28-11-2012, 03:09 PM
Professional Android™ Application Development
[attachment=41509]
Introduction
Now is an exciting time for mobile developers. Mobile phones have never been more popular, and powerful
smartphones are now a regular choice for consumers. Stylish and versatile phones packing hardware
features like GPS, accelerometers, and touch screens are an enticing platform upon which to create
innovative mobile applications.
Android hardware will be designed to tempt consumers, but the real win is for developers. With
existing mobile development built on proprietary operating systems that restrict third-party applications,
Android offers an open and equal alternative. Without artifi cial barriers, Android developers
are free to write applications that take full advantage of increasingly powerful mobile hardware. As a
result, developer interest in Android devices has made their 2008 release a hugely anticipated mobile
technology event.
Built on an open source framework, and featuring powerful SDK libraries and an open philosophy,
Android has opened mobile phone development to thousands of developers who haven’t had access to
tools for building mobile applications. Experienced mobile developers can now expand into the Android
platform, leveraging the unique features to enhance existing products or create innovative new ones.
This book is a hands-on guide to building mobile applications using version 1.0 of the Android software
development kit. Chapter by chapter, it takes you through a series of sample projects, each introducing
new features and techniques to get the most out of Android. It covers all the basic functionality
as well as exploring the advanced features through concise and useful examples.
Since Android is a brand-new, version 1 product, there are only a small number of handsets currently
available that support it. As with any early release, there are likely to be regular changes and improvements
to the software and development libraries. The explanations and examples included in this book
will give the grounding and knowledge you need to write compelling mobile applications using the
current SDK, along with the fl exibility to quickly adapt to future enhancements.
Whom T his Book Is F or
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 making
your fi rst foray, via Android, into writing mobile applications.
It will help if readers have used mobile phones (particularly phones running Android), but it’s not necessary,
nor is prior experience in mobile phone development. It’s expected that you’ll have some experience
in software development and be familiar with basic development practices. While knowledge of
Java is helpful, it’s not a necessity.
Chapters 1 and 2 introduce mobile development and contain instructions to get you started in Android.
Beyond that, there’s no requirement to read the chapters in order, although a good understanding of the
core components described in Chapters 3 through 6 is important before you venture into the remaining
chapters. Chapters 7 through 11 cover a variety of optional and advanced functionality and can be read
in whatever order interest or need dictates.
How T his Book Is St ruct ured
This book is structured in a logical sequence to help readers of different development backgrounds
learn how to write advanced Android applications.
There’s no requirement to read each chapter sequentially, but several of the sample projects are developed
over the course of several chapters, adding new functionality and other enhancements at each stage.
Experienced mobile developers with a working Android development environment can skim the fi rst
two chapters — which are an introduction to mobile development and instructions for creating your
development environment — and dive in at Chapters 3 to 6. These cover the fundamentals of Android
development, so it’s important to have a solid understanding of the concepts they describe.
Source Code
As you work through the examples in this book, you may choose either to type in all the code manually
or to use the source code fi les that accompany the book. All of the source code used in this book is
available for download at www.wrox.com. Once at the site, simply locate the book’s title (either by using
the Search box or by using one of the title lists), and click the Download Code link on the book’s detail
page to obtain all the source code for the book.
Hello, Android
Whether you’re an experienced mobile engineer, a desktop or web developer, or a complete programming
novice, Android represents an exciting new opportunity to write innovative applications
for mobile devices.
Despite the name, Android will not help you create an unstoppable army of emotionless robot
warriors on a relentless quest to cleanse the earth of the scourge of humanity. Instead, Android is
an open source software stack that includes the operating system, middleware, and key applications
along with a set of API libraries for writing mobile applications that can shape the look, feel,
and function of mobile handsets.
Small, stylish, and versatile, modern mobile phones have become powerful tools that incorporate
cameras, media players, GPS systems, and touch screens. As technology has evolved, mobile
devices have become about more than simply making calls, but their software and development
platforms have struggled to keep pace.
Until recently, mobile phones were largely closed environments built on proprietary operating
systems that required proprietary development tools. The phones themselves often prioritized
native applications over those written by third parties. This has introduced an artifi cial barrier
for developers hoping to build on increasingly powerful mobile hardware.
A Little Bac kground
In the days before Twitter and Facebook, when Google was still a twinkle in its founders’ eyes and
dinosaurs roamed the earth, mobile phones were just that — portable phones small enough to fi t inside
a briefcase, featuring batteries that could last up to several hours; they offered the freedom to make
calls without being physically connected to a landline.
Increasingly small, stylish, and powerful mobile phones are now as ubiquitous as they are indispensable.
Hardware advancements have made mobiles smaller and more effi cient while including an
increasing number of peripherals.
Beginning with cameras and media players, mobiles now include GPS systems, accelerometers, and
touch screens. While these hardware innovations should prove fertile ground for software development,
the applications available for mobile phones have generally lagged behind the hardware.
Background Services
Android supports applications and services designed to run invisibly in the background.
Modern mobiles are by nature multifunction devices; however, their limited screen size means that
generally only one interactive application can be visible at any time. Platforms that don’t support background
execution limit the viability of applications that don’t need your constant attention.
Background services make it possible to create invisible application components that perform automatic
processing without direct user action. Background execution allows your applications to become eventdriven
and to support regular updates, which is perfect for monitoring game scores or market prices,
generating location-based alerts, or prioritizing and pre-screening incoming calls and SMS messages.
[attachment=41509]
Introduction
Now is an exciting time for mobile developers. Mobile phones have never been more popular, and powerful
smartphones are now a regular choice for consumers. Stylish and versatile phones packing hardware
features like GPS, accelerometers, and touch screens are an enticing platform upon which to create
innovative mobile applications.
Android hardware will be designed to tempt consumers, but the real win is for developers. With
existing mobile development built on proprietary operating systems that restrict third-party applications,
Android offers an open and equal alternative. Without artifi cial barriers, Android developers
are free to write applications that take full advantage of increasingly powerful mobile hardware. As a
result, developer interest in Android devices has made their 2008 release a hugely anticipated mobile
technology event.
Built on an open source framework, and featuring powerful SDK libraries and an open philosophy,
Android has opened mobile phone development to thousands of developers who haven’t had access to
tools for building mobile applications. Experienced mobile developers can now expand into the Android
platform, leveraging the unique features to enhance existing products or create innovative new ones.
This book is a hands-on guide to building mobile applications using version 1.0 of the Android software
development kit. Chapter by chapter, it takes you through a series of sample projects, each introducing
new features and techniques to get the most out of Android. It covers all the basic functionality
as well as exploring the advanced features through concise and useful examples.
Since Android is a brand-new, version 1 product, there are only a small number of handsets currently
available that support it. As with any early release, there are likely to be regular changes and improvements
to the software and development libraries. The explanations and examples included in this book
will give the grounding and knowledge you need to write compelling mobile applications using the
current SDK, along with the fl exibility to quickly adapt to future enhancements.
Whom T his Book Is F or
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 making
your fi rst foray, via Android, into writing mobile applications.
It will help if readers have used mobile phones (particularly phones running Android), but it’s not necessary,
nor is prior experience in mobile phone development. It’s expected that you’ll have some experience
in software development and be familiar with basic development practices. While knowledge of
Java is helpful, it’s not a necessity.
Chapters 1 and 2 introduce mobile development and contain instructions to get you started in Android.
Beyond that, there’s no requirement to read the chapters in order, although a good understanding of the
core components described in Chapters 3 through 6 is important before you venture into the remaining
chapters. Chapters 7 through 11 cover a variety of optional and advanced functionality and can be read
in whatever order interest or need dictates.
How T his Book Is St ruct ured
This book is structured in a logical sequence to help readers of different development backgrounds
learn how to write advanced Android applications.
There’s no requirement to read each chapter sequentially, but several of the sample projects are developed
over the course of several chapters, adding new functionality and other enhancements at each stage.
Experienced mobile developers with a working Android development environment can skim the fi rst
two chapters — which are an introduction to mobile development and instructions for creating your
development environment — and dive in at Chapters 3 to 6. These cover the fundamentals of Android
development, so it’s important to have a solid understanding of the concepts they describe.
Source Code
As you work through the examples in this book, you may choose either to type in all the code manually
or to use the source code fi les that accompany the book. All of the source code used in this book is
available for download at www.wrox.com. Once at the site, simply locate the book’s title (either by using
the Search box or by using one of the title lists), and click the Download Code link on the book’s detail
page to obtain all the source code for the book.
Hello, Android
Whether you’re an experienced mobile engineer, a desktop or web developer, or a complete programming
novice, Android represents an exciting new opportunity to write innovative applications
for mobile devices.
Despite the name, Android will not help you create an unstoppable army of emotionless robot
warriors on a relentless quest to cleanse the earth of the scourge of humanity. Instead, Android is
an open source software stack that includes the operating system, middleware, and key applications
along with a set of API libraries for writing mobile applications that can shape the look, feel,
and function of mobile handsets.
Small, stylish, and versatile, modern mobile phones have become powerful tools that incorporate
cameras, media players, GPS systems, and touch screens. As technology has evolved, mobile
devices have become about more than simply making calls, but their software and development
platforms have struggled to keep pace.
Until recently, mobile phones were largely closed environments built on proprietary operating
systems that required proprietary development tools. The phones themselves often prioritized
native applications over those written by third parties. This has introduced an artifi cial barrier
for developers hoping to build on increasingly powerful mobile hardware.
A Little Bac kground
In the days before Twitter and Facebook, when Google was still a twinkle in its founders’ eyes and
dinosaurs roamed the earth, mobile phones were just that — portable phones small enough to fi t inside
a briefcase, featuring batteries that could last up to several hours; they offered the freedom to make
calls without being physically connected to a landline.
Increasingly small, stylish, and powerful mobile phones are now as ubiquitous as they are indispensable.
Hardware advancements have made mobiles smaller and more effi cient while including an
increasing number of peripherals.
Beginning with cameras and media players, mobiles now include GPS systems, accelerometers, and
touch screens. While these hardware innovations should prove fertile ground for software development,
the applications available for mobile phones have generally lagged behind the hardware.
Background Services
Android supports applications and services designed to run invisibly in the background.
Modern mobiles are by nature multifunction devices; however, their limited screen size means that
generally only one interactive application can be visible at any time. Platforms that don’t support background
execution limit the viability of applications that don’t need your constant attention.
Background services make it possible to create invisible application components that perform automatic
processing without direct user action. Background execution allows your applications to become eventdriven
and to support regular updates, which is perfect for monitoring game scores or market prices,
generating location-based alerts, or prioritizing and pre-screening incoming calls and SMS messages.