Android Application Development Cookbook - Second Edition

Lights, Action, and Sound Redux using Notifications

You're probably already familiar with Notifications as they've become a prominent feature (even making their way to the desktop environment) and for good reason. They provide an excellent means to send information to your user. They provide the least intrusive option of all the alerts and notification options available.

As we saw in the first recipe, Lights, Action, and Sound – getting the user's attention!, lights, vibration, and sound are all very useful for getting the user's attention. That's why the Notification object includes support for all three methods, as we'll demonstrate in this recipe. Given this ability to get your user's attention, care should still be taken not to abuse your user. ...