Beginning Android Wearables

Although wearable devices have existed since the 70s, they have only recently become mainstream. Google Glass and Android Wear smartwatches, in particular, are relatively new devices that provide countless opportunities for creating innovative apps with unprecedented user experiences. Beginning Android Wearables gives you the skills you need to take part in the wearable revolution and to delight your users by providing the information they need at the tips of their fingers.

This book is very practical and contains many examples that not only show you how to write code for Glass and Android Wear, but also demonstrate how to apply this code in the context of an app.

What you’ll learn

• Build notifications for handheld apps that are automatically shared with Glass or Android Wear, and learn to customize these notifications specifically for wearables
• Create apps that run directly on Android Wear devices and leverage the Android Wear SDK
• Use the wearable UI library to build effective user interfaces for Android Wear
• Use the wearable data layer API to share and synchronize data between a handheld device and Android Wear
• Build custom watch faces for Android Wear
• Build Glassware (that is, apps for Glass) using the Glass Development Kit (GDK)
• Use the views and widgets of the GDK to build effective user interfaces for Glass
• Receive user input on Glass with touchpad gestures, head gestures, and voice recognition
• Take pictures and record videos on Glass by either leveraging the native camera app or with the Camera API
• Utilize location providers and orientation sensors to build contextually sensitive apps

Who this book is for

This book only requires basic knowledge of Android programming. Prior to this book, you should have read or are at least comfortable with Android after using Apress tutorials, Android Apps for Absolute Beginners or Beginning Android

Table of Contents

Part I – Introduction
Chapter 1. Introducing Android Wearables

Part II – Notifications
Chapter 2. Reviewing Notifications for Android
Chapter 3. Customizing Notifications for Wearables

Part III – Android Wear
Chapter 4. Running Apps Directly on Android Wear
Chapter 5. Android Wear UI Essentials
Chapter 6. The Wearable Data Layer API
Chapter 7. Creating Custom Watch Faces

Part IV – Google Glass
Chapter 8. Running Apps Directly on Glass
Chapter 9. Glass User Interface Essentials
Chapter 10. Voice and Input
Chapter 11. The Camera: Taking Pictures and Recording Video

Part V – Android Wear and Glass
Chapter 12. Location and Orientation