Build.VERSION.SDK_INT on Android 1.5

It won't be long before all Android 1.5 devices will disappear, until then it's a good idea to support them. The problem is the 'Build.VERSION.SDK_INT' was introduced only on Android 1.6, and before that there were only string values.

Here's a work-around this issue - it will return the correct value for Android 1.5+:

public static int getSdkInt() {
   if (Build.VERSION.RELEASE.startsWith("1.5"))
       return 3;
 
   try {
       return HelperInternal.getSdkIntInternal();
   } catch (VerifyError e) {
       return 3;
   }
}

private static class HelperInternal {
   private static int getSdkIntInternal() {
       return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT;              
   }
}

Note: the internal class is required since the Java virtual machine checks if a class is valid before loading it. In our case, a java VM running Android 1.5 will not be able to load Build.VERSION.SDK_INT and will crash.

UPDATE: Added VerifyError catch to prevent exceptions on some weird Android 1.5 devices.