Pro Android 4 shows you how to build real-world and fun mobile apps using the new Android SDK 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which unifies Gingerbread for smartphones, Honeycomb for tablets and augments further with Google TV and more.

This Android 4 book updates the best selling Pro Android 3 and covers everything from the fundamentals of building apps for embedded devices, smartphones, and tablets to advanced concepts such as custom 3D components, multi-tasking, sensors/augmented reality, better accessories support and much more.

Using the tutorials and expert advice, you'll quickly be able to build cool mobile apps and run them on dozens of Android-based smartphones.
You'll explore and use the Android APIs, including those for media and sensors.
And you'll check out what's new with Android 4, including the improved user interface across all Android platforms, integration with services, and more.

After reading this definitive tutorial and reference, you gain the knowledge and experience to create stunning, cutting-edge Android 4 apps that can make you money, while keeping you agile enough to respond to changes in the future.

What you’ll learn

How to use Android 4 to build Java-based mobile apps for Android smartphones and tablets
How to build irresistible standard and custom User Interfaces and User Experiences (UI and UX) across Android devices
How to populate your application with data from data sources, using Content Providers
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, network-based services, and security
How to use new Android features, such as Fragments and the ActionBar

Who this book is for

This book is for professional software engineers and programmers looking to move their ideas and applications into the mobile space with Android. It assumes a passable understanding of Java, including how to write classes and handle basic inheritance structures.
Table of Contents

Introducing the Android Computing Platform
Setting up Your Development Environment
Understanding Resources
Understanding Content Providers
Understanding Intents
Building User Interfaces and Using Controls
Adding Menus
Fragments
Dialogs: Regular and Fragment
Action Bar
Advanced Debugging and Analysis
Responding to Configuration Changes
Working with Preferences and Saving State
Security and Permissions
Working with Services
Exploring Packages, Processes, and Library Projects
Exploring Processes, Components, Threads, and Handlers
Advanced Async Task
Exploring Broadcast Receivers and Long Running Services
Exploring the Alarm Manager
Unveiling 2D Animation
Exploring Maps and Location Services
Using the Telephony APIs
Understanding the Media Frameworks
Home Screen Widgets
Home Screen List Widgets
Android Search User Experience
Drag and Drop
Using Sensors
Understanding the Contacts API
Deploying your Application: Android Market and Beyond