Programming Languages/Java ™ Here’s just what you need Making Everything Easier! to start developing feature-rich, Android ™ amazing Android apps Open the book and find: Even if you’ve never written a mobile application, this book • Cool ways to use the has the know-how you need to turn your great ideas into cool accelerometer in your app apps for the Android platform. With millions of smartphone ™ • How to turn mobile limitations Development Application users and a cornucopia of carriers, Android is a great place into opportunities to ply the app development trade. This book shows you Android • Tips on installing and setting up from the ground up how to set up your environment and the tools create an app. Read on to become an Android developer extraordinaire! • Step-by-step coding directions Application Development • Ways to make your apps more • Welcome to Android — learn what makes a great Android app, marketable how to use the SDK, ways to work with mobile screens, and how the development process works • How to create really useful menus • Make users happy — find out how to design an interface that • Advice on app pricing mobile users will love • Ten great sample apps and SDKs, • Learn the code — work with the activity lifecycle and Android including code framework classes, use the Eclipse debugger, and create a home screen widget for your app • Beyond the basics — take your skills up a notch with apps that involve SQLite databases and multiple screens • Price and publish — pick the right price for your app and get it into the Android Market Learn to: • Create apps for hot smartphones like Go to Dummies.com® Droid™ X, Galaxy S, and MyTouch® for videos, step-by-step examples, Visit the companion Web site at www.dummies.com/go/ how-to articles, or to shop! • Download the SDK and get Eclipse androidappdevfd for source code, updates, and other up and running examples to help you in the development process • Code Android applications • Submit your apps to the Android Market $29.99 US / $35.99 CN / £21.99 UK Donn Felker is an independent consultant specializing in Android and ISBN 978-0-470-77018-4 .NET technologies. He has been a technical architect, software developer, and programmer analyst for more than a decade, with experience that covers desktop, Web, and mobile development. Donn Felker Felker Independent software development consultant Get More and Do More at Dummies.com® Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include • Checklists • Charts • Common Instructions • And Other Good Stuff! To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/androidapplicationdevelopment Mobile Apps Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows. Check out our • Videos • Illustrated Articles • Step-by-Step Instructions There’s a Dummies App for This and That Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * With more than 200 million books in print and over 1,600 unique Want a weekly dose of Dummies? 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Android ™ Application Development FOR DUMmIES‰ 01_9780470770184-ffirs.indd i 11/2/10 8:45 AM 01_9780470770184-ffirs.indd ii 11/2/10 8:45 AM Android ™ Application Development FOR DUMmIES‰ by Donn Felker with Joshua Dobbs 01_9780470770184-ffirs.indd iii 11/2/10 8:45 AM AndroidTM Application Development For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH- OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010939962 ISBN: 978-0-470-77018-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_9780470770184-ffirs.indd iv 11/2/10 8:45 AM About the Authors Donn Felker is a recognized leader in the development and consultation of state-of-the-art, cutting-edge software in the mobile and Web fi elds. He is an independent consultant with over 10 years of professional experience in various markets that include entertainment, health, retail, insurance, fi nan- cial, and real estate. He is a mobile junkie, serial entrepreneur, and creative innovator in all things mobile and Web. He is the founder of Agilevent, an innovative creative development fi rm that has done work for small startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. He is a Microsoft ASP Insider, an MCTS for .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.5 Web Applications, and a certifi ed ScrumMaster. He’s a national speaker on topics that include Android, .NET, and software architecture. He is the author of the TekPub.com Introduction to Android video series. He is a writer, presenter, and consultant on various topics rang- ing from architecture to development in general, agile practices, and patterns and practices. Follow Donn on Twitter (@donnfelker) or read his blog here: http://blog.donnfelker.com. Joshua Dobbs is a senior lead Web application developer for a large elec- tronics manufacturer in Southern California. He has more than ten years’ experience in Web and desktop application development. Josh was an early adopter of the Android platform and creates Android apps in his spare time. His apps have been downloaded more than 6 million times, and he was selected by Google as top Android developer for its Device Seeding Program. His Web site is www.joshdobbs.com. 01_9780470770184-ffirs.indd v 11/2/10 8:45 AM 01_9780470770184-ffirs.indd vi 11/2/10 8:45 AM Dedication To my dogs, Lulu and Macho, and my cat, Vito: Thanks for keeping me company in the cold basement while I cranked out page after page in the wee hours of the morning while everyone else was asleep. Writing is a lonely gig, and your company helped the time pass much easier (and kept my feet and lap warm too). To my dearest daughter, Sophia, who made even the toughest days brighter through her contagious, infectious laughter and antics.