The age of Web 2.0 smart mobile phones and handsets is here. First there was the BlackBerry, then there was the iPhone, and now … there’s Google, with its Android Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK) and platform, and its hardware partners in the Open Handset Alliance. Android works with the HTC G1 and G2 phones, the DROID, and the Nexus One. Android is also available on other mobile phones and devices, including netbooks.
Pro Android 2 shows you how to build real-world and fun mobile applications using Google’s Android SDK. This book covers everything from the fundamentals of building applications for embedded devices to advanced concepts such as custom 3D components.
- Discover the design and architecture of the Android SDK, and how to build mobile applications using the Android SDK.
- Explore and use the Android APIs, including those for media and Wi-Fi.
- Learn about Android 2.0’s integrated local and web search, handwriting gesture UI, Google Translate, and text-to-speech features.
With Android and this book, you’ll be able to build mobile applications ranging from games to Google apps, including add-ons to Google Docs. You’ll be able to extend and run the new Google Chrome APIs on the G1, the G2, and other next-generation Google phones and Android-enabled devices.
What you’ll learn
- How to use Android to build Java-based mobile applications for Google phones with a touch screen or keyboard (thanks to Cupcake’s inclusion as of Android 1.5)
- How to design and architect using Google’s Android SDK
- How to use the Android SDK to write mobile applications for embedded devices
- How to create 3D graphics with OpenGL and custom components
- How to build multimedia and game apps using Android’s Media APIs and OpenGL
- How to use Android’s location-based services, networking (Wi-Fi APIs), and security
- How to create and allow for more integrated local and web searches
- How to build handwriting gesture UIs
- How to incorporate Google Translate into your Android applications
Who is this book for?
This book is for professional software engineers/programmers looking to move their ideas and applications into the mobile space with Android. It assumes that readers have a passable understanding of Java, including being able to write classes and handle basic inheritance structures. This book also targets hobbyists.
