What type of Android apps are the hardest to support (fragmentation worry) [closed]

Question

Saw an interesting and kinda scary blog post the other day. It was a mobile developer's collection of Android devices they test on. It was around 400. --> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/0LybOzd0l0U/

I'm a solo guy, there is NO way I could support an app if it took even a fraction of that kind of testing and support. I know you can emulate many devices, but there would still be considerable time in testing on more than a handful of AVDs. It sounds like it could be a nightmare.

For those who've been chewing on Android for awhile, any data or advice on what apps handle the various devices the easiest? The developer in the blog did a lot of games, are those the trickiest?

I'm sure Hello World works very well on all Android devices, but there won't be many takers, you know?

It would be great to know before starting on an ambitious app that for example, GPS is easy, consistent, but native code could be a nightmare, or still pictures are OK, video is nasty to support. SMS, database, sdcard access? OpenGL, gestures, etc. that sort of thing...

If anyone has some general tips or especially an easiest-to-hardest list that could be VERY helpful for us newbies.

Thanks

P.S. and please don't say "develop on iOS...", it's not the question, and worse it's too predictable. ;-)

Answer 1

They're developing at the 70 million downloads level and they are pretty big into the Asian market, which means tons of new devices from lower-end Asian manufacturers

Netflix tests on only a dozen or so devices, those that represent the majority of their users, some custom ROMs, various processing power and various play-back architectures.

Since it's unrealistic for you to test your device on every single Android device ever made just make sure your app looks good and is built solid.