[Q] Android Phone for Development - General Questions and Answers

Hi Guys,
I've been working on android app development and I'm at the stage of implementing designs. I'm looking for a phone primarily for developing apps, portable media centre (videos: xvid, mp4; music) and tinkering around with ROMs.
I have a work Samsung Galaxy S GTI900, but due it belonging to my work I'm very limited in what I can and can't do with it. It has problems with GPS accuracy and Kies PC software issues, leaving me to want to try something different from Samsung. HTC users seem to be very happy with their products, but there seems to be a lack of available ROMS such as CyanogenMod
Phone should be hardware reliable, software updated regularly and something that will last for a few years for development.
The phones available to me:
HTC:
Wildfire
Wildfire S
Desire
Desire S
Desire Z
Legend
Samsung:
Galaxy Ace
Galaxy Apollo
Galaxy Mini
Sony Ericsson:
Xperia X10
Xperia X10 mini
Xperia X10 mini pro
Or should I keep saving until I can afford more expensive models such as HTC Sensation, Incredible S and Desire HD?
Any input would be appreciated.

Skip those samsung models you listed, they won't make you happy.
The HTC Desire is decent with a huge community but already a bit old.
If you don't want to get another galaxy s you can play around with i would recommend saving for a galaxy 2.
btw: im happily developing on my galaxy s running cm7 atm... soo smooth... no your not allowed to do that on your work device,

For development purposes, your best bet is the Desire. As stated previously it has a massive developer base and plenty of support, plus most of its quirks are well-known. Even better, see if you can find a Google Nexus One

Get a Desire...I know it is old and has many limitation but if you got stuck during development, many experienced devs can help you out.
Desire has the most powerful community and devs, so, you might wanna check Desire out.

Dark3n:
btw: im happily developing on my galaxy s running cm7 atm... soo smooth... no your not allowed to do that on your work device,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you're right.
I work for an engineering firm, if they were less technical I would risk using that for general use.
Thanks for the input. Seems the Desire is the most popular choice from reading other threads around here.
It would let me get started on implementation quickly, but some of the quirks could be a problem i.e. battery life, is there a list of all the quirks?
From reading; the Desire S seems to have most of the quirks sorted, but it doesnt have the same level of modding possible.
How is the HTC PC connection software? Does it perform media conversion for devices such as Samsungs Kies?
If I was to buy a Desire then i could purchase a Samsung Galaxy S GT I9000, Xperia ARC, or even save for a few extra months to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S2, which would be bit excessive...
Right now I'm leaning towards purchasing a HTC Desire, will need to do some more reading of what can and can't be done on it, but I'm now also considering a Samsung Galaxy S...
Cheers guys.

The biggest problem of the HTC Desire is the small internal memory.
The users crying for App2SD are usually the HTC Desire owners .

Yup!
The only problem but also the real major problem of the Desire is the internal memory.
It is simply sh*t small.
That is why we have A2SD, A2SD+, Data++, Data2EXT, etc.

ApplesRevenge said:
Hi Guys,
I've been working on android app development and I'm at the stage of implementing designs. I'm looking for a phone primarily for developing apps, portable media centre (videos: xvid, mp4; music) and tinkering around with ROMs.
I have a work Samsung Galaxy S GTI900, but due it belonging to my work I'm very limited in what I can and can't do with it. It has problems with GPS accuracy and Kies PC software issues, leaving me to want to try something different from Samsung. HTC users seem to be very happy with their products, but there seems to be a lack of available ROMS such as CyanogenMod
Phone should be hardware reliable, software updated regularly and something that will last for a few years for development.
The phones available to me:
HTC:
Wildfire
Wildfire S
Desire
Desire S
Desire Z
Legend
Samsung:
Galaxy Ace
Galaxy Apollo
Galaxy Mini
Sony Ericsson:
Xperia X10
Xperia X10 mini
Xperia X10 mini pro
Or should I keep saving until I can afford more expensive models such as HTC Sensation, Incredible S and Desire HD?
Any input would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Desire HD and it is a great phone with a crazy amount of support. The sensation isn't rooted yet so skip that until it is. On a side note I love HTC products Ive never had any problems with them. I've had HTC since the Hero. Great phones.

For development i would just look at the NexUS phones. Best bang for buck IMO!

Thanks for the help guys.
Ive settled on getting a HTC Desire for development purposes.
Only questions I have is about battery life with media on custom ROMs, which Ive enquired about in the Desire forum.
Cheers.

Related

Suggestions for a new phone...Please read

hello all..
I have a contract upgrade due next month and i am looking to get my first android phone..
am currently with orange and they have a nice selection of phones to choose from..
My options are
1. Xperia X10
2. Samsung Galaxy S
3. HTC Desire
I already have a sound knowledge of which phone does wat and their specs but i need a first hand opionion from the actual people who use it themselve.
The main thing i am looking in a phone is that it shud last me the next 18 months i know its a bit optimistic but i done want to buy a phone dat is outdated in next 8months or so
secondly i need a phone with good multimedia capabilities e.g watching movies both on youtube and through sdcard...listening to music...playing latest top of the line 3d games on high fps...browsing internet/checking emails and taking the odd picture/movie
Now i know all of the above mentioned phone do these but the question is which phone does is better than other ?
I have read that each phone has got its pros and cons for e.g samsung is a bit laggy in certain places and for me desire isnt the best looking phone out there when compared to xperia and samsung and list is even longer with xperia x10 including no MT and outdated OS (dun wanna wait till the new OS and still its not guarenteed if they gonna fix all da issues)
MT for some of you might be overrated but for me its a must have feature as more n more apps/games will b utilizing it in coming days also i have heard dat samsung MT is much more responsive then HTC what is your opinion about it?
software updates/customer care is another issue me as i dont wanna be hanged aound waiting for an year just to get an update which is already 8 months old..
I will also be looking to root my phone is the future as i have done it with my htc touch hd in the past..so in this respect which phone is more safe/better bet?
please feel free to post ur comments...
In the end you need to look @ two out of the 3 phones you listed, I would remove Xperia X10 from your final selection just because it's the only on on your list that is currently running 1.6. now it's totally up to you if you like the Touch wiz on the Samsung Galaxy S or the Award winning HTC sense on the HTC Desire. Also the desire looks to be getting Android 2.2 before the Galaxy S.
My personal choice would def.ly be the Desire, good luck....

android geeks buying desire not galaxy S

Really android geeks buying desire not galaxy S ? So no good roms and no apps for galaxy S ? Which phone to choose better from theese 2
Please guys help
How about ROM's for galaxy S ? And i now that there's a OpenDesire for HTC Desire which makes desire super phone. Will be there something for samsung ? At least fixes or smthg?
Please answer me guys, i have a few hours to decide. I dont now much about androids
The Desire is a) made by HTC, which this site has always been focused on, and b) very similar to the pre-rooted Nexus One, which is popular with hackers. The Desire has also been out a fair bit longer. So there's an established community around the Desire, and I think the non-HTCness of the Galaxy S is likely to mean it will never quite be its equal in terms of development here.
However, I've seen mention that developers are waiting for Froyo before focusing on the Galaxy S. We do have developers working on it, and there's work on porting CyanogenMod to the Vibrant (a Galaxy S series phone). So I can't guarantee it will ever match the Desire, but it's not being ignored either.
MisterMonitor said:
Really android geeks buying desire not galaxy S ? So no good roms and no apps for galaxy S ? Which phone to choose better from theese 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Samsung galaxy is a pretty powerful phone great hardware other then the few gps issues and the lag which if you dont over bog the phone with apps its generally a great phone. personally i am still running the stock rom that i have highly modified including boot up and boot down and removed all the crapware from the carrier its a wicked machine if done right and a tank of a phone almost impossible to brick
if you know what you are doing you are golden if you dont know what you are doing your going to end up figuring it out
samsung galaxy s: stock rom rooted
D-T-Mobiled
Will be there something similar like OpenDesire for samsung galaxy S ?

[Q] Help me choose a phone.

Hi guys, can you help?
I need to upgrade my phone, presently a rather slow and left behind Vodafone Magic. Running 2.2.1, just shows up how slow the phone is now. Too much lag.
I'm not adverse to rooting phones etc, but generally can't be bothered. So I want to go along to Vodafone and upgrade to best phone I can without taking out £35/month contracts (at present paying 20-25)
Android seems to be a decent choice, as it's continuing to develop, and I do like having my Google contacts/calendar/email easily linked.
The choices look to be:-
i-phone 3gs (possibly, although this may be at high end of costs)
HTC Desire
HTC Legend
Sony Erricson X10
Google (HTC) Nexus One
I am angling towards the Nexus one, but just wondered if other people could let me know if it really is a good phone, and that it doesn't lag as badly as my present one. I am also guessing as it is already running 2.2, then it will shortly be upgraded to 2.3 once Google start putting it out to older phones.
Would this be a good choice?
Cheers, Steve
I have HTC Desire one year ago and this is the best phone until my next phone HTC Desire HD
It's hard to chose of this phones
I would go with the Legend or the Nexus One.

Nexus S vs Desire HD vs Galaxy S i9000?

Hi guys,
I'm an ex-owner of pocket Androids, HTC Aria and HTC Wildfire. As i lost both of them yesterday after being snatched, I'm thinking to avenge my lost my something new, and better, but still, Android ofc.
So since yesterday, i've been thinking about these three phones but still, i cant decide which one to go as all these 3 met my budget requirement. So guys, would you mind helping me decide on which device i should aim for? As i never use any samsung phone before, can anyone advice me the quality of the phone?
ps: i use a lot of gps, cameras, wireless for my daily work routines, and play games and watch movies to release tension.
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
afiQ
If it were me, I would choose Desire HD.Because of its better GPS functionality.
If I were you, I choose SGS is the best, too bad there's no flash on camera
HTC , because: better GPS , Flash , Big Screen , Sense .
what about nexus s? i heard it is comparable and maybe even better than iphone 4? is it worth?
I use Galaxy S, what I can tell you is that Galaxy S is really really really a good phone, I love it.
I'm the owner of SGS. I suggest you to choose Nexus S. You will get more support from Google directly.
Can't speak to the HTC, but I have both the Nexus S and SGS. Both are great devices, and very similar, but speak to very different users.
Choose the SGS if you want a wide selection of custom ROMs, fantastic user support, loads of device-specific apps, etc. Choose the Nexus S if you want timely 'official' OS updates or absolutely must have a camera flash.
Having both side by side, I'm impressed by how smooth the Nexus S w/ stock GB feels compared to my heavily customized SGS GB ROM. The SGS still wins in Quadrant and synthetics, but the Nexus just feels smoother, and is general more bug free.
Cheers
--
SGS, Nexus S, SE Arc, Tab
I prefer to have the Desire HD due to the fact that I like Sense very much.
Desire HD FTW! A really good device.

[Resolved] [Q] Which of these Android phones should I buy?

Hello everyone,
after spending a few years as an iPhone user, I've now decided to switch to android.
Actually I've been pretty interested in this os since the release of the first nexus and I must now decide which phone I should take.
Because I'm italian, I've found a pretty good offer from my career, TIM, and I can choose to take one of this phones for a very low price:
Original Samsung Galaxy S
HTC Desire S
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
LG Optimus 3d
Google Nexus S
As far as my personal taste is concerned, I'd choose one among the Nexus S, the Optimus 3d or the Desire s.
I know the newest one in terms of hardware is, indeed, the Optimus 3d, which is actually the one I'd go for because of all that dual stuff (I'm not that much interested in the 3d, though it's something more to have). My fear is that it's support will soon be discontinued (maybe because of the 3d) and I'll find my self with a super phone stuck with an old software.
Actually I've also seen Cyanogen is soon going to officially support it, and that'll be a good way to be constantly up to date.
My second choice would be the Desire S, because I've seen there are plenty of roms keeping it up to date, including an unofficial cyanogenmod and one upgrading it to sense 3.0 (actually, what do you think of sense? Is it worth it?)
And my third and last choice would be the Nexus S, which is, indeed, the most customizable one.
So, which one would you go for?
Hope to hear from you soon,
Lorenzo
Edit: today (sept 16th) I bought the Nexus s. Thanks to everyone.
nexus s, I gave up my evo for it. Let me tell you best switch ever 10x smoother, faster browser, no bloatware. Get updates 10x quicker. More development. Just amazing phone all around.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play if gaming is your first priority
Google Nexus S if development is your first priority
Google Nexus S should be the best choice here.
tarunsoni said:
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play if gaming is your first priority
Google Nexus S if development is your first priority
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I'm nothing like a phone gamer. Actually, I'm neither a developer, but I like spending some time playing with roms and that kind of stuff.
So, for the moment I think you all agree saying the Nexus S is the best option.
Anyone else?
Sorry for the double post, but I actually bought the Nexus S. Thanks to everyone who helped me.
Lore33 said:
Hello everyone,
after spending a few years as an iPhone user, I've now decided to switch to android.
Actually I've been pretty interested in this os since the release of the first nexus and I must now decide which phone I should take.
Because I'm italian, I've found a pretty good offer from my career, TIM, and I can choose to take one of this phones for a very low price:
Original Samsung Galaxy S
HTC Desire S
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
LG Optimus 3d
Google Nexus S
As far as my personal taste is concerned, I'd choose one among the Nexus S, the Optimus 3d or the Desire s.
I know the newest one in terms of hardware is, indeed, the Optimus 3d, which is actually the one I'd go for because of all that dual stuff (I'm not that much interested in the 3d, though it's something more to have). My fear is that it's support will soon be discontinued (maybe because of the 3d) and I'll find my self with a super phone stuck with an old software.
Actually I've also seen Cyanogen is soon going to officially support it, and that'll be a good way to be constantly up to date.
My second choice would be the Desire S, because I've seen there are plenty of roms keeping it up to date, including an unofficial cyanogenmod and one upgrading it to sense 3.0 (actually, what do you think of sense? Is it worth it?)
And my third and last choice would be the Nexus S, which is, indeed, the most customizable one.
So, which one would you go for?
Hope to hear from you soon,
Lorenzo
Edit: today (sept 16th) I bought the Nexus s. Thanks to everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LG Optimus 3d

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