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It seems like the only thing anybody can talk about is Android M, but we should remember that we've got about 4 more months with Lollipop v5.1.1 as the current version until Mango Mojito (probably not) is officially released in October. This is no more apparent than when an update appears on AOSP and brings with it thousands of changes. In fact, this update is large enough it probably deserved more than a barely noticeable revision bump.
Almost exactly one month ago, Android Studio 1.2 was given the go-ahead to begin beta testing. It gained an unprecedented set of new features as a result of upgrading to IntelliJ 14.1, and even the Canary builds remained perfectly usable despite a few small bugs. After weeks of poking, prodding, and fixing any bugs that turn up, the Android Tools team has decided v1.2 is ready to go out to all developers through the Stable channel.
Google is progressively rolling out the full array of releases for Android 5.1, and the SDK is now joining the ranks. If developers open up the SDK Manager today, they will find a brand new software development kit for API 22. The SDK package is there, along with the typical documentation, samples, source code, and an assortment of system images for each of the major hardware architectures. All is ready to start updating apps to take advantage of everything Android 5.1 has to offer.
December brought us many gifts, not least of which was the official release of Android Studio v1.0. While things have been fairly quiet for developers sticking to Stable releases, the Android Tools team has been busy with a steady stream of updates for those of us on the Canary builds. After two months in development, v1.1 is finally ready to roll out to the masses. This version is mostly dedicated to bug fixes, but there are a few features added in test builds that will feel new to users that are just now receiving the update.
A couple of weeks ago, a release candidate for Android Studio 1.0 rolled out to the Canary development channel to allow users a chance to poke and prod at it before an official launch. The serious issues have been worked out and Android Studio has been given its first official release to the stable channel. Alongside the title change, Android Studio has also been declared the "official Android IDE." ADT with Eclipse is still available, but is no longer considered to be in active development.
It's been almost exactly 18 months since it was announced at I/O 2013, but Android Studio has finally hit version 1.0. Well, almost. This is a release candidate, so it's pretty close to what will become the first official stable release. For this release, the Android Tools team has been focusing on getting the bugs fixed and improving stability, but there are a couple of notable changes, as well.
On Wednesday, Google teased developers and enthusiasts by officially announcing Lollipop, but chose to delay the release of anything substantial for another two days. Well, we've waited for the obligatory 48 hours, and the SDK is finally available, just in time for the weekend. (Yay?) Developers can finally abandon the interim SDK and move on to the real thing. There's no more pretending 'L' counts as an API Level, Android 5.0 is officially numbered 21.
Qualcomm has released the software development kit for its Toq smartwatch, which could be just the shot in the arm the limited product needs. The Toq's colorful Mirasol e-ink display, which is easily visible in sunlight, gives the smartwatch a real advantage over competitors. But without more compelling functionality, it struggles to justify its relatively expensive price point. Hopefully there's enough interest in the product for developers to flock to the SDK.
Autodesk, the company behind AutoCAD and hugely impressive Android apps like Design Review, Buzzsaw, and Sketchbook, brought another awesome app to the table recently with ForceEffect Motion.
[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Giveaway: Win 1 Of 10 Licenses To Essentials Of Android Application Development LiveLessons
I've written more than a few of these giveaways for products covering just about every aspect of Android development, and written by dozens of authors.
I've written more than a few of these giveaways for products covering just about every aspect of Android development, and written by dozens of authors. But this one... well, this is special, because it's a series of LiveLessons from none other than former Android Police contributor Ian Clifton.
[Update: Winners!] Book Giveaway: Win One Of Ten Copies Of Android Apps With Eclipse
[warning] The contest is now over. Here are the winners, selected at random: Danny Holyoake Zhe Xi Ooi Marc Zdon Dennis F Heffernan
There are a lot of integrated development environments out there, and when it comes to Android, Eclipse is one of the most popular. As always, Apress has every budding developer's back with a book written specifically for getting people up and running on the IDE. The book is called Android Apps with Eclipse, and it covers everything from installing and configuring Eclipse to finalizing and tweaking your app.
[Book Giveaway] Win One Of Ten Copies Of Introduction To Android App Development For The Kindle Fire
By all accounts, the Amazon Kindle Fire is the best-selling Android tablet of all time.Between Amazon's quality-not-quantity approach to their App Store and one-tablet-to-rule-them-all line-up, and you've got a recipe for quality control more akin to Apple than Google. But that also means developing for the Fire and the App Store is a slightly different experience from start to finish - so if you're planning an app specifically for the Fire... well, you're in luck.
Look, I'm going to cut right to the chase here: we've done a lot of book giveaways, and in every single case they were quality books written by undisputed experts on the topics. But the book we're giving away here... well, it's on a whole new level, because it's written by an insider: Reto Meier, Google's Android Developer Relations Tech Lead. Having been involved in Android development (from the inside, mind you) since the initial release in 2007, it's safe to say there are few people who know more about how best to develop for the OS than him.
[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Book Giveaway #17: Learn How To Develop With One Of Ten Copies Of Android Wireless Application Development
Book Giveaway #17
Learning to develop isn't always easy - and learning how to do it well is even harder. While it's true there are a plethora of resources available on the subject, sometimes they dive in too deep or skip over some of the prerequisites. Thanks to our friends over at informIT, though, we have just the book: Android Wireless Application Development Volume I: Android Essentials.