Mobile devices have evolved to focus on rich media production and consumption. Developers of mobile applications are able to create applications that allow people to play, capture, and share media in a variety of new ways on mobile devices. The popularity of Android has soared in part because the platform offers developers a rich set of capabilities including access to media capturing and playback functions. Pro Android Media provides concise and clear instruction on how to utilize the media APIs made available through Android to create dynamic apps. It takes you from a simple means to gain access to the camera to complex video capture and sharing examples. It also covers sound, graphics, painting, and more—everything you need to make your app come "alive." After reading this book, the app you create will showcase the best of multimedia that Android has to offer.

Pro Android 4 shows you how to build real-world and fun mobile apps using the new Android SDK 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which unifies Gingerbread for smartphones, Honeycomb for tablets and augments further with Google TV and more. This Android 4 book updates the best selling Pro Android 3 and covers everything from the fundamentals of building apps for embedded devices, smartphones, and tablets to advanced concepts such as custom 3D components, multi-tasking, sensors/augmented reality, better accessories support and much more. Using the tutorials and expert advice, you'll quickly be able to build cool mobile apps and run them on dozens of Android-based smartphones. You'll explore and use the Android APIs, including those for media and sensors. And you'll check out what's new with Android 4, including the improved user interface across all Android platforms, integration with services, and more. After reading this definitive tutorial and reference, you gain the knowledge and experience to create stunning, cutting-edge Android 4 apps that can make you money, while keeping you agile enough to respond to changes in the future.

The comprehensive developer guide to the latest Android featuresand capabilities Professional Android, 4th Edition shows developers how toleverage the latest features of Android to create robust andcompelling mobile apps. This hands-on approach provides in-depthcoverage through a series of projects, each introducing a newAndroid platform feature and highlighting the techniques and bestpractices that exploit its utmost functionality. The exercisesbegin simply, and gradually build into advanced Androiddevelopment. Clear, concise examples show you how to quicklyconstruct real-world mobile applications. This book is your guide to smart, efficient, effective Androiddevelopment. Learn the best practices that get more out of Android Understand the anatomy, lifecycle, and UI metaphor of Androidapps Design for all mobile platforms, including tablets Utilize both the Android framework and Google Playservices

Developing applications for Android and other mobile devices using web technologies is now well within reach. When the capabilities of HTML5 are combined with CSS3 and JavaScript, web application developers have an opportunity to develop compelling mobile applications using familiar tools. Not only is it possible to build mobile web apps that feel as good as native apps, but to also write an application once and have it run a variety of different devices. While the HTML5 specification is still evolving, there is a lot that can be used right now to build mobile web apps. Mobile web apps are now starting to provide many of the features that were once only available to native-language-based apps in Java, Objective-C, etc. Pro Android Web Apps teaches developers already familiar with web application development, how to code and structure a web app for use on the Android mobile platform. Understand both the why and how of mobile web app development, focusing on the Android platform. Learn how to structure mobile web apps through a number of practical, real-world application examples. Discover what cloud platforms such as Google AppEngine have to offer Android web apps, for both hosting web apps and providing device to cloud data synchronization solutions. Get a real picture of the status of HTML5 on Android and other mobile devices, including some things to watch out for when building your own applications. Understand the capabilities of the web application stack, and how to complement those with native bridging frameworks such as PhoneGap to access native features of the device. Gain an understanding of the different UI frameworks that are available for building mobile web apps. Learn how to include mapping and leverage location-based services in mobile web apps to create engaging mobile experiences. Enable social integration with your Android web app and gain access to millions of potential users. After reading this book, you will not only have a greater understanding of the world of web apps on Android, but also how to leverage additional tools and frameworks to increase the reach of your mobile web apps. Additionally, through the practical samples in the book you will have been given solid exposure of where both the opportunities and challenges lie when building mobile apps the web way.

Pro Android 3 starts with the basics, giving you a firm foundation in Android development. It then builds on this foundation to teach you how to build real-world and fun mobile applications using the new Android 3.0 SDK. This book covers advanced concepts in detail including maps, geocoding, services, live folders, drag and drop, touchscreens, and the new Android 3.0 features: fragments and ActionBar. Pro Android 3 is uniquely comprehensive: it covers sensors, text to speech, OpenGL, live widgets, search, and the audio and video APIs. Using the code-heavy tutorials and expert advice, you'll quickly be able to build cool mobile apps and run them on dozens of Android-based smartphones. You'll explore and use the Android APIs, including those for media, sensors, and long-running services. And you'll check out what's new with Android 3.0, including the improved UI across all Android platforms, drag and drop, fragment dialogs, and more, giving you the knowledge to create stunning, cutting-edge apps, while keeping you agile enough to respond to changes in the future.

Augmented reality (AR) offers a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment, where the elements and surroundings are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as graphics and GPS data. It makes a game more real. Your social media app puts you where want to be or go. Pro Android Augmented Reality walks you through the foundations of building an augmented reality application. From using various software and Android hardware sensors, such as an accelerometer or a magnetometer (compass), you'll learn the building blocks of augmented reality for both marker- and location-based apps. Case studies are included in this one-of-a-kind book, which pairs nicely with other Android development books. After reading Pro Android Augmented Reality, you'll be able to build augmented reality rich media apps or integrate all the best augmented reality into your favorite Android smartphone and/or tablet.

Pro Android Graphics is a comprehensive goldmine of knowledge and techniques that will help you design, create, and optimize 2D graphics for use in your Android Jelly Bean applications. Android application developer and expert multimedia producer Wallace Jackson of Mind Taffy Design shows you how to leverage Android's powerful graphics APIs in conjunction with professional open source graphics design tools such as GIMP 2.8.6 and more. You’ll learn about: The foundational graphics concepts behind the three core new media areas (digital imaging, digital video, and 2D animation) which relate to graphics design, and how to optimize these new media assets for your Android applications across iTVs, tablets, eReaders, game consoles, and smartphones. Digital imaging techniques for Android apps design, including graphics design layouts and graphical user interface elements, and how to use image compositing techniques to take your digital imaging to far higher levels. Advanced image compositing and blending techniques, using Android’s PorterDuff, NinePatch, and LayerDrawable classes. Advanced 2D animation techniques, using Android’s Animation and AnimationDrawable classes. Digital video optimization, playback, and streaming, using open source 3D (Terragen 3) and video (VirtualDub) applications, as well as professional video editing applications such as Squeeze Pro 9. You’ll use these software packages with Android’s VideoView and MediaPlayer classes, and add compositing to enhance your end-users’ digital video experience.