Head First Android Development

Head First Series

by Jonathan Simon

Android devices are stealing market share from the iPhone with dramatic speed, and you have a killer app idea. Where to begin? Head First Android Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time with the Android SDK and Eclipse plug-in. You'll learn how to design for devices with a variety of different screen sizes and resolutions, along with mastering core programming and design principles that will make your app stand out.

Whether you're a seasoned iPhone developer who wants to jump into the the Android Market, or someone with previous programming skills but no mobile apps in your resume, this book offers a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling Android applications.

You'll learn how to:


Install the Android SDK and Eclipse plug-in and get started building apps
Add buttons, edit text fields, and build your own navigation options in the Android menu
Customize the look of your app with theming and adding image resources
Use Android's content provider mechanism to add images and contact information to an app, and establish permissions for their use
Work with the Android devices' camera, GPS, and accelerometer
Experiment with different Android emulator configurations to simulate different devices with a variety of screen sizes
Optimize, test, and distribute your application in the Android MarketWe think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First Android Development uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Genres: Programming, Computer Science, Technical, Technology, Software, Coding, Reference

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

I'm Jonathan Simon, author of CODE RED: Computerized Election Theft And The New American Century, co-founder and currently Executive Director of Election Defense Alliance (www.ElectionDefenseAlliance.org), a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to restore observable vote counting and electoral integrity as the foundation of American democracy.

I have expertise in polling and statistical analysis derived from my time as a political survey research analyst in Washington, DC. I've also authored, both individually and in collaboration, numerous papers related to various aspects of election integrity. I've been active in election integrity efforts since 2001, appearing in several election integrity-related films, as an interviewee on several dozen live programs, and tweeting @JonathanSimon14.

I'm a graduate of Harvard College ('78), New York University School of Law ('86), and New York Chiropractic College ('90). I am admitted to the Bar of Massachusetts, hold membership in the legal honor society Order of the Coif, and since 1993 have directed an interdisciplinary healthcare facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Quinn Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great introduction to Android, in the form of an intensive course.

For those who work best in educational scenarios, like training courses, this will be perfect. It gave me all the skills I needed to get a prototype app built with no previous Android knowledge at all.

Beware: it assumes you know Java well. If you know another OO language and are comfortable with things like interfaces, it will not be too difficult.

My one criticism is that it is very badly formatted for Kindle. The "table of contents" includes every heading, even the very lowest-level ones, making it very hard to navigate. The "exercise on one page, answer on the next page" thing doesn't work right either. It could do with someone really fixing it up for those devices.

[Mohammad Sadegh Rasooli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, easy to replicate their experiments, accessible code from Github, very intuitive. The only minor problems are: 1) some parts of the book are outdated given the new versions of Android Studio, and 2) it does not cover some advanced concepts.

[Chris Dziewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a fairly good introduction but it may have been a bit too basic. Even though this book is a little outdated, I was able to make everything work and only had to change things here and there. I was a little disappointed in the lack of a third-party API integration as this is a common app requirement. Also, the material design chapter didn't actually talk much about material design. I did, however, like the coverage of SQLite databases and the RecyclerList. Overall, the book is best used for getting a taste of Android Development.

[Tigran Ghardashyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a decent introduction to the Android development. In fact this one was the easiest tech books I'd ever read. All the topics present in it were covered more or less thoroughly and in a fun way. Of course preliminary Java knowledge is required to fully understand what's going on. And obviously not all things were covered. As authors write: "we really wanted to give you a book you’d be able to lift without extensive training at the local gym". So to go pro you'll need to extensively refer to the Android documentation and this book just makes the whole process much easier.

P.S. This is the first review I've ever written in English. Despite that, I've read this book in Russian. I've grabbed it in the local store, and it was a very impulsive acquisition. On the translation I can say it is surprisingly decent.

[Dita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Untuk pemula dalam hal android development, menurut saya buku ini sangat bagus. Buku ini membuat kita mengerti konsep dari development android secara pelan-pelan, dan tidak langsung. Apalagi ditambah beberapa latihan, dan projek-projek yang harus diselesaikan. Hal-hal semacam itu, membuat para pemula seperti saya dapat mengerti lebih banyak tentang membuat aplikasi yang benar-benar bisa dipakai, walaupun mungkin pertama akan dipakai diri sendiri dulu.

Although this book in English, my review still in Bahasa Indonesia :D

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Book on Android Studio

Looking to develop your Android app-building skills? Look no further than this!
This book is truly the best of the best when it comes to learning Android Studio.

Griffiths is an exceptional author, and the Head First series is one of the most effective ways to learn a new skill. The book is chock-full of helpful code snippets, along with an iterative development process that helps you build some really cool tools and coding projects.

The lessons are delivered in a way that is easy to understand and follow, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their Android development skills.

Android Studio can be notoriously confusing, but this book breaks down everything you need to know in a clear and concise manner.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their Android development skills.
It's truly an invaluable resource that helped me a lot.

4.7/5

[Vaiva Ignatavičiūtė · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was such a amazing book. It was my first book when I started to learn android development which was chosen by my teacher, he told us it was the best book out there. It is perfect for beginners, super easily explained core concepts of android development and some of the basic architecture of android studio. However this book did not cover much of extra and advanced functionality, it is only for core concepts to get you on track. Also the authors of this book expect you to know Java language, but I was newbie at Java and I found an amazingly well explained and guided code examples, if you are familiar with OOP the examples it will be piece of cake for you :) Highly recommended!

[Dmytro Turskyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that book is a bright example of technical literature that is really useful and easy to understand.
Even though I read the edition of 2015, and it had quite a lot of outdated approaches, more important is the way of authors deliver the material, it makes it easy to migrate all received knowledge from the book to real practice with minor corrections.
This book covers only fairly the basics of the starting point of the path to advanced android development, but the knowledge it gives makes it a nice and solid foundation for further education.

[Mihai Claudiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book as a recommendation from my university hub, last year when I started Android Development. As a person who usually follows online tutorials for learning to code, this book exceeded my expectations. After finishing it, my Android Developments module assignment was a piece of cake. It expects the reader to have some Java knowledge already or at least some OOP concepts.

[Till Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comments: As the Head First series always is, this book is a fun yet comprehensive guide for Android or even mobile development. It piqued me interest and inspired me to explore more about the world of mobile development.
Recommended for:
Anyone who's new to Android or mobile development.

[Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4*

Sách nhà Head First thì chẳng bao giờ làm ta cảm thấy nhàm chán khi đọc cả.
Trình bày như một quyển vở. Mình khá thích cách trình bày kiểu sketchote.
Sách dành cho người mới bắt đầu, rất dễ đọc và dễ theo dõi.
Tuy nhiên thì không phải việc đọc và hiểu là có thể viết mã được. :)

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! This book gives a good insight to Android development and is an easy read for beginners. Highly recommend to anyone starting Android development

[Waiyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

blabla

[Amr Hesham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for beginners

[Abdul Wahid · Rating 4 out of 5]

if someone wants to really understand android programming basics than this is the book....

[Roger Contreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed learning quickly how develop android mobile apps, this book was helpful.
Is a book easy reading, with many graphics than facilitates the understanding.

[Rick Noriega · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the head first style of introducing a new field. It is definitely an introductory text. Those wanting something more in depth should look elsewhere.

[Tanmay Jha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book for beginners.

[Tushar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a beginner to Android and you know some Java concepts then this book is definitely for you. It starts with the very basic concepts of Android, from downloading and installing Android Studio and takes you through the concepts like Activity, Layout, Intents, Sqlite database, etc. This book doesn't cover Google maps. There are also projects in this book. This book covers Android Studio 2.3 but you can work with this book using Android Studio 3.2 and above as I have also worked with this book using Android Studio 3.2. I really liked the book.

[Nguyễn Hữu Dũng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Done.

[Andy]

I really enjoyed this one. The writing is VERY brain friendly and coupled with the fact I have studied Android development on Google Developer website, and a course taught in Java years ago, it was very approachable. The techniques the book uses to teach you the concepts allowed me to more easily remember the concepts. I was able to use it as a means to change my career from a highly regarded and senior Test Engineer, into a role as a Mobile Engineer for the same company as the previously mentioned role. It has been 6 months since that transition and I am able to tackle projects with less help over time. I am able to apply the concepts from the book in a professional setting and look forward to the future of my career. I also look forward to reading more books in this series, such as finishing Design Patterns.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format of the chapters is very nice. In each chapter, the authors outline what they want to do, discuss how they will do it, and walk through the implementation. Each chapter built well on the previous chapters and the progression felt about right.

As you go through each chapter there are multiple times where you could run the application (if you're coding along with them). In other tech books I've tried, you go through the whole chapter before you can run your application, only to find that you made a big error early on and nothing works. So I appreciate having the mid-chapter check ins.

It is a great start for Android development. I do wish there was some more discussion about "what's next." Maybe give resources for more advanced topics.

[Katie Rhue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for someone who has a handle of basic Java and is interesting in programming for Android. I had a good understanding of Java and HTML going into this book which helped me, but even without experience with a markup language, the XML code is fairly easy to pick up, especially since Android Studio is happy to complete most of your statements for you. As a spring board to get started, I think it was excellent and presented in an entertaining manner that improved my information retention. My only complaint is that some of the code I ran into was depreciated.

[Aadam · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the great technical book I ever read, which wasn't boring. I like the way they teach by first showing the problem and then explaining why that occurred and what to do to solve it. This book explains complex concepts with ease. I really enjoyed, although I read it too fast, because of a project that I have to do and the time sensitivity. Will read it again someday later to better understand some concepts.

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book to help me through a course I am taking on mobile development. I enjoyed reading through it and learned a lot about android programming. A lot of the solutions seem fairly clunky and I'm sure that there are much better ways to handle things, but this book provides a very good starting point.

[Davide Finardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

great start for a first grasp on android. I read also other introductory books, but this one provides consistent background and solid explanations to the topics proposed; other books instead had less structured approach. Never impossible, the approach is incremental with a gentle learning curve at least up to chapter 9. Good book, great reading: 4/5 stars, all deserved!

[Devansh Maurya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book. Covers various basic aspects of Android Development but also leaves out a lot.
A good book to start with if you are a beginner and no almost nothing about Android development. But be sure to follow up with some other course or any other learning resource if you want to learn good Android development.

[Pradeep Annadurai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, Surely the best book for the beginners. I had learnt so much with this book, as I was a beginner and self-learner while bought this book. I had bought the digital version from Amazon. But it won't cover all things of android development. It will give you a basic knowledge of Android and can help you develop basic offline apps.

[Mark Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book, little to heavy on the GUI stuff. and only describes GUI configurations with XML. Would like to see a little more services stuff and some WYSIWUG instructions for Android Studio. Good job at start up and shut down sequences and what goes where.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suitable for beginners