Android Application Development: Programming with the Google SDK [Paperback]

Rick Rogers (Author), John Lombardo (Author), Zigurd Mednieks (Author), G. Blake Meike (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596521472 | ISBN-13: 978-0596521479 | Publication Date: May 20, 2009 | Edition: 1

This practical book provides the concepts and code you need to develop software with Android, the open-source platform for cell phones and mobile devices that's generating enthusiasm across the industry. Based on the Linux operating system and developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance, Android has the potential to unite a fragmented mobile market. Android Application Development introduces this programming environment, and offers you a complete working example that demonstrates Android architectural features and APIs. With this book, you will:

• Get a complete introduction to the Android programming environment, architecture, and tools
• Build a modular application, beginning with a core module that serves to launch modules added in subsequent chapters
• Learn the concepts and architecture of a specific feature set, including views, maps, location-based services, persistent data storage, 2D and 3D graphics, media services, telephony services, and messaging
• Use ready-to-run example code that implements each feature
• Delve into advanced topics, such as security, custom views, performance analysis, and internationalization

The book is a natural complement to the existing Android documentation provided by Google. Whether you want to develop a commercial application for mobile devices, or just want to create a mobile mashup for personal use, Android Application Development demonstrates how you can design, build, and test applications for the new mobile market.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick Rogers has been a professional embedded software engineer and software marketing manager for over 30 years. He has focused on mobile application software for the past 8 years, developing mobile software and strategic mobile engineering and marketing plans for companies such as Compaq, Intel, and Marvell Semiconductor.

John Lombardo has been working with Linux since version 0.9. His first book, Embedded Linux, was published in 2001. Since then he's worked on several embedded products, including phones and routers. John holds a BS in Computer Science and is working on his MBA.

Zigurd Mednieks is Chief User Interface Architect at D2 Technologies, a leading provider of IP communications technology, and is a consultant and advisor to companies in the field of embedded user interfaces. He has held senior management positions at companies making mobile games, communications equipment, and computer telephony applications, and has written and contributed to books on programming and communications technology.

Blake Meike has more than 10 years of experience with Java. He has developed applications using most of the GUI toolkits and several of the Java mobile device platforms. He likes Android a lot.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (May 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596521472
• ISBN-13: 978-0596521479
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Only minimal coverage of actually writing applications., June 18, 2009

By 

Christopher M. Nehren "Professional software ... (Levittown, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Android Application Development: Programming with the Google SDK (Paperback)

I was expecting a lot more from this book, considering my respect for ORA. I was expecting something with the rigor of K&R and got something on par with "... For Dummies". The book presents the obligatory "hello world", discusses it briefly, and then plops a fully complete application on the reader's lap. Instead of building the application up from the ground, the book explains how the full application works. I'm not a neophyte developer; I could garner the same knowledge from looking at one of the open source Android applications (like the many apps in the source tree). I was hoping for a walkthrough for an unfamiliar environment, but rather received a technical review of a finished application. Most unhelpful. Here's hoping ORA realizes how this book failed and reinvent it in a second edition.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worse than usual for Oreilly, June 27, 2009

By 

Frank L. Maker (Sacramento,CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Android Application Development: Programming with the Google SDK (Paperback)

I usually swear by OReilly books, but this one just doesn't cut it. This book is only really useful for an absolute beginner and should probably be titled "Learning Android". Even so, it still isn't very high quality. There is away too much information about just setting up the development environment. Very disappointing. If you are looking for a desk reference for Android, look elsewhere.

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Seriously?, June 9, 2009

By 

W. York (TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Android Application Development: Programming with the Google SDK (Paperback)

I am an avid Oreilly fan. I write software in a number of different languages and environments. This has got to be the absolute worst coverage of android I've seen. It was less informative than the books covering beta releases. There are typos, not just normal sentence typos but method signatures in the examples. You'd think as late as this book is there'd be none of that. I feel pretty ripped off having bought this book.