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Android App Builder
Must-Read Post
A newbie's guide to Android development
William J. Francis covers Android development basics, such as the necessary tools to get started and a typical project hierarchy.
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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.
Posted by Steve Dryall | May 17, 2013, 4:02 AM PDT
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | May 14, 2013, 11:53 AM PDT
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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.
Posted by Joseph Parker | May 10, 2013, 11:53 PM PDT | Latest comment by radleym
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Android's indeterminate ProgressDialog tutorial
Delve into how to use the Android ProgressDialog class to create a better user experience.
Posted by William J. Francis | May 7, 2013, 1:01 PM PDT
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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.
Posted by Guest Contributor | May 4, 2013, 10:21 PM PDT
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | April 30, 2013, 8:53 AM PDT | Latest comment by authorwjf
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | April 26, 2013, 10:01 AM PDT
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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.
Posted by Joseph Parker | April 23, 2013, 6:47 AM PDT
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | April 16, 2013, 7:41 PM PDT
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What Facebook Home might mean for Android developers and Google
The Facebook Home apps suite has some folks scratching their heads. Here's a brief overview of what it is and an explanation of whether it changes anything for Android developers.
Posted by Joseph Parker | April 6, 2013, 6:31 AM PDT | Latest comment by saranya raj
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Android v. iOS guide for newbies
If you're just starting out in app development and trying to choose between the Android or the iOS SDK, this basic guide might be useful.
Posted by Joseph Parker | April 4, 2013, 11:20 AM PDT | Latest comment by HAL 9000
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Corona Cloud introduces new possibilities for app developers
The launch of the Corona Cloud customizable platform and translator is generating talk about what else is possible with such app development tools.
Posted by Joseph Parker | March 27, 2013, 11:15 AM PDT
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Dissect layouts using Android's Hierarchy View
The next time you see an Android app where the UI really shines consider using Google's ADT Plugin for Eclipse to dissect it.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 26, 2013, 9:43 PM PDT
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 21, 2013, 2:42 AM PDT
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Pros and cons of cross-platform mobile app development tools
If you want to use platforms that allow development for both iOS and Android apps, keep these potential benefits and drawbacks of such tools in mind.
Posted by Joseph Parker | March 15, 2013, 11:58 PM PDT | Latest comment by Cyberience
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A universal back key override for Android SDK
A good example of keeping your target base as broad as possible can be seen when handling the back key. Android developer William J. Francis provides more details in this demo.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 11, 2013, 10:10 PM PDT
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Android Jelly Bean ate my toast
Android app developer William J. Francis bids farewell to his once loyal companion the toast notification. Find out why.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 7, 2013, 11:49 AM PST
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Show a progress bar in your Android app for a better UX
Users expect mobile apps to be responsive, and when nothing happens, they feel frustrated. Learn how to give users a better experience by adding a progress bar to your Android app.
Posted by Tim Mackenzie | March 6, 2013, 11:01 AM PST
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The legal basics of software licensing
Here's an overview of what app developers need to know about copyrights, licensing, and End User License Agreements.
Posted by Guest Contributor | March 1, 2013, 8:00 PM PST
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The ABCs of Android game development: User input
William J. Francis concludes his Android game development series with this tutorial on how to derive input from a user and how to use the input to influence the on-screen action.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 1, 2013, 11:02 AM PST | Latest comment by davidw32
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A quick tutorial on coding Android's accelerometer
The accelerometer is a hardware sensor used to detect a shake motion. William Francis shares the accelerometer code that he uses in his Android apps.
Posted by William J. Francis | September 16, 2011, 11:55 PM PDT
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A newbie's guide to Android development
William J. Francis covers Android development basics, such as the necessary tools to get started and a typical project hierarchy.
Posted by William J. Francis | May 11, 2012, 8:41 PM PDT | Latest comment by karla111
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Calling RESTful services from your Android app
Mobile developer William J. Francis demonstrates how easy it is to consume a RESTful service from your Android device.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 20, 2012, 7:55 AM PDT
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The ABCs of Android game development: Prepare the canvas
In the first installment of his five-part app developer series, William J. Francis creates a drawing surface and a framework for controlling and updating the contents of an Android game.
Posted by William J. Francis | February 2, 2013, 9:52 AM PST | Latest comment by authorwjf
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App store fees, percentages, and payouts: What developers need to know
Every app store takes a cut of a developer's sales. Find out how much of the earnings usually go to the app store and when you can expect a payment.
Posted by Tim Mackenzie | May 7, 2012, 1:03 PM PDT | Latest comment by Andrew Huttle
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Pros and cons of cross-platform mobile app development tools
If you want to use platforms that allow development for both iOS and Android apps, keep these potential benefits and drawbacks of such tools in mind.
Posted by Joseph Parker | March 15, 2013, 11:58 PM PDT | Latest comment by Cyberience
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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.
Posted by Joseph Parker | May 10, 2013, 11:53 PM PDT | Latest comment by radleym
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Project your Android phone's screen onto a larger display
Learn three ways to get your Android phone display onto a large overhead screen so you can show off your killer app during your next demo or presentation.
Posted by William J. Francis | April 18, 2012, 1:18 PM PDT | Latest comment by meister2681
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Use Android's gesture detector to translate a swipe into an event
When developing an Android app, you can use the intuitive Gesture Detector class horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to translate subtle motions into distinct events.
Posted by William J. Francis | August 30, 2012, 1:12 PM PDT
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Android v. iOS guide for newbies
If you're just starting out in app development and trying to choose between the Android or the iOS SDK, this basic guide might be useful.
Posted by Joseph Parker | April 4, 2013, 11:20 AM PDT | Latest comment by HAL 9000
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Show a progress bar in your Android app for a better UX
Users expect mobile apps to be responsive, and when nothing happens, they feel frustrated. Learn how to give users a better experience by adding a progress bar to your Android app.
Posted by Tim Mackenzie | March 6, 2013, 11:01 AM PST
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Get started with Android fragments
After purchasing and using a Sony Tablet S, William J. Francis is sold on the idea of Android fragments. His tutorial shows how to create a functional fragment-based UI.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 14, 2012, 10:18 AM PDT | Latest comment by moberme
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | March 21, 2013, 2:42 AM PDT
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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.
Posted by Joseph Parker | April 23, 2013, 6:47 AM PDT
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Android's SeekBar your way
Learn how to customize the Android UI SeekBar widget by following this tutorial by mobile developer William Francis.
Posted by William J. Francis | February 14, 2012, 1:08 PM PST
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | April 30, 2013, 8:53 AM PDT | Latest comment by authorwjf
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A dog limps into a saloon: A tutorial on Android's ViewFlipper widget
It can be tough to figure out the Android ViewFlipper widget's sliding in and out animation transitions. William Francis explains how to use the widget in your Android apps.
Posted by William J. Francis | November 1, 2011, 2:07 PM PDT
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | July 3, 2012, 3:01 PM PDT
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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.
Posted by William J. Francis | October 11, 2012, 11:17 AM PDT
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Four Android development platforms that will change your life
If you're ready to branch out into Android and build amazing apps, these platforms will save you hours of development work.
Posted by Grady Winston | August 27, 2012, 12:39 PM PDT | Latest comment by authorwjf
