Monday, December 27, 2010

Android Wireless Application Development, Second Edition, Now Shipping!

Android Wireless Application Development,
Second Edition
We hope everyone is enjoying their gingerbread and the last few days of 2010. Additionally, we'd like to share that the second edition of Android Wireless Application Development is now shipping and on shelves.

Enjoy!

19 comments:

Wayne Dyck said...

Where can you download the source code for the book? I have the second edition and created an account on the InformIT site, however, the source code download link is no where to be found.

Unknown said...

Hi Wayne,

Good question!

The code is not yet available. We've contacted the publisher to find out when it will be available and make them aware that folks are asking for it.

We'll update you when we know more.

Thanks!

Wayne Dyck said...

Super. Thanks for the update. Really enjoyed the first edition of the book. My first project would have been a lot tougher without it. The book and code samples served as a fantastic introduction to the Android platform and helped me understand how the various pieces fit together.

Mike said...

Is it updated for 2.2?

Unknown said...

@Mike: Thanks for your question.

Yes, it's updated for Android 2.2. Android 2.3 shipped a few weeks after this book went to the printers, but the changes were relatively minimal for developers.

Apapa said...

the 2nd edition download links broken... !!!!

Apapa said...

the 2nd edition source code links broken.... Mind post the actual link... thanks....

Unknown said...

We've made the publisher aware of the issue with the download links that went up yesterday. We don't control the links or content (or anything, for that matter) on InformIT.

We'll update when the links are working (hopefully soon).

Unknown said...

The most recent we've heard from the publisher is that their server has been "a bit under the weather" recently. They're working on the problem and we're looking into some contingencies in the meantime.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Unknown said...

Update: The code download links now appear to be working properly (http://j.mp/e0twRs).

Sorry again for the inconvenience.

eZee.se said...

I have the Sams Teach... and I am at hour 6, would you recommend I buy this now or wait till I finish the 24hrs?

Unknown said...

The SAMS book is a beginner tutorial style book. Hour 6-7 is where the coding actually starts. If you're finding Sams too easy, you may find AWAD:2E more suitable but be aware that AWAD:2E is more reference than tutorial.

Also keep in mind that the SAMS 24 book was written before the latest tool updates from the Android team. For those who work through the book literally, some exact steps may have changed in the interim (many solutions have been written up on this blog). We are currently hard at work on an updated revision of the SAMS book but it won't be available until later this year.

eZee.se said...

No, the SAMs book is def not too easy :)
I just ran into an error of declaring an activity twice... and after hours of searching all over the net I found you had just written about it on the 28th of Feb!

> some exact steps may have changed in the interim

You wouldnt happen to have links or a write-up of what is outdated/changed would you?

Unknown said...

It's an excellent idea, but we don't have them organized in that way at this time. Mostly because many of the tips or updates apply to multiple books/articles we have written, and readers often don't tell us where they were having trouble, just that they were... ;)

eZee.se said...

> It's an excellent idea

:)

So will you be doing a writup or a blog post with links to the different changed/outdated parts?

Because as you can imagine learning something new is hard, even if the material is good, but once you pour yourself into learning something that you find hard and finally get it... then get told "nah, its not done like that anymore, throw what you learned out and learn this new way" is pretty darn irritating/frustrating/******ing and other -ings !

And I know its not you guys fault, Android's updates is moving at a REALLY fast pace - but since you have put so much care into getting people like me started via your book, it would really help us if...

Unknown said...

What's that saying about give an inch? :P Well, right now we've got an aggressive book deadline for the 2E of the SAMs book, so it won't happen right away.

98% of the blog posts on this site are answers to reader questions or problems or clarifications so really, there's not a great need for a single post with a list of other blog posts.

There's no straightforward way to break up the topics because the problems that arise depend *entirely* on what versions of the tools and operating systems the reader is using and there have been three major revisions to the tools/SDK since the SAMS book was published... Often a problem comes up, and then gets fixed by the Android team and goes away again.

The short answer for you specifically is: if you use the tools that the book uses (the versions the book specifically supports, listed in the Introduction) then you won't run into problems and you'll be ready to move on to newer versions of the Android SDK and tools and deal with those changes and updates on your own. However, if you go and install the latest and greatest tools and SDKs, it is up to you, the reader, to muddle through any differences, and to ask questions and we will TRY to help you out to the best of our ability and time (we do have full time jobs and constant writing work going on).

The good news is: 99% of what we write is forwards compatible - the code especially. However the Android team loves to change the names of tools, the menus and button graphics and move things around within the SDK directories. Roll with this, it's going to happen. Poke around a bit instead of taking any written steps literally and you should be fine.

Hope this helps.

Unknown said...

What we WILL try to do is tag blog posts with the books the post might apply to. We will try to get to this sooner rather than later.

eZee.se said...

> What's that saying about give an inch?

Absolutely no idea, bad memory and all :D

Well, tagging should help to a certain extent.
I do get it though, this is something that you don't get paid for and yet support from your own time and its a gigantic PITA - I've been making software long enough to know this.

While I am thankful for you going the extra mile, learning something new is frustrating enough as it as because you want to get to the "good stuff" asap and there seems to be hurdles all along the way. The problem is once you finally "get" something its hard to digest when you are told you have to relearn it.

That's why I usually learn online, online stuff can be updated as new things come along but this time I bought a book (after ages)...

Anyway, I'm going off point, thanks for the forum/blog and have a good day!

Unknown said...

Thanks! We'll do our best. And yes, print books take forever; I believe they need about 4-6 months after we deliver the material to print it? Good stuff.