seem like this should require root.
You might want to make managing to set up a user account a pre-condition for completing the sale, or buy a phone locked to a provider who markets prepaid sims to international visitors.
My guess is if you get an early htc phone like g1 or mytouch or (or google versions adp1, ion, etc) you will be able to get it to work - if it comes to it they aren't hard to root, and they'd be the cheapest anyway as they are out of date. Later devices and other manufacturers, no idea. Of course if you want to target android 2.2 you need a later device.
You do not need a rooted/unlocked phone to test applications on.
http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.html
edit: beaten to the punch
Is it true that ANY Android phone can be used for App development and testing?
I'm trying to find some inexpensive off-contract hardware for development and testing of our Apps. I've found some devices I can buy New with No Contract for $150 to $300 (like the HTC Aria or the Huawei Ascend). Is there anything that would prevent me from using these devices for USB debugging and app testing? I guess I'm concerned because I've read how the HTC Aria has been locked down by AT&T to limit applications. I suspect this won't affect me loading apps using ADB, but I'd like to be sure.
Yes, you can use any phone for testing applications via the Android development tools. This includes the HTC Aria of what I've read.
You can read more here: http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.html
And it is not true what Sam Dufel wrote. A developer phone have messaging and phone features. It's just as any other ordinary unlocked phone. The only difference between the dev-phones is that they have unlocked bootloaders so you can install and customize your own Android-system and install it. It is rooted by default.
Google actually sells development phones - after you create a developer account, they give you an option to buy one of a couple different models. You don't get any messaging / phone features though, obviously.