Android Basics - global4app

Android: Frequently asked questions

The New Year is fast approaching, and as such, The Genius Web Media is excited to be taking on new endeavors and offering new services to clients looking to expand their audience and customers bases on mobile platforms. GeniusDroid, is a sister company being established for the purposes of creating Android applications, and because such a huge demand for app development exists, we’ll be actively seeking out web and app developers from Toronto and abroad who wish to be a part of our growing development team. For those of you who are interested in becoming Android developers, but perhaps, lack the necessary skills and know-how to do it, start jotting down those amazing and innovative app ideas, and consider using some of the available tools and resources listed below to start your journey.

The first tool you’re going to want to familiarize yourself with is the Android Software Development Kit (SDK). The kit is actually a collection of tools that can be divided into two “integrated development environments” (IDE) which, according to Eric Ravenscraft ofLifehacker, can be described as a program that enables you to both write code and assemble your app by allowing you to edit and organize the various files of your app, manage the packages and supporting libraries you app will need, and test it out on real devices or emulators.

The primary IDE for many developers up to this point was called “Eclipse,” which enabled the user to modify Java and XML files. The second program, with version 1.0 recently released by Google, is called called Android Studio, software that was first announced at Google I/O in 2013. The software kit is now being referred to by Google employees as the now “official IDE” of Android, having ended support and compatibility with Eclipse. The Android Studio version 1.0 kit had some recent updates to go along with its official release, including, an installer that sets up the correct Android SDK and a development environment with an optimized emulator and a set of code templates, “Dynamic Layout Preview”, that enables the user to see and edit (via drag & drop) how their mobile app appears on multiple devices and across API versions, integration with the Google Cloud Platform, and many others.

Even with the proper Android development kit in tow, there’s no way around, you’ll need to learn JavaScript, and have a pretty healthy grasp of it. For many developers in the know, Java is widely considered one of the easier object-oriented programming languages to learn, but for those of us who might be inept at coding languages, there are a few online courses that are ideal for novices and beginners. The first is another official Google release, an 8 week Android training course released through the online education service Udacity. The course is great, in that, it walks you through all of Android’s important SDKs, guiding you through the process of building a rudimentary Weather application. Vogella is another resource worth mentioning, provides premium Eclipse, Android and Git training and development support, containing a wealth of free tutorials covering a variety of subjects.

Android is an operating system for smartphones and tablets. Depending on the age and manufacturer of your device, you may or may not have the most recent version. Below are some tips to help you understand the differences.

What is the most recent version of Android?

The most recent version of Android is 5.0 Lollipop, which was released in November 2014. To learn more, visit Android History at the official Android website.

How can I tell which version I have?

The steps for checking your version vary depending on your device (sometimes depending on your version, believe it or not!). Below are general instructions that should work for most Android devices.

Open your device's settings.
Look for an option that says About Device, About Phone, or something similar.
Find your Android version on the list of specifications.

How do I get the most recent version?

The most recent compatible version will be sent to your device automatically whenever there's an update or new release. All you have to do is accept, and your device will take care of the rest. If you have an older phone or tablet, you may not be able to upgrade to the latest version.

What are the differences between versions?

Sometimes the differences are purely cosmetic; sometimes they can affect your device in more important ways. Below are just a few examples of things that might be different from version to version:

Icons, screen layout, and other visual elements
New apps or features
Changes to existing features
"Hidden" improvements that may boost your device's performance