Chapter 1
Developing Spectacular Android Applications
In This Chapter
Seeing reasons to develop Android apps
Starting with the basics of Android development
Working with the hardware
Getting familiar with the software
Google rocks! Google acquired the Android project in 2005 (see the sidebar “The roots of Android,” later in this chapter) to ensure that a mobile operating system (OS) can be created and maintained in an open platform. Google continues to pump time and resources into the Android project, which has already proved to be beneficial. Though devices have been available only since October 2008, as of today about a million Android devices are activated daily. In only a few years, Android has already made a huge impact.
It has never been easier for Android developers to make money developing apps. Android users trust Google. Because your app resides in the Google Play Store — which Google controls — many Android users assume that your application is trustworthy, too.