Android Version 1.5 API 3

[brucegs13]

I used an App developer many years ago on an early Windows CE device. Not a great experience because of limited libraries and the requirement of a run time module.

It is with great joy and surprise to find your software. After exploring most of the samples, tutorials and libraries I come to the conclusion that I need not inflict myself with learning Eclipse and Java as I am a Microsoft junkie since the 1980's.

However ... my client, who needs a pretty comprehensive app already has 25 Android Push To Talk Motorola devices with 50 more on order. The model is the Motorola I1 (eye one) with the unfortunate feature of running on Android version 1.5 with no planned migration path to update the version.

I tried a "hello world" apk on the device and it produces a "Cannot run this App" error. I tried pointing the path to version 1.5 Android platform in the IDE and version 1.6 to no avail.

Can you help me??? Please ... I want to use this software so badly ...

Thanks in advance

 

[Erel]

Android 1.6 and above are officially supported.
You may try to use it with Android 1.5.
Open <project folder>\Objects\AndroidManifest.xml

It should look something like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
      package="anywheresoftware.b4a.samples.smiley"
      android:versionCode="1"
      android:versionName=""
      android:installLocation="preferExternal">
      <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="4" />
      <supports-screens
          android:largeScreens="true"
          android:normalScreens="true"
          android:smallScreens="true"
          android:anyDensity="true"/>
    <application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="Smiley">
        
        <activity android:name=".main"
                  android:label="Smiley" android:screenOrientation="unspecified">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        
    </application>
</manifest>

Change minSdkVersion to 3 and remove the whole "supports-screens" section.

Note that you should still use SDK level 8 when compiling.
Not all features will work with Android 1.5.

 

[Erel]

Forgot to write that you should change the file to be read-only. Otherwise it will be overwritten each time you compile.

 

[brucegs13]

Excellent Erel!

Initial test Hello World App on the 1.5 unit worked ..

Will test some more complicated stuff and let you know ..

Thanks Erel ....it looks like you have solved an almost fatal problem for us

 

[FrankR]

Good news.

But - is there any way for you to explore with your customer upgrading those units to something beyond 1.5?

For a new project, I would find it troublesome to have to deploy to 1.5.
The mobile world moves quickly, and
1.5 is to 3.0/Honeycomb what
DOS was to Windows.

Well, not really, but you get the idea.
Would be far better if you could push that project up to 2.x.

 

[eps]

I tried installing to an AVD Android 1.5... Just to see what happened and got :

INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK

To be honest I won't bother going any deeper in to this and just stick to offering it for Android 1.6 and above.