How to Program Google Android

Written on 12:19 PM by ChaoticMedia

By Reto Meier

So you saw the Android announcement and decided you wanted a piece of that US$10million in prize money huh? In the week since the SDK was released more than 4,300 people have joined the Android support forum posting more than 4,000 messages between them. Robert Scoble doesn't know a single developer playing with Android – perhaps Scoble doesn't hang around with many developers?

I wanted to give the SDK a good work-out so my application uses the GPS, the address book, and has a map.

The only way to judge an SDK is getting in there and writing an application that does something cool, so I'll take you through the development process for my first Android application: Where Are My Friends?

WamF shows how far away you are right now from all the people in your address book, plots you and them on a map, and draws lines between you and any friends nearby.

WamF is pretty simple but it makes use of some of the more interesting features of Android – Location Based Information (GPS etc), maps, the contacts manager, and the phone dialer. Total development time from hitting Download on the SDK page was about 14 hours (spread over two mornings and evenings). My Android development is in Windows with Eclipse using the plugin, so I will assume you're doing the same.

Before I get started here's a bit on my background. I've mentioned before that I'm a C# .NET desktop applications developer in my real life. It's been almost 10 years since I've done anything with Java and I've never done any mobile phone development. With Android I develop in Windows with Eclipse using the Android plugin.

Let's start by downloading Eclipse and unzipping it into a new folder. Then download the Android SDK and unzip that into another new folder. Open Eclipse and create a new workspace for Android development.

Install the Android Plugin by selecting Help > Software Updates > Find and Install..., and in the dialog box choose Search for new Features to install. Select New Remote Site and enter https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/. into the dialog box. Hit OK and accept all the prompts until it's installed. Restart Eclipse and you're almost ready to rock.

http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2007-11-19-n27.html

Posted in gadgets |

If you enjoyed this post Subscribe to our feed