My session on Android development given at IBM developerWorks days Zurich 2012

1. Introduction to Android Development
Ben Hardill
© 2009 IBM Corporation

2. Introduction to Android
Programming
● Development Environment
● Worked Example
● Other useful stuff
– Services
– Content Providers
– Widgets
● Tips
● Questions
● Resources and Links

3. Development Environment
● Java
● Android SDK
● Eclipse IDE

4. Worked Example
src from demo http://www.hardill.me.uk/XKCD-demo-android-app.zip
● Image from http://xkcd.com/662/

5. Other usefull stuff
● Services
– Like Activities but no GUI
● Content Providers
– Data stores for content so it can be shared with
other apps
● Widgets
– Much the same as activities

6. Tips
● Don't just support the latest release
– Most popular release still 2.2.x/2.3.x
● Use the android support library
● Test each different layout to make sure they all
match
● Use meaningful names for GUI components
● Use the x86 emulator if you can as it's a lot
quicker than the ARM version

7. Questions
?

8. Resources and Links
● Android Developers home page
– http://developer.android.com/
● Information on release popularity and screen
size
– http://opensignal.com/reports/fragmentation.php

9. Speaker
Ben Hardill
IBM ETS
Emerging Technology
Specialist
Hursley, UK
@hardillb
http://www.hardill.me.uk/wordpress/