[saintforlife]

Between the HTC One X and the Galaxy S3, which phone is a better choice for someone developing and texting Android apps? Or is an older phone like Galaxy S2 or Skyrocket a better choice for a novice app developer?

TIA!

[icebike]

Wouldn't you want a developer's phone for this? One of the Nexus line for instance? Lots cheaper.

Texting is hardly cutting edge stuff, unlike a first person shooter games.

Oh, wait... A tax write off, or sneaking it past the holder of the purse strings...

AHEM, (cough), Well clearly the choice comes down to the One X or the SG3, and you would want to appeal to both of those markets, but the ONE is on the street today, but the SG3 may have a bigger market segment. On the other hand they are similar enough, that you could go with the One today and have your app ready when the Sammy hits the street.

[saintforlife]

Will the locked boot loader on the One X be an issue? Do you need to be able to root the phone easily for developing apps?

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

You want neither. To develop Android applications you'll want a phone that uses the standard Android framework and APIs, not Touchwiz or Sense.

Apps written on the Galaxy S3 (for example) may not work the same way on any other phone. It can be done, but it's an additional layer of testing and debugging. Apps written on a standard Android device should work with any phone that uses the Android API set. I say should, because Motorola and Samsung have both been known to disregard Android functions in favor of their own.

[saintforlife]

You want neither. To develop Android applications you'll want a phone that uses the standard Android framework and APIs, not Touchwiz or Sense.

Apps written on the Galaxy S3 (for example) may not work the same way on any other phone. It can be done, but it's an additional layer of testing and debugging. Apps written on a standard Android device should work with any phone that uses the Android API set. I say should, because Motorola and Samsung have both been known to disregard Android functions in favor of their own.

So you recommend to get the Galaxy Nexus then, with its vanilla Android? Any other options?

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

So you recommend to get the Galaxy Nexus then, with its vanilla Android? Any other options?

I would recommend the Nexus first, or any other phone that can be unlocked and have stock (not CyanogenMod or any other custom build) Android ported to it.