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Apps Best books for a newbie...

K

kb1esx

Newbie
Hi,

I'm looking for recommendations on reading materiel.

I'd love to learn how to develop apps for Android.

David
 
Same question here. I'm interested in the Native SDK as well as the Java SDK. Books or on-line pointers suitable for experienced developers would be much appreciated.

Actually, resources (books, articles, blogs, how-tos, FAQs, etc.) for newbies would make a great sticky thread in this sub-forum!

Thanks!
 
Hello, android is my favorite so far. It provides a detailed look at the android environment before even starting coding and I found that very helpful. The author uses a sudoku program throughout the book for examples and demonstrations. It isn't a comprehensive book, but its a great starting point and the android documentation fills in the gaps nicely.
 
I am new to Android development and Java in general. Android has made me interested in developing using Java and the Android platform. I have recently begun reading Professional Android 2 Application Development by Reto Meier. So far, this book has been helpful in describing the Android framework. What is holding me back is my lack of Java experience. I believe Reto provides a clear introduction to the framework by describing the various components of Android development and describes most of the material in a clear manner. Prior to this book, I had actually purchased a subscription from Commonsware. Mark Murphy writes a good series of books on introductory and advanced Android concepts. In his tutorials book (third volume), he includes nothing but examples for you to try, which I think is a good way to apply what you are learning. I started to read the Meier book because he goes into more detail at a more introductory level and also uses Eclipse in his examples. While Mark does mention Eclipse here and there, he tends to use the command line for creating and running Android commands. Since I am new to Android, I haven't gotten too far into these books so this is the best information I can provide at this time.

I would also recommend using the Android Developer's Groups as resources to ask questions. I have not done so yet but I sure intend on doing so. I also use the JavaRanch forums for any Java questions since I'm a Java newb.
 
Hi.
Just to give you my feedback. I've recently purchased Wrox Professional Andriod 2 Application Development, for
 
xathras, thanks. I just received it last night so I haven't done anything yet. Good to know before I experience it myself :)
 
I would also recommend checking the Wrox forum for the book for any errata, etc. It looks like the author is quite responsive on that forum which is a good thing.
 
Do any of these books cover creating your own graphics and how to manipulate them or are they mroe about creating recipes books and contact managers. I'm thinking about a dice game and would have to have the app to draw them and then figure out how to get them into an app.
 
PAPutzback said:
Do any of these books cover creating your own graphics and how to manipulate them or are they mroe about creating recipes books and contact managers. I'm thinking about a dice game and would have to have the app to draw them and then figure out how to get them into an app.
Click to expand...

Hiya PAPutzback,
The book does cover draw commands and movements, but not advanced manipulation.

I would say the book is good to get the understand of the concepts, the functionality, interfacing and API's. To further on I think you'd need a more custom book catering for your need
 
xathras - Are you referring to this book Wrox Professional Andriod 2 Application Development?

I wonder if they offer it in PDF and have updates it with the errata.
 
if you guys need basic information on things like javascript and html and css etc. you should just go to w3schools.com they have some good free information about basic scripting/programing languages. sadly they don't have info on android app development or java so it does have it downsides.
 
IMX Android moves so quickly that books are a little troublesome. By the time they see print you may find that minor changes in the way an API works have invalidated the code. At least, that's how it was when I first started (right when 1.5 came out), and from the comments about Force Close in example code, it seems like things may still be the same.

For me, Android Developers plus google searches for topics I'm specifically interested in has been more than enough. The net is overflowing with sample code, tutorials, and blogs related to all aspects of Android that you're likely to find in a book, and will be more likely to have up to date info regarding 2.1, 2.2, and future OS versions.

A few sites I've found enlightening:
My life with Android :-)
emulator tutorial
Official Hello World

And of course, the samples that come with the SDK are usually well commented and give good examples of all sorts of activities, services, content providers, etc.
 
YouTube has quite a few good tutorials.

EDIT: Also can we have a sticky telling people that it's a good idea to learn Java proper before beginning Android development?
 
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