Library

Android™ Wireless Application Development  Second Edition

Lauren Darcey

Shane Conder

The start-to-finish guide to Android application development: massively updated for the newest SDKs and developer techniques!

This book delivers all the up-to-date information, tested code, and best practices you need to create and market successful mobile apps with the latest versions of Android. Drawing on their extensive experience with mobile and wireless development, Lauren Darcey and Shane Conder cover every step: concept, design, coding, testing, packaging, and delivery. The authors introduce the Android platform, explain the principles of effective Android application design, and present today’s best practices for crafting effective user interfaces. Next, they offer detailed coverage of each key Android API, including data storage, networking, telephony, location-based services, multimedia, 3D graphics, and hardware.

Every chapter of this edition has been updated for the newest Android SDKs, tools, utilities, and hardware. All sample code has been overhauled and tested on leading devices from multiple companies, including HTC, Motorola, and ARCHOS. Many new examples have been added, including complete new applications. This new edition also adds

• Nine new chapters covering web APIs, the Android NDK, extending application reach, managing users, data synchronization, backups, advanced user input, and more
• Greatly expanded coverage of Android manifest files, content providers, app design, and testing
• New coverage of hot topics like Bluetooth, gestures, voice recognition, App Widgets, live folders, live wallpapers, and global search
• Updated 3D graphics programming coverage reflecting OpenGL ES 2.0
• An all-new chapter on tackling cross-device compatibility issues, from designing for the smallest phones to the big new tablets hitting the market
• Even more tips and tricks to help you design, develop, and test applications for different devices
• A new appendix full of Eclipse tips and tricks

This book is an indispensable resource for every member of the Android development team: software developers with all levels of mobile experience, team leaders and project managers, testers and QA specialists, software architects, and even marketers.

Programming/Java

Get Started Fast with Objective-C 2.0 Programming for OS X, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

If you want to learn Objective-C 2.0 to write programs for Mac OS X, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’ve come to the right place! Concise, readable, and friendly, Learning Objective-C 2.0 is the perfect beginner’s guide to the latest version of Objective-C.

Longtime Mac OS X and iPhone developer Robert Clair covers everything from the absolute basics to Objective-C 2.0’s newest innovations. Clair begins with a practical refresher on C and object-oriented programming and walks you through creating your first Objective-C program with Xcode. Next, you’ll master each core language feature, from objects and classes to messaging, frameworks, and protocols. Every concept is illustrated with simple examples, and many chapters contain hands-on practice exercises.

Throughout, Learning Objective-C 2.0 focuses on the features, concepts, and techniques that matter most day to day. The result is an outstanding first book for everyone who wants to begin programming for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac OS X.

COVERAGE INCLUDES

• Understanding methods, messages, and the Objective-C messaging system
• Defining classes, creating object instances, and using class objects
• Using categories to extend classes without subclassing
• Simplifying development with Objective-C 2.0 declared properties
• Using protocols to emphasize behavior rather than class
• Working with common Foundation classes for strings, arrays, dictionaries, sets, and number objects
• Using Objective-C control structures, including Objective-C 2.0’s new fast enumeration construct
• Understanding application security and hiding the declaration of methods that should stay private
• Using the new blocks feature provided in Objective-C 2.0

The Complete Guide to Building Cloud Computing Solutions with Amazon SimpleDB

Using SimpleDB, any organization can leverage Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s powerful cloud-based computing platform–and dramatically reduce the cost and resources associated with application infrastructure. Now, for the first time, there’s a complete developer’s guide to building production solutions with Amazon SimpleDB.

Pioneering SimpleDB developer Mocky Habeeb brings together all the hard-to-find information you need to succeed. Mocky tours the SimpleDB platform and APIs, explains their essential characteristics and tradeoffs, and helps you determine whether your applications are appropriate for SimpleDB. Next, he walks you through all aspects of writing, deploying, querying, optimizing, and securing Amazon SimpleDB applications–from the basics through advanced techniques.

Throughout, Mocky draws on his unsurpassed experience supporting developers on SimpleDB’s official Web forums. He offers practical tips and answers that can’t be found anywhere else, and presents extensive working sample code–from snippets to complete applications.

With A Developer’s Guide to Amazon SimpleDB you will be able to

• Evaluate whether a project is suited for Amazon SimpleDB
• Write SimpleDB applications that take full advantage of SimpleDB’s availability, scalability, and flexibility
• Effectively manage the entire SimpleDB application lifecycle
• Deploy cloud computing applications faster and more easily
• Work with SELECT and bulk data operations
• Fine tune queries to optimize performance
• Integrate SimpleDB security into existing organizational security plans
• Write and enhance runtime SimpleDB clients
• Build complete applications using AJAX and SimpleDB
• Understand low-level issues involved in writing clients and frameworks
• Solve common SimpleDB usage problems and avoid hidden pitfalls

This book will be an indispensable resource for every IT professional evaluating or using SimpleDB to build cloud-computing applications, clients, or frameworks.

In The Developer’s Guide to Social Programming, Mark Hawker shows developers how to build applications that integrate with the major social networking sites. Unlike competitive books that focus on a single social media platform, this book covers all three leading platforms: Facebook, OpenSocial, and Twitter. Hawker identifies the characteristics of superior, highly engaging social media applications, and shows how to use the Facebook platform, Google Friend Connect, and the Twitter API to create them.

You’ll find practical solutions and code for addressing many common social programming challenges, from site registration to search, blog commenting to creating location-based applications. Hawker concludes by walking you through building a complete, integrated social application: one that works seamlessly across all leading platforms, and draws on powerful features from each. Coverage includes

• Working with the Twitter API, including the Search API, Lists API, and Retweets API
• Authenticating users with Twitter OAuth
• Mastering the Facebook API, FQL, and XFBML
• Utilizing the Facebook JavaScript Library for creating dynamic content, and animation
• Exploring the Google Friend Connect JavaScript API, and integrating with the OpenSocial API
• Using Facebook’s tools for sharing, social commenting, stream publishing, and live conversation
• Using the PHP OpenSocial Client Library with Google Friend Connect
• Creating, testing, and submitting Google Friend Connect gadgets

An inside look at how and why GSM has progressed to become a major digital wireless standard and how it will be standardized, regulated and developed in the future. You see how GSM delivers PCS services in comparison with competing systems such as DECT, PHS/PHP, CDMA, IS 136, learn how current GSM services work, and discover details on new services just over the horizon. Also included is a unique review of digital radio technology and techniques used in modern PCS handsets.

The book's comprehensive, yet non-technical, explanation of GSM technology is valuable to managers of PCS networks, PCS customer service and marketing professionals, and engineers new to GSM and PCS technology.

Escape from common coding pitfalls with this detailed book of proven Jakarta missteps and solutions

The dangers of Jakarta pitfalls are everywhere and countless developers have already been trapped. These mistakes have delayed schedules, allowed major bugs to get into the users’ hands, or led to numerous rewrites in maintenance. Luckily, you don’t have to be the next victim. This comprehensive book captures some of the most common pitfalls that occur with Jakarta and provides you with the solutions to escape them. Focusing on Struts, Ant, Cactus, and JUnit, the authors describe each pitfall in detail, explain how developers have walked into the trap, and discuss the common symptoms and consequences.

They then arm you with a proven solution for each pitfall and take you step-by-step through the process of converting from error-ridden to pitfall-free code. In the end, the pitfalls and solutions presented inside will help you build superior applications that are easier to maintain.

This book will save you from the frustration of having to spend hours working your way out of pitfalls such as:

• Failing to isolate tests or subjects in Cactus and JUnit
• Overloading Struts ActionMappings
• Calculating derived values in JSPs
• Duplicating formatting and type conversion code in Struts Action Forms
• Building subprojects
• Performing business logic in Struts ActionForms

The companion Web site contains all the code examples and solutions in the book.

In Core JSTL, leading Java platform expert David Geary presents the definitive guide to JSTL. Through practical examples and extensive sample code, Geary demonstrates how JSTL simplifies, streamlines, and standardizes a wide range of common Web development tasks. Coverage includes using JSTL tags for accessing JavaBeans components and collections, iteration, importing URLs, database access, working with XML, internationalization and localization; using the brand new JSTL expression language; and extending JSTL with custom tags.