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Beginning Android 3 ReviewFirst of all, I would like to say that I am in no way any Android or Java expert. I enjoy creating small apps on my free time and have read a few books about programming, but I have no formal education or experience in the field.
The book "Beginning Android 3" seems well suited for someone like me. It assumes that you have some experience in programming and Java, but it starts off easy, by explaining how to install and use the most common tools in your IDE. Then it continues, showing you how to get a simple "Hello world!" type program up and running. If you are using Eclipse, this book covers how to use Eclipse with the Android tools in details. It also covers other IDE's, but I feel that it leans more towards Eclipse. And that is probably not all that bad, since Eclipse is both free, available for most platforms, and probably the most likely choice for someone just starting with Android development.
If you, like me, also have read "Beginning Android 2", you might find yourself thinking "Hey, this book is exactly the same!". And you are actually right. Many of the chapters are exactly the same, word for word. But this book also covers more recent developments in Android, mainly the 3.0 or "Honeycomb", which is an edition of Android intended for devices with bigger screens than what is commonly used for phones. Honeycomb is more Tablet-oriented. The first few chapter is mainly about setting up text and buttons on the screen, and these are the chapters that haven't changed much since the previous book. Then, in later chapters, you'll have more new stuff, and the book explains how you would go about creating an app for a tablet that has more screen space, and how to create backwards compatibility when creating apps that could end up on a phone running 2.3 as well as a tablet running 3.0. Not all classes that are available to you in 3.0 will work on a device running 2.3, and the author shows examples of how you could check for what version of Android the app is running on, and how to load resources accordingly. He explains some of the changes that has been done to Android in the past, and how we should prepare for changes that might come in the future.
Then the book covers other subjects like how to communicate with the internet, how to load and save things on the phone, both preferences and other information that you need to stay put after the application has been stopped or the phone has been turned off. Then we are shown how to use various services, and how to create services of our own, for instance to get the location from the phones GPS and show that position on a map.
The author also show you how to use the emulator, so that you can check how well your app handles incoming calls, incoming messages or the user flipping the screen to landscape view.
In the last chapters of the book, you a briefly introduced to programming in other languages than Java, mainly HTML5 and PhoneGap. The author also mentions Rhodes, Flash/Flex/AIR, Jruby/ Ruboto, Mono for Android and Googles own "App Inventor", but this is just to give you an idea of what is out there. There is nothing here with any meat on it, it's basically just to tell you that it is possible to use these to create an Android application.
All in all I am pretty content with this book. As I mentioned earlier, if you have already read "Beginning Android 2", then you might feel like you have purchased the same book again. However, this book has more in it than the previous one. It has about 540 pages, where the previous had about 370 pages. If you do not have any Java experience, you should get another book. At least another book in addition to this one. This is not one of those books that starts off by showing you how to plug in your computer, it assumes that you have some Java programming experience. But if you are like me, a self-taught Java programmer that would like to learn how to program applications for Android as a hobby, this book is perfect. It may not be easy, there are chapters that you may have to read more than once, but as long as you know some basic Java, there is nothing in the book that should seem impossible to understand. The fact that the first word in title of the book is "Beginning" should tell you that this book might not be the only book you'll ever need, if you are going to do some serious Android programming. It gives you a good start, but you will not end up as an Android expert. For instance, it doesn't cover things like graphics, sound or video in any detail.
Beginning Android 3 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 growthincludes 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.
What you'll learn
Discover Android and how to use it to build Java-based mobile applications for a wide range of phones and devices.
Create user interfaces using both the Android widget framework and the built-in WebKit-powered Web browser components.
Utilize the distinctive capabilities of the Android engine, including location tracking, maps, and Internet access.
Use and create Android applications incorporating activities, services, content providers, and broadcast receivers.
Support Android 3 and earlier devices, including dealing with multiple Android OS versions, multiple screen sizes, and other device-specific characteristics.
Create Flash game and other apps on Android.
Build and experience the array of new WebM video and other multimedia APIs for Android and more.
Who this book is for
This book is aimed at people new to mobile development.
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?
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