Professional Android, 4th Edition

16Hardware Sensors

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Using the Sensor Manager
• Introducing the different types of sensors
• Discovering available sensors and their capabilities
• Finding and using dynamic sensors
• Learning best practices for using sensors
• Testing sensors using the Emulator
• Finding a device’s natural orientation
• Remapping a device’s orientation reference frame
• Monitoring sensors and interpreting sensor values
• Using sensors to monitor a device’s movement and orientation
• Using sensors to monitor a device’s environment
• Using sensors to monitor a user’s vital signs
• User activity tracking using Activity Recognition

WROX.COM CODE DOWNLOADS FOR THIS CHAPTER

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

• Snippets_ch16.zip
• Weatherstation.zip
• GForceMeter.zip
• Compass_ch16.zip

INTRODUCING ANDROID SENSORS

Android devices are much more than simple communications and web browsing platforms; they’re extra-sensory input devices using movement, the environment, and body sensors to extend your users’ perceptions.

Sensors that detect physical and environmental properties offer an exciting avenue for innovations that enhance the user experience of mobile applications. The incorporation of an increasingly rich array of sensor hardware in modern devices provides new possibilities for user interaction and application development, including augmented or virtual reality, movement-based input, and environmental ...