Learning Android

Book excerpt: Want to build apps for Android devices? This book is the perfect way to master the fundamentals. Written by experts who have taught this mobile platform to hundreds of developers in large organizations and startups alike, this gentle introduction shows experienced object-oriented programmers how to use Android’s basic building blocks to create user interfaces, store data, connect to the network, and more. Throughout the book, you’ll build a Twitter-like application, adding new features with each chapter. You’ll also create your own toolbox of code patterns to help you program any type of Android application with ease. Become familiar with the Android platform and how it fits into the mobile ecosystem Dive into the Android stack, including its application framework and the APK application package Learn Android’s building blocks: Activities, Intents, Services, Content Providers, and Broadcast Receivers Create basic Android user interfaces and organize UI elements in Views and Layouts Build a service that uses a background process to update data in your application