For those who don’t pay much attention to the shadowy goings-on inside the tech world, they’re almost always shocked to learn the true realities behind the marketing spin. Ask a layperson about mobile devices and most would probably correctly state that there are Android phones and there are iPhones. But thanks to Apple’s galactic-level domination of global tech discussion, it isn’t shocking when many of those laypeople incorrectly state that the iPhone and its iOS system dominate that market. As a tech savvy person, you probably know the reality that Android is actually a nearly 3 to 1 leader over Apple among mobile users. Yet when we hear about app development, it’s almost always about building for the iPhone, iPad, and the iOS environment. But if you want to get to almost 72 percent of the world’s mobile users, you better learn how to build for Android. Right now, IT tech publishing stalwart Packt Publishing has three training eBooks and videos on sale, each geared to help interested developers tackle and succeed in the Android space. First, the Modernizing Your Android Applications video lecture ($19.99, 37 percent off, from TNW Deals) plunges into one of the most important issues in Android app development. Across seven lectures covering almost 5 hours, instructor and Android app expert Yusuf Saber guides users in the use of Kotlin, a pragmatic, modern, and intuitive programming language that’s a big step ahead of Java. Here, Saber takes an existing Android app built in Java and guides users through a top-to-bottom modernization using Kotlin. Along the way, students learn the power of this streamlined and structured architectural approach using SOLID principles and common Android Architecture using the MVP, MVC, and MVVM patterns. Builders can further their Kotlin knowledge with a pair of Packt eBooks, starting with Android Programming with Kotlin for Beginners ($19.99, 37 percent off). This training explores the building blocks of Android app construction, taking a project-style approach as readers actually create three working real world apps and more than a dozen mini-apps to hone their skills. And Learn Spring for Android Application Development ($19.99, 50 percent off) takes that knowledge even further, looking into how to use the popular Java-based app building framework of Spring with Kotlin code. Again, the training focuses on hands-on project work, with readers assembling their own Android apps using Spring technologies. Prices are subject to change.
