The Android Developer's Cookbook Building Applications with the Android SDK

by Schwarz, Ronan; Dutson, Phil; Steele, James; To, Nelson

• ISBN13: 9780321897534
• ISBN10: 0321897536
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-06-30
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

Do you want to get started building apps for Android, today’s number one mobile platform? Are you already building Android apps but want to get better at it? The Android ™ Developer’s Cookbook, Second Edition, brings together all the expert guidance and code you’ll need.

This edition has been extensively updated to reflect the other Android 4.2.2 releases. You’ll find all-new chapters on advanced threading and UI development, in-app billing, push messages, and native development, plus new techniques for everything from accessing NFC hardware to using Google Cloud Messaging.

Proven modular recipes take you from the basics all the way to advanced services, helping you to make the most of the newest Android APIs and tools. The authors’ fully updated code samples are designed to serve as templates for your own projects and components. You’ll learn best-practice techniques for efficiently solving common problems and for avoiding pitfalls throughout the entire development lifecycle. Coverage includes

• Organizing Android apps and integrating their activities
• Working efficiently with services, receivers, and alerts
• Managing threads, including advanced techniques using AsyncTasks and loaders
• Building robust, intuitive user interfaces
• Implementing advanced UI features, including Custom Views, animation, accessibility, and large screen support
• Capturing, playing, and manipulating media
• Interacting with SMS, websites, and social networks
• Storing data via SQLite and other methods
• Integrating in-app billing using Google Play services
• Managing push messaging with C2DM
• Leveraging new components and structures for native Android development
• Efficiently testing and debugging with Android’s latest tools and techniques, including LINT code analysis

 

The Android ™ Developer’s Cookbook, Second Edition, is all you need to jumpstart any Android project, and create high-value, feature-rich apps that sell.

 

Author Biography

Ronan 'Zero' Schwarz is Co-Founder of OpenIntents, an open-source company specializing in Android development. Ronan has over 15 years of programing experience, in a wide variety of fields like augmented reality, web, robotics and business systems, as well as different programing languages including C, Java and Assembler. Ronan has been working on the Android Platform since 2007, and has helped creating SplashPlay and Droidspray, both top finalists of the Google Android Developer Challenge I and II. He is currently working with SinnerSchrader Mobile as a Consultant in Berlin, Germany. Ronan regularly speak at conferences in Europe, and is an Android dev luminary.

Phil Dutson is the lead front-end and mobile developer for ICON Health and Fitness. He has worked on projects and solutions for NordicTrack, ProForm, Freemotion, Sears, Costco, Sam’s Club and others. Through the years he has been using, tweaking, and writing programs for mobile devices from his first Palm Pilot 5000 to his current collection of iOS and Android devices. Phil is the author of 3 books jQuery, JQuery UI, and jQuery Mobile; Sams Teach Yourself jQuery Mobile in 24 hours, and Creating QR and Tag Codes.

James Steele actively presents and participates in various Silicon Valley Android and new technology groups. His work at Sensor Platforms focuses on making user motion and context information available, while shielding applications developers from the complexity and physics of sensor hardware. Before joining Sensor Platforms, Dr. Steele held senior management positions at Spansion, Polaris Wireless and ArrayComm, as well as research positions in theoretical and particle physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ohio State University. He holds a Ph. D. in theoretical physics from State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Nelson To has been working on Android Research and Development for years. He has a great passion on exploring innovative ideas and creating the Android applications to make his ideas a reality. He has developed a plethora of Android applications including AOL AIM Android application, and the first High Definition video chatting android application (Vid)in the history on the Google TV for Logitech Revue Box. He also teaches Android classes in the local community to help people to learn the Android more effectively, and devotes significant amount of effort in the Android community to organize the Android meetings for the local community.

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Android
2. Application Basics: Activities and Intents
3. Threads, Services, Receivers, and Alerts
4. Advanced Threading Techniques
5. User Interface Layout
6. User Interface Events
7. Advanced UI Techniques
8. Multimedia Techniques
9. Hardware Interface
10. Networking
11. Data Storage Methods
12. Location-Based Services
13. In-App Payment
14. Push Messages
15. Native Android Development
16. Debugging
Appendix A. Using the OpenIntents Sensor Simulator
Appendix B. Using the Compatibility Pack
Appendix C. Using a Continuous Integration System