Professional Android 4 Application Development [Kindle Edition]

Reto Meier (Author)

Book Description

Developers, build mobile Android apps using Android 4

The fast-growing popularity of Android smartphones and tablets creates a huge opportunities for developers. If you're an experienced developer, you can start creating robust mobile Android apps right away with this professional guide to Android 4 application development. Written by one of Google's lead Android developer advocates, this practical book walks you through a series of hands-on projects that illustrate the features of the Android SDK. That includes all the new APIs introduced in Android 3 and 4, including building for tablets, using the Action Bar, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC Beam, and more.

• Shows experienced developers how to create mobile applications for Android smartphones and tablets
• Revised and expanded to cover all the Android SDK releases including Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), including all updated APIs, and the latest changes to the Android platform.
• Explains new and enhanced features such as drag and drop, fragments, the action bar, enhanced multitouch support, new environmental sensor support, major improvements to the animation framework, and a range of new communications techniques including NFC and Wi-Fi direct.
• Provides practical guidance on publishing and marketing your applications, best practices for user experience, and more

This book helps you learn to master the design, lifecycle, and UI of an Android app through practical exercises, which you can then use as a basis for developing your own Android apps.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Build unique smartphone and tablet applications with Android 4

Written by an Android authority, this up-to-date resource is an ideal guide to building mobile apps using the Android 4 SDK. It provides in-depth coverage, showing experienced Android developers how to take full advantage of new features, while covering the fundamentals that novice developers need to get started. Serving as a hands-on guide to building mobile apps using Android, the book walks you through a series of increasingly sophisticated projects, each introducing a new Android platform feature and highlighting the techniques and best practices that will help you write compelling Android apps.

Professional Android 4 Application Development:

• Provides an in-depth look at the Android application components and their lifecycles

• Explores Android UI metaphors, design philosophies, and UI APIs to create compelling user interfaces for phones, tablets, and TVs

• Introduces techniques for creating map-based applications and using location-based services

• Looks at how to create background services, Notifications, and Cloud To Device Messaging

• Demonstrates how to create dynamic and interactive home screen Widgets and Live Wallpaper

• Explores hardware and communication APIs, including Bluetooth, telephony, WiFi Direct, and NFC Beam

• Examines the use of the camera and hardware sensors

• Details the new animation framework and other user experience enhancements, including drag and drop, the Action Bar, and Fragments

• Includes a new chapter on publishing your apps

• Introduces the License Verification and In App Billing Services

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About the Author

Reto Meier is Google's Android Developer Relations Tech Lead. He has been involved in Android development since the initial release in 2007.

Product Details

• File Size: 4400 KB
• Print Length: 864 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 3 edition (April 5, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007SR7NOO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,545 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #18 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Computers & Technology > Programming > Software Design > Software Development
  • #73 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Software Design, Testing & Engineering > Software Development

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I checked out the previous editions. April 25, 2012

By Michael

Format:Paperback

I only received my copy of the book about 2 days ago, but so far it has been one of the most impressive resources I've found on Android development (not just books, but across the web too).

Background:

I come from a heavy background in web development, specifically PHP (call it a language or a mess, but it's my web programming language of choice). I've wanted to move into Android development for a while, but never really had an opportunity until recently (3 months ago) to produce something. Naturally, moving to Android development was rough at first for countless reasons, so I've bought books, read tutorials, blogs, watched countless Google I/O videos, and spent hours upon hours browsing the API. For the most part, I've found "here's how to do (insert random task here)." Rarely have tutorials come with the reason something is a best practice or why their way is better than another. Since this is the case for a lot of languages, I mostly accepted it and did my best to make sense of the content out there to build my first app.

A great reference and more:
In the two days that I've had the book, I think I have saved at least 5-6 hours that would have been spent looking for solutions to problems that I felt comfortable implementing in my software. Not only does Reto explain how something is done, but more often then not I feel like I understand why something is done a particular way.. Which, to most developers is crucial to get an understanding of a platform. I would be comfortable saying, there's enough information out there for ANYONE to produce an Android application, but for non-Java programmers there are few resources that really solidify a better understanding of the platform or don't recommend a life-long dedication to Java before picking up the material. I'd feel comfortable recommending the book to anyone with a solid understanding of software development who was looking to get into Android programming.

To be more specific than saying "a solid understanding of software development," I'd say it definitely helps to know some Java syntax, object-oriented programming and MVC practices going in.. Of course, the more the better. Without footing in those a lot of the information (not just in this book, but Android development in general) will be tough to grasp completely. After that, I'd say it's for just about anyone serious about Android Development who has more interest than just getting from A to B. Though it would certainly help anyone just looking to get from A to B.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I don't know exactly how to rate this one. August 20, 2012

By sinbad

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I selected three stars (i.e. "It's OK"). And I hope I am not being too unfair by doing so. I noticed another reviewer mentioned that this book is boring, and he was downvoted several times. But I have to agree: it's painfully boring. The book doesn't flow well, and it's laid out like a dry, dry technical reference. I read a _lot_ of technical books, but this one has the unique distinction of nearly putting me to sleep a half dozen times.

In defense of the book: it appears to be extremely thorough. The author seems to be a true subject matter expert, with intimate knowledge of the full life cycle of Android app development. So, someone who is already knee-deep in Android will probably get a lot from it (as evidenced by the many positive reviews).

I've decided I am going to have to sell this on the used book market and try another, gentler, more fun text to get my head around Android development.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written, Loaded with Information May 7, 2012

By Dan McNeil

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been doing Android Development since the bad "old" days of 1.5 (and even before, trying to get it running on several Palm/WIndows Mobile phones during beta).
I have been subjected to "The Source is your docs" for so much of that time that I rarely rely on someone else to collate all of the necessary day-to-day information needed to create apps that delve below the "inch-deep" level.
Now, I may not change my "Google it" habits (after all, Google-fu is a must-have weapon in a modern programmer's arsenal), however, I can turn to the relevant section of this book and find exactly what I need to get started or dig deeper into nearly any facet of app creation, and even (gasp!) find the relevant best-practices!
All in all, Professional Android 4 Application Development is suited to either a programmer just getting started with Android, or the "I have 6 apps in Google Play" developer who thinks they have this Android thing figured out.
Excellent work, and I will definitely recommend it to everyone who asks me how to do the Android thing. ;)

Peace,
Dan

More About the Author

Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Reto Meier now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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 finance. Early in 2009 Reto became Google's Android developer advocate for Europe, and in 2011 moved to Google's head office in Mountain View to become the Tech Lead for Android Developer Relations.

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 Google's plethora of developer tools.