Ask Slashdot: Data-Only Android For Development?

UrbanaMan writes "I am about to start developing Air and Flex apps for Android and need a smartphone to use for debugging. I want to be able to carry on working in the UK as well as in the US. I don't need to use the phone, so I am looking for an unlocked phone that can be used on pay-as-you-go data plans on both sides of the Atlantic. For app testing I need Flash Player (plus a processer pwerfull enough to support flash), a reasonable amount of memory, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, camera and USB (inc charging) and Android 2.3 or later. Are there any such phones/deals available for non millionaires?"

Check the support phones on Cyanogen Mod forums.

[Pengo]

There are almost no phones that are affordable running 2.3.

I do development and use a unlocked Incredible on Verizon, but it's not activated, I just have it using WiFI.

On the road my kids can use it as a portable game device, i have a hotspot 3g card so the phone works as a phone, even when roaming.

I paid less than $200 in a local paper to get the phone, it was in perfect condition and runs fine. I actually enjoy that phone so much with Cyanogen i'm tempted to use it in place of my iPhone (also on Verizon).

I personally would never buy any Android phone that wasn't supported by the Cyanogen developers. (I'm looking at you boot-locked Motorola!) :)

Re:Flash

[naz404]

The BIIIIIIIIIG advantage over Flash SWFs /AIR apps is that your entire app can be put into a single neat bundle. Can't say the same for Javascript + CSS + Canvas. Sound on HTML5 is pretty screwed up [phoboslab.org] too.

Anyway, Flash/AIR is the way to go right now if you want to target multiple platforms at relatively low cost/time/manpower. Flash & AIR run on: Windows, OSX, Linux, Android 2.2+, Blackberry Tablet OS, Apple iOS (as a native app via the iOS packager). Native will give the best speed, but if your speed requirements aren't so stringent, Flash/AIR will get the job done.

Oh, Lenny, you've got your techs confused. AIR != Flex. Flex is an Open-source framework that will allow you to publish SWFs or AIR Apps via MXML + Actionscript 3. AIR = more like Flash taken out of the browser sandbox & given native desktop hooks. Sounds like you're part of the "bashing stuff I haven't even touched yet based on FUD" camp.

Don't kid yourself. The face of the web is ruled by designers, not coders. Until WYSIWYG tools that make animation of UI interfaces/objects easy for non-coder designers become ubiquitous, Flash ain't going to die anytime soon. (*note: Adobe now has a Flash .FLA to HTML5 export in beta at the labs right now)