Android Wireless Application Development Volume II

List of contents

Introduction     1
Part I: Advanced Android Application Design Principles
Chapter 1: Threading and Asynchronous Processing      9
The Importance of Processing Asynchronously      9
Working with the AsyncTask Class      10
Working with the Thread Class      13
Working with Loaders      14
Understanding StrictMode      14
Summary      15
References and More Information      15
Chapter 2: Working with Services      17
Determining When to Use Services      17
Understanding the Service Lifecycle      18
Creating a Service      18
Controlling a Service      23
Implementing a Remote Interface      24
Implementing a Parcelable Class      26
Using the IntentService Class      29
Summary      33
References and More Information      33
Chapter 3: Leveraging SQLite Application Databases      35
Storing Structured Data Using SQLite Databases      35
Creating a SQLite Database      36
Creating, Updating, and Deleting Database Records      38
Working with Transactions      40
Querying SQLite Databases      41
Closing and Deleting a SQLite Database      46
Designing Persistent Databases      47
Binding Data to the Application User Interface      50
Summary      55
References and More Information      55
Chapter 4: Building Android Content Providers      57
Acting as a Content Provider      57
Implementing a Content Provider Interface      58
Defining the Data URI      59
Defining Data Columns      59
Implementing Important Content Provider Methods      59
Updating the Manifest File      65
Enhancing Applications Using Content Providers      65
Accessing Images on the Device      66
Summary      71
References and More Information      71
Chapter 5: Broadcasting and Receiving Intents      73
Sending Broadcasts      73
Sending Basic Broadcasts      74
Sending Ordered Broadcasts      74
Receiving Broadcasts      75
Registering to Receive Broadcasts      76
Handling Incoming Broadcasts from the System      77
Securing Application Broadcasts      80
Summary      80
References and More Information      81
Chapter 6: Working with Notifications      83
Notifying the User      83
A Word on Compatibility      84
Notifying with the Status Bar      84
Using the NotificationManager Service      85
Creating a Simple Text Notification with an Icon      85
Working with the Notification Queue      86
Updating Notifications      88
Clearing Notifications      90
Vibrating the Phone      91
Blinking the Lights      92
Making Noise      93
Customizing the Notification      94
Designing Useful Notifications      96
Summary      97
References and More Information      97
Part II: Advanced Android User Interface Design Principles
Chapter 7: Designing Powerful User Interfaces      99
Following Android User Interface Guidelines      99
Working with Menus      100
Using Options Menus      100
Using Context Menus      103
Using Popup Menus      105
Enabling Action Bars      105
Building Basic Action Bars      106
Customizing Your Action Bar      110
Handling Application Icon Clicks on the Action Bar      112
Working with Screens That Do Not Require Action Bars      114
Introducing Contextual Action Mode      114
Using Advanced Action Bar Features      114
Working with Styles      114
Building Simple Styles      115
Leveraging Style Inheritance      117
Working with Themes      119
Summary      121
References and More Information      122
Chapter 8: Handling Advanced User Input      123
Working with Textual Input Methods      123
Working with Software Keyboards      123
Working with Text Prediction and User Dictionaries      126
Using the Clipboard Framework      126
Handling User Events      127
Listening for Touch Mode Changes      127
Listening for Events on the Entire Screen      128
Listening for Long Clicks      129
Listening for Focus Changes      130
Working with Gestures      131
Detecting User Motions Within a View      131
Handling Common Single-Touch Gestures      132
Handling Common Multi-Touch Gestures      139
Making Gestures Look Natural      142
Using the Drag and Drop Framework      143
Working with the Trackball      143
Handling Screen Orientation Changes      144
Summary      146
References and More Information      147
Chapter 9: Designing Accessible Applications      149
Exploring the Accessibility Framework      149
Leveraging Speech Recognition Services      151
Leveraging Text-To-Speech Services      155
Summary      158
References and More Information      158
Chapter 10: Best Practices for Tablet and Google TV Development      159
Understanding Device Diversity      159
Don't Make Assumptions about Device Characteristics      159
Designing Flexible User Interfaces      160
Attracting New Types of Users      161
Leveraging Alternative Resources      161
Using Screen Space Effectively on Big Landscape Screens      161
Developing Applications for Tablets      162
Developing Applications for Google TV      164
Optimizing Web Applications for Google TV      165
Developing Native Android Applications for Google TV      165
Developing Apps for the Amazon Kindle Fire      166
Summary      167
References and More Information      168
Part III: Leveraging Common Android APIs
Chapter 11: Using Android Networking APIs      169
Understanding Mobile Networking Fundamentals      169
Understanding Strict Mode with Networking      170
Accessing the Internet (HTTP)      170
Reading Data from the Web      170
Using HttpURLConnection      171
Parsing XML from the Network      172
Handling Network Operations Asynchronously      174
Retrieving Android Network Status      179
Summary      181
References and More Information      181
Chapter 12: Using Android Web APIs      183
Browsing the Web with WebView      183
Designing a Layout with a WebView Control      184
Loading Content into a WebView Control      184
Adding Features to the WebView Control      186
Managing WebView State      189
Building Web Extensions Using WebKit      190
Browsing the WebKit APIs      190
Extending Web Application Functionality to Android      190
Working with Flash      195
Enabling Flash Applications      195
Building AIR Applications for Android      196
Summary      196
References and More Information      196
Chapter 13: Using Location-Based Services APIs      197
Using Global Positioning Services (GPS)      197
Using GPS Features in Your Applications      198
Determining the Location of the Device      198
Locating Your Emulator      200
Geocoding Locations      200
Mapping Locations      204
Mapping Intents      205
Mapping Views      206
Getting Your Debug API Key      207
Panning the Map View      209
Zooming the Map View      210
Marking the Spot      211
Doing More with Location-Based Services      216
Summary      217
References and More Information      217
Chapter 14: Using Android Multimedia APIs      219
Working with Multimedia      219
Working with the Camera      220
Capturing Still Images Using the Camera      220
Working with Video      229
Working with Face Detection      233
Working with Audio      233
Recording Audio      233
Playing Audio      235
Sharing Audio      236
Searching for Multimedia      236
Working with Ringtones      238
Summary      238
References and More Information      238
Chapter 15: Using Android Telephony APIs      239
Working with Telephony Utilities      239
Gaining Permission to Access Phone State Information      240
Requesting Call State      240
Requesting Service Information      242
Monitoring Signal Strength and Data Connection Speed      243
Working with Phone Numbers      243
Using SMS      244
Gaining Permission to Send and Receive SMS Messages      244
Sending an SMS      245
Receiving an SMS      247
Making and Receiving Phone Calls      248
Making Phone Calls      249
Receiving Phone Calls      251
Working with SIP      251
Summary      251
References and More Information      252
Chapter 16: Accessing Android's Hardware Sensors      253
Interacting with Device Hardware      253
Using the Device Sensors      254
Working with Different Sensors      254
Configuring the Android Manifest File for Sensors      255
Acquiring a Reference to a Sensor      256
Reading Sensor Data      256
Calibrating Sensors      258
Determining Device Orientation      258
Finding True North      258
Monitoring the Battery      258
Summary      261
References and More Information      261
Chapter 17: Using Android's Optional Hardware APIs      263
Working with Bluetooth      263
Checking for the Existence of Bluetooth
Hardware      264
Enabling Bluetooth      264
Querying for Paired Devices      265
Discovering Devices      265
Establishing Connections Between Devices      266
Working with USB      267
Working with USB Accessories      268
Working as a USB Host      269
Working with Android Beam      269
Enabling Android Beam Sending      270
Receiving Android Beam Messages      271
Configuring the Manifest File for Android Beam      272
Working with Wi-Fi      273
Introducing Wi-Fi Direct      273
Monitoring Wi-Fi State      274
Summary      276
References and More Information      276
Part IV: Drawing, Animations, and Graphics Programming with Android
Chapter 18: Developing Android 2D Graphics Applications      279
Drawing on the Screen      279
Working with Canvases and Paints      279
Working with Text      284
Using Default Fonts and Typefaces      284
Using Custom Typefaces      285
Measuring Text Screen Requirements      287
Working with Bitmaps      287
Drawing Bitmap Graphics on a Canvas      287
Scaling Bitmap Graphics      287
Transforming Bitmaps Using Matrixes      287
Working with Shapes      289
Defining Shape Drawables as XML Resources      289
Defining Shape Drawables Programmatically      290
Drawing Different Shapes      291
Leveraging Hardware Acceleration Features      297
Controlling Hardware Acceleration      298
Fine-Tuning Hardware Acceleration      298
Summary      299
References and More Information      299
Chapter 19: Working with Animation      301
Exploring Android's Animation Abilities      301
Working with Frame-by-Frame Animation      302
Working with Tweened Animations      304
Working with Property Animation      309
Working with Different Interpolators      313
Summary      314
References and More Information      314
Chapter 20: Developing Android 3D Graphics Applications      315
Working with OpenGL ES      315
Leveraging OpenGL ES in Android      316
Ensuring Device Compatibility      316
Using OpenGL ES APIs in the Android SDK      317
Handling OpenGL ES Tasks Manually      318
Creating a SurfaceView      318
Starting Your OpenGL ES Thread      319
Initializing EGL      321
Initializing GL      323
Drawing on the Screen      323
Drawing 3D Objects      325
Drawing Your Vertices      325
Coloring Your Vertices      326
Drawing More Complex Objects      327
Lighting Your Scene      329
Texturing Your Objects      331
Interacting with Android Views and Events      333
Enabling the OpenGL Thread to Talk to the Application Thread      333
Enabling the Application Thread to Talk to the OpenGL Thread      335
Cleaning Up OpenGL ES      337
Using GLSurfaceView (Easy OpenGL ES)      337
Using OpenGL ES 2.0      341
Configuring Your Application for OpenGL ES 2.0      341
Requesting an OpenGL ES 2.0 Surface      341
Working with RenderScript      345
Defining RenderScript Functionality      346
Rendering to a Custom View Control      350
Summary      353
References and More Information      353
Chapter 21: Using the Android NDK      355
Determining When to Use the Android NDK      355
Installing the Android NDK      356
Exploring the Android NDK      357
Running an Android NDK Sample Application      357
Creating Your Own NDK Project      357
Calling Native Code from Java      358
Handling Parameters and Return Values      359
Using Exceptions with Native Code      360
Using Native Activities      362
Improving Graphics Performance      362
A Comparison to RenderScript      363
Summary      363
References and More Information      364
Part V: Maximizing Android's Unique Features
Chapter 22: Extending Android Application Reach      365
Enhancing Your Applications      365
Working with App Widgets      366
Creating an App Widget      367
Installing an App Widget      374
Becoming an App Widget Host      375
Working with Live Wallpapers      375
Creating a Live Wallpaper      376
Creating a Live Wallpaper Service      376
Creating a Live Wallpaper Configuration      378
Configuring the Android Manifest File for Live Wallpapers      379
Installing a Live Wallpaper      379
Acting as a Content Type Handler      381
Determining Intent Actions and MIME Types      382
Implementing the Activity to Process the Intents      383
Registering the Intent Filter      384
Summary      384
References and More Information      384
Chapter 23: Enabling Application Search      385
Making Application Content Searchable      385
Enabling Searches in Your Application      386
Enabling Global Search      395
Summary      398
References and More Information      398
Chapter 24: Working with Cloud to Device Messaging      399
An Overview of C2DM      399
Understanding C2DM Message Flow      400
Understanding the Limitations of the C2DM Service      400
Signing Up for C2DM      401
Incorporating C2DM into Your Applications      402
Exploring the C2DM Sample Applications      403
What Alternatives to C2DM Exist?      403
Summary      404
References and More Information      404
Chapter 25: Managing User Accounts and Synchronizing User Data      405
Managing Accounts with the Account Manager      405
Synchronizing Data with Sync Adapters      406
Using Backup Services      407
Choosing a Remote Backup Service      408
Implementing a Backup Agent      409
Backing Up and Restoring Application Data      412
Summary      414
References and More Information      414
Part VI: Advanced Topics in Application Publication and Distribution
Chapter 26: Internationalizing Your Applications      415
Internationalizing Applications      415
Internationalization Using Alternative Resources      416
Implementing Locale Support Programmatically      421
Publishing Applications for Foreign Users      422
Summary      422
References and More Information      422
Chapter 27: An Overview of Third-Party In-App Billing APIs for Android      423
What Is In-App Billing?      423
Using In-App Billing      424
Leveraging Android Market In-App Billing APIs      425
Leveraging Amazon Appstore In-App Billing APIs      426
Leveraging PayPal Billing APIs      426
Leveraging Other Billing APIs      427
Summary      427
References and More Information      427
Chapter 28: Enabling Application Statistics with Google Analytics      429
Creating a Google Account for Analytics      429
Adding the Library to Your Eclipse Project      431
Collecting Data from Your Applications      432
Logging Different Events      432
Using the Google Analytics Dashboard      433
Gathering eCommerce Information      436
Logging eCommerce Events in Your Applications      436
Reviewing eCommerce Reports      437
Tracking Ad and Market Referrals      438
Gathering Statistics      438
Protecting Users' Privacy      439
Summary      439
References and More Information      439
Chapter 29: Protecting Applications from Software Piracy      441
All Applications Are Vulnerable      441
Using Secure Coding Practices      442
Obfuscating with ProGuard      442
Configuring ProGuard for Your Android Applications      443
Dealing with Error Reports After Obfuscation      444
Leveraging the License Verification Library      444
Other Anti-Piracy Tips      445
Summary      446
References and More Information      446
Part VII: Appendices
Appendix A: The Android Debug Bridge Quick-Start Guide      447
Listing Connected Devices and Emulators      447
Directing ADB Commands to Specific Devices      448
Starting and Stopping the ADB Server      448
Stopping the ADB Server Process      448
Starting and Checking the ADB Server Process      448
Listing ADB Commands      448
Issuing Shell Commands      449
Issuing a Single Shell Command      449
Using a Shell Session      449
Using the Shell to Start and Stop the Emulator      450
Copying Files      450
Sending Files to a Device or Emulator      450
Retrieving Files from a Device or Emulator      450
Installing and Uninstalling Applications      451
Installing Applications      451
Reinstalling Applications      451
Uninstalling Applications      452
Working with LogCat Logging      452
Displaying All Log Information      452
Including Date and Time with Log Data      452
Filtering Log Information      453
Clearing the Log      454
Redirecting Log Output to a File      454
Accessing the Secondary Logs      455
Controlling the Backup Service      455
Forcing Backup Operations      455
Forcing Restore Operations      456
Wiping Archived Data      456
Generating Bug Reports   ...

About the author

Lauren Darcey is responsible for the technical leadership and direction of a small software company specializing in mobile technologies, including Android, Apple iOS, Blackberry, Palm Pre, BREW, J2ME, and consulting services. With more than two decades of experience in professional software production, Lauren is a recognized authority in application architecture and the development of commercial-grade mobile applications. Lauren received a B.S. in computer science from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

She spends her free time traveling the world with her geeky mobile-minded husband and daughter. She is an avid nature photographer. Her work has been published in books and newspapers around the world. In South Africa, she dove with 4-meter-long great white sharks and got stuck between a herd of rampaging hippopotami and an irritated bull elephant. She's been attacked by monkeys in Japan, gotten stuck in a ravine with two hungry lions in Kenya, gotten thirsty in Egypt, narrowly avoided a coup d'etat in Thailand, geocached her way through the Swiss Alps, drank her way through the beer halls of Germany, slept in the crumbling castles of Europe, and had her tongue stuck to an iceberg in Iceland (while being watched by a herd of suspicious wild reindeer).

Shane Conder has extensive development experience and has focused his attention on mobile and embedded development for the past decade. He has designed and developed many commercial applications for Android, iOS, BREW, Blackberry, J2ME, Palm, and Windows Mobile--some of which have been installed on millions of phones worldwide. Shane has written extensively about the mobile industry and evaluated mobile development platforms on his tech blogs. He is well-known within the blogosphere. Shane received a B.S. in computer science from the University of California. A self-admitted gadget freak, Shane always has the latest smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. He can often be found fiddling with the latest technologies, such as cloud services and mobile platforms, and other exciting, state-of-the-art technologies that activate the creative part of his brain. He is a very hands-on geek dad. He also enjoys traveling the world with his geeky wife, even if she did make him dive with 4-meter-long great white sharks and almost got him eaten by a lion in Kenya. He admits that he has to take at least two phones with him when backpacking--even though there is no coverage--and that he snickered and whipped out his Android phone to take a picture when Laurie got her tongue stuck to that iceberg in Iceland, and that he is catching on that he should be writing his own bio.

The authors have also published several other Android books, including Android Wireless Application Development, Android Wireless Application Development Volume I: Android Essentials, Sams Teach Yourself Android Application Development, Learning Android Application Programming for the Kindle Fire, and the mini-book Introducing Android Development with Ice Cream Sandwich. Lauren and Shane have also published numerous articles on mobile software development for magazines, technical journals, and online publishers of educational content. You can find dozens of samples of their work in Linux User and Developer, Smart Developer magazine (Linux New Media), developer.com, Network World, Envato (MobileTuts+ and CodeCanyon), and InformIT, among others. They also publish articles of interest to their readers at their own Android website, http://androidbook.blogspot.com.You can find a full list of the authors' publications at http://goo.gl/f0Vlj.

Summary

Android Wireless Application Development has earned a reputation as the most useful real-world guide to building robust, commercial-grade Android apps. Now, authors Lauren Darcey and Shane Conder have systematically revised and updated this guide for the latest Android SDK and tools updates. To accommodate their extensive new coverage, they've split the book into two leaner, cleaner volumes. This Volume II focuses on advanced techniques for the entire app development cycle, including design, coding, testing, debugging, and distribution. Darcey and Conder cover hot topics ranging from tablet development to protecting against piracy and demonstrate advanced techniques for everything from data integration and UI development to in-app billing.
 
Every chapter has been thoroughly updated to reflect the latest SDKs, tools, and devices. The sample code has been completely overhauled and is available for download on a companion website. Drawing on decades of in-the-trenches experience as professional mobile developers, the authors also provide even more tips and best practices for highly efficient development. This new edition covers

• Advanced app design with async processing, services, SQLite databases, content providers, intents, and notifications
• Sophisticated UI development, including input gathering via gestures and voice recognition
• Developing accessible and internationalized mobile apps
• Maximizing integrated search, cloud-based services, and other exclusive Android features
• Leveraging Android 4.0 APIs for networking, web, location services, the camera, telephony, and hardware sensors
• Building richer apps with 2D/3D graphics (OpenGL ES and RenderScript), animation, and the Android NDK
• Tracking app usage patterns with Google Analytics
• Streamlining testing with the Android Debug Bridge

 
This book is an indispensable resource for every intermediate- to advanced-level Java developer now participating in Android development and for every seasoned mobile developer who wants to take full advantage of the newest Android platform and hardware.
 
Also look for: Android Wireless Application Development, Volume I: Android Essentials (ISBN: 9780321813831)

Product details

• Authors: Conder, Shane Conder, Darce, Lauren Darcey
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2012
• No. of pages: 528
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 226 mm x 30 mm
• Weight: 816 g
• Series: Addison-Wesley; Addison-Wesley
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > General, dictionaries