Android Mobile Application Development

Busy in Berlin

2009-11-03T17:05:00.003-05:00

We had a great day at droidcamp today in Berlin. We presented two sessions, attended others, wrote a little about it over on Network World, and even had time to enjoy a beer with many of the droidcamp gang at a local pub.

Read about some of the hot topics discussed in our article, Six Hot Android Topics at DroidCamp. We had slides for one of our presentations, too. They're available here:

Finally, over at Network World, you can win a free copy of our book! See here for details.

Android 2.0 & Droidcon!

2009-11-01T03:26:00.005-05:00

It seems like we were justing about Android 1.6. Oh, wait, we were! Well, we have to admit: Android 2.0 is a little underwhelming from the developer point of view. It seems more like Android 1.7. Still, it's great progress and items like the account manager for using multiple accounts across the handset will be great for users and developers alike.

One item we liked, especially since we're on the road this month attending conferences and checking out the Android phones available in Europe, is the built-in update abilities that simply add support for Android 2.0 instead of require a completely new installation and configuration. All we had to do was run the SDK and AVK manager, update to the latest and run the Eclipse updates to get the newest plugin and we were good to go with 2.0!

On code we've tested, we haven't noticed any new issues with 2.0. However, if you run across any issues with our book code, please let us know! Once we've returned from our travels, we'll do a more thorough evaluation--with one of the new Android 2.0 handsets.

We're on the road? That's right! We're just days away from Droidcon in Berlin! See you there!

Android 1.6 SDK Now Available

2009-09-15T23:37:00.003-04:00

Welcome to API Level 4!

The Android 1.6 SDK is now available for download. Many of the highlights are good for users and manufacturers, such as a Market update and support for CDMA hardware. What's good for users is good for developers. Also included is a new gestures framework and a tool for creating gestures, multi-lingual and accent text-to-speech, and better search capabilities.

The API changes list is relatively small; this is an incremental upgrade with some nice features, but not a sweeping change by any means.

The update is set to be on handsets as early as October, according to the release notes.

Android App Widget Article on User Interaction Published

2009-09-10T12:30:00.004-04:00

Our next article about Android App Widgets has been published over at developer.com. This time, we talk about how to add user interaction to an App Widget using the limited RemoteViews ability to register Intents to trigger when a user touches an item. This article builds upon our previous article, which discussed building an App Widget with a custom -- and user configurable -- update rate.

Go build some great interactive widgets now!

Android Wireless Application Development Now available!

2009-09-03T11:34:00.000-04:00

Our first book, Android Wireless Application Development, is now in stock and available for purchase.

Referring to Android Resources Using URIs

2009-08-17T22:06:00.016-04:00

In addition to loading Android resources using the Resource manager, you can also reference resources using a specially-formatted URI. Resource URIs can be referenced by resource type/name or by resource identifier. This can be especially useful if you are using a control like a VideoView which takes either a file path or a URI for the video source.

For example, let's say we have a VideoView and we want to load a resource from the raw resources called myvideo.3gp. We could construct a URI in two ways:

Using the resource id, the format is:

"android.resource://[package]/[res id]"

Uri path = Uri.parse("android.resource://com.androidbook.samplevideo/" + R.raw.myvideo);

or, using the resource subdirectory (type) and resource name (filename without extension), the format is:

"android.resource://[package]/[res type]/[res name]"

Uri path = Uri.parse("android.resource://com.androidbook.samplevideo/raw/myvideo");

This Uri can then be used to source the VideoView as follows:

VideoView myVid = (VideoView) findViewById(R.id.VideoView1);
myVid.setVideoURI(path);

You can now refer to any resource by URI.

Sample Chapter From Our Book Available

2009-08-14T20:36:00.003-04:00

Our first book, Android Wireless Application Development, is very close to hitting the shelves. Amazon currently lists August 28th availability. Of course, you can still get the Rough Cuts and check it out early!

A free sample chapter, Introducing Android, is now available on informIT. Check it out and give us feedback!

Creating an App Widget with Custom Timing

2009-08-06T13:40:00.006-04:00

App Widgets are a popular new feature with the Android 1.5 SDK. Writing a basic App Widget would seem straightforward, however some properties turn out to get in the way of simple features.

The Android documentation for App Widgets references the ability to let users choose the duration between updates. In practice, the update duration property of an App Widget is immutable. Our latest article on developer.com addresses this, giving code and instruction on creating an Android App Widget with a user-customizable update duration.

When "Eclipse loading framework information into layout resource editor" Fails

2009-07-28T09:19:00.012-04:00

The Android Development Plug-in for Eclipse is a great tool many Android developers rely upon. I personally use some features much more than others. For example, I rarely use the Layout Resource editor to preview layout files. Instead, I just edit the XML directly and run it in the Emulator. (I have also been known to edit HTML with notepad, that's just how I roll.)

So it came as a bit of a surprise (read: annoyance) when I tried to do just that--preview a layout file in Eclipse--the other day and it failed. Eclipse seemed to try to load the layout designer saying, "Eclipse is loading framework information and the Layout library from the SDK folder." Then it up and failed to load it. Over and over. You couldn't see the layout preview, nor the Properties pane or the Outline mode to add new controls to the layout tree.

You might be wondering why I bothered to investigate this since I could have just gone back to the XML and blown it off. Well, I needed a screenshot of the Layout preview mode for our new book. Nuff said.

At first, I thought it was just me overestimating the tool's abilities, trying to preview a layout that was too complex for the preview (this happens often when I include some of the more complex View controls in layouts). So I created a new project with its simple default layout file, and that didn't load either. So that wasn't it.

I did a quick search on the Android developer forums and a couple people were complaining on the forums about this over a year ago. One person suggested recreating your workspace. Well, that didn't work, either. I widened my search to the web and ran across a little note on Brian Klug's wiki, suggesting that the older versions of the Android plug-in JAR files might be hanging around, mucking things up. Thanks, Brian! This sent me in the right direction.

We've had a number of new revisions of Android lately. which have improved (greatly) the Android tool chain, that have had several new JAR file updates. Next, I had to find the android JAR files on my machine. First, I checked where Brian had suggested: c:\eclipse\plugins (basically, in the plugins directory of the eclipse installation path). As my luck would have it, they were not there. Instead, a quick file search for "com.android*.jar" showed that they were hiding in C:\Users\YourUserName\.eclipse\org.eclipse.platform_3.4.0_867647348\features.

With a little investigation, I found several older versions (0.8.x and 0.9.0) of the android JAR files installed with the new ones (0.9.1 is the latest for Android SDK 1.5 r3). I shut down Eclipse, deleted all the older JAR files, leaving only the 0.9.1 versions.
Specifically, I only kept these two android JAR files:

com.android.ide.eclipse.adt_0.9.1.v200905011822-1621
com.android.ide.eclipse.ddms_0.9.1.v200905011822-1621

When I relaunched Eclipse, the layout preview began to function again. Incidentally, this was on a Windows installation of the Android tools. When I checked the Mac install of Android 1.5 R3, the JAR files were hanging about in (rather than the expected /Developer/Applications/eclipse/plugins~/.eclipse), but the layout preview did load without issue.

Run Android on Your Machine with LiveAndroid

2009-07-18T12:03:00.005-04:00

LiveAndroid, a community project hosted at Google Code open source hosting, is determined to make a LiveCD that will run Android on a typical Intel-based laptop. As of their second release, many things work, including the mouse. The LiveCD will easily boot in the free VirtualBox environment, and can boot on many machines, too. Their work is based on previous work done to port Android to the Asus eee 701.
For developers making software for handsets, this isn't terribly interesting. However, if you want to prepare your software to run on some of the first Android netbooks, this could be a great way to start limited testing, especially when it comes to larger screen sizes.
The wiki pages have lots of discussion about how to use it, what hardware works, how to configure the network, and how the various special keys are mapped. I highly recommend reading these pages before trying to use this.
Have fun running Android natively (or virtually) on your machine -- without the emulator.

Latest Android 1.5 SDK, Release 3, Fixes Emulator Defects

2009-07-18T11:48:00.003-04:00

Have you missed the ability to call or SMS from one emulator instance to another? Have you be tearing your hair out over the hang when getting the SensorManager? Well, look no further than the third release of the Android 1.5 SDK. It fixes these issues, and more.
Download it from the usual SDK site: http://developer.android.com/sdk/
Read more about the fixes in the release notes.

Scripting on Android

2009-06-26T21:43:00.003-04:00

Did you know you could script for Android? With Python, Lua, and more languages coming? And not just for Android, either... but on Android devices?
Well, you can. A couple of weeks back, the Android Scripting Environment project was discussed and downloads are available now for alpha versions of this application. One frequently cited example as a Lua script that, in under 20 lines of code, allows the phone to be silenced -- or not -- by just flipping it over.
Check out the Android Scripting Environment now for some on-the-go scripting fun!

The Android NDK 1.5 Release 1

2009-06-26T10:27:00.005-04:00

Google announced that the Android 1.5 NDK Release 1 is available. No, this isn't another SDK. Instead, it's the Native Development Toolkit, which basically allows developers to use C or C++ for development -- with a whole bunch of limitations.
The gist of the goal of the NDK is to provide a way for CPU-intensive operations to be implemented outside of the Dalvik virtual machine to increase performance. The libraries available are limited and it's not designed to allow development of entire applications using native code.
Read more about it at the Android Developer site.

Choosing an XML Parser for Android

2009-06-12T00:15:00.002-04:00

When new versions of the Android SDK come out, I often like to peruse the more detailed changes. A while back, I ran across mention of including the XmlPullParser API for enhanced mobile XML parsing performance. Busy at the time, I didn't do much with it. The curiousity ultimately got the better of me and the result is an article on the XML parser performance comparing the SAX, DOM, and Pull Parser performance on Android. Feedback is welcome via the email address listed at the article.

Android Developer Challenge 2 Details Appearing

2009-05-28T07:37:00.003-04:00

Google has announced some early details for the next Android Developer Challenge. Submissions will begin in August across ten categories. In this challenge, there will be two rounds. It's the first round that's new and exciting for developers and users:

Users get to download, rank, and rate specific, but random, applications submitted to the challenge by, what else, but an Android application! This round will result in 200 finalists: twenty in each of the ten categories. The second round will be rated with Google-selected judges, as before, but their ratings will only count for 55% of the total score, with the other 45% coming from the community ratings. Three winners from each category will be chosen to win $100k, $50k, and $25k US dollar prizes. From all of the entries, overall winners (best of all entries, regardless of category) will be awarded an additional $150k, $50k, and $25k.

Finally, Google has provided a little teaser to encourage developers to go to their events:

attendees of selected developer events will be provided with devices intended for use in developing submissions for ADC 2

The categories for this challenge include the following:

Education/Reference
Games: Casual/Puzzle
Games: Arcade/Action
Social Networking
Lifestyle
Productivity/Tools
Media
Entertainment
Travel
Misc

Terms and conditions for the challenge are forthcoming. It's still unclear who is eligible, what applications will be eligible, and so on. Find out more as details become available from the Google Android Developer Challenge site.

Android Development Tip: Managing AVDs with the Eclipse Android Development Tools Plug-In

2009-05-15T10:49:00.021-04:00

I've updated my Eclipse development environment a number of times in the past few weeks, what with the Android 1.5 preview, then the release version. I checked for updates this week and noticed yet another version of the ADT Eclipse plugin was available. One interesting new feature added in the latest version is an Android Virtual Device (AVD) manager, accessible from within Eclipse.

All emulator instances using the Android 1.5 SDK require an AVD configuration. Sure, you can use the android command line interface to create and manage AVDs, but if you just want to create a simple AVD quickly, you can now use the little wizard provided with the ADT plugin. The AVD manager button is added to your Eclipse toolbar. It looks like a little black cell phone.

Simply click it and the AVD manager will launch, listing all AVDs on your system. You can Add and Delete AVDs, as well as Refresh the AVD listing.

When creating a new AVD, you can set the following information:

The AVD friendly name
The Target Android system
The Skin
Whether or not to create an SD Card Image
You cannot create custom hardware profiles. That, you still need to use the android command line tool for.

Android SDK 1.5r1 Available for Download

2009-04-27T16:26:00.005-04:00

Release 1 of the Android 1.5 SDK is available for download now. Additionally, a system image for the ADP1 (Android Developer Phone from Google) is available for 1.5 now, as well.

This is the third full release of Android, corresponding to API Level 3 (Android 1.1r1 was Level 2 and Android 1.0r1 and 1.0r2 corresponded to Level 1).

This time, though, the Google map services are in an SDK add-on. A vanilla API Level 3 distribution may not contain these. Testing this is made possible through an emulator target that contains these services and one that doesn't, where even clicking on a map link from within an application won't work.

This capability opens the door to other third-party add-ons, a very exciting potential.

Android 1.5: Going Live Within The Next Few Weeks

2009-04-22T18:16:00.008-04:00

The much-awaited Android 1.5 SDK update is coming soon to a development environment near you. This update is based on the Cupcake branch of the Android source project and features substantial improvements and additions to the Android APIs, as well as developer tool suite updates and some much-needed UI polish and performance improvements to the overall Android user experience.

You can find a short list of highlights coming in Android 1.5 as part of the Android Developer SDK 1.5 preview on the Android Developer website as well as download the pre-release ("preview") version of Android SDK 1.5 and give it a spin.

You may also find the Cupcake branch roadmap useful.

The SDK 1.5 is expected to be released within the next few weeks. An over-the-air update will likely be sent to Android phones in the field soon thereafter.

What are you looking forward to in this release? We're looking forward to being able to create home screen widgets.

Android Wireless Application Development Book Available for Pre-order!

2009-02-20T12:38:00.003-05:00

We're exciting to announce that our book, Android Wireless Application Development, is now available for pre-order from Safari Rough Cuts!
You'll be able to start reading chapters in advance of the print copy if you buy it now. The rough cuts program also allows people to comment on the book and help make it better. Let us know what you think!

Android Application Market for Paid Apps

2009-02-13T17:06:00.004-05:00

Paid applications are now being accepted for the Android Market. This is great news for developers who want to make money and create premium applications. Collecting money uses Google Checkout, so developers will also need an account with Google Checkout. Paid applications will be available next week for US customers, and in other countries over the next few months.

Read more at the Google mobile blog entry and at the Android Market publishing site.

Android 1.1 in Distribution

2009-02-09T18:38:00.003-05:00

If you follow gadget blogs, you've probably seen that Android 1.1 is heading out to T-Mobile G1 handsets. Until today, though, you may have wondered if this affects you or not. Well, it might.

The Android 1.1 SDK Release 1 is a now available from Google. All Android 1.0 SDK applications will function without change on 1.0, according to Google. However, if you want to begin using the new APIs introduced in Android SDK 1.1, you'll need to download it and begin using it.

The Android 1.1 firmware is being pushed out to all G1 users. According to T-Mobile, everyone with a G1 should have received the update notification within a week or two. This means that if you're developing an application that could benefit from the SDK changes, it probably is reasonable to require the upgrade.

As for changes in the new firmware and SDK, they include some bug fixes and a few new features. Many of the features are in built-in applications, but there are a few for developers:

Can now determine user ID programmatically for app
Can now get padding for a View, useful for implementing new ones
Support for Marquee in TextView
Can now broadcast SMS and WAP PUSH via new permissions

Download the new SDK here.

(P.S. He's supposed to be smiling. :o)

Android Dev Phone 1 Available For Purchase

2008-12-08T13:22:00.003-05:00

Google is now allowing registered Android Market developers to purchase the Android Dev Phone 1. This phone is similar to the G1, but fully unlocked. It can be flashed by developers with the firmware of their choice. Google is charging $399 with free shipping. There is currently a limit of one per registered Android Market account. They are available in more than a dozen countries across the world.

Android Market Available for Sign-Up

2008-10-27T10:21:00.001-04:00

The Android Market is now available for developers to register with. Simply go to the Android Market page, login with a Google Account (not a domain account), give them your developer name, preferred email address, website, and phone number. Finally, you’ll pay $25 via Google Checkout and be bound to the Developer Distribution Agreement.

First Handset Available, New Market Details

2008-10-22T13:36:00.002-04:00

The first Android handset available to consumers, the Google designed, HTC built, T-Mobile branded G1 is now available for purchase. Get it while you can to test your apps on real hardware.

As part of the launch, Android Market is now available to consumers. Although it’s still in beta, this will allow developers, such as yourself, to distribute applications to consumers. In order to do this, we have learned today that on Monday, Oct 27th, developers will be allowed to register and authenticate themselves for $25. After that, applications can be made available on Android Market without further hurdles. However, only free applications can be provided for the time being.

We have learned that distribution for paid applications will be available early in 2009. Developers will retain 70% of the revenue generated by their applications. Carriers and billing handlers will retain the rest. In a surprising move, Google will not take any percentage. The details, though, don’t explain who gets the $25 registration fee.

Android Source Code Released

2008-10-21T11:52:00.002-04:00

Fulfilling the true open nature of Android, the full source code has been released today on the eve of the first Android hardware shipping tomorrow. Although this is not directly useful to application developers, having the underlying platform source code can help debug issues as well as reveal if an issue is with the platform or not. As with most open source projects, the community can be extremely helpful in debugging, providing ideas, and adding new features.

The open source project website for Android contains a number of useful pieces of information. There is a roadmap that can be used for planning purposes so developers will know when certain features are planned for the platform. For instance, we’ve learned the next next language planned for localization is German.

You can download all 2.1GB of the source code. Additionally, if you have Ubuntu (6.06 or later) Linux or Mac OSX, you can compile the source code if you have any additional 6GB of space available. There are a number of other dependencies, too, such as Git for source control and a variety of typical Java and developer packages. Surprisingly, Windows is not supported yet.