The Busy Coder’s Guide to Android Development, Version 3.6

Android, the next-generation open mobile platform from Google and the Open Handset Alliance, is poised to become a significant player in the mobile device market. The Android platform gives developers a fair bit of control while still supporting a familiar programming language. However, the frameworks, GUI widgets, and development model is different than any other mobile platform out there. That’s where this book comes in.

Spanning 466 pages, The Busy Coder’s Guide to Android Development covers a wide range of Android capabilities and APIs, from creating simple user interfaces, to supporting long-running background processes, through the advanced location tracking and mapping features. Along the way, it covers how to embed the WebKit Web browser in your application, how to have your application use data from other installed applications (and vice versa!) or off the Internet, and how to integrate with the built-in on-device search engine. It will help you more quickly climb the Android learning curve, so you can create the “killer app” you’ve dreamed of…or perhaps just a quick-and-dirty application for you and your friends.

Table of Contents

1. The Big Picture
2. How To Get Started
3. Your First Android Project
4. Examining Your First Project
5. A Bit About Eclipse
6. Enhancing Your First Project
7. Rewriting Your First Project
8. Using XML-Based Layouts
9. Employing Basic Widgets
10. Working with Containers
11. The Input Method Framework
12. Using Selection Widgets
13. Getting Fancy with Lists
14. Still More Widgets and Containers
15. Embedding the WebKit Browser
16. Applying Menus
17. Showing Pop-Up Messages
18. Handling Activity Lifecycle Events
19. Handling Rotation
20. Dealing with Threads
21. Creating Intent Filters
22. Launching Activities and Sub-Activities
23. Working with Resources
24. Defining and Using Styles
25. Handling Multiple Screen Sizes
26. Introducing the Honeycomb UI
27. Using the Action Bar
28. Fragments
29. Handling Platform Changes
30. Accessing Files
31. Using Preferences
32. Managing and Accessing Local Databases
33. Leveraging Java Libraries
34. Communicating via the Internet
35. Services: The Theory
36. Basic Service Patterns
37. Alerting Users Via Notifications
38. Requesting and Requiring Permissions
39. Accessing Location-Based Services
40. Mapping with MapView and MapActivity
41. Handling Telephone Calls
42. Fonts
43. Development Tools
44. The Role of Alternative Environments
45. HTML5
46. PhoneGap
47. Other Alternative Environments
48. Dealing with Devices
49. Where Do We Go From Here?

Book Details

• Paperback: 727 pages
• Publisher: CommonsWare, LLC (March, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981678009
• ISBN-13: 978-0981678009