Android Tablet Advice for Corona, late 2014

Solar2D Android
#1

All -

This holiday season the ads for cheap Android tablets are everywhere and I’d like advice on options for testing the Android version of an iOS project.  

I’m looking for advice on what you’ve found runs Corona apps without too much fuss.  I’m looking in the 7 / 8 " range, with Android 4.4, and ideally the option to go to 5.0 eventually.  Some options are the 2013 Nexus 7, or possibly one of the many Galaxy Tab units out there.  

Also, will Corona compiled apps work on something like the ASUS MeMo Pad 7, which runs Android 4.4 on an intel Atom processor.

Any and all experiences and success stories welcome!

#2

I doubt Corona will run on any intel atom processor.  We build for ARMv7 architecture only and I don’t believe they will work on Atom processors. 

I use an older Nexus 7 for my android testing as well as a 1st gen Kindle Fire.  I’m sure the 2013 Nexus 7 would be a good choice.  The only problem with Samsung devices is they tend to produce two different versions of each model, one with a good GPU and one with a cheap GPU and from what I can tell, it’s hard to identify them without looking deep into the model numbers.  I don’t have anything Samsung (well TV’s and kitchen appliances aside), so I can’t advise further.  The different GPU’s will effect Corona SDK’s performance through.

Rob

#3

Rob,

Thank you for the advice, especially the reminder about ARMv7 architecture, and that Corona likely won’t build for intel Atom-based tablets.

Looking at the options, the 2013 Nexus 7 looks good, and as you say navigating the particular Samsung models is tricky, since there are so many versions with different GPUs.  Also, it isn’t clear Samsung will be quick about moving to Android 5.0.  I should have bought the Nexus 9 the day after it was introduced when HTC put it on sale 1/2 price by accident.

At the truly low end the $40 - $80 no-name units have such low screen resolution that they don’t really seem worth the trouble, since my project includes display of readable text and images.

Unless there is another hardware forum I missed along the way, I’d welcome any additional suggestions from experienced users about the Android tablets they regularly test on.  It might be a good resource for others just coming over to the cross-platform Android world.

Thanks!  Dan

#4

I doubt Corona will run on any intel atom processor.  We build for ARMv7 architecture only and I don’t believe they will work on Atom processors. 

I use an older Nexus 7 for my android testing as well as a 1st gen Kindle Fire.  I’m sure the 2013 Nexus 7 would be a good choice.  The only problem with Samsung devices is they tend to produce two different versions of each model, one with a good GPU and one with a cheap GPU and from what I can tell, it’s hard to identify them without looking deep into the model numbers.  I don’t have anything Samsung (well TV’s and kitchen appliances aside), so I can’t advise further.  The different GPU’s will effect Corona SDK’s performance through.

Rob

#5

Rob,

Thank you for the advice, especially the reminder about ARMv7 architecture, and that Corona likely won’t build for intel Atom-based tablets.

Looking at the options, the 2013 Nexus 7 looks good, and as you say navigating the particular Samsung models is tricky, since there are so many versions with different GPUs.  Also, it isn’t clear Samsung will be quick about moving to Android 5.0.  I should have bought the Nexus 9 the day after it was introduced when HTC put it on sale 1/2 price by accident.

At the truly low end the $40 - $80 no-name units have such low screen resolution that they don’t really seem worth the trouble, since my project includes display of readable text and images.

Unless there is another hardware forum I missed along the way, I’d welcome any additional suggestions from experienced users about the Android tablets they regularly test on.  It might be a good resource for others just coming over to the cross-platform Android world.

Thanks!  Dan