Professional AndroidTM Application Development

Build mobile applications using Android SDK with the hands-on information in Professional Android Application Development, a guide to Android platform features, techniques and practices. Follow the concise and compelling examples, which will show you how to quickly construct real-world mobile applications for Android phones. With a series of exercises designed to introduce new concepts, this book will guide you through an introduction to the Android software stack and the philosophy behind creating robust, consistent, and appealing applications for mobile phones so that you can construct increasingly complex mobile phone projects.

Professional Android Application Development

Offering an open development environment, Android represents an exciting new opportunity to write innovative applications for mobile devices. This book provides you with a hands–on guide to building these applications using the Android software development kit. It takes you through a series of sample projects, each introducing new features and techniques to get the most out of Android. You'll learn all about the basic functionality as well as discover how to utilize the advanced features with the help of concise and useful examples.

Beginning with an introduction to the Android software stack, the author examines the philosophy behind creating robust, consistent, and appealing applications for mobile phones. You'll get the grounding and knowledge that is needed to write customized mobile applications using the current Android 1.0 SDK. Plus, you'll also gain the flexibility to quickly adapt to future enhancements in order to build the most cutting–edge solutions.

What you will learn from this book

• Best practices for Android mobile development

• An introduction to Activities, Intents, the manifest, and resources

• How to create user interfaces with layouts and custom views

• Techniques to store and share your application data

• Instructions for creating map–based applications, using location–based services including GPS, and geocoding locations

• How to create and use background Services and Notifications

• Working with the accelerometers, compass, and camera hardware

• All about phone and networking hardware such as telephony APIs, SMS, and network management

• Advanced development topics, including security, IPC, and some advanced graphics and user interface techniques

Who this book is for
This book is for anyone interested in creating applications for the Android mobile phone platform. It includes information that will be valuable whether you're an experienced mobile developer or just starting out writing mobile applications.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real–world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: Hello, Android.

A Little Background.

What It Isn t.

An Open Platform for Mobile Development.

Native Android Applications.

Android SDK Features.

Introducing the Open Handset Alliance.

What Does Android Run On?

Why Develop for Android?

Introducing the Development Framework.

What Comes in the Box.

Summary.

Chapter 2: Getting Started.

Developing for Android.

Developing for Mobile Devices.

To–Do List Example.

Android Development Tools.

Summary.

Chapter 3: Creating Applications and Activities.

What Makes an Android Application?

Introducing the Application Manifest.

Using the Manifest Editor.

The Android Application Life Cycle.

Understanding Application Priority and Process States.

Externalizing Resources.

A Closer Look at Android Activities.

Summary.

Chapter 4: Creating User Interfaces.

Fundamental Android UI Design.

Introducing Views.

Introducing Layouts.

Creating New Views.

Creating and Using Menus.

Summary.

Chapter 5: Intents, Broadcast R eceivers, Adapters, and the Internet.

Introducing Intents.

Introducing Adapters.

Using Internet Resources.

Introducing Dialogs.

Creating an Earthquake Viewer.

Summary.

Chapter 6: Data Storage, Retrieval, and Sharing.

Android Techniques for Saving Data.

Saving Simple Application Data.

Saving and Loading Files.

Databases in Android.

Introducing Content Providers.

Summary.

Chapter 7: Maps, Geocoding,: and Location–Based Services.

Using Location–Based Services.

Setting up the Emulator with Test Providers.

Selecting a Location Provider.

Finding Your Location.

Using Proximity Alerts.

Using the Geocoder.

Creating Map–Based Activities.

Mapping Earthquakes Example.

Summary.

Chapter 8: Working in the Background.

Introducing Services.

Using Background Worker Threads.

Let s Make a Toast.

Introducing Notifications.

Using Alarms.

Using Alarms to Update Earthquakes.

Summary.

Chapter 9: Peer–to–Peer Communication.

Introducing Android Instant Messaging.

Introducing SMS.

Summary.

Chapter 10: Accessing Android Hardware.

Using the Media APIs.

Using the Camera.

Introducing the Sensor Manager.

Using the Accelerometer and Compass.

Android Telephony.

Using Bluetooth.

Managing Network and Wi–Fi Connections.

Controlling Device Vibration.

Summary.

Chapter 11: Advanced Android Development.

Paranoid Android.

Using AIDL to Support IPC for Services.

Using Internet Services.

Building Rich User Interfaces.

Summary.

Index.

Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Reto Meier now lives in London.
Reto is an experienced software developer with more than 10 years of experience in GUI application architecture, design, and development. He s worked in various industries, including offshore oil and gas, before moving to London and into fi nance.
Always interested in emerging technologies, Reto has been involved in Android since the initial release in 2007. In his spare time, he tinkers with a wide range of development platforms including WPF and Google s plethora of developer tools.