Pros & Cons

[Helana Neumann]

Hello!

I am starting from zero learning Android, so first, is this a book I can start with, or should I read another book(s) before reading this one? From what I've read about the book, I understand that it guides the reader through the construction of an application, which is wonderful. There's nothing like putting knowledge to practical use to make it stick.

What makes Android applications different from non-Android applications? I get the general vibe that they're better in some way, but I don't know how and why. Anything you can tell me on this topic would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Best,
Helana Neumann

[Tyler Hanson]

From amazon:

"this gentle introduction shows experienced object-oriented programmers how to use Android’s basic building blocks to create user interfaces, store data, connect to the network, and more."

So probably not an absolute beginner book. You would probably be better off learning Java with another book and once you get the fundamentals of Java programming down, move on to this one. If i misunderstood your post and you do have some Java programming experience, this should be ok from what I see as this should be a step by step introduction using a single project as a teaching tool (which imho, is the best way to do it).

[Sean Clark]

Hey,

I agree with what Tyler said, if you have some java experience then I would try working through the android notepad tutorial as it is really good for getting the basics and the differences between a standard java app and an android one. If you have little or no Java experience then I think it is important to try and learn the basics and try practising some simple java applications before moving on.

Sean

[Helana Neumann]

Sean and Tyler - Thank you both for your opinions and suggestions. Very helpful.

Best,
Helana