eBOOK: Sams Teach Yourself Android Application Development in 24 Hours

Publisher: Sams, 2010 | ISBN: 0321673352 | 475pages | PDF | 17.2MB

Full Color!

In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, learn how to build powerful applications for the world’s first complete, open, and free mobile platform: Android. Using this book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach, you’ll build a fully-featured Android application from the ground up and master the skills you need to design, develop, test, and publish powerful applications. Each lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success!

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common Android development tasks.

Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge.

By the Way notes present interesting information related to the discussion.

Did You Know? tips offer advice or show you easier ways to perform tasks.

Watch Out! cautions alert you to possible problems and give you advice on how to avoid them.

Learn how to…

* Develop Android applications quickly and successfully with Java
* Master Google’s Android SDK and development tools
* Leverage the Eclipse programming environment to develop Android projects
* Understand the Android application lifecycle
* Build effective, user-friendly user interfaces
* Retrieve, store, and work with application data
* Develop powerful network applications
* Add popular social features and location-based services to your applications
* Take advantage of Android device hardware like the camera
* Internationalize, test, and publish your Android applications

eBook: Learning Android Application Testing

eBook: Learning Android Application Testing (2015) 

Pdf, Epub & Mobi

Publisher: Packt Publishing - ebooks Account (April 30, 2015)
Language: English 

ISBN-10: 1784395331
ISBN-13: 978-1784395339
Improve your Android applications through intensive testing and debugging

About This Book

Focus on Android instrumentation testing to ensure full application coverage
Apply testing techniques and utilize tools to improve Android application development
Build intensively tested and bug free Android applications
Who This Book Is For
If you are an Android developer looking to test your applications or optimize your application development process, then this book is for you. No previous experience in application testing is required.


What You Will Learn

Apply testing techniques and utilize tools to improve Android application development
Get to grips with the nuances of testing on Android, including how to architect an application to facilitate better testing
Explore the Android instrumentation testing framework to optimize your activities, services, content providers, and usage of other Android components
Understand different development methodologies including Test-driven Development and Behavior-driven Development
Apply the continuous integration technique for ultimate application quality control
Improve application performance by analyzing the results returned from performance tests
Expose your application to a wide range of conditions and configurations to simulate real-life network conditions and detect problems in the application
Explore further tools to improve application quality such as micro benchmarks and code coverage


In Detail

This book is a practical introduction to readily available techniques, frameworks, and tools to thoroughly test your Android applications and improve project development.

You will learn the Java testing framework, how to create a test case and debug it. Next, you'll be walked through using the Android SDK to test using the ActivityTestCase and ActivityUnitTest classes as well as discussing popular testing libraries. Through examples you will test files, databases, ContentProviders, exceptions, services, and test your app using Espresso. You will discover how to manage your Android testing environment using Android emulators, deep dive into how adb and the emulator can super charge your testing automation, and also test user interactions with monkeyrunner. You will be guided through different testing methodologies including Test-driven Development and Behavior-driven Development and will learn how to perform Unit and Functional testing applying them to your Android projects. You will also use continuous integration techniques for ultimate application quality control using Gradle and Jenkins.

By the end of the book, you'll be looking through alternative testing tactics including Fest and Spoon to build upon and expand your Android testing range and finesse.

WhatsApp has turned on end-to-end encryption across all users

The Facebook-owned app, which has more than one billion monthly active users, turned on the Signal Protocol, developed by Open Whisper Systems, by default. The open-source private messaging system, which has been supported by Edward Snowden, will protect group chats, attachments, voice notes, and voice calls that are made across WhatsApp on Android, iPhone, Windows devices and some Nokia and BlackBerry models.

The encryption method lets users see content that has been sent but does not allow service providers, such as WhatsApp, to access the content of the messages.

"Starting today, users will see a notice in their conversation screen as their individual and group chats become end to end encrypted," Open Whisper Systems said in a blog post. "Additionally, the encryption status of any chat is visible under that chat's preferences screen."

WhatApp's adoption of end-to-end encryption follows Apple's debate with the FBI over the unlocking of a terrorist's iPhone. During the dispute Jan Koum, WhatsApps' co-founder, said that he supported Apple's position and admired its "efforts to protect user data". In March it was revealed that WhatsApp had been targeted by court orders asking to access information it holds.

The Whisper blog explained that there would still be unencrypted text on the WhatsApp network until everyone updated to the latest version of the software. When someone is using the end-to-end encrypted network plain text will not be sent to them, even if they downgrade their software.

"Eventually all the pre-e2e capable clients will expire, at which point new versions of the software will no longer transmit or accept plaintext messages at all," Whisper said.
Users will also be able to verify their encrypted messages by scanning a QR code or reading a code aloud. This is to ensure messages are being sent and received by the correct users. The latest move means that WhatsApp employees won't be able to access messages, even if they are ordered to do so by the courts.

According to reports, a team of 15 engineers from the company was involved in bringing end-to-end encryption to all WhatsApp users; and creating the fully-encrypted service didn't come without its challenges. Koum told that the project had been in the works since 2014, with development nearly publicly announced in 2015 only for cross-platform compatibility problems to cause delays.

Source: http://www.wired.co.uk

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Soon we can access Google play Store Android Apps in Chrome OS

Google first brought the ability to run Android apps on Chrome OS with a project called the "App Runtime for Chrome (ARC)." Google built an Android runtime on Chrome OS and partnered with select developers to port a handful of Android apps. Now it sounds like Google is ready to unleash millions of Android apps onto the platform by bringing the entire Play Store to Chrome OS.

In the Chrome OS subreddit, users are reporting some interesting behavior in their Chromebooks. "TheWiseYoda" noticed that when the settings first load up, an option flashes on screen that reads, "Enable Android apps to run on your Chromebook." The option immediately disappears, so it's not possible to click on its confirmation box. We were able to replicate this on our second-gen Chromebook Pixel running the developer build.

After some hunting in the Chrome OS source code, TheWiseYoda found a few strings in this file (starting at line 6522) that mention the arrival of Google Play on Chrome OS. The most important message seems to be this one:

<message name="IDS_ARC_OPT_IN_DIALOG_DESCRIPTION" desc="Description of the opt-in dialog for Android apps.">
Choose from over a million apps and games on Google Play to install and use on your <ph name="DEVICE_TYPE">$1<ex>Chromebook</ex></ph>.
</message>

The message name "ARC OPT IN" points to this being a huge expansion of the App Runtime for Chrome project. ARC took a big step a year ago when it added support for Google Play Services, and now it seems Google is really going to open the floodgates for "over a million" apps. Another user by the name of "InauspiciousPagan" was able to bring up a user-facing dialog box describing the new feature.



We haven't heard any official news about Google Play coming to Chrome OS, but Google I/O is right around the corner.

Source: Ron Amadeo  for http://arstechnica.com/ 

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Remote Desktop Client - Connect your PC with other devices

You can use the Remote Desktop client to connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere. Experience rich interactivity using a remote desktop client designed to help you get your work done wherever you are. For example, you can connect to your work PC and have access to all of your apps, files, and network resources as if you were sitting right in front of your work PC. You can leave apps open at work and then see those same apps using the RD client.

Image Source: WindowsBlogItalia

You can use the RD Client to sit at a PC and connect to another PC in a different location (the remote PC). For example, you can connect to your work PC from your home PC and use all of your apps, files, and network resources as if you were sitting right in front of your work PC. You can leave apps open at work and then see those same apps on your home PC.
The following list provides additional resources for using Remote Desktop mobile clients.

• Android:  Getting Started with Remote Desktop Client on Android
• iPad or iOS:  Getting Started with Remote Desktop Client on iOS
• Mac:  Getting Started with Remote Desktop Client on Mac
• Windows clients: Connect to your PC using Microsoft RDP apps

How do I set up a PC for Remote Desktop Connection?

On the PC you plan to connect to remotely, do the following:

1. Open System by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering System in the search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking System. 
   
2. Tap or click Remote settings. You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.
   
3. In the System Properties dialog box, under Remote Desktop, select one of the two options.
   
4. Tap or click Select Users, and in the Remote Desktop Users dialog box, tap or click Add.
   
5. In the Select Users or Groups dialog box, do the following: 
   
6. Tap or click Remote settings. You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.
   
   
   • To select the search location, tap or click Locations, and then select the location you want to search.
     
   • In Enter the object names to select, enter the name of the person that you want to add, and then tap or click OK. The name will be added to the list of people who can connect to this PC.

Note
You can’t connect to a PC that's asleep or hibernating, so make sure the settings for sleep and hibernation on the remote PC are set to Never (hibernation isn't available on all PCs.).

When you want to connect to a remote PC, you'll need to know the full name of that PC.

1. Open System by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering System in the search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking System.
   
2. The full PC name is listed under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings. 
     

Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2

 

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Curio mobile app and browser extension, brings everything for you in a single long click

Curiyo is an extension that brings you all the stuff you need to know from top publishers, social networks and bloggers—with one long-click and without leaving your page.

Curiyo saves you time and instantly brings relevant info to you without leaving the page!

 
The big pain point today is overload and lost focus. You start out searching for something and end up navigating back and forth to many different places. It’s still too hard to keep on top of our favourite topics, so that Curiyo was created.



 In this overloaded world, Curio believe in simple lookup that does not take us to many other places but rather brings focused content about any topic directly to us, all in one view.


 
Features-
    Long-click: This feature allows you to decide which topic you’d like to know more about, by just long-clicking the term for a full second.
    Topic Detection: Curiyo automatically identifies interesting topics on the page you’re reading and subtly underlines them.
    Relevant content: Curiyo gives you dynamic content from top publishers on the web.
    Smart word detection: Curiyo is easy to use! If for instance you want to click on Lana Del Rey, there’s no need to select the whole name (all three parts of it), just longclick anywhere in the word.



Curio's platform delivers video, social, background, and related content on the spot without interrupting our context.


And with their new My2¢ functionality, we, users can post our opinions about our favourite celebrities, sports teams, movies, and hot topics of the day.


Curiyo works in 15 international languages on mobile phones, tablets, browsers, and also inside publishers’ and bloggers’ pages.


Curio's solution = simplicity. Curiyo brings you relevant, useful, and fun content about any topic combined from the best social media, news, video, and other feeds in one easy all-in-one view.


Curiyo was founded by Bob Rosenschein, who founded and built Answers.com into a top-20 U.S. property — and loves inventing disruptive solutions to common problems.


Curio's angel investors include OurCrowd, Mort Meyerson, Cedar Fund, Kima Ventures, Magic, Gigi Levy, JumpSpeed, Tom Glocer, and Techra Networks.


Curiyo’s products support the following platforms:
• iOS app
• Android app
• Browser extensions (for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE)
• Any mobile or desktop browser (HTML)
• Curiyo for Publishers: JavaScript or WordPress plugin




Free Downloads:









* works on desktop browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft IE.
Or you can always enjoy Curiyo directly in any desktop or mobile browser: www.curiyo.com.




For Publishers
Curiyo for Publishers is a free WordPress plugin or 1 line of JavaScript which boosts your readers’ engagement and keeps them on your site or blog longer.


• Install the Curiyo plugin for WordPress.org, or
• Add JavaScript to your page

5 Benefits for Your Site:
1. Make your pages more informative and entertaining.
2. Bring names to life with videos, social media, tweets, and background information.
3. Make your users happier.
4. Keep them on your page longer.
5. Try it out — it’s free!

How to install Kali Linux in any Android phone and tablet

There’s actually very little to be done to get Kali installed. By choosing Kali Linux in the “Distribution” tab, you’ve pretty much covered the important stuff. Optionally, you can choose your architecture, verify that the Kali mirror is correct, set your installation type and location on your Android device, etc. Generally speaking, the defaults provided by Linux Deploy are good to begin with.

 

Prerequisites

• A device running Android 2.1 and above, rooted.
• At least 5 GB free space on internal or external storage.
• A fast, wireless internet connection.
• Patience to wait for a distribution to bootstrap from the network.

 

Building the Kali Image

Once you are happy with all the settings, hitting the “install” button will start a Kali Linux bootstrap directly from our repositories. Depending on your Internet connection speed, this process could take a while. You’ll be downloading a base install of Kali Linux (with no tools) at minimum.

Starting up your chrooted Kali

Once the installation is complete, you can have Linux Deploy automatically mount and load up your Kali Linux chroot image. This also includes the starting of services such as SSH and VNC for easier remote access. All of this is automagically done by hitting the “start” button. You should see Linux Deploy setting up your image with output similar to the following:

At this stage, Linux Deploy has started a VNC and SSH server inside your chrooted Kali image. You can connect to the Kali session remotely using the IP address assigned to your Android device (in my case, 10.0.0.10).

Logging in to your chrooted Kali

Now you can use either a SSH or VNC client to access your Kali instance. The VNC password is “changeme” and the SSH credentials are “android” for the username (configured via Linux Deploy) and “changeme” as the password.

muts@slim:~$ ssh android@10.0.0.10
android@10.0.0.10 password:
Linux localhost 3.4.5-447845 #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Apr 12 17:22:34 KST 2013 armv7l
Kali GNU/Linux 1.0 [running on Android via Linux Deploy] android@localhost:~$ sudo su
root@localhost:/home/android# df
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on /dev/loop3 4180944 667268 3304012 17% /
tmpfs 952708 80 952628 1% /dev
tmpfs 952708 0 952708 0% /dev/shm
root@localhost:/home/android#
root@localhost:/home/android# apt-get update
Hit http://http.kali.org kali Release.gpg
Hit http://http.kali.org kali Release
Hit http://http.kali.org kali/main Sources
Hit http://http.kali.org kali/contrib Sources
Hit http://http.kali.org kali/non-free Sources
Hit http://http.kali.org kali/main armel Packages
Hit http://http.kali.org kali/contrib armel Packages
Hit http://http.kali.org kali/non-free armel Packages
Ign http://http.kali.org kali/contrib Translation-en_US
Ign http://http.kali.org kali/contrib Translation-en
Ign http://http.kali.org kali/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://http.kali.org kali/main Translation-en
Ign http://http.kali.org kali/non-free Translation-en_US
Ign http://http.kali.org kali/non-free Translation-en
Reading package lists... Done
root@localhost:/home/android#

Image Size Considerations

If left unchanged, Linux Deploy will automatically set an image size of around 4 GB, for a “naked” installation of Kali. If you would like to install additional Kali tools down the road, you might want to consider using a larger image size, which is configurable via the settings in Linux Deploy.

Local VNC Connections

We had to try a couple of VNC clients to get one to work properly. Although controlling Kali through a local VNC client isn’t the most convenient of tasks, it certainly is possible. However, we suspect that most people will be SSH’ing into this instance. The picture below was overlayed with a Kali Linux desktop screenshot taken from a Galaxy S4.

Source: https://www.kali.org/

Which Linux Distro is suitable for you?

There are many forms of Linux. Each form is called a distribution (distro) or a flavor (this is rare). Linux distros are classified by the package manager they use, the standard software they ship with, and the distro they have forked. The first and third points are the most important in classification. For instance, Ubuntu is a Debian system because it uses the Debian installation files and it is a branch off of Debian Linux.

Image Source: gamerheadlines.com

As time goes on, Linux distros evolve. Some distros merge while other split. They start to become more different and serve the needs of different people as the distros change and adapt. Some distros like Ubuntu are popular while others (like Midori or Storm are obsolete and no longer supported).

For instance, Ubuntu has many users and many branches (commonly called forks). There is a Ubuntu distro for the main desktop environments – Xubuntu (XFCE), Lubuntu (LXDE), and Kubuntu (KDE). There is even a special Ubuntu distro specifically designed to suit the needs of China called UbuntuKylin.

All distros have one piece of software in common - the Linux kernel (there are other pieces in common, but by definition, the Linux kernel defines Linux). The rest of the software is different which makes up a Linux distro. Distros can use different versions of the Linux kernel, but if they use a kernel that is not Linux, then the operating system is no longer a Linux distro. Android is a Linux distro because it uses the Linux kernel. In summary, Android, Fedora, Linux Mint, MeeGo, and Ubuntu are Linux distros because they have a Linux kernel, but FreeBSD, ReactOS, and and OpenSolaris are not Linux because use different kernels.

Image Source: lmelinux.net

There are three main branches of Linux distros - Debian (deb), Red Hat (rpm), and Slackware (slp). There are also some smaller branches and some individual distros that have their own structure and setup. Some of these branches of Linux have large subgroups. For instance, Ubuntu is a large family of Linux distros within the Debian group. Some distros may stray far from their original group. For instance, OpenSUSE came from SUSE which came from Slackware. So, OpenSUSE is a descendant of Slackware, although OpenSUSE now uses RPM packages like RedHat-based Linux systems. So, that would make OpenSUSE a RedHat-based system. Some new major branches are forming. The Arch branch is starting to become as large as the three main branches of Linux distros.

An SVG image on Wikipedia clearly demonstrates these branches of the Linux system here (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Linux_Distribution_Timeline_with_Android.svg). This nice chart shows how the distros evolved and changed. It shows the main branches as trees. As many will see, numerous Linux distros come from Debian, Red hat, and Slackware. Many individual distros exist and some are starting to make new trees like Arch, Android, and Enoch (now Gentoo).

Even though many distros may be very different, they are largely the same. To make a new distro, logos are changed and applications are added or removed. For instance, Ubuntu Studio is Ubuntu with extra graphics software. ChromeOS is a derivative of OpenSUSE. The earlier versions still had the OpenSUSE logos (during non-graphical boot-up).

Debian: Debian Linux will be well-suited for those who need stability. Debian Linux uses older software that is known to be stable. Generally, hospitals that use Linux will use Debian on important systems. Debian is usually a wise choice for a server system because the software is usually stable. The recommended system requirements are 1GHz processor, 512MB memory, 5GB hard-drive. http://www.debian.org/distrib/

Ubuntu: For those that like Debian, but want the latest software and an interface with better graphics, Ubuntu is a common choice. Ubuntu is stable, but many Linux users recommend Debian for critical systems. The average mainstream desktop/laptop user will probably want Ubuntu. The recommended system requirements are 800MB memory, 1GHz processor, and 5GB hard-drive. http://www.ubuntu.com/download

Kubuntu: Same as Ubuntu, but uses KDE. Users that dislike Unity may prefer Kubuntu. The recommended system requirements are 1GHz processor, 10GB hard-drive, and more than 1GB memory. http://www.kubuntu.org/getkubuntu

Xubuntu: Xubuntu is a lightweight Ubuntu system for older hardware or hardware with less resources. Xubuntu uses the XFCE interface instead of Unity. The recommended system requirements are 512MB memory and 5GB hard-drive (tyr Lubuntu for something more lightweight). http://xubuntu.org/getxubuntu/

Linux Mint: For people that want a Debian-based system, but dislike Unity may be interested in Linux Mint. Linux Mint may come with the MATE, Cinnamon, XFCE, or KDE interface (user's choice). The recommended system requirements are 1GHz processor, 1GB memory, and 10GB hard-drive. http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

BackTrack (Kali): BackTrack is a Ubuntu-based high-security system while Kali is newer and based on Debian. BackTrack (now called Kali) is often used for hacking into other systems. Although, that is illegal unless you are hacking into a computer of your because you forgot the password. BackTrack/Kali is also used to evaluate security. Some companies may use BackTrack/Kali to find security flaws in their own system. http://www.kali.org/downloads/

Slackware: Slackware is a simple lightweight system. Usually, Slackware is preferred among advanced users due to Slackware being less of a user-friendly system compared to other distros. The recommended system requirements are i486 processor, 256MB memory, and 5GB hard-drive. Advanced users wanting a lightweight system may prefer Slackware. http://www.slackware.com/

Arch: Arch Linux is a minimalistic system that is supposedly very simple. It is also a lightweight system that is used among advanced Linux users. Advanced users that dislike Slackware may like Arch. https://www.archlinux.org/download/

Fedora: Some Linux users may say Fedora is the RedHat counterpart of Ubuntu (Debian system). Fedora is perfect for many mainstream desktop/laptop users. Fedora handles graphics well and uses appealing interfaces. The recommended system requirements are 1GB memory and 10GB hard-drive. http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora

Red Hat Enterprise Linux: RedHat is usually used as a server system. Fedora is the client/desktop system while RedHat is the server “version”. So, if you would like to use Fedora as a server or need a system that is more stable than Fedora, then use RedHat.

Puppy Linux: This is a very lightweight system that is usually used on older systems due to the light requirements. Puppy Linux may not have the best-looking interface, but it is still easy to use. The recommended system requirements are 333MHz processor, 64MB memory, 512MB swap, and 1GB hard-drive. http://puppylinux.org/main/Download Latest Release.htm

AnitaOS: This is a form of Puppy Linux developed by @Darren Hale intended for old hardware. AnitaOS uses old kernels while the mainstream Puppy Linux uses the newer kernels. http://sourceforge.net/projects/anitaos/ | http://www.linux.org/threads/anitaos-a-diy-distro-you-build-it-yourself.4401/

Damn Small Linux (DSL): This is a lightweight Linux system that requires 8MB of memory and at least an i486 processor. People needing a lightweight system may want DSL if they dislike Puppy Linux. http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/download.html

CentOS: CentOS is often comparable to Linux Mint, but CentOS is Red-Hat-based instead of Debian-based. In fact, CentOS is RHEL without the branding. Basically, if you want RHEL, but do not want to pay for it and support, then get CentOS. People who like Linux Mint, but want a Red-Hat system may be interested in CentOS. The recommended system requirements are 256MB memory and 256MB hard-drive. http://www.centos.org/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=30

OpenSUSE: OpenSUSE is a RedHat-based distro that has YaST and ZYpp. OpenSUSE is available as a rolling release or a stable version-by-version basis. The minimum requirements include 2GB memory, 5GB hard-space, AMD64 or Intel 2.4GHz. http://www.opensuse.org

If a distro containing no closed-source software anywhere in the system is needed, then check out GNU.org's list of 100% open-source GNU/Linux operating systems - https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.en.html

Compiled from the articles written by DevynCJohnson for http://www.linux.org/

YouTube for Android's new feature Background Buffer

Sree's Tech Blog: YouTube for Android's new feature Background Buffe...: Did you see this message: "paused videos keep buffering if you leave the app" the message in YouTube's Android  app, after...