Beginning Android 4 is your first step on the path to creating marketable apps for the burgeoning Android Market, Amazon's Android Appstore, and more. Google’s Android operating-system has taken the industry by storm, going from its humble beginnings as a smartphone operating system to its current status as a platform for apps that run across a gamut of devices from phones to tablets to netbooks to televisions, and the list is sure to grow.

Smart developers are not sitting idly by in the stands, but are jumping into the game of creating innovative and salable applications for this fast-growing, mobile- and consumer-device platform. If you’re not in the game yet, now is your chance!

Beginning Android 4 is fresh with details on the latest iteration of the Android platform. Begin at the beginning by installing the tools and compiling a skeleton app. Move through creating layouts, employing widgets, taking user input, and giving back results. Soon you’ll be creating innovative applications involving multi-touch, multi-tasking, location-based feature sets using GPS.

You’ll be drawing data live from the Internet using web services and delighting your customers with life-enhancing apps. Not since the PC era first began has there been this much opportunity for the common developer. What are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Beginning Android 4 and get started!
What you’ll learn

Develop Java-based mobile applications and games for a wide range of phones and devices.
Create user interfaces using WebKit and the Android widget framework.
Build location- and map-based applications drawing on live feeds over the Internet.
Incorporate activities, services, content providers, and broadcast receivers into your applications.
Support multiple Android versions, multiple screen sizes, and other device-specific characteristics.
Build and experience the array of new WebM video and other multimedia APIs for Android and more.

Who this book is for

Beginning Android 4 is aimed at programmers new to Android application development who desire to create marketable applications for the burgeoning market of smartphone, tablet, and other Android device users.
Table of Contents

The Big Picture
How to Get Started
Your First Android Project
Examining Your First Project
A Bit About Eclipse
Enhancing Your First Project
Rewriting Your First Project
Using XML-Based Layouts
Employing Basic Widgets
Working with Containers
The Input Method Framework
Using Selection Widgets
Getting Fancy with Lists
Still More Widgets and Containers
Embedding the WebKit Browser
Applying Menus
Showing Pop-up Messages
Handling Activity Lifecycle Events
Handling Rotation
Dealing with Threads
Creating Intent Filters
Launching Activities and Sub-Activities
Working with Resources
Defining and Using Styles
Handling Multiple Screen Sizes
Introducing the Honeycomb UI
Using the Action Bar
Fragments
Handling Platform Changes
Accessing Files
Using Preferences
Managing and Accessing Local Databases
Leveraging Java Libraries
Communicating via the Internet
Services: The Theory
Basic Service Patterns
Alerting Users via Notifications
Requesting and Requiring Permissions
Accessing Location-Based Services
Mapping with MapView and MapActivity
Handling Telephone Calls
Fonts
More Development Tools
The Role of Alternative Environments
HTML5
PhoneGap
Other Alternative Environments
Dealing with Devices
Where Do We Go from Here?