On this pages I write about some developer topics which may be interesting for you. If you have questions to one of my apps or to app development, write me an email. Maybe I can help you.

In this chapter I describe some tools I use. If you want to start developing apps these chapters and the links in the listing at the right side may be a good entry point.

I use Eclipse as IDE. Google supports a plugin that simplifies development processes, building and testing. There also is a special new IDE but today (year 2014) it seems not to be for production work yet.

Google describes the plugin integration on this page: Installing the Eclipse Plugin

Google delivers an Android Emulator which can be used to test your apps. It is possible to emulate different android devices in thousands (if not millions) of variations. Sadly the speed of the emulator is very low. Nevertheless that tool is essential for testing, because you can simulate devices you don't own - virtually.

A friend of mine suggested another emulator from another producer, Android X86, but I didn't test it yet. So I cannot give you hints if it's usable or not. My buddy told me some secondary conditions (I forgot in the meanwhile) that seemed to be to severe to suggest it for beginners. Advanced users might have a good choice using it. I can't tell. Sorry.

Variant number 3 - excluding emulators of other 3rd party makers - is to use real android devices (yes, hardware) connected to PC by USB cable. Android offers an easy to use option to debug your app running on your android device.
Using existing hardware - especially if it is one of the target devices - gives you a good reference if your app is running fast enough. Out of memory problems or speed problems often seem to appear faster than on emulated devices.

The main disadvantage in hardware tests is that you have to possess it. Especially the android universe delivers (almost) uncountable numbers of different devices. Buying one of every device is almost impossible (and not economical).

Good luck it doesn't seem to be neccessary to test every android constellation via hardware. I read some articles that recommend two to five hardware test configurations that cover most of the target devices. The uncovered devices can be tested by emulated devices depending on requirements of the app and desires of clients.

I use my LG P920 3D for tests, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 3 and devices of buddies who serve as alpha testers. My own hardware covers a medium range of devices (medium density screens and high density screens; medium screen size and large screen size; different android versions). My apps are not very complex (no ego shooters or other ambitious projects), so I can suggest that procedure so far.

It is easy to write apps for android, if you are a java developer. Nevertheless Google provides you with a mass of (imho very good) tutorials, especially for beginners. You can find these tutorials at android developer website.

I strongly recommend to read the design guides first. Although you don't have to keep everything in mind you will read there, you will get a really good idea, which problems and questions you will encounter later during the development process.

In the development chapters the topic is developing as an activity itself. In Building your first App you learn the basics about developing for android and you get all necessary links to setup your IDE.
They provide us with a good description of the life cycle of a so called action, a concept you must understand before you start really big projects. Saving application data can be a bit tricky, but you find some well described examples on that site.

Google supports you with an AdMob Service and a plugin, if you want to earn money with in-app advertising. You find tutorials and more on this site: AdMob Ads SDK