Beginning Android 4 is an update to Beginning Android 3, originally written by Mark Murphy. It is your first step on the path to creating marketable apps for the burgeoning Android Market, Amazon's Android Appstore, and more. Google’s Android operating-system has taken the industry by storm, going from its humble beginnings as a smartphone operating system to its current status as a platform for apps that run across a gamut of devices from phones to tablets to netbooks to televisions, and the list is sure to grow. Smart developers are not sitting idly by in the stands, but are jumping into the game of creating innovative and salable applications for this fast-growing, mobile- and consumer-device platform. If you’re not in the game yet, now is your chance! Beginning Android 4 is fresh with details on the latest iteration of the Android platform. Begin at the beginning by installing the tools and compiling a skeleton app. Move through creating layouts, employing widgets, taking user input, and giving back results. Soon you’ll be creating innovative applications involving multi-touch, multi-tasking, location-based feature sets using GPS. You’ll be drawing data live from the Internet using web services and delighting your customers with life-enhancing apps. Not since the PC era first began has there been this much opportunity for the common developer. What are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Beginning Android 4 and get started!

Includes index.

Part I. Core Concept -- The Big Picture -- How to Get Started -- Your First Android Project -- Examining Your First Project -- A Bit About Eclipse -- Enhancing Your First Project -- Part II. Activities -- Rewriting Your First Project -- Using XML-Based Layouts -- Employing Basic Widgets -- Working with Containers -- The Input Method Framework -- Using Selection Widgets -- Getting Fancy with Lists -- Still More Widgets and Containers -- Embedding the WebKit Browser -- Applying Menus -- Showing Pop-Up Messages -- Handling Activity Lifecycle Events -- Handling Rotation -- Dealing with Threads -- Creating Intent Filters -- Launching Activities and Subactivities -- Working with Resources -- Part III. Honeycomb and Tablets -- Defining and Using Styles -- Handling Multiple Screen Sizes -- Focusing on Tablets and Larger UIs -- Using the Action Bar -- Fragments -- Handling Platform Changes -- Part IV. Data Stores, Network Services, and APIs -- Accessing Files -- Using Preferences -- Managing and Accessing Local Databases -- Leveraging Java Libraries -- Part V. Services -- Communicating via the Internet -- Services: The Theory -- Basic Service Patterns -- Part VI. Other Android Capabilities -- Alerting Users via Notifications -- Requesting and Requiring Permissions -- Accessing Location-Based Services -- Mapping with MapView and MapActivity -- Handling Telephone Calls -- Fonts -- More Development Tools -- Part VII. Alternative Application Environments -- The Role of Alternative Environments -- HTML5 -- PhoneGap -- Other Alternative Environments -- Part VIII. The Ever-Evolving Android -- Dealing with Devices -- Where Do We Go from Here?

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