Best Book to Learn Android Development

[Cs342]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for books I could use to learn Android development from scratch. Thanks!

[HatsuneMilku]

2 minutes ago, Cs342 said:

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for books I could use to learn Android development from scratch. Thanks!

Honestly with programming I found it really difficult to learn off a book since android language and interface changes all the time. If you've already finished the Android tutorial given on the site. Have a look at some stack exchange pages, that's where I learnt most of my stuff.

[Cs342]

Just now, HatsuneMilku said:

Honestly with programming I found it really difficult to learn off a book since android language and interface changes all the time. If you've already finished the Android tutorial given on the site. Have a look at some stack exchange pages, that's where I learnt most of my stuff.

The thing is I have no experience right now so I need something to teach me the absolute basics first.

[HatsuneMilku]

Just now, Cs342 said:

The thing is I have no experience right now so I need something to teach me the absolute basics first.

http://developer.android.com/training/index.html

Have fun

And yes do the whole tutorial don't skip ANYTHING.

[sonictt1]

Android uses the Java Programming Language so I would recommend running through some Java tutorials as well:

 

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/java/

[jslowik]

The thing with Android is it seems like a lot of the books that are written essentially sample from the Android Developer site. The problem there is when something changes the book instantly becomes out of date.

 

Starting out with Java would be a solid idea. My personal favorite Java books are Head First Java, or Starting Out with Java: Early Objects. Both are available on Amazon for a good price, and I think they're easy to follow. Once you have a solid understanding of Java (or if you already do, ignore that) check out the android developer site.

 

Good luck!

[Cs342]

58 minutes ago, jslowik said:

The thing with Android is it seems like a lot of the books that are written essentially sample from the Android Developer site. The problem there is when something changes the book instantly becomes out of date.

 

Starting out with Java would be a solid idea. My personal favorite Java books are Head First Java, or Starting Out with Java: Early Objects. Both are available on Amazon for a good price, and I think they're easy to follow. Once you have a solid understanding of Java (or if you already do, ignore that) check out the android developer site.

 

Good luck!

Is it possible to learn Java and Android at the same time? Or do I have to learn Java separately first?

[jslowik]

Android uses Java. You could do them concurrently, but if you have no Java experience to begin with I think you'd be best served starting there.

 

That way you only have to learn one thing at at a time, rather than the quirkiness of an Android IDE. If you can get a copy of IntelliJ to write Java you'll be really comfortable moving right into Android.

 

Summary: Start with at least the basic Java fundamentals, then start dabbling with android. That's just my opinion.

 

YMMV of course!

[madknight3]

2 hours ago, Cs342 said:

Is it possible to learn Java and Android at the same time? Or do I have to learn Java separately first?

If this is your first language and you've never done any programming before then you'll probably want to just focus a little on Java first. You don't need to become an expert in Java before you move on, but it'll help to know the basics. You'll be diving into Android before you know it.

 

Here are some Java resources to get you started.

• Head First Java (book)
• Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners (video course)
• More stuff (also includes an Android section)