review 1: If you're on your first Android project (like me), get this book, right away! Don't be intimidated by its official designation as "intermediate". As a beginner, you'll want to know how to rescue yourself from bugs. This book provides the context behind every concept: you'll know the why, the what to do next, and the what to avoid (and why!). You'll develop a mental mapping of the "space" where everything sits. It's aimed at people who've done some Java already, but if you haven't, there's a very nice intro to the Java you'll need (again, with all the vital "why"s behind the "how"s). Lots of code examples explained step-by-step. It's intended to be used together with the online Android documentation by Google, but is quite usable all by itself. Its focus on "best practices"... more is invaluable. review 2: A good overview.The instructions for setting up the build environment are already obsolete. In the second edition. Of an e-book. But once I'd figured that part out I was able to (virtually) leaf through the book to aid me figuring out the structure of the app that I'd chosen to debug. And, eventually, to creating my own android app, from setting up the directory structure to signing the app for release. less
