Android™ Tablet Application Development For Dummies®

Android™ Tablet Application Development For Dummies®

Released December 2011
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781118096239

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Book description

Get up to speed on the hottest opportunity in the application development arena

App development for tablets is a booming business. Android tablets, including the popular Motorola Xoom, are gaining market share at breakneck speed, and this book can have even novice programmers creating great Android apps specifically for tablets quickly and easily. A little Java knowledge is helpful but not essential to get started creating apps. Android expert Donn Felker helps you get the Android environment up and running, use XML to create application menus, create an icon for your app, and submit your app to the Android Market.

You'll also learn to create an SQLite database to run behind your app and how to allow users to tailor your app to their needs.

  • Tablet application development is booming, and Android tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom, are rapidly gaining market share

  • This easy-to-follow guide helps new and veteran programmers set up the Android tablet environment, work with Google's notification system, and design apps that take advantage of larger tablet screens

  • Covers using XML to create application menus, creating an icon for your app, and submitting your app to the Android Market

  • Demonstrates notifications, how to create an SQLite database to run behind an application, and how to set up your app so users can choose options that tailor the app to their individual needs

If you want to break into the growing Android tablet application development market, look no further than Android Tablet Application Development For Dummies!

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. About the Author
  5. Dedication
  6. Author's Acknowledgments
  7. Publisher's Acknowledgments
  8. Contents at a Glance
  9. Table of Contents
  10. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. Foolish Assumptions
    4. How This Book Is Organized
    5. Icons Used in This Book
    6. Where to Go from Here
  11. Part I: The Nuts and Bolts of Android Tablets
    1. Chapter 1: Developing Spectacular Android Tablet Applications
      1. Why Develop for Android Tablets?
      2. Java: The Android Programming Language
      3. Hardware Tools
      4. Exploring Android Software Tools
    2. Chapter 2: Switching to Tablet App Development
      1. Seeing How Tablets Have Evolved
      2. Understanding the Tablet Form Factor
      3. User Interface Considerations for Tablets
      4. Tablets for You, Me, and Everyone Else
    3. Chapter 3: Developing for Android Tablets
      1. The Android Development Process
      2. Using Your Visionary Talent
      3. Sample Code
      4. Looking at Android Programming Basics
      5. Making yourself seen
    4. Chapter 4: Prepping Your Development Headquarters
      1. Developing the Android Developer Inside You
      2. Assembling Your Toolkit
      3. Tuning Up Your Hardware
      4. Installing and Configuring Your Support Tools
      5. Getting the Java Development Kit
      6. Getting the Android SDK
      7. Getting the Total Eclipse
      8. Getting Acquainted with the Android Development Tools
    5. Chapter 5: Your First Android Project
      1. Starting a New Project in Eclipse
      2. Deconstructing Your Project
      3. Setting Up an Emulator
      4. Creating Launch Configurations
      5. Running the Hello Android App
      6. Understanding Project Structure
  12. Part II: Building and Publishing Your First Android Tablet Application
    1. Chapter 6: Designing the User Interface
      1. Creating the Screen Brightness Toggle
      2. Understanding Layouts
      3. Developing the User Interface
      4. Adding Widgets to Your Layout
      5. Adding Visual Queues for the User
      6. Previewing the Application in the Visual Designer
    2. Chapter 7: Coding Your Application
      1. Understanding Activities
      2. Creating Your First Activity
      3. Working with the Android Framework Classes
      4. Installing Your Application
      5. Reinstalling Your Application
      6. Uh-oh! — Responding to Errors
      7. Thinking Beyond Your Application Boundaries
    3. Chapter 8: Turning Your Application into an App Widget
      1. Working with App Widgets in Android
      2. Working with Pending Intents
      3. Creating the App Widget
      4. Adding Images to Your Application
      5. Creating a Launcher Icon for the Application
      6. Handling Application Logic inside an AppWidgetProvider
      7. Placing Your Widget on the Home screen
    4. Chapter 9: Understanding Android Resources
      1. Understanding Resources
      2. Working with Resources
    5. Chapter 10: Publishing Your App to the Android Market
      1. Creating a Distributable APK File
      2. Creating an Android Marketplace Account
      3. Pricing Your Application
      4. Setting Up a Google Checkout Merchant Account
      5. Getting Screenshots for Your Application
      6. Uploading Your Application to the Android Marketplace
      7. Clicking Publish and Watching the Installs Soar
  13. Part III: Creating a Feature-Rich Application
    1. Chapter 11: Designing the Task Reminder Application
      1. Reviewing the Basic Requirements
      2. Creating the Application's Screens
      3. Creating Your First List Activity
      4. Identifying Your Intent
    2. Chapter 12: Going à la Carte with Your Menu
      1. Seeing What Makes a Menu Great
      2. Creating Your First Menu
      3. Creating a Context Menu
    3. Chapter 13: Handling User Input
      1. Creating the User Input Interface
      2. Getting Choosy with Dates and Times
      3. Creating Your First Alert Dialog Box
      4. Validating Input
    4. Chapter 14: Getting Persistent with Data Storage
      1. Finding Places to Put Data
      2. Asking the User for Permission
      3. Creating Your Application's SQLite Database
      4. Creating and Editing Tasks with SQLite
    5. Chapter 15: Reminding the User with AlarmManager
      1. Waking Up a Process with AlarmManager
      2. Rebooting Devices
    6. Chapter 16: Updating the Android Status Bar
      1. Deconstructing the Status Bar
      2. Using the Notification Manager to Create Your First Notification
      3. Updating a Notification
      4. Clearing a Notification
    7. Chapter 17: Working with Android's Preference Framework
      1. Understanding Android's Preference Framework
      2. Understanding the PreferenceActivity Class
      3. Creating Your First Preference Screen
      4. Working with the PreferenceActivity Class
      5. Working with Preferences in Your Activities at Run Time
  14. Part IV: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 18: Ten Great Free Sample Applications and SDKs (with Code!)
      1. TekPub Video Player
      2. Last.fm App Suite
      3. WordPress for Android
      4. LOLCat
      5. Amazed
      6. APIDemos
      7. Hubroid
      8. Facebook SDK for Android
      9. Replica Island
      10. Notepad Tutorial
    2. Chapter 19: Ten Tools That Make Your Developing Life Easier
      1. RoboGuice
      2. IntelliJ IDEA
      3. TeamCity
      4. Git
      5. Gson
      6. droid-fu
      7. Draw 9-patch
      8. Hierarchy Viewer
      9. UI/Application Exerciser Monkey
      10. Paint.NET and GIMP
  15. Index

Product information

  • Title: Android™ Tablet Application Development For Dummies®
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: December 2011
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781118096239