The document discusses best practices for developing Android applications, including an overview of Android and its components, tools for Android development in Java using the Android SDK, guidelines for designing user interfaces, and recommendations for common UI patterns like dashboards and action bars. It provides resources for documentation, help, icon templates, and prototyping tools to help developers code well-designed Android apps.

1. Sessão Técnica Portugal GTUG
Como fazer boas aplicações para Android
Diogo Júnio - @drjunior
Bernardo Pina - @bioblink
Manuel Silva - @manuelvsc

2. What’s a GTUG?
 GTUG stand for Google Technology Users Group
 GTUGs are user groups for people who are
interested in Google's developer technology

3. What is Android?
 Is a mobile operating system
 Run on the Linux kernel
 Developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance
(a consortium of 48 hardware, software, and telecom companies )
 Was announced publicly on 5 November 2007
 First mobile device, the G1, was announced on
September 2008

4. What is Android?
 An open source, open platform for mobile development
 All the SDK, API and platfrom source is available
 No licensing, no app review
 Replace any system app with your own

5. Programming Android Applications
 Written in Java
 Run in Dalvik Virtual Machine (optimized for mobile devices)
 Uses its own bytecode, not Java Bytecode

6. Resources –Hardware Dependent
 GSM
 Bluetooth, 3G, WIFI
 Touchscreen, keypad, Trackball
 Camera, GPS, Compass and Accelerometer
 NFC…

7. Resources –Hardware Independent
 Integrated Browser based on WebKit Engine
 Graphics 2d and 3d optimized(OpenGL ES 1.0)
 SQLite to save structured data
 Multimedia support
(MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)

8. What is an application ? (1/2)
 Application package file : myapplication.apk
 Composed by one or more activities
 AndroidManifest.xml
 Activities
- A single screen in your application
 Views
- Object who know how to draw itself on the screen
- ListView, MapView, WebView, TextView, EditText…

9. What is an application ? (2/2)
 Layouts
- Views Containers
- RelativeLayout, Linearlayout, FrameLayout…
 Permissions
- Low level access to features(GSM, Internet, GPS, SMS…)
- Declared by the developer
- User prompt on the market at installation
 Services
- Background services
 Notifications
- Receive and react to broadcasted events

10. How to code ?
 Java SDK
 Android SDK
- Android Emulator – Linux, Windows , Mac
- Command Line Tools
- adb - Android Debug Bridge
 Eclipse
 Eclipse Plugin - ADT

11. Tools
 ADT
 Android Emulator
 Android Virtual Device
 Hierarchy Viewer
 Layoutopt
 Draw 9-Patch
 Dalvik debug Monitor Service
 Android Debug Bridge
 Android Asset Packaging Tool
 Android interface definition language
 Sqlite3
 Traceview
 Mksdcard
 Dx
 Ui/Aplication Exerciser Monkey
 Android
 zipalign

12. Documentation/Help
Android Developers website
http://developer.android.com
Android Developers Google Group
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers
Twitter
http://twitter.com/androiddev
AndroidpPT– Android programming section
http://www.androidpt.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=listcat&catid=40
&Itemid=31

13. User Interface Guidelines
 Icon Design Guidelines
- The Icon Guidelines describe each kind of icon in detail, with
specifications for the size, color, shading, and other details for making
all your icons fit in the Android system.
 Activity and Task Design Guidelines
- These guidelines describe how activities work, illustrates them
with examples, and describes important underlying principles and
mechanisms, such as multitasking, activity reuse, intents, the activity
stack, and tasks. It covers this all from a high-level design perspective.
 Menu Design Guidelines
- These guidelines describe the difference between Options and
Context menus, how to arrange menu items, when to put commands
on-screen, and other details about menu design.
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/index.htm
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14. Android App Developers GUI Kits,
Icons, Fonts and Tools
http://speckyboy.com/2010/05/10/android-app-developers-gui-kits-icons-fonts-and-tools/

15. UI Prototyping Stencils
 Android Asset Studio
http://j.mp/androidassetstudio
 Android Icon Templates
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html#templatespack

16. Best practices for UI features and
behavior patterns
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/05/twitter-for-android-closer-look-at.html

17. Dashboard
 Dashboard
- The dashboard pattern serves as a home orientation activity for your users.
- It is meant to include the categories or features of your application.

18. Actionbar
 ActionBar
- The Action bar gives your users onscreen access to the most frequently
used actions in your application.
- It works with the Dashboard, as the upper left portion of the Action bar
is where we recommend you place a quick link back to the dashboard
or other app home screen.

19. Time to code!!!