Learn Java for Android Development

Learn Java for Android Development, Third Edition, is an update of a strong selling book that now includes a primer on Android app development (in Chapter 1 and Appendix C, which is distributed in the book’s code archive). This book teaches programmers the essential Java language skills necessary for effectively picking up and using the new Android SDK platform to build mobile, embedded, and even PC apps, especially game apps.

Android development is hot, and many programmers are interested in joining the fun. However, because this technology is based on Java, you should first obtain a solid grasp of the Java language and its APIs in order to improve your chances of succeeding as an effective Android app developer. This book helps you do that.

Each of the book’s 16 chapters provides an exercise section that gives you the opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the chapter’s material. Answers to the book’s more than 700 exercises are provided in an appendix. A second appendix provides a significant game-oriented Java application, which you can convert into an Android app.

Once you complete this one-of-a-kind book written by Jeff Friesen, an expert Java developer and JavaWorld.com columnist, you should be ready to begin your indie or professional Android app development journey.

What youÂ’ll learn

• The Java skills
  necessary for Android development
• The core Java language
  fundamentals
• Classes, objects,
  inheritance, polymorphism, and interfaces
• Advanced Java language
  features (such as generics)
• The basic Java APIs
  necessary for Android (such as the String class and threading)
• The Collections Framework
  for organizing objects
• The Concurrency
  Utilities for simplifying multithreading
• Classic and New I/O
• Networking and database
  access
• Parsing, creating, and
  transforming XML documents
• Additional APIs for
  creating and accessing ZIP and JAR files, and more

Who this book is for

This
book is for any programmer—including existing Java programmers and Objective-C based
iPhone and iPad programmers— of any skill level who needs to obtain a solid
understanding of the Java language and foundational Java APIs before jumping
into Android app development.