Beginning Android 3

by Mark Murphy

Overview

The vibrant and rich Android development platform, created by Google and the Open Handset Alliance, continues to be a platform in its truest sense, encompassing hundreds of classes beyond the traditional Java classes and open source components that ship with the software development kit. Android's continued growth includes support for Flash and Flash gaming apps, Wi-Fi tethering, improved performance, WebM or WebMedia integration for HTML5-based video and other multimedia APIs, Chrome OS (WebOS) integration, and more.

With Beginning Android 3, you’ll learn how to develop applications for Android 3 mobile devices using simple examples that are ready to run with your copy of the software development kit. Author, Android columnist, developer, and community advocate Mark L. Murphy will show you what you need to know to get started programming Android applications, including how to craft graphical user interfaces, use GPS, multi-touch, multi-tasking, and access web services.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781430232971
Publisher:	Apress
Publication date:	07/15/2011
Edition description:	1st ed.
Pages:	612
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Mark Murphy is the founder of CommonsWare and the author of The Busy Coder's Guide to Android Development. A three-time entrepreneur, his experience ranges from consulting on open source and collaborative development for Fortune 500 companies to application development on just about anything smaller than a mainframe. He has been a software developer for over 25 years, working on platforms ranging from the TRS-80 to the latest crop of mobile devices. A polished speaker, Mark has delivered conference presentations and training sessions on a wide array of topics internationally. Mark writes the "Building Droids" column for AndroidGuys and the "Android Angle" column for NetworkWorld. Outside of CommonsWare, Mark has an avid interest in how the Internet will play a role in citizen involvement with politics and government. He is a contributor to the Rebooting America essay collection, and his personal blog features many posts discussing "cooperative democracy."

Table of Contents

• The Big Picture
• How to Get Started
• Your First Android Project
• Examining Your First Project
• A Bit About Eclipse
• Enhancing Your First Project
• Rewriting Your First Project
• Using XML-Based Layouts
• Employing Basic Widgets
• Working with Containers
• The Input Method Framework
• Using Selection Widgets
• Getting Fancy with Lists
• Still More Widgets and Containers
• Embedding The WebKit Browser
• Applying Menus
• Showing Pop-up Messages
• Handling Activity Lifecycle Events
• Handling Rotation
• Dealing with Threads
• Creating Intent Filters
• Launching Activities and Sub-Activities
• Working with Resources
• Defining and Using Styles
• Handling Multiple Screen Sizes
• Introducing the Honeycomb UI
• Using the Action Bar
• Fragments
• Handling Platform Changes
• Accessing Files
• Using Preferences
• Managing and Accessing Local Databases
• Leveraging Java Libraries
• Communicating via the Internet
• Services: The Theory
• Basic Service Patterns
• Alerting Users via Notifications
• Requesting and Requiring Permissions
• Accessing Location-Based Services
• Mapping with MapView and MapActivity
• Handling Telephone Calls
• Fonts
• More Development Tools
• The Role of Alternative Environments
• HTML5
• PhoneGap
• Other Alternative Environments
• Dealing with Devices
• Where Do We Go from Here?