G1 obsolete? Well, almost. But take a look at the famous Platform Version 'dashboard' at http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html. It shows that as many as 21.3% of phones connecting to the market are still on 1.5. 45% are running 1.6 or 1.5.
So by that standard the G1 is not obsolete, since it is already on 1.6. Now sure, the hardware is slow and the runtime memory limited compared to the hot new phones running 2.1 and accounting for 53% of the market. But it would be a mistake to design your app -- or test your app -- on only the latest and greatest (unless, of course, your app relies on features only available on the latest hardware). Especially when 45% of the market is still running 1.6 or earlier. When you are looking for development hardware, and are limited in budget, there is really no point in buying "the most popular one". You need a more general test platform than that. The G1 meets that description since an application that runs correctly on the G1 will run correctly on many other platforms as well. One cannot say the same for the Droid. On Jul 7, 3:28 pm, "Maps.Huge.Info (Maps API Guru)" <cor...@gmail.com> wrote: > My personal opinion here... > > Don't get a G1 - they are obsolete, hardly any of them exist in the > real world and they are stuck on Android 1.6. > > If you want to get a good device that is the most popular one, get a > Motorola Droid, the one with the keyboard. There are more of these in > the wild than any other device. If you app runs on this one, then you > are pretty much good to go. The Droid should get an update to Froyo > starting on the 15th of this month, if the rumors can be believed, > right now it's on 2.1-update1. You can get a used Droid on eBay for > about $200 or so. It doesn't run on AT&T but so what? > > AT&T will be offering the Samsung Galaxy S line at some point, you > might want to wait for that one to be released. The only downside is > AT&T will offer a crippled version that can't accept non-market apps. > AT&T sucks, what else can you say? > > The bottom line is for app development, pretty much any device will > do. You don't need a "development" device, but you absolutely will > need a real one to debug your app. The emulator is nice for quick > checks but it isn't much use in finding out if your app will really > work, or for figuring out why it doesn't. The sensors on the emulator > leave a lot to be desired as well, obviously, shaking your computer > isn't going to do much. > > -John Coryat -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
