This document provides an overview of Android development including prerequisites, benefits, tools, and app components. Key information includes: - Java skills and familiarity with XML, HTML and CSS are required to develop Android apps. - Android is an open source, Linux-based platform used by hundreds of millions of devices worldwide. - Popular development tools include Android Studio and Android Developer Tools which allow building native apps in Java or hybrid apps with HTML/JS. - Android apps utilize activities, intents, services, broadcast receivers and content providers to handle screens, tasks, background processes and data.

1. Android Development

2. Prerequisites
• Computer (Linux/Mac/Windows)
• Java Development Kit (JDK)
• Familiarity with Object Oriented Programming (OOP), ideally Java
• Familiarity with HTML, XML, Javascript, css
• Time and Patience

3. About Android
• World’s most popular mobile platform.
• Hundreds of millions of mobile devices in use.
• Rapidly growing in emerging markets (nearly 1M per day).
• 1.5M App and Game downloads from Google Play each month. (and
more from other stores/repositories)
• 975,000+ apps (as of 8/13/13)
• Part of Open Handset Alliance (Mobile Industry is invested in Android)

4. More than you need to know about
Android Architecture

5. Developer Benefits
• Open source (Apache 2 License) - you have full access to the platform
as a developer, device manufacturer, or accessory manufacturer.
• Kernel based on Linux
• Full Java IDE
• Virtual Device Simulator
• Extensive Documentation
• Open Marketplace (unlike iTunes)
• All apps are treated equally (the ones you write and the ones Google
creates)

6. Android 4.3 – Jelly Bean
• Bluetooth Smart Ready, Bluetooth AVRCP 1.3
• Restricted Profiles for multi-user devices
• Hardware geofencing
• Wi-Fi scan-only mode
• Game rotation vector
• VP8 Encoder
• Notification Listener
• Built-in Private Keystore
• Systrace logging for performance information

7. Development Tool Options
• Android Studio
• Android Developer Tools (ADT)
• Android Software Development Kit (SDK)
• Android Native Development Kit (NDK)
• Your Existing IDE

8. Android Studio
• Announced at I/O13
• Based on IntelliJ Idea (www.jetbrains.com)
• Gradle-based build system (www.gradle.org)
• Works on Mac, Linux, Windows
• Requires installation of JDK
• Available in “Early Access Preview”… still buggy

9. Differences in Studio
• Project structure stores most files in src directory
• Drag-and-Drop Layout designer

10. Native Apps
• Native apps
• Written in Java and interact directly with Android for all UI and Logic.
• Full access to everything Android.
• Better speed, memory, rendering, etc.

11. Hybrid Apps
• Hybrid apps
• Written with HTML5, CSS, and Javascript for UI and Logic but are wrapped in a
small Java container to interact with Android.
• Smaller learning curve (for most people).
• Leverage many existing js libraries.
• Look and feel wont necessarily be exact same as a Native app.
• Easily migrated to other Mobile platforms.
• Lose out on access to some Android features.

12. What is an App
• Every app runs in its own process with its own instance of the vm.
• Your app can consist of:
• Activities
• Intents
• BroadcastReceivers
• Services
• ContentProviders

13. Activities
• Each Activity (typically) corresponds to a screen in your app
• Stores the logic for your app
• Only one Activity is active at a time in your app
• Written in Java
• Initial Activity is specified in the Manifest
• Your app can have multiple Activities
• Your app’s activity is typically only live while the user is on viewing
your app.

14. Intents
• An intent is request by an App to Android to get an app to do something.
• Android then determines the best App for the job or presents the user with
a list of available Apps.
• This allows you to leverage existing apps to do common tasks (eg Take a
picture) instead of writing your own code to do it.
• Intents include an action that needs to occur and the data it should occur
on.
• Explicit intent - You specify what needs to be done and by what class.
• Implicit intent – You specify what needs to be done and what to do when
it’s over and let the system/user determine what app they want to use.

15. Standard Intents
• ACTION_MAIN
• ACTION_VIEW
• ACTION_ATTACH_DATA
• ACTION_EDIT
• ACTION_PICK
• ACTION_CHOOSER
• ACTION_GET_CONTENT
• ACTION_DIAL
• ACTION_CALL
• ACTION_SEND
• ACTION_SENDtO
• ACTION_ANSWER
• ACTION_INSERT
• ACTION_DELETE
• ACTION_RUN
• ACTION_SYNC
• ACTION_PICK_ACTIVITY
• ACTION_SEARCH
• ACTION_WEB_SEARCH
• ACTION_FACTORY_TEST
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/Intent.html

16. BroadcastReceivers
• Act like listeners that can respond to an Intent that is broadcasted by
an application.
• Allows your App to takeover from another app. (Open With).
• Typically Declared in your Manifest.

17. Services
• Used for longer-running operations
• Can run in the background when you app is not being used

18. Further Reference
• http://developer.android.com
• http://www.i-programmer.info/programming/android/5887-android-
adventures-getting-started-with-android-studio.html