App making made simple - 8 Steps to create a brilliant Android app

Android is one of the powerful platforms. It is an open-source operating system, built on the Linux Kernel, which means it can be easily extended to incorporate new cutting-edge technologies as they emerge. Android was brilliantly designed, to enable developers to create compelling apps that can fully exploit all the host device’s capabilities. For example, an app can access all of a phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or taking photos. The Android platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

Standard Android features include Google Search and Google Maps, which means one can easily search for information on the web and find directions from phone. This is handy for discovering things such as flight times and getting directions when out and about. Other Google services, such as Google Earth and Gmail can also be accessed from cell phones running the Android operating system. It can easily check Facebook and Twitter profiles too, through a variety of applications making it perfect for social networking.

According to the latest stats Android works on 3997 distinct devices spanning almost 600 brands. Google android app developers earned almost $125 million in mobile display ads. But iPhone got less than $90 last year. Google is about advertising that is where the biggest revenues come from. An app can be easily published in an android market in less than an hour. Google Android environment is open-source, with free source codes available.

There are two techniques to produce Android applications with a PC. The first uses the Android Software Development Kit (SDK). One can write raw code and helps to get it working in the Android environment. The second uses App Inventor, a Google Labs tool which provides with a simple drag-and-drop environment that can use to generate new applications made up of building blocks of code and media. It's an attempt to make application development possible for people who aren't hardcore coders.

Android apps are written in Java code need a Java development kit installed on PC. One also need an integrated development environment (IDE) so one can write and test the code. It is a collection of tasks, each of which is called an activity. Each activity within an application has a unique purpose and user interface.

8 Steps for building an Android App:

Need to download and install the development environment. Download the Android SDK.

One need to get at least one version of the Android platform Android SDK and AVD Manager, which can launch in Eclipse if set a system up correctly.

App Inventor is a web-based tool developed by Google Labs which enables to develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. When the app is finished one can package it to produce an “application package” that can be shared around and installed on any Android phone, just like any other Android app. It is supported by a wide range of operating systems and web browsers, with these minimum specifications: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7+, linux environment such as Ubuntu 8+, Debian 5+, Mac OS X 10.5+, browsers such as Internet Explorer 7.0+, Mozilla Firefox: 3.6+, Google Chrome 4.0+, Apple Safari 5.0+.

Install the ADT plugin for Eclipse and download the latest SDK tools and platforms using the SDK Manager.

Required tools for developing apps, the first is to develop a client-side android app. This will require the developer to make use of the tools and documentations available in the Software Development Kit (SDK) provided by Android. Developers will need personal computers running Linux, Windows XP or later Windows versions. They can also use Macs running Mac OSX 10.4.9 or later versions to support Androids development platforms. To build web-based android apps Javascript will have to be bound to the Android APIs using this tool and debug web apps using the JavaScript Console APIs.

1. One need to have java 6 installed on personal computer.
2. Install the App Inventor Setup

a) For Windows users one can download it from google

b) After the installation of app inventor it may ask for the location of the software, if it does so then specify it as C:\Program Files\Appinventor\commands-for-Appinventor because this is where the adb.exe file is located.

3. Once done with this please login using google account to appinventor.googlelabs.com.

Click on My Projects and now is ready to create your first app. Building my first App Click on New, Give a name to a project. Lets name it MyHome. MyHome:- Its a simple app in which you have pics of your family member,when you click on the pic a call is established to the family member. So first one decides what a screen should look like. For that we will be using Labels & Buttons. On the left hand side of browser one has Basic List From that select the Components Button and drag & drop it on to the screen. Next add a Label to the screen.

4. In my MyHome App I have included four buttons for 4 family members & a label for each of them. Set the Label text properties to the text of of your choice. Label1: Mother Label2:Father Label3:Brother Label4:Sister
5. Once done with this, the next step is to set the properties of the Button. Clear the text properties of the button. To set the Image Properties: Click on Image on the Properties box and upload the image of your choice.

6. One need to establish a call when clicked on the pic for that one needs to add the phone component. The Phone component is available in the Social Tab of the Pallete. Choose the Phone Call Component and drop down it to the Screen. We have four members & so we will be using four phone call components.

7. Set the Phone Call Properties. Enter the phone nos in each of the phone call component with the nos of the corresponding members. So this ends up the Design of your App. Now the next step is to build the Application Logic. On your browser click on the Open Block Editor Button. A file will be downloaded (AppInventorForAndroidCodeblocks.jnlp) Double Click on the file and wait till the Block Editor opens, it may take sometime though around 30-50 secs.

Once the block editor is open the next step is to connect it with a device. If one is using a emulator click on New Emulator& select a emulator. Now click on Connect to the Device button & wait till the device is connected.

8. Select Button1 on My Blocks Editor. From the list of options select the Onclick block Select Phone Call on My Blocks Editor Form the list of options select the MakePhoneCall Block Repeat this step for each of the buttons. So finally one is done with the application logic & can download it to your Android Phone or computer to use.

Therefore its pretty easy to install an android app in just 8 steps. Apps can be easily made for smart phones without having to proceed through complex procedures and offers quite a lot of returns on investment. Android application development is undoubtedly quite possibly the most good application platforms. It gives developers easy and simple, suitable development for multipart business necessities. Android game development India teams can help you build Android apps within allocated budgets and time schedules.

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