Android in different handset producers

A few of the Android devices have custom UIs. HTC uses "Sense UI", and Motorola "MotoBlur" on certain devices. I don't think it's those in particular that present a problem to developers. I believe the incompatibility stems more from the fact that a lot of these phones have different OS versions as well as different screen resolutions. Obviously the OS version is going to be the major determining factor in whether an app is cross-compatible between different devices. Resolution issues (particularly with Droid) can be another concern. Sense UI and MotoBlur, though, don't really interfere with the core of the OS, they're just UI enhancements. Since many people are using third party home screen replacements anyways, it's the same thing. They shouldn't cause serious issues with apps in the same way that OS versions would.

All that said though, yes, it is more complicated to develop for Android than for - say - WebOS or the iPhone that only have a few devices all sharing the same core. Whether or not it's actually keeping developers away is another question. The Market has doubled in size within the past few months alone, so it doesn't seem to be a huge deterrent. Most developers have already put out updates, fixes and enhancements that allow their software to work with the Droid, which is most likely the biggest source of compatibility issues right now thanks to the 2.0 OS.

 

Hey,

I personally am not a developer, so I can't give you real-world advice for creating Android apps. It is, however, definitely possible to create apps that work globally on all Android phones. As I mentioned though, they will probably have to have extra code sections devoted specifically to issues pertaining to a specific device. For example, you may write an entire app and find it works just fine on the HTC Hero and G1, though it may not work on the Droid. Depending on what kind of app it is / how it's written, this may mean that you have to add additional, Droid-specific code. It's certainly possible. Developers are doing it as we speak, and the good ones make sure their code works on all possible configurations.

For more detailed information, I would hope that there are some Android developers around to tell you exactly what you need to know. My knowledge is very basic and broad, unfortunately.