Head First Android Development

With this digital Early Release edition of Head First Android Development, you get the entire book bundle in its earliest form – the author's raw and unedited content – so you can take advantage of this content long before the book's official release. You'll also receive updates when significant changes are made, as well as the final ebook version.

Android devices are stealing market share from the iPhone with dramatic speed, and you have a killer app idea. Where to begin? Head First Android Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time with the Android SDK and Eclipse plug-in. You'll learn how to design for devices with a variety of different screen sizes and resolutions, along with mastering core programming and design principles that will make your app stand out.

Whether you're a seasoned iPhone developer who wants to jump into the the Android Market, or someone with previous programming skills but no mobile apps in your resume, this book offers a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling Android applications.

You'll learn how to:

Install the Android SDK and Eclipse plug-in and get started building apps

Add buttons, edit text fields, and build your own navigation options in the Android menu

Customize the look of your app with theming and adding image resources

Use Android's content provider mechanism to add images and contact information to an app, and establish permissions for their use

Work with the Android devices' camera, GPS, and accelerometer

Experiment with different Android emulator configurations to simulate different devices with a variety of screen sizes

Optimize, test, and distribute your application in the Android Market

We think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First Android Development uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Jonathan Simon

Jonathan Simon is a developer and interaction designer who loves to make great apps for people to use—and loves to help other people make them, too. He’s worked on a dizzying array of platforms and customers, from trading systems built in Java/Swing for JPMorganChase and Merrill Lynch, to collaborative websites built in Ruby on Rails, and now, mobile. Jonathan is a longtime veteran of the mobile space, developing J2ME mobile apps all the way back when the Motorola RAZR was the phone everyone had to have. Since then, he’s developed mobile apps for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. Jonathan is currently a senior engineer at AllTrails, a Yelp for the outdoors.