Android Virtual Device Creating

To test your Android applications you will need a virtual Android device. So before we start writing our code, let us create an Android virtual device. Launch Android AVD Manager using Eclipse menu options Window > AVD Manager> which will launch Android AVD Manager.

Android Development Tools (ADT) Plugin Setup

This step will help you in setting Android Development Tool plugin for Eclipse. Let's start with launching Eclipse and then, choose Help > Software Updates > Install New Software.

Android Eclipse IDE Setup

To install Eclipse IDE (Integrated Development Environment), download the latest Eclipse binaries from http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

Android SDK Setup

Download the latest version of Android SDK from Android official website : Android Software Development Kit (SDK) Downloads.

http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

JDK setup step 01:

Go to click here to download JDK
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/java-archive-downloads-javase7-521261.html

JDK setup step 02:

Select here your essential JDK and download.

JDK setup step 03:

After completing download the installer file jdk-7u25-windows-i586.
Then browse the installer file and run it.

JDK setup step 04:

Now is running JDK installation wizard.

JDK setup step 05:

JDK setup step 06:

JDK setup step 07:

JDK setup step 08:

Setup has completed. So, lets enjoy.

JDK Alpha and Beta (1995): Sun announced Java in September 23, 1995.
JDK 1.0 (January 23, 1996): Originally called Oak (named after the oak tree outside James Gosling's office). Renamed to Java 1 in JDK 1.0.2.
JDK 1.1 (February 19, 1997): Introduced AWT event model, inner class, JavaBean, JDBC, and RMI.
J2SE 1.2 (codename Playground) (December 8, 1998): Re-branded as "Java 2" and renamed JDK to J2SE (Java 2 Standard Edition). Also released J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) and J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition). Included JFC (Java Foundation Classes - Swing, Accessibility API, Java 2D, Pluggable Look and Feel and Drag and Drop). Introduced Collection Framework and JIT compiler.
J2SE 1.3 (codename Kestrel) (May 8, 2000): Introduced Hotspot JVM.
J2SE 1.4 (codename Merlin) (February 6, 2002): Introduced assert, non-blocking IO (nio), logging API, image IO, Java webstart, regular expression support.
J2SE 5.0 (codename Tiger) (September 30, 2004): Officially called 5.0 instead of 1.5. Introduced generics, autoboxing/unboxing, annotation, enum, varargs, for-each loop, static import.
Java SE 6 (codename Mustang) (December 11, 2006): Renamed J2SE to Java SE (Java Standard Edition).
Java SE 7 (codename Dolphin) (July 28, 2011): First version after Oracle purchased Sun (called Oracle JDK).
Java SE 8 (March 18, 2014): included support for Lambda expressions, default methods, and JavaScript runtime.

JRE

JRE (Java Runtime) is needed for running Java programs. JDK (Java Development Kit), which includes JRE plus the development tools (such as compiler and debugger), is need for writing as well as running Java programs. Since you are supposed to write Java Programs, you should install JDK, which includes JRE.

JDK

Android Apps Development Environment Setup

Start your Android application development on either of the following operating systems:

Microsoft Windows XP or later version.
Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later version with Intel chip.
Linux including GNU C Library 2.7 or later.

Required tools to develop Android applications are completely free. Just download from the internet the software you will need to set up before you start your Android Apps Development.

JDK (Java Development Kit)
Android SDK (Android Software Development Kit)
Eclipse IDE for Java Developers
ADT (Android Development Tools)

The last two components are optional. If you are working on Windows operating system then above components make your life easy while doing Java based application development. So lets start Android Apps Development Environment Setup.

Download Android Studio and SDK Tools

Download JDK

Android Application

Applications ("apps"), that extend the functionality of devices, are written primarily in the Java programming language (without the usual "write once, run anywhere" claim of the Java platform) using the Android software development kit (SDK). Once developed, Android applications can be packaged easily and sold out either through a store such as Google Play or the Amazon Appstore. Android powers hundreds of millions of mobile devices in more than 190 countries around the world. It's the largest installed base of any mobile platform and growing fast. Every day more than 1 million new Android devices are activated worldwide.

Feature	Description
Beautiful UI	Android OS basic screen provides a beautiful and intuitive user interface.
Connectivity	GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, NFC and WiMAX.
Storage	SQLite, a lightweight relational database, is used for data storage purposes.
Media support	H.263, H.264, MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB, AAC, HE-AAC, AAC 5.1, MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP
Messaging	SMS and MMS
Web browser	Based on the open-source WebKit layout engine, coupled with Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine supporting HTML5 and CSS3.
Multi-touch	Android has native support for multi-touch which was initially made available in handsets such as the HTC Hero.
Multi-tasking	User can jump from one task to another and same time various application can run simultaneously.
Resizable widgets	Widgets are resizable, so users can expand them to show more content or shrink them to save space
Multi-Language	Supports single direction and bi-directional text.
GCM	Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) is a service that lets developers send short message data to their users on Android devices, without needing a proprietary sync solution.
Wi-Fi Direct	A technology that lets apps discover and pair directly, over a high-bandwidth peer-to-peer connection.
Android Beam	A popular NFC-based technology that lets users instantly share, just by touching two NFC-enabled phones together.

An even sweeter Jelly Bean

Restricted profiles for tablets

You can now limit access to apps and content at home and work. For parents, this means you can create parental controls and for retailers, you can turn their tablet into a kiosk.

Bluetooth Smart support

Bluetooth Smart minimizes power use while measuring and transmitting data for fitness sensors like Fitbit, Runtastic and other devices, making your phone or tablet more power efficient.

Dial pad autocomplete

Just start touching numbers or letters and the dial pad will automatically suggest numbers or names.

Improved support for Hebrew and Arabic

We’ve added more support for Hebrew and Arabic speakers with new builds for right to left layouts.

Even more features

For those of you looking to go deeper, here's an exhaustive list of all the updates found in Android 4.3, categorized for quick access to the changes.

Audio: Virtual surround sound - enjoy movies from Google Play with surround sound on Nexus 7 (2013 edition) and other Nexus devices.
Graphics: OpenGL ES 3.0 - Android now supports the latest version of the industry standard for high performance graphics.; Wireless Display for Nexus 7 (2013 edition) and Nexus 10 - project from your tablet to a TV.
Input: Easier text input - an improved algorithm for tap-typing recognition makes text input easier. Lower latency input for gamepad buttons and joysticks.
Location: Location detection through Wi-Fi - use Wi-Fi to detect location without turning on Wi-Fi all the time.
Networking: Bluetooth Smart support (a.k.a. Bluetooth Low-Energy) - devices like Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 (2013 edition) are now Bluetooth Smart Ready.; Bluetooth AVRCP 1.3 support - display song names on a car stereo.
Settings: Disabled apps tab - check which apps are disabled in Settings > Apps.
System: Restricted profiles - put your tablet into a mode with limited access to apps and content.; Setup wizard simplification - getting started on Android is easier thanks to the ability to correct previous input, and because of streamlined user agreements.; Faster user switching - switching users from the lock screen is now faster.
Enhanced photo daydream - navigate through interesting albums.

Smart, simple, and truly yours

Beautiful & Immersive

A more polished design, improved performance, and new features.

Just say “Ok Google”

You don’t need to touch the screen to get things done. When on your home screen (Currently only available on Nexus 5) or in Google Now, just say “Ok Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song.

A work of art

While listening to music on your device, or while projecting movies to Chromecast, you’ll see beautiful full-screen album and movie art when your device is locked. You can play, pause, or seek to a specific moment.

Immerse yourself

The book you're reading, the game you're playing, or the movie you're watching — now all of these take center stage with the new immersive mode, which automatically hides everything except what you really want to see. Just swipe the edge of the screen to bring back your status bar and navigation buttons.

Faster multitasking

Android 4.4 takes system performance to an all-time high by optimizing memory and improving your touchscreen so that it responds faster and more accurately than ever before. This means that you can listen to music while browsing the web, or race down the highway with the latest hit game, all without a hitch.

Smart & Simple

Google smarts improve every corner of the Android experience.

The future is calling

The new phone app automatically prioritizes your contacts based on the people you talk to the most. You can also search for nearby places and businesses, your contacts, or people in your Google Apps domain.

A smarter caller ID

Whenever you get a call from a phone number not in your contacts, your phone will look for matches from businesses with a local listing on Google Maps. Learn more about caller ID by Google

All your messages in the same place

Never miss a message, no matter how your friend sends it. With the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same app, alongside your other conversations and video calls. And with the new Hangouts, you can even share your location and send animated GIFs.

Emoji everywhere

Sometimes words can’t express how you feel. For that, there’s Emoji, the colorful Japanese characters, now available on Google Keyboard.

Grab & Go

New features help you get things done while you’re on the move.

Print wherever, whenever

Now you can print photos, documents, and web pages from your phone or tablet. You can print to any printer connected to Google Cloud Print, to HP ePrint printers, and to other printers that have apps in the Google Play Store.

Pick a file, any file

From apps like Quickoffice, you can open and save files on Google Drive, other cloud storage services, or your device. And with quick access to recently used files, it's easier than ever to send the file you were just working on.

Your office, anywhere

Create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations from your phone or tablet with the newly redesigned Quickoffice

Even more features

For those of you looking to go deeper, here's an exhaustive list of all the updates found in Android 4.4, KitKat.

Bluetooth MAP support: Android now supports the Message Access Profile (MAP) so Bluetooth-enabled cars can exchange messages with your devices.
Chromecast support: With your Android device and a Chromecast, you can enjoy your favorite online entertainment, from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and Google Play on your HDTV.
Chrome web view: Applications that embed web content now use Chrome to render web components accurately and quickly.
Closed captioning: Android now supports closed captioning and subtitles. To turn on closed captioning, go to Settings > Accessibility and turn on Captions.
Device management built-in: If you ever lose your device, you can find or wipe it with the Android Device Manager
Downloads app redesign: The Downloads app has been redesigned, giving you new sorting options and list and grid views for all the files you’ve downloaded.
Easy home screen switching: If you love to customize your device and have installed one or more home screen replacements, you can switch between them easily in Settings > Home.
Email app refresh: The redesigned Email app has a fresh new look with nested folders, contact photos and better navigation.
Full-screen wallpapers with preview: Your wallpaper now extends through the notification tray and system buttons. And when you change your wallpaper, you can preview just how it will look before you set it.*
HDR+ photography: HDR+ mode on Nexus 5 automatically snaps a rapid burst of photos and combines them to give you the best possible single shot. Daytime pictures are vivid with clean shadows, and nighttime photos are sharp with less noise.*
Infrared blasting: On devices with an infrared (IR) blaster, Android now supports applications for remote control of TVs and other nearby devices.
Location in Quick Settings: Access your location settings from anywhere with a new tile in Quick Settings.
Location modes and monitoring: If you want to conserve battery, go to Settings > Location to switch between high accuracy and battery-saving location modes. There’s no need to toggle GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile network settings. And to see which apps have recently requested your location, go to Settings > Location.
Low-power audio playback: Android 4.4 on Nexus 5 lets you listen to music for longer - up to 60 hours of audio playback.*
Music and movie-seeking from lock screen: Jump to a specific part of a song or video from your lock screen. Just long press on the play or pause button and then select the point you want.
Secure app sandboxes: Application sandboxes have been hardened with Security-Enhanced Linux.
Step counting built-in: When you use fitness apps like Moves on Nexus 5, the phone acts as a pedometer to count steps. Android 4.4 and updated hardware make this a more battery-friendly way to measure your activity.
Tap to pay, built a new way: Android 4.4 introduces a new, open architecture for NFC payments that works with any mobile carrier, and lets apps manage your payment information in the cloud or on your device. Now you can tap to pay with Google Wallet or other apps at more than a million stores.
Touchscreen improvements: Improved software and Nexus 5’s new hardware mean Android responds to your touch faster and more accurately than ever before (Currently only available on Nexus 5). Read more...

The smarts of Android on screens big and small

On more than your phone and tablet

Android powers your watch, your TV and even your car.

Pick up where you left off

The songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all of your Android devices.

Material design: fluid, purposeful motion

More tangible interaction

Content responds to your touch in an intuitive way.

The right information at the right moment

With Lollipop, your tablet shows your inbox alongside the message you have open, while your watch shows new emails as they arrive.

Get more out of Android

Your device, your rules

For fewer worries and disruptions, adjust your settings so only certain people and notifications get through. When it's important, respond directly from your lockscreen.

More time playing, less time charging

Power for the long haul with a battery saver feature that extends your device by up to 90 minutes. And now it's easier to manage your power usage - see the estimated time left before you need to charge, and when you're charging, approximately how much time until it's topped up and ready to go.

More ways to secure your device

Share your device securely with guest user mode. Or create multiple user accounts to enable friends to log in on your device. In either case, no one will be able to access any of your stuff. And you can use Android Smart Lock to secure your phone or tablet by pairing it with a trusted device like your wearable or even your car.

See more of what Android Lollipop has to offer

Material Design
A bold, colorful, and responsive UI design for consistent, intuitive experiences across all your devices
- Responsive, natural motion, realistic lighting and shadows, and familiar visual elements make it easier to navigate your device
- Vivid new colors, typography, and edge-to-edge imagery help to focus your attention
Notifications
New ways to control when and how you receive messages - only get interrupted when you want to be
- View and respond to messages directly from your lock screen. Includes the ability to hide sensitive content for these notifications
- For fewer disruptions, turn on Priority mode via your device’s volume button so only certain people and notifications get through. Or schedule recurring downtime like 10pm to 8am when only Priority notifications can get through
- With Lollipop, incoming phone calls won’t interrupt what you’re watching or playing. You can choose to answer the call or just keep doing what you’re doing
- Control the notifications triggered by your apps; hide sensitive content and prioritize or turn off the app’s notifications entirely
- More intelligent ranking of notifications based on who they’re from and the type of communication. See all your notifications in one place by tapping the top of the screen
Battery
Power for the long haul
- A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins
- Estimated time left to fully charge is displayed when your device is plugged in
- Estimated time left on your device before you need to charge again can now be found in battery settings
Security
Keep your stuff safe and sound
- New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices
- SELinux enforcing for all applications means even better protection against vulnerabilities and malware
- Use Android Smart Lock to secure your phone or tablet by pairing it with a trusted device like your wearable or even your car
Device Sharing
More flexible sharing with family and friends
- Multiple users for phones. If you forget your phone, you still can call any of your friends (or access any of your messages, photos etc.) by simply logging into another Android phone running Lollipop. Also perfect for families who want to share a phone, but not their stuff
- Guest user for phones and tablets means you can lend your device and not your info
- Screen pinning: pin your screen so another user can access just that content without messing with your other stuff
New Quick Settings
Get to the most frequently used settings with just two swipes down from the top of the screen
- New handy controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls
- Easier on/off toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location
- Manually adjust your brightness for certain conditions. Then, adaptive brightness will kick in based on ambient lighting
Connectivity
A better internet connection everywhere and more powerful Bluetooth low energy capabilities
- Improved network handoffs resulting in limited interruption in connectivity. For example, continue your video chat or VoIP calls without interruption as you leave the house and switch from your home Wi-Fi back to cellular
- Improved network selection logic so that your device connects only if there is a verified internet connection on Wi-Fi
- Power-efficient scanning for nearby Bluetooth low energy (“BLE”) devices like wearables or beacons
- New BLE peripheral mode
Runtime and Performance
A faster, smoother and more powerful computing experience
- ART, an entirely new Android runtime, improves application performance and responsiveness
  - Up to 4x performance improvements
  - Smoother UI for complex, visually rich applications
  - Compacting backgrounded apps and services so you can do more at once
- Support for 64 bit devices, like the Nexus 9, brings desktop class CPUs to Android
  - Support for 64-bit SoCs using ARM, x86, and MIPS-based cores
  - Shipping 64-bit native apps like Chrome, Gmail, Calendar, Google Play Music, and more
  - Pure Java language apps run as 64-bit apps automatically
Media
Bolder graphics and improved audio, video, and camera capabilities
- Lower latency audio input ensuring that music and communication applications that have strict delay requirements provide an amazing realtime experience
- Multi-channel audio stream mixing means professional audio applications can now mix up to eight channels including 5.1 and 7.1 channels
- USB Audio support means you can plug USB microphones, speakers, and a myriad of other USB audio devices like amplifiers and mixers into your Android device
- OpenGL ES 3.1 and Android extension pack brings Android to the forefront of mobile graphics putting it on par with desktop and console class performance
- A range of new professional photography features for Android Lollipop that let you
  - Capture full resolution frames around 30 fps
  - Support raw formats like YUV and Bayer RAW
  - Control capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame
  - Capture metadata like noise models and optical information
- State of the art video technology with support for HEVC to allow for UHD 4K video playback, tunneled video for high quality video playback on Android TV and improved HLS support for streaming
OK Google
Easy access to information and performing tasks
- Even if your screen is off, you can say "OK Google" on devices with digital signal processing support such as Nexus 6 and Nexus 9
- Talk to Google on the go to get quick answers, send a text, get directions and more
Android TV
Support for living room devices
- User interface adapted for the living room
- Less browsing, more watching with personalized recommendations for content like movies and TV shows
- Voice search for Google Play, YouTube and supported apps so you can just say what you want to see
- Console-style Android gaming on your TV with a gamepad
- Cast your favorite entertainment apps to your big screen with Google Cast support for Android TV devices
Accessibility
Enhanced low vision and color blind capabilities
- Boost text contrast or invert colors to improve legibility
- Adjust display to improve color differentiation
Now in 68+ languages
15 new additions
- Basque, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese (Hong Kong), Galician, Icelandic, Kannada, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu
Device set up
Get up and running in no-time
- Tap & go: instant set up of your new Android phone or tablet by simply tapping it to your old one (requires NFC)
- Whenever you get a new Android phone or tablet, you can bring over your apps from Google Play automatically from any of your old Android devices
And a whole lot more
- Tap & pay: easily manage multiple payment apps by quickly switching between them
- Print preview and page range support
- Revamped display for battery, Bluetooth, data usage, and Wi-Fi settings and new search functionality in settings
- New device level feedback for Nexus devices in Settings > about phone > send feedback
- Easier sharing with
  - Improved ranking of your options within the share menu
  - Android Beam: lets you share a file with someone nearby by gently tapping the two devices together
- Where supported by the hardware, your device will wake up as soon as you pick it up or tap the screen twice
- Improved hardware keyboard accessory support including support for multilingual, emoji input, search key, and improved app and system key chords Read more...

Android 5.0, Lollipop

A sweet new take on Android. Get the smarts of Android on screens big and small – with the right information at the right moment.

Android 4.4, KitKat

Smart, simple, and truly yours. A more polished design, improved performance, and new features.

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean

Android is fast and smooth with buttery graphics. With Google Now, you get just the right information at the right time. And with more than 1 million apps on Google Play, and thousands of Android devices, you've got the freedom to do what you want on any device you choose.

Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

Android comes of age with a new, refined design. Simple, beautiful and beyond smart.

Android 3.0, Honeycomb

Optimized for tablets, this release opens up new horizons wherever you are.

Android 2.3, Gingerbread

New sensors make Android great for gaming - so you can touch, tap, tilt, and play away.

WELCOME TO ANDROID'S EXAMPLE!

JDK setup step 01:

Select here your essential JDK and download.

JDK setup step 03:

JDK setup step 04:

JDK setup step 05:

JDK setup step 06:

JDK setup step 07:

JDK setup step 08:

Setup has completed. So, lets enjoy.

Jelly Bean 4.3

Restricted profiles for tablets

Bluetooth Smart support

Dial pad autocomplete

Improved support for Hebrew and Arabic

Even more features

KitKat 4.4

Beautiful & Immersive

Just say “Ok Google”

A work of art

Immerse yourself

Faster multitasking

Smart & Simple

The future is calling

A smarter caller ID

All your messages in the same place

Emoji everywhere

Grab & Go

Print wherever, whenever

Pick a file, any file

Your office, anywhere

Even more features

The smarts of Android on screens big and small

On more than your phone and tablet

Pick up where you left off

Material design: fluid, purposeful motion

More tangible interaction

The right information at the right moment

Get more out of Android

Your device, your rules

More time playing, less time charging

More ways to secure your device

See more of what Android Lollipop has to offer

Material Design

Notifications

Battery

Security

Device Sharing

New Quick Settings

Connectivity

Runtime and Performance

Media

OK Google

Android TV

Accessibility

Now in 68+ languages

Device set up

And a whole lot more

Android 5.0, Lollipop

Android 4.4, KitKat

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean

Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

Android 3.0, Honeycomb

Android 2.3, Gingerbread

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