Android :: Preferred Developer Android Phone For Using The ZXing Library

Using this library, ZXing, we have a project at school in which we'll implement a inventory system using Android phones.

We aim to use an Android phone to be a inexpensive replacement to this:

I've read some of the warnings on the FAQ for certain phones. Is there a specific phone that Android developers prefer (with use of the ZXing library in mind)? We have to buy the phone ourselves, so we would prefer not to buy the wrong phone!