Learn Java for Android Development, 3rd Edition

Learn Java for Android Development, 3rd 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 you’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.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Java
Chapter 2: Learning Language Fundamentals
Chapter 3: Discovering Classes and Objects
Chapter 4: Discovering Inheritance, Polymorphism, and Interfaces
Chapter 5: Mastering Advanced Language Features, Part 1
Chapter 6: Mastering Advanced Language Features, Part 2
Chapter 7: Exploring the Basic APIs, Part 1
Chapter 8: Exploring the Basic APIs, Part 2
Chapter 9: Exploring the Collections Framework
Chapter 10: Exploring the Concurrency Utilities
Chapter 11: Performing Classic I/O
Chapter 12: Accessing Networks
Chapter 13: Migrating to New I/O
Chapter 14: Accessing Databases
Chapter 15: Parsing, Creating, and Transforming XML Documents
Chapter 16: Focusing on Odds and Ends
Chapter 17: Solutions to Exercises
Chapter 18: Four of a Kind