Android development resources for a Java newbie

Question

I've got one of those newfangled Android phones and want to do some app development for it and am looking for guides. I haven't really found anything that looks promising for both an Android newbie and a Java newbie though. I know PHP and code in it professionally as well as a basic smattering of some other languages so any 'for dummies' resource is probably not for me.

Are there any advisable books, resource sites or tutorials that focus on both these aspects (rather than one or the other) that assume you know nothing but not treat you like an idiot?

Thanks.

Answer 1

First of all, start with Google's own documentation. Its basic but a good start.

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals.html

Then you may wish to progress via various books.

I would recommend the set of books written by a Mark Murphy who is a regular on stack overflow. They are digital downloads and are kept up to date. Checkout http://commonsware.com/

Answer 2

For Java, since you already understand programming, I would recommend Sun's tutorial

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/

For Android I agree with Tom but also recommend the notepad tutorial:

http://developer.android.com/guide/tutorials/notepad/index.html

Answer 3

I'm also in the same boat, except I'm a .net developer trying to pick up Android. The best place to start seems to be the Google getting started. I've not found any other large resources for Android, but IBM have a couple of good articles, particularly this run-down on working with XML with Android.

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/x-android/index.html#download

Answer 4

Also, here's an excellent book with some great examples:

http://www.amazon.com/Android-Wireless-Application-Development-Conder/dp/0321627091