1. Chapter 1: Voilà! Meet the Android

2. 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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

3. 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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

4. Meet the Android Smartphones Can browse the Web
Allow you to play games
Use business applications
Check
Play music
Record video
Map locations with GPS
Oh yes, make phone calls and send text messages
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

5. 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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

6. Meet the Android (continued)
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.
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

7. Meet the Android (continued)
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.
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

8. Meet the Android (continued)
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.
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

9. Meet the Android (continued)
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 Boot Camp for Developers using Java

10. Meet the Android (continued)
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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

11. Meet the Android (continued)
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 ( 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)
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

12. First Venture into the Android World
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

13. 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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

14. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

15. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

16. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

17. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
Figure 1-10 Layout Displayed in Eclipse Window
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

18. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
Adding a Form Widget to the User Interface Layout
Figure 1-12 TextView form widget in the emulator
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

19. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
Adding a Form Widget to the User Interface Layout
Figure 1-14 Changing the TextView control text
Figure 1-15 Displaying the revised text in the emulator
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

20. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
Testing the Application in the Emulator
Figure 1-16 Run As Dialog Box
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

21. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
Testing the Application in the Emulator
Figure 1-17 Android main screen and lock icon
Figure 1-18 Message in the Android Emulator
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22. First Venture into the Android World (cont’d)
Opening a Saved App in Eclipse
Figure 1-19 Import dialog box
Figure 1-20 Project and directory selected
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

23. 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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java

24. 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
Android Boot Camp for Developers using Java