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The Busy Coder's Guide to Android Development

Want to learn how to develop applications for Android mobile devices? The Busy Coder's Guide to Android Development covers what you need to know to get started on building Android applications — everything from crafting GUIs to using GPS and accessing Web services, and more!

Android Programming, Taught Gently

Android is truly a platform, encompassing hundreds of classes beyond the traditional Java classes and open source components that ship with the SDK. Some Android books race through the material, trying to cover as much ground as possible in as few pages as possible.

The Busy Coder's Guide to Android Development is different.

We have tried to cover the same material, but aimed more for people new to mobile development, perhaps even to Java itself. The book includes dozens of sample projects, ready to run with your copy of the SDK — not just one huge project where you have difficulty finding the specific examples of the technique you are looking for.

As DeveloperLife.com put it:

It’s a really good book for beginners; it sure beats reading the Google Android SDK docs and trying to make some sense of them...It was enjoyable reading this book, and all the examples are concise and to the point. The author does a great job conveying convoluted concepts simply, and that’s the true value of this book, especially to a beginner.

Version 1.0

Where To Get It: PDF and Kindle are available via the Warescription, with print copies from Amazon.com and others!

Facts and Resources

Pages400
ISBN978-0-9816780-0-9
Resources Sampler/Preview Edition (PDF), Source Code, Errata

Table of Contents

(also, see the sampler for the full table of contents, index, and sample chapters!)

  1. The Big Picture
  2. Project Structure
  3. Inside the Manifest
  4. Creating a Skeleton Application
  5. Using XML-Based Layouts
  6. Employing Basic Widgets
  7. Working with Containers
  8. Using Selection Widgets
  9. Employing Fancy Widgets and Containers
  10. Applying Menus
  11. Embedding the WebKit Browser
  12. Showing Pop-Up Messages
  13. Dealing with Threads
  14. Handling Activity Lifecycle Events
  15. Using Preferences
  16. Accessing Files
  17. Working with Resources
  18. Managing and Accessing Local Databases
  19. Leveraging Java Libraries
  20. Communicating via the Internet
  21. Creating Intent Filters
  22. Launching Activities and Sub-Activities
  23. Finding Available Actions via Introspection
  24. Using a Content Provider
  25. Building a Content Provider
  26. Requesting and Requiring Permissions
  27. Creating a Service
  28. Invoking a Service
  29. Alerting Users Via Notifications
  30. Accessing Location-Based Services
  31. Mapping with MapView and MapActivity
  32. Playing Media
  33. Handling Telephone Calls
  34. Searching with SearchManager

Version 1.1

What's New:

  • A new chapter, Getting Fancy with Lists, covers making ListViews that show more than just plain text, such as icons, checkboxes, and the like
  • A new section on using the Android Intent system as a message bus for use within or between applications
  • More material on the use of ImageView

Where To Get It: PDF and Kindle are available via the Warescription!

Facts and Resources

Pages435
ISBN978-0-9816780-0-9
Resources Source Code, Errata

Table of Contents

  1. The Big Picture
  2. Project Structure
  3. Inside the Manifest
  4. Creating a Skeleton Application
  5. Using XML-Based Layouts
  6. Employing Basic Widgets
  7. Working with Containers
  8. Using Selection Widgets
  9. Getting Fancy with Lists
  10. Employing Fancy Widgets and Containers
  11. Applying Menus
  12. Embedding the WebKit Browser
  13. Showing Pop-Up Messages
  14. Dealing with Threads
  15. Handling Activity Lifecycle Events
  16. Using Preferences
  17. Accessing Files
  18. Working with Resources
  19. Managing and Accessing Local Databases
  20. Leveraging Java Libraries
  21. Communicating via the Internet
  22. Creating Intent Filters
  23. Launching Activities and Sub-Activities
  24. Finding Available Actions via Introspection
  25. Using a Content Provider
  26. Building a Content Provider
  27. Requesting and Requiring Permissions
  28. Creating a Service
  29. Invoking a Service
  30. Alerting Users Via Notifications
  31. Accessing Location-Based Services
  32. Mapping with MapView and MapActivity
  33. Playing Media
  34. Handling Telephone Calls
  35. Searching with SearchManager