The format of this book is such that it will take you through Android application development in a logical manner. The book begins by examining the architecture of Android as a platform, looking at how it was developed, what it can run on, and what tools are required to develop programs for it. After discussing and installing the development tools, Android SDK, and the Eclipse development environment (Chapters 2, 3, and 4), the book dives directly into designing and creating Android applications (Chapter 5). The book concludes w ith instructions on tying your applications to existing Google tools such as Google Maps (Chapters 9 and 11) and GTalk (Chapter 10). A quick reference guide is also included in Chapter 12. This book is a programmer’s guide, not a beginner’s guide, meaning that you do need to possess some programming skills to get the most from it. Foremost among these skills is a working knowledge of Java programming fundamentals. Android applications are ith instructions on tying your applications to existing Google tools such as Google Maps (Chapters 9 and 11) and GTalk (Chapter 10). A quick reference guide is also included in Chapter 12. This book is a programmer’s guide, not a beginner’s guide, meaning that you do need to possess some programming skills to get the most from it. Foremost among these skills is a working knowledge of Java programming fundamentals. Android applications are