Often when importing Android code into my Eclipse workspace, I find that there are a lot of new ‘errors’ introduced to the code.  These errors were closely linked to my overriden classes (something you’ll find quite often in android code) and read “The method X must override a superclass method” .  For the longest time I’ve wondered how to reliably fix those bugs (until now I had been removing and re-adding the @Override keyword as appropriate to make the compiler shut up).  This morning I stumbled across a Stack Overflow thread that finally solves this problem.

You see, the problem is related to which version of Java the code is checked for compatibility errors against.  Eclipse defaults to using Java 1.5, which only allows the use of interface methods if super() is called.  Java 1.6 allowed the use of the @Override keyword to designation the interface implementation which is current standard way of overriding interface classes in Android coding.

To fix your problem you just need to do a bit of tinkering in the project settings in Eclipse.  Go to your project preferences and under Java > Compiler set the java compiler to 1.6.  While this might fix the error, it is more likely that you’re going to have to change the project specific value for compiler level as well.  Select ”Configure project specific settings” and change the java compiler value there to 1.6 as well.  After an automatic rebuild of your project, you should see all of those pesky error messages disappear!

Developers rejoice! One of my favorite Android libraries to date has recently been upgraded to becoming evenmore awesome than before. Jake Wharton’s ActionBarSherlock library has been updated!

ActionBarSherlock is an extension of the compatibility library designed to facilitate the use of the action bar design pattern across all versions of Android with a single API.  It allows the easy addition of the action bar Android UI paradigm to applications without having to worry about compatibility with older versions of Android.  I am a strong supporter of this paradigm and try to use it whenever possible!

From his Google Plus:

Major updates in this version:

• Completely redone menu and action item support. This has been backported from the progress made on ABS 4.0 and provides a much more stable and logical layout of action items and management of the menu.
• The compatibility library base has been updated to r6. I have also re-added the *Compat classes that were duplicated by this library and marked them as deprecated.

Download the new version from http://abs.io/. The samples on GitHub and the Android Market will be rolling out this evening as well.

Updating your projects making use of the old library is ridiculously easy.  Just download the new library and any desired .jar files, add the library as a project to your eclipse setup, and replace the references in your project to the old libraries with references to the new libraries.

Do you have any experiences using the ActionBarSherlock Library?  Would you like to see a guide for how to get up and running on ActionBarSherlock?  Drop us a comment below or tweet us @droidweb!

Let’s be honest.  Sometimes creating icons for you Android Application can be a bit tedious.  There are three different resolutions you have to shoot for (mdpi, ldpi, and hdpi), and several iterations you have to create (launcher icons, menu icons, notification icons, and, now that Icre Cream Sandwich is coming out, Action Bar icons).  I, for one, can never remember all the proper resolutoins and have to keep running back to the Android Developers Icon Design Reference to get it right.  Even then, I’m a bit artistically challenged, so I’m never happy with the final result.

Enter Android Asset Studio.  This simple tool lets you create most, if not all, or the icons in your application quickly and easily.  There are wizards for creating Launcher icons, Menu icons, Action Bar Icons, Tab Icons, Notification Icons, and device framed screenshots.

For each type of icon, there is a simple to use wizard that allows you to choose, the artwork you wish to display on your button (you can upload your own artwork, use predefined clip-art pictures, or just use text).  After choosing artwork, add in trim, color, and shading values, and viola!  You have a set of icons.  This is a nice tool that all you independent developers should check out!

From [talkandroid]

In the world of computing there are always going to be bad guys.  And by rule of thumb, the number of bad guys for any given platform are proportional to the number of people on said platform.  So its only natural that as Android has increased in popularity, that bad guys have come knocking.  As an end user,  you have to take steps to protect yourself in the digital world.  A large part of this is to remain informed and to exercise common sense.  In light of these two points, I’m going to discuss a newly found Android exploit (informing you) and discuss how this exploit should never have worked en mass (the common sense part).

Security experts Lookout have recently written a blog post about a new Android Trojan GGTracker. This trojan spoofs the Android market (damningly well, btw) and tricks users into manually installing their malware application.  Read Lookout’s blog post for full details on the exploit; here’s a summary of what this app is and how it works:

1. User gets directed to a malicious website, usually by clicking on an advertisement link
2. Website advertises an innocuous free application… say a wallpaper app, a ringtone changer, or a slideshow of sexy girl
3. To install this application, the app instructs the user to download and install an .apk file.
4. User installs app and gets nailed with spyware, SMS charges and all sorts of ugliness.

Android Market Trojan Spoof

Now that we’re informed, lets point out some common sense things about Android that will save you from malware every time. Google has done a pretty good job locking down the platform with reguards to security, while leaving it open and flexible enough to support a wide range of applications. Most (I daresay all) malware attacks occur from user error, a.k.a. an end user installed the malicious app on their device. Malicious apps take many forms. Remember those old ‘free smiley’ IM plugins that used to (and sometimes still do) be advertised everywhere? Most were really viruses with a nice face in front of them. In the same way, there have been apps on Android promising ‘free sexy wallpapers’, ‘free ringtones’, and in this case ‘free battery widgets’ which are really malware in disguise. Never manually download an app that you weren’t looking for first. This the same reasoning that drives the advice that you are to never give your account information to a ‘bank rep’ who calls you or otherwise initiates the contact.

In the same vein of be careful what you install, note that the Android Market and Browser Applications are two totally seperate programs. If you see a ‘market page’ with a URL at the top (like the screenshot above), STOP. You’re about to do something wrong. If your browser downloads an .apk file and instructs you to install it, Don’t do it unless you absolutely know what you’re installing. Frankly the only apps that are not going to be in at least one of the Android markets (Google, Amazon, GetJar), are going to be application betas or specialty apps that you’ll seek out (like the custom Google Voice .apk for tablets we featured a few weeks ago).

Even when going through legitamate means (a Market), still be wary about some apps, especially if you haven’t heard of it before. Usually you’ll find reviews for most legit apps on your favorite Android site(s) [including yours truly Droidweb of course!]. A quick google search will save you a lot of headache. As always, check out the permissions needed for that app. A unit conversion app shouldn’t require access to text messaging services. If something seems suspicious, don’t download that app; do some research before you proceed. One of the benefits of having such a tight knit community of fellow Android enthusiasts behind you is that you can ask around and expect to get a response about just about anything, including “has someone downloaded this app before? Is it legit?”

As always in the digital world, be sure to excercise caution. However, don’t be afraid to experiment and explore the capabilities of your device as long as you know what you’re doing and you’ve got some information on hand to help. To all our readers: Be safe and Happy Androiding!

If your’e a proud owner of an Honeycomb Android device, you’ve probably noticed that plugging the device into a usb port of your computer no longer brings up the “select to copy files to / from your computer” entry like it used to.  This might leave you wondering, “how do I copy my files to and from my Android device?”.  No worries, the process is still simple.  Honeycomb uses a protocol called Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) to transfer files to and from the device.  This is great news if you’re running a Windows box; just plug and play and you’re ready to go.  However what does this mean for the rest of us running Macs or Linux?  Here’s a quick guide to get you up and running:

Mac

If you’re running a mac, you’ll need to download an intermediary tool from Google at their Android website: http://www.android.com/filetransfer/.  Read and follow the instructions on this page.  This essentially will have you install an Android file transfer application as you would any other mac application (download .dmg, mount it, drag and drop enclosed file to /Applications folder).

Once this tool is installed, plug your Honeycomb device into your computer and open the application. Voila! You can now explore your device in a modified finder window.  Enjoy!

Linux

As usual, us linux users have to do a little more digging to get things to work.  But that’s part of the fun of it, no?  Here’s what you need to do (Commands for Ubuntu Linux; other distros should be similar):

$ sudo apt-get install mtpfs

$ sudo mkdir /media/transformer

$ sudo chmod 775 /media/transformer

$ sudo mtpfs -o allow_other /media/transformer

You should be able to access the contents of the drive at this point.  If not, then you might have to add a ‘rule’ in order for the device to become visible:

$ sudo vi /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

Add the following line to the file:

SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0b05", ATTRS{idProduct}=="4e0f", MODE="0666", OWNER="<your user name>" #<Tablet Name>

Save the file and then make it readable:

$ sudo chmod a+r /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

And there you have it!  You should have a mounted Honeycomb Tablet.

Instructions courtesy: XDA-Developers

Android Builders Summit – A Walk Through The Android Stack

Learn about the stack that powers Android devices from the linux kernel core on up

Android Builders Summit – Beyond the Phone

Here we see some alternative uses of Android in corporations outside of just for phones

Tutorial: Android Application Development – A 9,000 foot overview

70 minute introduction to Android devices

For more helpful tutorials by the same guys, check out the Marakana TechTV website.

Answer: Yes

Android keeps data located stowed away in files called cache.cell and cache.wifi located within the /data/data/com.google.android.location/files/ directory on your Android devices. To access this information, you need root access. While this amount of data captured by Android is considerably less than that captured by the iPhone, it is still there. Android records the last 50 mobile towers and last 200 wi-fi access points it has seen. Compare this to a years worth of data saved by Big Brother Jobs and Apple. To turn off this ‘feature’ off go to Settings -> Location and Security and uncheck the “Use Wireless Networks” box. This removes the files on 2.3 devices and stops recording to the files on older Android devices.

If you’re computer savvy and curious and want to know what sort of data is saved on you Android device about your wearabouts, check out this python script for reading the data points from Android files: android-locdump/. There you can analyze the location dump files and get aggregate lists such as follows:

Do you think its right that both Google and Apple are keeping user location data like this? Comment below…

What is a “SwipeView”?

A SwipeView is an Android UI view similar to the homescreens.  You have several similar panes of content that you access by swiping left and right.  As you swipe left and right, transitions between the views are animated so that the view in focus follows your finger.  See the handy illustration below (Click to enlarge):

When Should I use a “SwipeView”?

SwipeViews are useful if you’re going to have several screens with the same layout and function that you want the user to switch between.  If you’ve ever used the Epicurious app they make good use of a SwipeView-esque implementation when searching for recipes.  Think of SwipeViews as something like a Gallery implementation for Views instead of just images.

How Do I implement a “SwipeView”?

Here’s the fun part.  Now that you know you want a SwipeView in your Android application how do you implement it.  As you probably know its not a standard Android View.  As such we’re going to make use of a third party library.  Jason Fry has put together a nice library for the simple implementation of SwipeViews.  Head on over to his site and blog post for more details about how to implement your very own SwipeView.  Since each SwipeView implementation is going to be widely different, I’m just going to summarize the steps to implement his library below:

• Add SwipeView element (<uk.co.jasonfry.android.tools.ui.SwipeView…) to the desired XML layout as you would any Android View.
• Reference SwipeView in java code via findViewById() as usual
• Populate SwipeView with number of views that you’d like to be able to swipe between
• Implement method private class SwipeImageLoader implements OnPageChangedListener {public void onPageChanged(int oldPage, int newPage) {}}. Look at the library’s documentation and examples for more details on how to do this.  Essentially this method will handle dynamically allocating and populating views as your user swipes back and forth.

I would include an example of implementation here, but my implementation was quite unorthodox and borrowed ideas from how to implement ListViews and other portions of my Android experience. Needless to say its a bit more involved than what should be expected from an introduction to an UI pattern.  If you’d like help implementing your own SwipeView, feel free to drop a line in the comments below or give us a shoutout via twitter @droidweb.

So far Android and Sony have only been uttered in the same sentence when referring to the PlayStation phone.  That is about to change soon.  Today, in Tokyo, Sony announced  that their “cetified” PlayStation games will be coming to all Android phones (running 2.3 and above… queue fragmentation grumbles).  Some titles mentioned include: Wild Arms, Cool Boarders 2, Rally cross, Medievil and Syphon Filter.  Lets hope that these titles will grow and expand to include more memorable titles (Spyro on Android anyone?) and maybe some more modern ones as the platform and hardware mature further.

What PlayStation games would you like to see on your Android device?

From [TheAndroidSite] via [Kotaku]