Android Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is book is an excellent addition to the bookshelf of any serious android developer. Android Recipes is primarily geared toward an experienced android developer. However, even a beginning android developer (with a solid understanding of the Java programming language) will find it beneficial. What sets this book apart from most is its clear, concise explanations. I have tested and implemented many of the solutions in this book. After reading Chapter 5: Persisting Data, I was able to implement a content provider of my own in no time.
Pros: Clear, concise explanations of complex topics. Code examples available on-line.
Cons: NoneThis is the best android book I have read so far, and I definitely recommend it to anyone serious about Android development.

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Android continues to be one of the leading mobile OS and development platforms driving today's mobile innovations and the apps ecosystem. Androidappears complex, but offers a variety of organized development kits to those coming into Android with differing programming language skill sets. Android Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach guides you step-by-step through a wide range of useful topics using complete and real-world working code examples. In this book, you'll start off with a recap of Android architecture and app fundamentals, and then get down to business and build an app with Google's Android SDK at the command line and Eclipse. Next, you'll learn how to accomplish practical tasks pertaining to the user interface, communications with the cloud, device hardware, data persistence, communications between applications, and interacting with Android itself. Finally, you'll learn how to leverage various libraries and Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A)to help you perform tasks more quickly, how to use the Android NDK to boost app performance, and how to design apps for performance, responsiveness, seamlessness, and more. Instead of abstract descriptions of complex concepts, in Android Recipes, you'll find live code examples. When you start a new project, you can consider copying and pasting the code and configuration files from this book, then modifying them for your own customization needs. This can save you a great deal of work over creating a project from scratch!

What you'll learn
Discover Android architecture and various Android-specific APIs
How to develop a unit conversion app in the context of command-line/Android SDK and Eclipse/Android SDK environments
How to accomplish various tasks related to the user interface and more
How to use external libraries to save time and effort
How to quickly develop an app using the Scripting Layerfor Android (SL4A) tool
How to boost app performance by using the Android NDK
Guidelines for designing filtered apps, performant apps, responsive apps, and seamless apps

Who this book is for
Newcomers to Android, as well as more accomplished Android developers.

Table of Contents
Getting Started with Android
User Interface Recipes
Communications and Networking
Interacting with Device Hardware and Media
Persisting Data
Interacting with the System
Working with Libraries
Scripting Layer for Android
Android NDK
App Design Guidelines

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Android Application Development For Dummies Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm going to preface this review by saying that I have been programming for about 15 years, and have been working professionally as a developer for almost 3 years. My background is in VB, C#, Javascript, HTML, and even a little dabbling in C/C++. With that in mind, my Java knowledge was essentially everything I had learned from C# (which is very similar), and the tutorials on Google's Android development website. You could argue Javascript may help, but they're so different that I don't think it counts as experience.
I finished all of the tutorials on Google's site and still felt like I wasn't really grasping the concept of Android development. For those of you who have developed in C#/VB for Windows or Windows Mobile, you may understand what I mean when I say that going from something so straight-forward as using Visual Studio and .NET languages to something a little more complex and code-heavy like C++ or Java while using an unfamiliar IDE like Eclipse can be a little daunting at first. Google's tutorials, while full of great examples, don't really take the time to explain the "why" and then "what" of Android development, and instead have a more confusing approach of "Step 1: Type all this code in; Step 2: That code you just type does [this]; Step 3: Run your application".
The first half of this book is incredibly informative, and after reading only a couple short paragraphs on things I've already tried to learn and failed, I really understood it this time. The author's tone and descriptions make even the most complicated topics very easy to understand. The author also likes to commonly encourage the reader, writing that we are "experts", and making assumptions that we understand what we just read, even after it was some insanely complicated thing that was described in detail across four pages. It seems like this approach might be little odd, but I liked it. It kept my confidence up as I was reading.
The second half of the book, while also great, starts a little on the fast track. There are other reviews that mention this, and although I partially agree, it's also worth mentioning that a lot of the things that are flown through quickly come together a little later in the book. However, the pace does seem to go from a "one line at a time" methodology into a "type these 60 lines of code in and I'll explain it later" sort of teaching. While I don't prefer this, and I think it's a bit messy, the information IS there; it's just harder to soak it all in than it was in the first half of the book. The application you are building at the end is quite large, and I have tried to think of an easier way the author could have filled me with the knowledge instead of the approach taken, but I really couldn't think of a better way, mainly due to the way the code has to be written for the particular task at hand.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a great introduction to Android development, and is leaps and bounds above Google's documentation, at least for a beginner. I wish the book was a little longer, and I wish the author didn't frequently say things like "I could write an entire book on [subject], so I won't go into detail about this. If you want to learn more, read the documentation at [Google link]." For these reasons, I gave it four stars instead of five. The fundamentals do exist in this book, but I would have liked to have seen more.
I would recommend this book for anyone with any sort of programming background looking to get into Android development. I would probably not recommend it to someone who has no programming background whatsoever.


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The fun and friendly guide to creating applications on the Android platform
The popularity of the Android market is soaring with no sign of slowing down. The open nature of the Android OS offers programmers the freedom to access the platform's capabilities and this straightforward guide walks you through the steps for creating amazing Android applications. Android programming expert Donn Felker explains how to download the SDK, get Eclipse up and running, code Android applications, and submit your finished products to the Android Market. Featuring two sample programs, this introductory book explores everything from the simple basics to more advanced aspects of the Android platform.
Takes you soup through nuts of developing applications for the Android platform
Begins with downloading the SDK, then explains how to code Android applications and submit projects to the Android Market
Written by Android guru Donn Felker, who breaks every aspect of developing applications for the Android platform into easily digestible pieces

No matter your level of programming experience, Android Application Development For Dummies is an ideal guide for getting started with developing applications for the Android platform.

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Flash Mobile: Developing Android and iOS Applications (Visualizing the Web) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am a Flash developer for a well recognized Flash development firm. I am currently developing apps for the iPad using the iPhone packager. This book is the most basic one I have read from all three books that are out there in the market for IOS development using Flash. I think at the time the author wrote the book, he did not understand the underlying problems you face when trying to deploy AIR-based apps into the iOS environment. I believe you should buy the Dolce or Wagner books as they seem to know what the basic limitations are on the iPhone Packager for Flash.

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Build rich media applications for the iOS and Android platforms with this primer to Flash mobile development. You get all of the essentials-from setting up your development environment to publishing your apps to the Google Market Place/Apple iTunes App Store.

Develop elementary applications without coding; then realize the power of ActionScript 3 to add rich complexity to your applications. Step-by-step instruction is combined with practical tutorial lessons to deliver a working understanding of the development stages including:


*Rapid prototyping *Adding interactivity, audio, and video *Employing iOS and Android Interface Calls*Hardware optimization with AIR *Game development; game engines, controlling physics, and 3D *Designing for iPad, Android tablets, and Google TV *Code optimization, testing, and debugging


User interfaces are presented in full color to illustrate their nuances. The companion website, www.visualizetheweb/flashmobile, includes all of the AS3 code, project files, and a blog to keep you up to date with related news and developments.


*Publication within weeks of Adobe's release of the Android packaging utilities *Full-color illustrations of UI and design implementations *Companion website with tutorial media and author forum

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Pro Android 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Pro Android 2 is aimed at developers who want to take Android to the next level. This large book serves as a manual for how to do almost anything on Android. The book starts by giving a refresher of the platform, and then quickly dives into explaining XML files, GUI layout and Views, and working with mapping. Building and consuming services are explained, giving the first example of working with Apache's HttpClient libs that I have seen in an Android book. Examples of working with the Telephony API, searching, using gestures, you name it. The book even offers an alternative way of creating applications using Titanium Mobile. Finally time is spent explaining the Android Marketplace and things you should know before making your application public.
The information contained in this book is at the same time enlightening and overwhelming. In just the first few chapters, I had already found better ways to handle several things in my own Android applications. That alone was worth the time spent reading this book.
Although the book was written by three different authors, I found the writing style and flow of the book well done and congruous.
The book explains that the intended audience should have previous exposure to developing on the Android platform and to Java, and they mean it. While an introduction is given to the various parts of an Android application, a new developer wouldn't be able to get enough understanding to use this book as a starting point for developing Android applications. Previous exposure to any number of beginning Android books is recommended before you attempt to tackle this one. The publisher suggest you start with Beginning Android 2.
If you are an Android developer, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. If you spend 2 minutes flipping through the various chapters, I promise you will walk out of the book store with Pro Android 2 in hand. My rating, 5 stars. The book delivers exactly what it advertises and does so in a manner that is enjoyable to read and very helpful.


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Android is Google's software platform answer to the iPhone and BlackBerry, and at the very least, has advantages in terms of multitasking, running apps in the background and others.Google's partners in the Open Handset Alliance - supporting Android -- provide the devices, with HTC G1 and G2 already available now and 18 more Google Phones set to debut later this year according to Google I/O Conference news. Among these 18 apparently will be Nokia, currently 40% of world cell phone market share.Pro Android 2 is the first or one of the first on Android 2.0. This book is a detailed look at all aspects of application development on Google's Mobile OS and Development Platform including detailed discussion of the APIs and how to use them.This book focuses on giving developers the essential tools and examples required to make viable commercial applications work on mobile devices and even Netbooks.

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