Chapter 1: Voilà! Meet the Android. Objectives In this chapter, you learn to: Understand the market for Android applications State the role of the Android

Chapter 1: Voilà! Meet the Android

Objectives

In this chapter, you learn to:• Understand the market for Android applications• State the role of the Android device in the mobile

market• Describe the features of the Android phone• Identify which languages are used in Android

development• Describe the role of the Android Market in the

mobile marketplace

2Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

Objectives (continued)

• Create an Android project using Eclipse• Explain the role of the Package Explorer• Specify the use of layout and widget controls in the

user interface• Execute an Android application on an emulator• Open a saved Android project in Eclipse


Meet the Android

• Smartphones – Can browse the Web– Allow you to play games– Use business applications– Check e-mail – Play music– Record video– Map locations with GPS– Oh yes, make phone calls and send text messages


Meet the Android (continued)

– Android phone platform runs a free, open-source operating system from Google

– Open Handset Alliance • 80 companies that develop standards for mobile

devices

• Android Phone Device– Most popular are EVO, Droid, Galaxy, Echo, etc.– OS also powers tablets, netbooks, e-readers, MP4

players and Internet TVs



• Features of the Android– Flash support - Flash video plays within the Android

Web browser. (The iPhone does not support Flash capabilities.)

– Power management - Android identifies programs running in the background using memory and processor resources.

– Optimized gaming - Android supports the use of gyroscope, gravity, barometric sensors, linear acceleration, and rotation vector.



• Features of the Android (continued)

– Onscreen keyboard - Spell-check, predictive text, voice-input mode.

– Wi-Fi Internet tethering - Allows a phone to be used as a wireless or wired hot spot.

– Multiple language support - Android supports multiple human languages.

– Front- and rear-facing cameras – Voice-based recognition for calling, texting, and

navigating with the phone.



• Features of the Android (continued)

– 3D graphics - The interface can support 3D graphics for a 3D interactive game experience or 3D image rendering.

– Facial recognition - Android provides this high-level feature for automatically identifying or verifying a person’s face from a digital image or a video frame.



• Writing Android Apps– Java is the language of choice for Android Apps– Object-oriented programming languages allow for

good software engineering practices• Eclipse

– The most popular tool (IDE) for writing Java programs

– Can also be used to develop applications in other languages

– XML is used to assist in the layout of the Android emulator



• Android Emulator– Design, develop, prototype, and test Android apps

without using a physical device– Mimics almost every feature of a real Android

handset, except placing phone calls– Current version is Ice Cream Sandwich – all versions

named after dessert items (in alphabetical order)– Previous versions include Cupcake, Donut, Éclair,

Froyo (frozen yogurt), Gingerbread, and Honeycomb



• Getting Oriented with Market Deployment– Platform consists of the Android OS, application

development tools, and a marketplace Apps are compiled into package files with an .apk extension

– Android Market (http://market.android.com) sells and deploys all apps

– Programs must meet minimum standards– Apps are free or paid (70/30 split between developer

and wireless carrier)– Also sold through Amazon (amazon.com/appstore)

and iTunes (both charge a $99 registration fee)11Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

First Venture into the Android World

12

• Opening Eclipse to Create a New Project– Install Eclipse IDE, Android SDK– Create the Android Virtual Device (ADV)– You’ll need to have:

• Project name, application name, package name, activity name, API level

• Creating the Hello World Project– Open Eclipse and choose the Android Project icon– Name the project and specify a save location

Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)

• Creating the Hello World Project (continued)

– Enter a package name, such as: (net.androidbootcamp.helloandroidworld)

– Enter the Activity name (main)– Enter the Minimum SDK (14)– Click the Finish button


• Building the User Interface– Must be intuitive– Interface must not distract from functionality– Java code or XML layout files are needed

• XML method is preferred• Can design interface without writing large amounts of

code



• Taking a Tour of the Package Explorer– Src folder – contains Java source code– Gen folder – contains automatically generated Java

files– Android 4.0 library – contains all class libraries– Assets folder – contains asset files– Res folder – contains images, music, and video– Android Manifest.xml – contains information about

the application that Android needs to run



• Designing the user Interface Layout– Layout – a container that holds as many widgets as

needed– Widget– a single element on the screen (Button,

Text Box, etc.)• Also called an object



17

Figure 1-10 Layout Displayed in Eclipse Window



• Adding a Form Widget to the User Interface Layout

18

Figure 1-12 TextView form widget in the emulator



• Adding a Form Widget to the User Interface Layout

19

Figure 1-14 Changing the TextView control text Figure 1-15 Displaying the revised text in the emulator



• Testing the Application in the Emulator

20

Figure 1-16 Run As Dialog Box



• Testing the Application in the Emulator

21

Figure 1-17 Android main screen and lock icon Figure 1-18 Message in the Android Emulator



• Opening a Saved App in Eclipse

22

Figure 1-19 Import dialog box Figure 1-20 Project and directory selected



Summary

• Android OS is released under Apache license allowing anyone to get the full open-source for free

• Android OS powers all types of mobile devices• To write apps, you can use Eclipse, an IDE used

for building applications• The Android emulator lets you design, develop

prototype, and test Android applications• The Android platform consists of the Android OS,

the Android application development platform, and the Android marketplace


Summary (continued)

• Android supports both Java code and XML layout files, although XML is preferred

• The Package Explorer contains folders for an Android project

• To design a user interface for an Android app, you can create a layout containing widgets (objects)

• The Android emulator allows you to test an application and make sure it runs correctly


Documents

Chapter 1: Voilà! Meet the Android. Objectives In this chapter, you learn to: Understand the market for Android applications State the role of the Android