

Android Hardware Comparison (Google Spreadsheet) - stevejalim
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rdm8c2ZfSDKd5l-dVy4SrnA&output=html

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ydant
A huge list, and it's already way out of date (from July 2009 last year).

This is proof that developing for Android has to be device agnostic. Query the
device for what's available and assume nothing. It's not quite the
fragmentation nightmare people make it out to be, but it is something you have
to be aware of.

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stevejalim
I don't think it's out of date - it was started in July 2009 but seems to be
decently updated.

Agreed, though, hardware fragmentation is a chore, but the assume-nothing-and-
create-layouts-for-all-three-resolutions seems to be the wisest way to stay
sane.

I wonder if anyone's gonna start offering an app testing service across a
massive range of hardware for those apps that are targeting a truly broad
userbase...

~~~
ydant
I stand corrected. I didn't see the Droid X on there and misread the chart as
if the devices were grouped by manufacturer. On closer examination I see it
has been updated more recently.

How much of the hardware compatibility can be accurately tested in the
emulator. I haven't run into hardware issues on my applications, but I don't
have the wide device exposure I'd like to have. So I don't really have
experience in having something slip by the emulator.

I think it depends largely on your type of app. Business/utility applications
are less likely to be affected than games. Anything that uses a service is
going to run into issues, and anything directly controlling hardware (camera,
sensors). The quirks are definitely there, but I think they impact a much
smaller group than people like to claim.

A service for testing would be good - $x/hr to load on X devices and click
certain buttons. It'd have to be cheap, though, or most developers would
probably simply opt for market-based testing. You'd probably have to offshore
it to get a decent cost.

I wonder if you could get a decent response farming this out on the Turk or
similar.

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allenp
This really illustrates the diversity of hardware Android manufacturers are
using - both the versatility of Android and also the burden of developing for
a diverse (and constantly growing/changing) system specification.

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davidw
Nice - although swapping the X and Y would probably make it a bit more useful.

~~~
DougWebb
I think it would be even more useful if it were inverted, so it was organized
by feature value instead of by phone model. It's like web development: you
don't do browser sniffing, you sniff for features and specialize your code for
that. If you're developing for android you do the same thing, you code for
specific features. Some you simply require, some you require a certain range
of value/capability, some are optional, and some you don't care about.

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Tichy
Already, shopping for Android devices is starting to suck. I say this as a fan
of Android, but non-reader of Engadget and the likes. With the latest devices,
I was able to ask some friends who keep better tabs on new devices. But as a
consumer without such friends, how are you going to choose?

~~~
Jach
The big billboard signs on the highway advertising Droid and its ability to do
apps? [http://blog.qik.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/04/DroidDoesApps...](http://blog.qik.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/04/DroidDoesApps-13.jpg) (I totally get where you're
coming from; this spreadsheet is super helpful.)

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_prototype_
Holy... it's true the ARM dominates the mobile phone market indeed. Most
processors are ARM.

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mikecane
Is there any such chart that also shows the _version_ of Android for each
device?

~~~
stevejalim
I guess that varies, as different carriers have made different updates
available to different handsets, but a range would be handy. There's a link on
the spreadsheet for suggestions

