New update to Android Kitkat 4.4.1

We all know the new version of Android! Our favorite chocolate? Yes, it's KitKat!The version number is 4.4! Now Android team has released a new update to it. So named as 4.4.1.

The new updated mainly focus on the Camera performance!

• Camera app launch faster.
• Auto focus is faster.
• Colors and exposures have been improved.
• Progress bar, when shooting HDR+ photo. HDR = High Dynamic Range.
• Bug fixes.

The update is available only for Nexus 5 at present! Hope it will be extended to others also!

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BlackBerry resumes rollout of BBM for Android and iOS on a first-come, first-served basis

BlackBerry on Monday resumed the rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone after postponing the launch late last month. The free app should now be available via Google Play, the App Store and in select Samsung App Stores as of writing according to a BlackBerry blog post on the matter.

The app was supposed to launch last month but plans were put on hold at the last minute. According to the company, an unreleased version of BBM for Android found its way onto the net ahead of the public launch which caused an insurmountable amount of technical issues. BlackBerry was forced to postpone the launch and disable support for the Android app. Those that were able to download the iOS app were allowed to continue to use it, however.

To ensure a smooth rollout, the company will be implementing a first-come, first-served system. To get started, simply download BBM and run the app. You’ll be asked to enter your e-mail address to hold your spot in line. Once your number comes up, you’ll be sent an e-mail and can start using BBM right away.

BlackBerry said that roughly six million people signed up to be notified when the app would become available once again. Those people will all be allowed to use the app right away, we’re told. Users are encouraged to follow BBM on Twitter to see how quickly the line is moving at any given time.

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Moto X is the best Android phone

 

Sure, there are other phones with better looks, screens and speed. But the Moto X handles ordinary day-to-day smartphone tasks just as well as any competitor. And the battery will get you through an impressive one to two days of legitimate smartphone use, which only a few other phones can claim.

It's the little details of the Moto X that really make a huge difference, separating Google's first Motorola smartphone from its competitors.
The phone has a curved back to fit nicely into the hand, but there's a little dimple in the curve so the phone doesn't wobble when placed on a table. The notification screen shows you new emails, calls and texts without turning the whole screen on -- and without unlocking the phone.

 

Inside America's first smartphone factory

The most amazing thing about the Moto X: It has a 4.7-inch screen, but it feels like you're holding a phone with a much smaller one. Motorola was nearly able to eliminate the side bezels entirely, while making the top and bottom of the phone as compact as humanly possible. It's arguably the most perfectly sized phone, striking a balance between screen size, pocketability, and one-handed usability. By comparison, the screen on the HTC One has the same dimensions, but the phone looks and feels noticeably larger.

Strangely enough, it's Google's biggest claims about the Moto X that don't live up to the hype.

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Samsung on track for record profit as HTC stumbles

South Korea-based Samsung said it would report operating profit of $9.2 billion to $9.6 billion for the third quarter -- which works out to a minimum increase of 23% over the same period last year. The performance is a new record -- higher even than the $7 billion profit posted in the second quarter.

Third-quarter sales were also higher than last year, rising a minimum of 11% to around $54 billion.
Samsung shares advanced about 1% after the earnings guidance was released, but it wasn't enough to erase longer-term losses. Since the end of May, Samsung shares have lost 7% of their value amid concerns over slowing smartphone sales.
The pressure on Samsung shares is part of an industry-wide trend driven by declining margins and possible saturation in the smartphone business. While Samsung can rely on other parts of its business including semiconductors and other technology to buffet losses, competing phone makers haven't been so lucky.



Taiwan-based HTC is another hard-hit victim of the trend. The company said Friday that it lost $100 million in the third quarter, a number that was significantly worse than analysts had expected.
Though analysts say HTC's smartphone One has sold admirably, it hasn't stopped the company from continuing its downward spiral.
Samsung is scheduled to deliver final earnings results for the third quarter at the end of October.

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Things to check when the content is not visible in the Nokia Store

There are cases where you don’t see the content that you submit to Nokia Publish on the Nokia Store. You would want to check the following:
1) Your content has not been published.
Steps to identify the issue:
A. Check if your item has passed QA

If your application (both metadata and files) has not passed the QA review, it will remain unpublished. For the initial publishing process, the QA team requires the metadata and at least one file to pass the QA process in order to be published.

The QA overview shows the QA status of the latest revision. If the QA overview shows the following, this means that the latest revision has been published in the store:

The above status indicates that your application has passed several or all devices, countries, or language listed in your distribution. If either the item or files show “Failed”, this means that none of the parameters set in the distribution has passed QA and this revision will not be published in the store.

B. Check the publication status

Once a revision has been processed by the QA team and passed, it will be published to the Nokia Store and the publication status will show as follows:

C. Check the Publication Tab

Additionally, the publication tab must indicate that the latest revision is successfully published to the Nokia Store. Published files should correspond with the time-stamp.

If you do not see a time-stamp with your published file or if the file does not appear in the publication tab, this indicates that your application has not successfully been published. If this is a case, please contact the Nokia Publish Support with your content item name and publisher name to get your item re-exported.

2) Your content is being distributed to regions that are outside of your search parameters OR your content has been failed in certain countries, device, or language and hence is not being distributed within these distribution parameters.

Even if the QA status of your content shows “Passed”, this may not necessarily mean that all the devices, country, and language you had set for the distribution has passed the QA review. You can identify which device, country or language had failed QA by clicking on “Show QA details”. The issues found on your application for the failed settings are found at the bottom of the content file page.

You will need to fix the issues highlighted by the QA team and resubmit your application once more in order for these settings to be passed.

3) The Start-date of your content’s metadata is set at a later date.

Ensure that the start-date of your content’s metadata is not set to a later date. Your content will only be visible to users on the date set in that field. If this is the case, please change the start-date and resubmit your item for re-publishing.

4) The End-date of your content’s metadata has been set to an earlier date.

If your content has already been published and suddenly becomes invisible in the Nokia Store, this may be due to the published period reaching the End-date set in the metadata. This is likely caused by an expired signing certificate. If this is the case, please resign your application with a new certificate and resubmit your application for publishing.

If all the above do not apply to your content item, please contact the Nokia Publish support through the Contact Us page and provide your publisher name and content item name so we can investigate further and restore your content’s visibility.

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Hack WIFI PASSWORD

Step 1 : Install CommView for WiFi . It doesnt matter whether you install it in VoIP mode or Standard mode . I used VoIP . It automatically installs the necessary drivers . Allow it to install .Note :- You will not be able to connect to any Network using WiFi when using CommView .

Step 2 : Click on the PLAY ICON in the Left First
Step 3 : (Choosing the Network (a) ) : A new window should pop up now. Click on the START SCANNING button
Step 4 : (Choosing the Network (b) ) : Click on the WiFi network you want to hack in the Right Coulumn and Click on CAPTURE.
Step 5 : (Capturing the Packets) : The windows should close now and you should see that CommView has started Capturing Packets .
Step 6 : (Saving the Packets ) : Now that the Packets are getting captured you need to Save them. Click on Settings->Options->Memory Usage Change Maximum Packets in buffer to 20000.
Click on the LOGGING Tab .

Check AUTO-SAVING
In the Maximum Directory Size : 5000
Average Log File Size : 50

Now CommView will automatically Start Saving packets in the .ncp format at a size of 20MB each in the specified directory .

Step 7 : ( Concatenating the Logs ) : Since you are capturing a lot of logs you will need to concatenate them into once file . To do this go to Logging and click on CONCATENATE LOGS Choose all the files that have been saved in your specified folder and Concatenate them .Now you will have one .ncf file .

Step 8 : (Converting .ncf to .cap ) : Now that you have one file with all the packets you need to Convert it into .cap file for AIRCRACK to crack .

Click on File->Log Viewer->Load Commview Logs-> Choose the .ncf file. Now File->Export->Wireshark/TCP dump format .

Aircrack Part :Now for the Second Part Cracking this is very simple . Just open the Aircrack Folder->Bin->Aircrack-ng GUI.exe Choose the .cap file and you should be able to do the others .

Try it and Share your Comments

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use free Hello tune trick for AIRTEL

This Is Not A trick But Can be Used As a Trick or Free Hellotune
1.Keep Your Balance 2 rupees or 3 rupees(it will deducted for HelloTune)
2.First U call 578785 for activate the hello tune. Then it will deduct your balance and hello tune will be activated instantly for days.
3.After 6 days it can be deactivated so u should change ur Tune everyday by doing.
4.Sms required Song or song Name by message.
5.Sms Tune name/film name to 543215(u can change ur hellotune for unlimitted times a day).
6.The Hellotune will be stay everyday with you.
7.It should be noted that if u Recharge Your sim it will be deducted. so deactivate hellotune By Dialing *121# before Every recharge.
8.If u want A series Of Random(up to 15 songs) songs then just Go the Link below through OPERA.
https://www.airtel.in/airtellive/home

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Simple Starter Guide to android mobile

Introduction

The Android operating system has been developing fast since the release of Version 2.x (ranging from Eclair, Froyo to Gingerbread) for smartphones and Version 3 (Honeycomb) for tablets. It achieves another great milestone with the latest Version 4 (Ice Scream Sandwich or ICS), a universal system suitable for running on both smartphone and tablet device

 How to Switch between Open Apps

When running an app, you can minimize it by simply tapping the Home icon. Getting back to it is not just one click on the taskbar like the way you do in Windows. But the Android way is pretty straightforward too.

1. Tap the Recent Apps icon to reveal the apps that you recently opened. (Note 2)
2. Slide down to see more recent apps.
3. Tap a screenshot from the list to instantly switch to the app.

Note 1: You can clear the recent apps from the list by swiping them sideways one by one.
Note 2: On Android 2.x, touch and hold the Home button to reveal recent apps.

How to Close a Running App

The Android system doesn't need you to close a running app for every instance. But in some cases you may need to force stop an app that's misbehaving, or like playing a game, you may need to actually close the app in order to start a new level rather than continuing the last. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Run the Settings app and tap Apps under DEVICE.
2. Select the app you want to close.
3. Tap the 'Force stop' button and tap 'OK' to confirm.

How to Set and Clear a Default App

In Android, you can set a file to open with a certain program by default as you do in Windows. For example, if you have installed an image viewer such as QuickPic, the system will ask you to select an app when you try to open an image file (See the screenshot).

• To set a default app to open the file, check 'Use by default for this action' before you tap that app.

The next time you tap an image file, it will always open with the app you've selected without asking you again.

What if you need to clear the default app?

1. Run the Settings app and tap Apps under DEVICE.
2. Choose the app you do not want to launch by default.
3. Tap 'Clear defaults' under LAUNCH BY DEFAULT.

How to Uninstall an App

Installing apps from the Google Play store to your Android device is convenient, likewise removing them is pretty straightforward.

1. Tap the All Apps icon on the tray and select the Apps tab on the top.
2. Touch and hold the icon of the app you want to uninstall.
3. Drag and drop the app icon over the Uninstall icon then tap 'OK' to confirm. (The Uninstall icon appears only for the app that can be uninstalled from the system.)

Alternatively, you can run the Settings app, tap Apps under DEVICE then select the app you want to uninstall from the list.

How to Install a Third Party App

Most apps are available for download and install easily via the Play Store. If you have a third party app that is only available from sources other than the Play Store and you think it's useful and secure to install, the Android system allows you to do so after changing the settings.

1. Run the Settings app and tap Security under PERSONAL.
2. Tick "Unknown sources" under DEVICE ADMINISTRATION.
3. Tap "OK" to the system reminder that your device and personal data are more vulnerable to attack by apps from unknown sources.

You can then browse to the app file ending with an .apk suffix, known as the Android application package, tap and install it right away.

How to Add and Remove Icons from Home Screens

When you install an app, the system often adds an app icon on your home screen. This icon works as a shortcut to run the app. In case you need to manually add an app icon or a widget icon yourself, it's pretty easy.

1. Tap the All Apps icon on the tray.
2. Select the Apps or Widgets tab on the top.
3. Touch and hold the icon you want to create a shortcut.
4. Drag and drop the icon on a home screen you like.

To remove an icon from your home screen:

1. Touch and hold the icon of apps, widgets or shortcuts until the Remove icon appears on the top.
2. Drag and drop the icon over the Remove icon.

Note: On Android 2.x, you can add a shortcut icon by touching and holding an empty location of a home screen or press Menu then tap 'Add'; On Android 3.0, touch the customize button at the top right of a home screen to add a shortcut icon.

How to Re-arrange Icons

When you install new apps to your Android, the system stacks up the icons automatically without asking you to select a home screen. But you can subsequently re-arrange the icons on the home screens and on the tray.

1. Touch and hold any icon on your screen for a second.
2. Drag the icon to a different spot on the screen, or even to or from the tray, except for the permanent "All Apps" icon.
3. You can also drag an icon to the left or right edge of the screen until it starts sliding, then drop the icon to another screen.

How to Create, Rename and Remove Folders

Other than the apps on the tray, sometimes it's difficult to quickly look for an app to open if you have many icons spreading across a few home screens. Why not create a folder to group similar apps together? It's much easier than you might think.

1. Touch and hold any icon for a second.
2. Drag the icon over the top of another. The system then automatically groups two app icons in a folder.
3. Touch the folder, then tap "Unnamed Folder", key in a name for the folder and tap "Done".

You can rename a folder at any time—tap a folder then tap its name to rename.

While the system auto creates a folder for you, it does the same to removing a folder automatically—tap a folder to expand it, then clear all grouped items inside the folder—just touch and hold, then drag them out from the folder one by one.

Note: Older Android system doesn't support this feature, but you can rely on a third-party app such as GO Launcher EX to achieve almost the same effect.

How to Type Faster with Multiple Spaces

Instead of typing a period at the end of each sentence and follow by a space, you can tap the space bar twice to get the same result.

How to Type Special Characters

If you often need to switch between the on-screen Alphabet and Number keyboards just to type a comma in a sentence, then why not check out below to find out more?

While on the Alphabet keyboard:

• , (comma) => touch and hold the Full-stop key (.)
• ' (single quotation mark) => touch and hold the Full-stop key, and slide to choose the single quotation mark (')
• " (double quotation mark) => touch and hold the Full-stop key, and slide to choose the double quotation mark (")
• Turn caps lock on/off => double-tap the Shift key to lock, single-tap to unlock.
• Special letters not on the keyboard? => touch and hold a key, then slide to choose a variation (See the screenshot).
• Need just a digit or symbol from the Number keyboard? => touch the ?123 key and slide to a digit or symbol key, and you're back to the Alphabet keyboard automatically.

While on the Number keyboard:

• Symbols not on the keyboard? => touch and hold a key, then slide to choose a variation, or tap the #\< key to find out more.
• Often type an equation? => touch and hold the #\< key, tap a sign and you're back to the Number keyboard when you release the #\< key.
• Need just a letter from the Alphabet keyboard? => touch the ABC key and slide to a letter key, and you're back to the Number keyboard automatically.

How to Cut, Copy and Paste

This looks simple but can be tricky sometimes when you use different apps. In general, these steps can be used in Email or some other apps:

1. Double-tap or touch-and-hold to select a word.
2. Drag the handles to adjust the area if needed, then tap Cut or Copy.
3. Tap an insert point, and drag the handle to adjust it if needed.
4. Select Paste (Hint: tab the handle when the 'Paste' button doesn't appear).

Note: When working in a web browser such as Android's Browser, use touch-and-hold to select a word since "double-tap" has been used to enlarge or reduce a webpage.

How to Turn Off Auto-Correction

When you're typing through, the system checks your spelling and suggests a few words. Unless you've selected one of them, the highlighted suggested word overwrites your word when you finish typing it followed by a space, punctuation mark or return character. If you feel that's annoying, you can turn off Auto-Correction.

1. Open the app Settings and select 'Language & input' under PERSONAL.
2. Tap the Quick Settings icon next to 'Android keyboard'.
3. Select 'Auto correction' under TEXT CORRECTION.
4. Select 'Off' to turn off 'Auto-Correction'.

Note: As an alternative, whenever a word is replaced not to your liking, you can tap the Delete key immediately after which and the system returns the word you've typed.

How to Lock Screen Orientation

The Android screen switches to either the portrait or landscape view in response to the way you hold the device when you run certain apps. What if I want to lock the screen orientation to one view so that the screen doesn't rotate to another? Easy.

1. Run the Settings app.
2. Tap Display under DEVICE.
3. Uncheck "Auto-rotate screen".

Your screen will then lock to the portrait mode. To unlock it, check the above option.

How to Print Screen

Where’s the PrintScreen button when you need to take a screen shot of your Android device? Instead of using one button, try a combination of two:

1. Press and hold down the Power and Volume-down buttons simultaneously.
2. Open the Gallery app, and you can see your screenshot already saved in the Screenshots album.

Note: Older Android system doesn't support this feature, but it has a more complicated way to take screenshots using Android SDK such as this without rooting the device.

How to Select Wallpapers for your Android

You can easily select a wallpaper from a collection of a few in your system and set it as wallpaper for your Home screens.

1. Touch and hold an empty location of a home screen.
2. Choose either Gallery, Live Wallpapers or Wallpapers from the pop-up menu.
3. Select an image and set it as wallpaper.

Alternatively, you can run the Settings app, then go to DEVICE > Display > Wallpaper, and continue with the step 2 above.

How to Access Notifications

At the top of your screen, you will see notifications which report calendar events, alarms, incoming mails or other ongoing events. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the list of notifications, then swipe up from the O-sign to hide it.

• Depending on the notification type, you can swipe a notification sideway to dismiss it, or tap the X-sign to dismiss all from the list.
• To access a notification, tap it and you're taken to the related email, reminder, message or app. The notification then clears automatically from the list where applicable.

Note: When you slide down from the top of the screen, you can also see this Quick Settings icon. Touching this icon is equivalent to running the Settings app.

How to Edit Bookmarks and Folders in Android's Browser

Just like most browsers, the default Browser in Android allows you to add bookmarks and folders easily for getting to the websites fast when browsing.

Add a bookmark/folder

1. On the page you like to bookmark, tap the Menu button and select 'Save to bookmarks'.
2. Change the Label if needed.
3. Click 'OK' to save to Bookmarks, or select 'Add to' then 'Other folder', browse to a folder or add a new folder and tap 'OK'.

Remove a bookmark/folder

1. Tap the Tabs button , then the Bookmarks button .
2. Touch and hold a bookmark or a folder, then select 'Delete bookmark' or 'Delete folder' from the pop-up menu.
3. Press 'OK' to confirm.

How to Add a Web Clip Icon to Home Screen

If you frequently visit a web page, you can tap a web clip or bookmark icon on your home screen and quickly access the page without the need to touch the Browser icon. This web clip icon can be added to your home screen easily:

1. On the page you often visit, tap the Menu button in Android's Browser.
2. Select 'Save to bookmarks'.
3. Edit the Label if necessary, then select 'Add to' and tap "Home Screen'.

Next time you visit the same web page, just tap the web clip icon on your home screen. Some websites including Gizmo's Freeware have a web clip icon which has been customized for you (see the screenshot).

How to Send Instant Messages

Besides third-party apps, Messenger developed by Google gives you a real-time instant messaging service via Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G for Android users. To use this service and send an instant message from your Android device is pretty straightforward.

1. Tap the Messenger app icon.
2. Tap the plus sign and add a person or a group of people from your circles.
3. Add text or photos and tap the Send button.

Note: Messenger appears as a standalone app that comes with your Android system, or as a component of the Google+ app that can be downloaded from the Google Play store.

How to Setup Mail Accounts and Sync Options

The Android system allows for adding multiple mail accounts including GMail, Exchange, Yahoo, Hotmail and others. To set up a mail account is straightforward especially for this example, GMail.

1. Open the app Email.
2. Enter Email address and Password, then tap 'Next' for verifying.
3. Leave 'Sync email form this account' checked, select other options you like, and tap 'Next'.
4. Enter your name to be displayed on outgoing messages, and tap 'Next' to finish.

After this setting, you can then open the app Email to send emails and read incoming mails, which are automatically synced with your GMail account over the air.

How to Add a Mail Signature

Each time you send out an email using the Email app, you can have a mail signature, such as 'Sent from my mobile device', automatically added at the end of your message.

1. Open the app Email, tap the Menu button, then Settings.
2. Tap the email account that you've set up.
3. Tap 'Signature', enter a signature in a few words you like then tap 'OK' to confirm.

How to Sync Emails, Contacts and Calendars

The Android system allows you to operate and sync your emails, contacts, calendars and other items using multiple accounts. You can set your accounts to sync these items on your device with the servers automatically or manually.

1. Run the Settings app, select 'Accounts & sync' under PERSONAL.
2. At the top, tap to switch the 'Accounts & sync' to 'ON' for automatic syncing, or 'OFF' for manual syncing.

When the 'Accounts & sync' is switched off, you can touch an account and sync contacts or other items manually—either touch an item to sync or tap the Menu button then 'Sync now' to sync all items. The last synced date and time are shown below each item.

How to Browse and Edit Files on your Mobile

You might have a lot of your files you want to browse through, copy, rename or delete them on your mobile device like the way you do in Windows. Unfortunately you can't do much as Android 4.0 has not had a built-in file manager, but you can easily install a third party app from the Google Play Store.

1. Run the Play Store app.
2. Tap the Search button and enter the name of a file manager, such asES File Explorer, one of the popular.
3. Tap the app from the list and download it.
4. Open the app and enjoy working with your files and folders on your mobile device.

How to Copy Files between your Mobile and PC

What if you need to copy files and folders between your mobile device and PC? You can do so by connecting your mobile device to your PC using a USB cable provided. Better still, you can connect them wirelessly via a local WiFi network to do the same or even more without needing a cable.

1. Run the Play Store app.
2. Tap the Search button and enter the name of a remote desktop app, such as AirDroid (reviewed here).
3. Tap the app from the list and download it.
4. Open the app and start using it to connect your mobile to PC for copying files wirelessly and doing even more between the two platforms.

How to Share Mobile Data Connection

When you're using an Android device with mobile data connection enabled, wouldn't it be convenient for another computer device such as a Windows-based notebook to share this connection for access to the Internet? Yes, you can do a wireless connection via a portable hotspot, or a wired connection using a USB cable:

Turn your Android mobile into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot:

1. On your mobile, go to Settings > More > Tethering & portable hotspot.
2. Tap "Portable Wi-Fi hotspot" to enable it.
3. Tap "Configure Wi-Fi hotspot" to enter an ID and password to prevent unauthorized connections.
4. On a computer with Wi-Fi connectivity, click the network icon on the system tray to identify and connect to the wireless network you set.

Enable USB tethering on your Android mobile:

1. Connect a computer to your Android device with a USB cable.
2. On your mobile, go to Settings > More > Tethering & portable hotspot.
3. Tap "USB tethering" to enable it.
4. On the computer, click the network icon on the system tray to identify and connect to the wired network. The Windows system may take more than a minute to discover the network for Internet access.

Note: Enabling Bluetooth tethering on your Android mobile to allow for Internect access from a computer is also possible after the two devices are paired.

How to Backup and Restore your Data

Using the Android system, you can automatically back up your data, such as a list of apps you've installed, the words you've added to dictionary, your Wi-Fi passwords, Browser bookmarks and other settings via your Google account on the servers.

1. Run the app Settings, tap 'Backup & reset' under PERSONAL.
2. Check both 'Back up my data' and 'Automatic restore' if they're unchecked.

When you need to reset your device or re-install an app which makes use of the backup service, you can then restore your data and settings from your Google account.

How to Lock your Android Device

Don't like your kids to mess with your mobile or someone to read your emails on your device? Lock it with a password, pin, pattern or even use Face Unlock.

1. Open the app Settings and select 'Security' under PERSONAL.
2. Select 'Screen lock' under SCREEN SECURITY.
3. Tap a type of security either Pattern, Pin, Password or Face Unlock to lock your device.

Each time when your device is turned on, you'll have to use the same security type to access your device.

How to Reboot the System

In the event your Android apps freeze or the system becomes unresponsive, you can try to reboot the system as follows:

1. Press and hold the Power button of your device until a pop-up menu appears. Select 'Power off' and tap 'OK' to confirm. The system will then turn off.
2. Turn the system on by pressing and holding the Power button until the Google logo appears.

How to Get Android User Guide

In addition to these tips and tricks covering some quick and easy points, if you wish to read a full user guide on Android 4.0 for Galaxy Nexus and earlier versions of the Android system, you can check out the official Android OS Help here.

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How To Set up Android SDK for App Development?

Alright, so who's in the mood for a little Android App development? I know, I know, that's not something you can suddenly 'do' when the mood strikes you (well, maybe not for the beginners anyways). But don't worry, it's not as hard as you might think. After all, you have to start from the beginning at one point, no? One of the best thing I like about Android is the ease of development. And that includes getting the required tools, and setting them up, ready for development. Since this is the first post on the subject, that's just we're going to talk about - getting, and setting up the Android SDK for app development. Starting from the very beginning of Android App Development!

We are excited to kick off yet another series, this time on developing Android applications, and I hope you are too. We figured a change of pace was in order, since every now and then, we like to share something new and exciting with our readers. So I am sure our readers would be interested in learning to create Android apps of their own!

In this series so far;

Part 1: How To Set up Android SDK for App Development?

Part 2: Creating your First "Hello World" Android App

Part 3: In progress...

Getting the Android SDK

Previously, when we were working on older versions of Android, putting the SDK together was a bit of a mess. You had to install Java, get the Eclipse IDE, install the JDK, and then download the various APIs (Android Versions) you want to test your apps on once finished. Now though, there's a much better solution.

You can now get the all-in-one ADT (Android Developer Tools) Bundle free from the Android Developers' website. It is a convenient package that contains all the thing you'll need to build your own apps. Follow the link below to download the SDK.

• Download Android SDK (ADT Bundle)

Click the Download the SDK button at the right, and choose your download options to download the bundle for free.

Once the zip file is downloaded, extract it, and then place the extracted folder in a convenient location. And that's it! Your Android SDK is ready to go! It doesn't even need an install! You just need to have java installed on your computer. You can get that from java.oracle.com.

Getting Started

In the extracted folder, you will see a folder named eclipse. Open up that folder, and then open eclipse.exe. You have now started the IDE, and you're now ready to code! But before we move on to that, let me quickly walk you through the interface.

When you open it up, it might look something like this.

Well, not quite like it, because I already have made a small app for the purpose of this demonstration. But the basic interface will look the same.

Towards the left side is the Package Explorer. You can track your projects in this window, and also keep track of all the files and resources in your project. It'll give you quick access.

Down below where you see Problems, Javadoc etc, that's your multi-purpose output window. You can view warnings or errors here, and other message. It can also be used to show your program's output, since it is a native Java compiler.

On the left you have the properties window. You will see attributes for your User-Interface objects here. For example, you will see the background color, ID, text, etc of a button on your screen. Remember: You can move any of these windows around, and dock them wherever you like. Now let's take a look at the inner window.

Now, on the top, you have the file tabs. You can switch between different open files in your project easily. On the left (Form Widgets, Text Fields etc), are the different objects you can use in the drag-and-drop interface. You can use these tools to visually design your app. Note that this is only available if you have a layout XML file open. If you go over to a java file, these will disappear, and you'll see a bunch of code instead.

Another thing of note is the Device Selector. See the Nexus One written on the top? You can change that to another device from the drop-down menu. This tool will let you see how your app will look on a certain device.

While we're on the subject of devices, let me show you the Android Emulator before signing off.

Go to Window on the top, and then click on Android Virtual Device Manager. Now, click on New to create a new test platform.

Now, choose a name for your virtual device as I have done, choose a device, and then choose an API (Android version you want to run). Assign RAM and storage as needed, and then Click on either the Snapshot or the Use Host GPU option. Since the virtual device takes some time loading up, the Snapshot option can help you start it up quickly every time by saving a snapshot of your last AVD position. Hence, this option is recommended.

Now hit Ok, and then Start. Voila! You can now see the Android Emulator start up on your computer after a couple minutes, just like the Android smartphone you (might) have.

We will be using this virtual emulator to test our Android app(s). But that's a topic for another post. Right now, feel free to look around the IDE interface, and familiarize yourself with it. 

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