Head First Mobile Web

Appendix D. Install the Android SDK and Tools: Take care of the environment

To be the master of testing native Android apps, you need to be environmentally aware. You’ll need to turn your computer into a nice little ecosystem where you can herd Android apps to and from virtual (emulated) or real devices. To make you the shepherd of your Android sheep, we’ll show you how to download the Android software development kit (SDK), how to install some platform tools, how to create some virtual devices, and how to install and uninstall apps.

Let’s download the Android SDK

Do this!

Head on down to http://developer.android.com/sdk and find the right download link for your operating system.

Download and extract or unzip the SDK software. Put the resulting Android SDK folder wherever you keep your applications on your computer.

Note

Windows users get a handy-dandy installer to simplify this process.

Good work! You’re now done installing the SDK itself (that was pretty easy, huh?).

Now we need to add some other packages and tools to the SDK so we can get our work done.

Steps to a happy Android SDK environment

Note

Already done.

Download and install the correct Android SDK for your computer’s operating ...