Professional Android, 4th Edition

2Getting Started

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Installing the Android SDK and Android Studio development environment
• Creating and debugging your projects
• Writing Android apps using Kotlin
• Using the Android Support Library
• Understanding mobile design considerations
• The importance of optimizing for speed and efficiency
• Designing for small screens and mobile data connections
• Introducing Android Virtual Devices and the Emulator
• Tips for using Android Studio and improving build performance
• Understanding app performance using the Android Profiler
• Introducing Gradle builds and app testing

WROX.COM CODE DOWNLOADS FOR THIS CHAPTER

The downloads for this chapter are found at www.wrox.com. The code for this chapter is divided into the following major examples:

• Snippets_ch2.zip
• HelloWorld.zip

GETTING STARTED DEVELOPING ANDROID APPS

All you need to start writing your own Android applications is a copy of the Android SDK and a Java Development Kit (JDK). Unless you’re a masochist, you’ll also want to use an integrated development environment (IDE)—we strongly recommend using Android Studio, Google’s officially supported IDE for Android app development that includes an integrated JDK and manages the installation of the Android SDK and associated tools.

Android Studio, the Android SDK, and a JDK are each available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, so you can explore Android from the comfort of whatever operating system (OS) you favor. Android applications themselves are run within the ART ...