Does testing out an application require me to have Mono for Android (paid for)? I thought Monogame was a free alternative, or is this specifically for getting XNA to work cross platform and testing it on an Android device still require a MfA?

I made an android tutorial here and yes, you still need Mono for Android. The MonoGame framework just translates XNA code into Mono for android, MonoTouch or openGL calls for windows and linux.

TopHat

Why is that? How come the only way is monopolised by them? :(

Kasc

The new emulator for android supports Opengl es gpu acceleration. So you can write and test your application without having to buy a full licence for MfA (just use the demo version), but it is highly recommended you do test on a device before you ship. I have a bunch of tutorials on my youtuve channel on android including one on how to setup the emulator for hardware acceleration http://www.youtube.com/user/dellis1972

Hope this helps

Dean

Thanks Dellis, but I wasn't asking for that :P I wanted to know whether or not you could test an app on android (a device, not emulated) without having to paying for MfA. 

As some one who only programs for fun, no sane reason would lead me to spend $400 on MfA and writing for my mobile is pointless if I can only emulate it!

Kasc wrote:

Why is that? How come the only way is monopolised by them? :(

Because no-one else but Xamarin provide a .NET development environment for Android and iOS.  It is a business decision by Xamarin that the developer must have a paid license in order to deploy and test on a device.  One of the factors in choosing to use C# on Android or iOS is taking into account the licensing cost of Mono for Android and/or MonoTouch.  MonoGame itself is completely free, but to use it on a mobile device you will need the appropriate .NET development environment.

Just to reiterate: You don't need MfA to develop for Android devices, you just need it in order to code for them in C#. If you pick a different language or framework then you can develop directly on the device.

See this link for a kicking off point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_software_development

The advantage of going down the Xamarin&/MonoGame route is twofold: Not only do you get all the benefits of using a managed language like C#, the same code can run on a whole bunch of platforms including iOS/Android/PSS/Windows/Linux/MacOS etc.

However, if your goal is simply to develop on your own handheld for your own amusement, there are plenty of free ways to go about it.

being able to code for iOS or Android in C# is priceless