Book Image

Xamarin Mobile Development for Android Cookbook

By : Matthew Leibowitz
Book Image

Xamarin Mobile Development for Android Cookbook

By: Matthew Leibowitz

Overview of this book

Xamarin is used by developers to write native iOS, Android, and Windows apps with native user interfaces and share code across multiple platforms not just on mobile devices, but on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Developing apps with Xamarin.Android allows you to use and re-use your code and your skills on different platforms, making you more productive in any development. Although it’s not a write-once-run-anywhere framework, Xamarin provides native platform integration and optimizations. There is no middleware; Xamarin.Android talks directly to the system, taking your C# and F# code directly to the low levels. This book will provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to be part of the mobile development era using C#. Covering a wide range of recipes such as creating a simple application and using device features effectively, it will be your companion to the complete application development cycle. Starting with installing the necessary tools, you will be guided on everything you need to develop an application ready to be deployed. You will learn the best practices for interacting with the device hardware, such as GPS, NFC, and Bluetooth. Furthermore, you will be able to manage multimedia resources such as photos and videos captured with the device camera, and so much more! By the end of this book, you will be able to create Android apps as a result of learning and implementing pro-level practices, techniques, and solutions. This book will ascertain a seamless and successful app building experience.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Xamarin Mobile Development for Android Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Introduction


Multimedia is one of the most commonly used mechanisms for attracting users to mobile apps and games. No matter how great an app, if it is not designed well, it will not be well received by the users. Users not only want to be amazed by great designs, but they also want to be entertained.

Adding audio and sound effects to a game really makes the game seem more complete. By simply adding feedback sound effects, the app seems to be responding more rapidly. Sound effects can range from short sounds when a button is tapped to a looping background track while the app is open. Even game menus have sounds, and although it should not be overdone, sounds add depth to many types of apps.

Not only sound, but also visual effects and feedback. By simply displaying a small change when the user interacts with an onscreen element, the user already feels that the app is responding. Visual enhancements can go all the way to including videos. Almost all content can be described by static text and...