Learn Java for Android Development

I purchased this book a couple of months ago and have found it to be an excellently written manual for learning Java development in order to begin learning Android development. I will admit I thought it would focus a bit more on the Android end of things, however that does not, in my opinion, dimnish its usefulness or value to have focused on Java development with an eye to preparation for Android development.Learn Java for Android Development, while written well and packed with the info you'll need, is a throwback in writing style to technical manuals of yore. While I learn best, personally, from this type of style, I did want to drop a line for those who prefer more conversational learning with more "everything is spelled out plainly, you can eat for the evening"-type writing, that this is written as a much more "you are a smart guy, let me provide everything you need and explain how to fish"-type book.As such, I found it extremely useful as a lower-skilled/somewhat-newer programmer to have, and take my understanding of development (and Java) to a level I feel I can begin learning and developing my Android development skills. Just don't go in expecting a "Head First" kind of book, and knowing what the aim of the book is (to provide Java development skills for learning Android development subsequently). In its actual target area, it is a great success.

Other than some brief mentions of Android, this is a basic text bookon Java and does little to tie it into Android policies and strategyfor using Java. For example, I don't recall seeing any example codeusing Android specific APIs.Look elsewhere for a beginners introduction to abstract classes and methods.It is covered only a few pages, and too terse for a beginner comprehend.Consider an example (Listing 3-22) that introduces extending a class with noexplanation of the syntax. Too much is left for the beginner to figure outfrom studying the listing.Since this is fundamental to any large system (like Android), it laysa poor foundation for the rest of the book.

This is an acceptable book to use for learning Java for an experienced programmer.Notes:* The approach is to throw concept after concept at the reader.* Is not Android-specific. This book is about the Java language and fundamental frameworks.Pros:* Contains a lot of material* Author knows his subject wellCons:* Does not build up the reader's knowledge in a systematic, organized way.* Does not spend time on teaching concepts behind the language and framework features being discussed. nor putting them in context.* Could have been better targeted to Android development. E.g., there are several call-outs that discuss features specific to Java version 5... but what versions of Java are commonly available on Andriod devices? It might have been better to also let us know, e.g., which Java versions were associated with which versions of Android.

I recently was required to write some Android applications for my company and as such needed to brush up on Java. I think the last time that I did this was at university in CS I and II; anyway, I have found this book to be extremely helpful and complete. There have been some reviews that state this book is 'misleading'; which is hard to understand since the title of the book clearly states that this is a book that focuses on Java so that you may do Android development later. The author is obviously very knowledgeable about the subject matter and expresses ideas in a very clear way. I keep this book with me whenever I am doing any Android development mostly as a reference. I did work through the book when I first bought it from cover-to-cover as a refresher and found it to be enormously helpful.Highly recommend for anyone that is going to be doing any serious Java development, whether it be Android or otherwise.You Rock, JavaJeff!

I studied this book and feeling good about it. specially the Tips given in this book is excellent. Indeed, Good book.

I was going to write a long detailed review but I think all the positive comments cover it very well. As a 10 year programmer in Mainframe and Microsoft languages I am new to Java and the Mobile development environment (which I'm eager to dive into). I'm the type of person who likes to deep dive into those subjects I love. i.e. programming languages which are well thought out (hence my desire to move away from Microsoft). I digress. I've always been a big fan of Wrox and Apress books. I have to say that this book delivers exactly what it promises. It is packed full of knowledge for those who want it. A must have in my opinion if this is the sort of thing you want to get into. Peace out and happy coding.

Not for beginners to say the least, this book is a complex introduction to Java and barely mentions anything specific about Android. The only thing you will learn is that he advises you that Android uses Eclipse. That aside, the links to his web site are invalid and you cannot donwload the extra chapters or source code. Very sad book. You are better off getting a book which teaches raw java in a structured manner.

I wanted a book explaining how to make programs for ANDROID devices. With the book title you've managed to fool me. Congratulations! . As well I could have written a book (>600 pages) with a title "HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS IN STOCK MARKET USING MATHEMATICS"- Then I could tell about summing (with lots of examples) subtracion (with lots of examples) multiplication etc.. , Regression analysis, Time series analysis ( with lots of ex... (you can guess the rest)- Afterwards I could explain that all this knowledge is necessary if you want to make millions in stock market.