Review: Beginning Android Tablet Application Development – Wrox

The idea I had when getting this book was the need for more tablet specific development tips. I already have developed several succesful android applications, but did not catch up with the the new fragments and actionbar stuff.

I must say I didn’t do a lot of research before getting this book, and that is likely the cause of a mismatch with my expectations.
This book is really for people starting with android development, not for people already having lots of experience and wanting to touch on tablets a bit more. It does have a section on fragments and the actionbar, and I enjoyed that, but it was a bit brief.

That said, it definitely is a decent book for beginners. It handles all the views and basics, even getting eclipse up and running and publishing apps to the marketplace.

It should be noted that the book is in full color and uses that to its full extend by displaying lots and lots of screenshots. I think if you are a visual type of guy it could help you with getting started. Personally I like the info to be a bit more concise without having to switch to screenshots.

I may be sounding a bit negative here, but I do think it could be the right book for some of the starting devs. It definitely gives you a great introduction into Android development, so if you are a beginner and like the more visual approach to it, consider this book. However, if you are looking to brush up your skills, maybe you should look to another more advanced book that could help you out.