Embedded Android

Appendix E. Resources

There is more to Android than could ever be covered in a single book. For starters, Android has a living ecosystem around it and a lot of community projects. This appendix highlights the major resources you should explore as your work with Android progresses.

Websites and Communities

A vast number of websites and communities are either directly or indirectly related to Android. I’ve tried to categorize them below as neatly as possible.

Google

Android Open Source Project

Google’s main site for the Android platform. It historically contained more information about the system, but it has been removed. It still is a very good reference on how to get the sources and how to set up your development system to build the AOSP. It also contains the latest documentation on the Android Compatibility Program, including the Compliance Definition Document.

Android Developer

This is Google’s site for app developers. Unlike the platform site, this site is quite rich in documentation. It contains tutorials, an API reference, guidelines for graphic designers, and more. In sum, if you’re developing an app, you’re in good hands with this site.

Android Tools Project Site

This is the site that contains the information about Android’s developer tools. This includes the SDK, the Eclipse plug-in, the NDK, etc.

SoC Vendors

TI Android Development Kit for Sitara

This dev kit includes a set of AOSP sources that have been customized to run on boards based on TI’s chips such as the BeagleBone. You may ...