suggestions for what Andriod to buy?

patm1982

I'm totally uneducated when it comes to Driod devices. Seems like their are so many choices and so many different markets to worry about. I would like to buy a andriod device to test & publish some of my other games. Any suggestions on an cheap mobile device? or things to be aware of?

thanks in advance
-pat

JohnPapiomitis

yeah i was wondering the same thing. with all the differnt ones out there it seems almost impossible to make sure your stuff will run on every single one

butterbean

Kindle and Nook for sure

gregr209

I agree with TshirtBooth and ButterBean. Kindle and Nook. The various flavors of Android is what makes the platform so weak for developers.

I am hoping my Kindle Fire arrives by the end of the week. I ordered mine on Nov. 10th. Might have to run to BestBuy tomorrow and pick one up however instead. We shall see.

The reviews haven't been to great but it is what it is. A 7inch screen is a nice thought but when you really want to read magazines and comics on the thing you will realize it isn't a good experience. I think for normal e-book reading, video, audio, and app consumption it will be a perfect device for many folks who would not normally pick up a tablet like device.

I can't believe it was 4 years ago this month when I got my first Kindle! Whew! Where does the time go?

izam

Dang, I just went out to buy the HTC sensation... I think I'll stick to this device... I can't get the nook color nor the kindle fire because they don't do international shipping...bummer that..

mintmomeg

@tshirtbooth can international apply for nook now? .. and I know that you r not US so more question is after apply to amazon Do I need W8en with ITIN or EIN ? how to get ITIN or EIN?

JamesBoucher

Sprint Epic phone works great. I will go buy a Kindle or Nook later.

patm1982

with the phones can you get them without needing a cellular service? (i already have my iphone). I was looking on amazon, and it looked like a lot of them, even the unlocked ones, stopped you until you set it up with a carrier.

-pat

firemaplegames

@patm1982: Once you sign up with Google as an Android developer, you can buy unlocked Nexus phones without a contract for like 600$. Not sure about the other phones.

I would recommend getting some sort of Android tablet, since they are usually cheaper and don't require a contract.

As well as a Nook Color and a Kindle Fire - that way you can test for those three markets.

ExtraBubblesGames

I would strongly recommend a Nexus device, they are definitely dev phones.
For people new to Android, the Nexus line of phones is the Google flagship line of devices, they offer the ultimate Android experience ( Stock Android software with no skins or mods added by manufacturers). you can get a Nexus S (the 2nd generation Nexus phone) or the new Galaxy Nexus ( will be released in a couple of days) .
The Nook is a nice choice, However IMO I wouldnt recommend a Kindle. why ?
Well for starters Amazon has modified the hell out of the Android ROM the Kindle is running( to the point where they dont even mention its running Android ), it doesnt feel nor look like an Android device . More importantly, AFAIK it doesnt have access to the Android Market, and has only the Amazon Appstore ( which is significantly smaller ) .

The Kindle Fire is an awesome tablet, however its definitely not for dev purposes.

jonmulcahy

I disagree, i think the kindle is going to be the first mass accepted android device, and the best device for an android developer to target. Millions are going to be sold because of its price point, and amazon has designed it to be easy to use for the average person, something android is not.

As a developer you can easily target the device as well, like tshirtbooth said, the android device family is so fragmented it's near impossible to design app that works on all of them

My kindle fire will be delivered tomorrow and I can't wait to attempt to port some of my old games.

tenrdrmer

Yep, Kindle has a shot at being the next app Store. I actually plan to not Sell on the android market and only the Amazon Store and the Nook. The Amazon store will take phone oriented games and can be accessed from all android Phones. The Android market is a mess and most users don't want to pay for anything. So why bother with them. Anyone who has put the Amazon store on there device is likely an amazon user who like to spend money on their entertainment. Amazon Store and Nook are the way to go. Also I will probably only be using the Kindle nook layout for all tablet offerings. I have played my nook version on an android table and there are just some very small black bars on the side. Why do more orientations than you need to.

ron.val

Hey guys I was doing some reading and it looks like game salad android apps might work on the blackberry playbook. From what I read there is a repackaging tool that takes the apk file and turns it into a .bar file. But looks like some of the API from the android SDK is not compatible. But what I'm wondering is what coding language (java or c++ or something else) gamesalad used to make android publishing possible cause if im not Mistaken they all come with their own API. So maybe just maybe the blackberry playbook and also blackberry QNX phones will run game salad apps through the android player. That's a whole other platform more people to reach gamesalad apps the playbook has a a screen size of 1024x600 so if u make one for nook or fire why not playbook CAN SOMEONE CONFIRM A SOUS CHEF A HEAD CHEF ?? I'm soooo excited !!!!

xxTigerShark

The best phone for App Development are the Nexus Phones. You can get them off contract and they work perfectly.

CreeperWare

Using a new Droid Razr to test my next big project that I have been working on for iOS. It scales pretty well, but it seems glitchy since touch screen buttons occasionally get stuck etc.