This book is a great choice for those who really do not know anything about Android application development and are willing to learn the basics. Throughout the 16 chapters, the author leads the reader step by step from “an absolute beginner status to a solid intermediate level.” The beginning of the book is informative and comprises the history of Android’s creation, its acquisition by Google, and its several versions. Even the latest version, 5.0, which is still in beta, is covered. Then, the author invites the reader to download and install the needed tools, starting with the Android development environment (Android Developer Tools (ADT) bundle), followed by Gimp (image editor), the Pencil project (interface prototype), and Audacity (audio edition). Several screen shots help the reader avoid getting lost. On the other hand, the reader needs to be attentive, as the step-by-step instructions and the screen shots can become outdated as new versions of the software appear. The author also explains how to configure the environment (again, with several screen shots) and gives a great idea of what the reader will learn, along with an overview of the content of each of the remaining 14 chapters of the book, which become more complex as the reader advances through the steps.

The third chapter covers how to build the first Android app. The author explains the basic concepts behind the Android technology, including terminology such as embedded operational system, source code, open source, and open community. He even explains how to use Gimp to build an icon for the app.

The author then explores the basics of two underlying technologies in depth, each one with its own chapter: Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Java. Their concepts are presented, along with examples on how they are used within the Android platform and how to use them to achieve some common tasks in app development, such as designing menus and editing styles. Sometimes the chapters can be a little dense; absolute beginners will probably not absorb everything, but at least they will be introduced to some terms and concepts.

Next, the author details some specific elements of the Android technology, covering screen design (activities, views, and layouts), interaction elements (intents, events, and menus), graphic design, image manipulation, animations, video, audio, threads, content providers, and interacting with wearable devices. Throughout the chapters, the author builds a simple application.

Teaching an absolute beginner to develop an Android app is really a challenge because the number of technologies involved is huge. But the author does a great job of presenting the basic notions behind the primary technologies involved. By the end of this book, readers cannot be considered full developers, which demands a great deal of dedication and study; however, they will be ready to discover the wonders of this dynamic world of application development and go more in depth, learning on demand what they need.

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