1. Getting Started

Android is a powerful mobile operating system, built using a combination of the Java programming language and XML-based layout and configuration files. This chapter introduces the Android development environment, walks through the basic Hello World application, and covers the Android tools, with an emphasis on the user interface (UI) tools available in the Android Developer Tools (ADT) plugin. In this chapter you’ll create a Hello World application; learn the Android project layout and purpose of each file and folder; learn basic Android UI concepts like the Activity class and XML layouts; and discover the tools available for creating user interfaces in Android.