The format of this book is such that it will take you through Android application
development in a logical manner. The book begins by examining the architecture of
Android as a platform, looking at how it was developed, what it can run on, and what
tools are required to develop programs for it. After discussing and installing the
development tools, Android SDK, and the Eclipse development environment
(Chapters 2, 3, and 4), the book dives directly into designing and creating Android
applications (Chapter 5). The book concludes with instructions on tying your applications
to existing Google tools such as Google Maps (Chapters 9 and 11) and GTalk (Chapter
10). A quick reference guide is also included in Chapter 12.
This book is a programmer’s guide, not a beginner’s guide, meaning that you do need
to possess some programming skills to get the most from it. Foremost among these skills
is a working knowledge of Java programming fundamentals. Android applications are