Wich are the most important features I will miss targeting Android API 3 (OS 1.5) instead of most recent API?

Question

I'm beginning with Android development. I'm aware that there is a lot of Android devices still on OS 1.5 or 1.6 so I'm thinking about require API level 3 as minimum to support them.

What will I miss from 2.2?

Answer 1

You can make your app backward compatible. You will have to specify the target SDK as 2.2 and the min SDK as 1.5

There are a few strategies to use when you are making a backward compatible application. The thing you need to avoid is using functionality from a higher SDK (APIs etc) when your application is running on a phone that supports a lower SDK. Read http://developer.android.com/resources/articles/backward-compatibility.html for more information.

Another good read on how lazy loading of classes can be used for backward compatibility - http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-have-your-cupcake-and-eat-it-too.html

Answer 2

The thing I miss the most when I target Android 1.5 is a usable RelativeLayout. 1.5's implementation of RelativeLayout is famously buggy and often requires you to use all sorts of awkward workarounds and extra view nesting that can be avoided on Android 1.6+. For instance, the layout_center* properties rarely work properly on 1.5, and they're one of the most useful features of RelativeLayout.

Answer 3

Add to this list lack of "onClick" attribute in 1.5 layouts schema