Part 4. The maturing platform

In part 3, you learned about two extremes of the Android platform. Chapter 12 provided the full end-to-end SDK application experience, and chapter 13 went to the other extreme of exploring application techniques that might best fit a custom piece of hardware running the Android operating system. The objective of part 4 is to explore some of the features added to the Android platform that take it a step beyond the other platforms to provide a unique and memorable mobile experience.

In chapter 14, we get close to the metal by interrogating onboard sensors and communicating over Bluetooth. The sensors act as inputs for a navigation system to control a LEGO Mindstorms robot.

In chapter 15, we build a sophisticated integration between the Android contact database and business social networking sensation, LinkedIn. The application constructed in chapter 15 has become a popular download on the Android market. Read along and learn how to get up close and personal with your contacts.

In chapter 16, the topic of Android web development is explored. Topics such as building websites for the WebKit-powered Android browser and custom JavaScript handlers are introduced. In addition, local SQL-based storage concepts are examined, enabling next-generation web applications directly on your mobile device.