Cheap Android device recommendations

Hi guys, We are currently building new mobile applications for the community radio station at which I volunteer. In order to test the Android application, I need an Android device (obviously), so I’m looking for recommendations for a cheap device that will only really be used for development purposes. I’m not looking to replace my existing phone, so an Android tablet would be adequate. Ok? Go! :) Thanks, Avi

You could just use the emulator (assuming you can get it installed, no easy task on Linux). Otherwise the 2012 Nexus 7 is probably still around for $200 or less. On Jun 3, 2014 7:14 AM, "Avi Miller" <avi.miller@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi guys,
We are currently building new mobile applications for the community radio station at which I volunteer. In order to test the Android application, I need an Android device (obviously), so I’m looking for recommendations for a cheap device that will only really be used for development purposes. I’m not looking to replace my existing phone, so an Android tablet would be adequate.
Ok? Go! :)
Thanks, Avi _______________________________________________ luv-main mailing list luv-main@luv.asn.au http://lists.luv.asn.au/listinfo/luv-main

On 3 Jun 2014, at 8:30 am, thelionroars <thelionroars1337@gmail.com> wrote:
You could just use the emulator (assuming you can get it installed, no easy task on Linux). Otherwise the 2012 Nexus 7 is probably still around for $200 or less.
You’re assuming I run Linux on the desktop, which I don’t. :) I’ve added getting the emulator to run on OS X to my list of things TODO, but I would prefer at least one device to be closer to the end-user experience. Thanks for the tip! Avi

Target of all places had some android tablets last week for just over $60. No idea of quality or android version, but you don' get much cheaper. Peter. On Tue, 3 Jun 2014 07:13:52 AM Avi Miller wrote:
Hi guys,
We are currently building new mobile applications for the community radio station at which I volunteer. In order to test the Android application, I need an Android device (obviously), so I’m looking for recommendations for a cheap device that will only really be used for development purposes. I’m not looking to replace my existing phone, so an Android tablet would be adequate.
Ok? Go! :)
Thanks, Avi _______________________________________________ luv-main mailing list luv-main@luv.asn.au http://lists.luv.asn.au/listinfo/luv-main
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On 3 Jun 2014, at 9:45 am, Peter Nunn <pnunn@infoteq.com.au> wrote:
Target of all places had some android tablets last week for just over $60. No idea of quality or android version, but you don' get much cheaper.
Nice. Looks like I’m going to have to make a trip to the local Westfield later and do some comparison shopping. It has a Coles, JB, Aldi all in one place. :)

Avi Miller <avi.miller@gmail.com> writes:
We are currently building new mobile applications for the community radio station at which I volunteer. In order to test the Android application, I need an Android device (obviously), so I’m looking for recommendations for a cheap device that will only really be used for development purposes. I’m not looking to replace my existing phone, so an Android tablet would be adequate.
For the OMG-this-screen-is-tiny phone thing, there's the Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo which I use as a disposable traveller and it's like $100 or something silly. -- Stewart Smith

On Tue, 3 Jun 2014, Avi Miller <avi.miller@gmail.com> wrote:
We are currently building new mobile applications for the community radio station at which I volunteer. In order to test the Android application, I need an Android device (obviously), so I’m looking for recommendations for a cheap device that will only really be used for development purposes. I’m not looking to replace my existing phone, so an Android tablet would be adequate.
Kogan has lots of cheap Android devices on offer. They might not have the ideal device for your purposes but it's a good place to start comparing. http://etbe.coker.com.au/2012/12/05/cheap-android-tablet-aldi/ http://etbe.coker.com.au/2012/12/10/returning-aldi-tablet/ Some people have suggested really cheap tablets. I'm dubious of that advice, some of the really cheap ones have reliability problems and lack features. I returned the really cheap tablet I bought a couple of years ago with Wifi range and battery life being two of the problems I found with it. A friend gave up on getting an Agora phone to be fixed properly under warranty after a few tries and accepted a phone that works for everything but GPS. For development purposes you want a device that's reasonably fast, you will probably end up repeating the same operation many times and don't want to wait for it each time. An older high-end phone like a Samsung Galaxy S3 will probably outperform some of the cheap newer devices that have the same price (when comparing an S3 on ebay with a new tablet or phone). As you need a device for a non-profit organisation it might be a good strategy to call for donations of damaged devices. A few cracks in the screen or damage to a significant component (such as MicroSD socket, camera, or GPS) can be enough to make people not want to use an older phone like a Galaxy S3. But such a slightly damaged S3 will be great for your purposes. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/

On 3/06/2014 7:13 AM, Avi Miller wrote:
We are currently building new mobile applications for the community radio station at which I volunteer. In order to test the Android application, I need an Android device (obviously), so I’m looking for recommendations for a cheap device that will only really be used for development purposes. I’m not looking to replace my existing phone, so an Android tablet would be adequate.
The problem space is not so easy. First there is the /quality/ of the devices -- cheap usually means junk, but not always. The next problem is that if you get a branded device of any kind, then you have potential brand interference and also possibly lack of /real/ support for the latest Android version(s). And the next major consideration, perhaps you need to see the app under different generations of Android... 2.x is still sold on some cheap phones (or at least it was when fairly recently, but it's probably still true). Versions below 4.3 may have some security issues, getting the latest version of Android (to fix as many of the issues as possible) might be nice, but what do your users have? The big driver will be, what your end users are expected to use and then what their devices run and the capabilities, including Android version, screen size ... lots and lots of factors. Now, I'm not about to promote Apple, but on the whole, their iOS devices have much less variance -- older devices don't get all the updates, but "up to date" devices can run the latest and most common versions. I don't envy your task of finding a suitable device for your testing. But perhaps most of the variables don't apply in your case - that will make it easier. Cheers A.

Hey, On 3 Jun 2014, at 4:25 pm, Andrew McGlashan <andrew.mcglashan@affinityvision.com.au> wrote:
I don't envy your task of finding a suitable device for your testing.
So, in complete disregard for this terribly useful conversation, I find myself the owner of a brand new Google/Asus Nexus 7 tablet. I’m justifying this purchase as a late birthday present for myself. :) I’m currently working out how Android works in comparison to the squishy walled garden of iOS I’ve been in for the past few years. I do thank everyone for their tips though — they will come in handy when we look at “official” test devices. Cheers, Avi

Here's a cross-platform emulator I wasn't aware of: http://www.webupd8.org/2013/07/genymotion-fast-easy-to-use-android-x86.html On 3 June 2014 16:39, Avi Miller <avi.miller@gmail.com> wrote:
Hey,
On 3 Jun 2014, at 4:25 pm, Andrew McGlashan < andrew.mcglashan@affinityvision.com.au> wrote:
I don't envy your task of finding a suitable device for your testing.
So, in complete disregard for this terribly useful conversation, I find myself the owner of a brand new Google/Asus Nexus 7 tablet. I’m justifying this purchase as a late birthday present for myself. :) I’m currently working out how Android works in comparison to the squishy walled garden of iOS I’ve been in for the past few years.
I do thank everyone for their tips though — they will come in handy when we look at “official” test devices.
Cheers, Avi
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participants (6)
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Andrew McGlashan
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Avi Miller
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Peter Nunn
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Russell Coker
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Stewart Smith
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thelionroars