This document provides an overview of Android development including: - The Android system architecture with applications running on top of the Dalvik VM and Linux kernel. - Important Android versions from Gingerbread to KitKat are listed. - Details on Google Play and apps distribution, including revenue sharing model. - Core application components like Activities, Services, ContentProviders etc. are explained. - Development best practices around responsiveness, privacy and performance are recommended. - Xamarin platform for cross-platform C# development on Android and iOS is introduced. - The rest of the talk is described as a demo of building a basic Android app covering UI, activities, files, location

1. Android 101
Sasha Goldshtein
CTO, Sela Group
blog.sashag.net | @goldshtn

2. System Architecture
Applications
Dalvik VM
Linux Kernel
Drivers, Metal

3. Important Android Versions
Gingerbread
2.3
Honeycomb
3.x
Ice Cream
Sandwich
4.0.x
Jelly Bean
4.1-4.3
KitKat
4.4

4. Google Play and Apps
• >1,000,000 apps
• Free, paid, freemium,
ad-supported
monetization
– 70-30 revenue sharing
• Sideloading supported
(does not require
rooting)

5. Application Components
Activities
Views
Intents
Broadcast
Receivers
Services
Content
Providers
Permissions

6. App Development Tenets
Free to shoot yourself in the foot
• No limitations on background work, access to device
features, access to user data, …
Be responsible
• Conserve power, respect user privacy and
preferences, do not crash
Be responsive
• Android device owners are tired of slow, laggy, nonresponsive apps

7. Xamarin, or
“C# on 3 billion devices”
• Xamarin provides a .NET runtime
for iOS and Android development
in C#
• Proprietary IDE: Xamarin Studio
• Visual Studio integration

8. Our First Android Application
• The rest of this talk is a big DEMO!
• Concepts covered:
– Views and layouts, basic UI, menus
– Transitioning between activities
– Persistence to files
– Location support and proximity alerts
– Alarms and notifications

9. Thanks!
Sasha Goldshtein
blog.sashag.net | @goldshtn