Android App Builder
Android App Builder provides invaluable advice, tips, and tutorials for mobile app developers who are coding, packaging, and marketing top-notch apps for today's cutting edge smartphones and tablets.
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Guide clients to balance trade-offs in app development priorities
Get tips on helping customers make feature requests and prioritization decisions that support the development team in building the best app possible.
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Using Google's YouTube API in your Android apps
Explore how to embed YouTube videos in your Android apps using Google's new API.
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Long-term results v. the quick fix in app development
Tim Mackenzie offers mobile developers pointers on when to focus on long-term results for an app and when to opt for the quick fix.
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Why Android Studio looks very promising (a hands-on review)
After using the Android Studio Early Access Preview for 48 hours, William J. Francis walks you through the install, some surprises he encountered, and more.
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Unit testing Android apps is easy with Robolectric
Robolectric unit tests can verify expected application behavior, saving you the trouble of deploying your Android app to a device or an emulator.
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Android AsyncTask behavior changes you should know
Beginning with Honeycomb, Android changed how it's running the AsyncTasks. Read about a simple fix that preserves the old behavior.
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How app developers can get their pots of gold
There are more ways than ever to create and consume content. This is good news for software developers, who now have even more opportunities to strike it rich.
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Use Android's AlarmManager to schedule an event
This app development tutorial is the most basic implementation of the powerful Android AlarmManager class.
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Samsung Galaxy S4 stirs questions about Android customization
Can the Android OS be so customizable through fragmentation and app development that it ceases to be Android? Let us know what you think.
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Android's indeterminate ProgressDialog tutorial
Delve into how to use the Android ProgressDialog class to create a better user experience.
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Ways to make your Android app stand out on Google Play
Here are basic tricks for priming the market before the release of your Android app on Google Play and then for optimizing its presence on the app store once it's ready to download.
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Android Jelly Bean ate my toast, the sequel: Revenge of the toast
If you miss toast messages in Android 4.2, follow this tutorial to learn how to create your own.
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Use Google Play badges to promote your Android apps
Learn an easy and free way to advertise your Android app that's in Google Play by following the steps in this quick tip.
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Four cloud tools to use for app development
Cloud integrations in app development are becoming more prevalent. If you don't know where to start in terms of tools, read these recommendations.
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Use Android's chronometer timer widget for your apps
Look at this demonstration of Android's chronometer widget, and see if it's the right tool for the job.
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Using Google's YouTube API in your Android apps
Explore how to embed YouTube videos in your Android apps using Google's new API.
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Working with Android's PopupMenu class
Android's PopupMenu widget takes all of the heavy lifting out of adding popup-like menu functionality in your apps. Here are the basics about PopupMenu.
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Use Gson to work with JSON in your Android apps
In this Android tutorial, William J. Francis uses Gson to build up a standard Java entity and flatten it into JSON.
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Integrate Facebook logins in your Android app
Kyle Miller provides mobile developers with instructions on how to integrate Facebook logins into their Android applications.
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Export SQLite data from your Android device
If you need to debug SQLite tables on an Android device, here is how to create an export function that copies the database to the SD card.
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Bouncing a ball on Android's canvas
Enterprise app developer William J. Francis has fun with Android's animation classes in his bouncing ball tutorial.
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Why Android Studio looks very promising (a hands-on review)
After using the Android Studio Early Access Preview for 48 hours, William J. Francis walks you through the install, some surprises he encountered, and more.
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Programming with the Android 4.0 Calendar API: the good, the bad, and the ugly
The Android 4.0 CalendarContact class is a welcome and long overdue addition to your programming arsenal. This tutorial is a brief introduction to the class.
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Cross-platform vs. native development: Corona SDK
William J. Francis lists some pros and cons about using Corona SDK for app developers who might consider using the cross-platform technology for a project.
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How to send a text message from within your Android app
Get the word out about your Android app by sending a text message within the application. Here's how to do just with the help of the Android SmsManager class.
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Use Android's chronometer timer widget for your apps
Look at this demonstration of Android's chronometer widget, and see if it's the right tool for the job.
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Android AsyncTask behavior changes you should know
Beginning with Honeycomb, Android changed how it's running the AsyncTasks. Read about a simple fix that preserves the old behavior.
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The ABCs of Android game development: Animate sprites
In the third installment of his five-part app developer series, William J. Francis walks through how to use both kinds of sprite animation when developing this Android game.
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Android's camera intent makes taking pics a snap
Learn how to fire up Android's built-in camera app from within your own program and return the resulting picture.
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Unit testing Android apps is easy with Robolectric
Robolectric unit tests can verify expected application behavior, saving you the trouble of deploying your Android app to a device or an emulator.