Inside the Android OS: Building, Customizing, Managing and Operating Android System Services (Android Deep Dive)

Description

The Complete Guide to Customizing Android for New IoT and Embedded Devices Inside the Android OS is a comprehensive guide and reference for technical professionals who want to customize and integrate Android into embedded devices, and construct or maintain successful Android-based products. Replete with code examples, it encourages you to create your own working code as you read---whether for personal insight or a professional project in the fast-growing marketplace for smart IoT devices. Expert Android developers G. Blake Meike and Larry Schiefer respond to the real-world needs of embedded and IoT developers moving to Android. After presenting an accessible introduction to the Android environment, they guide you through boot, subsystem startup, hardware interfaces, and application support---offering essential knowledge without ever becoming obscure or overly specialized. Reflecting Android's continuing evolution, Meike and Schiefer help you take advantage of relevant innovations, from the ART application runtime environment to Project Treble. Throughout, a book-length project covers all you need to start implementing your own custom Android devices, one step at a time. You will: Assess advantages and tradeoffs using Android in smart IoT devices Master practical processes for customizing Android Set up a build platform, download the AOSP source, and build an Android image Explore Android's components, architecture, source code, and development tools Understand essential kernel modules that are unique to Android Use Android's extensive security infrastructure to protect devices and users Walk through Android boot, from power-on through system initialization Explore subsystem startup, and use Zygote containers to control application processes Interface with hardware through Android's Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) Provide access to Java programs via Java Native Interface (JNI) Gain new flexibility by using binderized HAL (Project Treble) Implement native C/C++ or Java client apps without bundling vendor libraries Review: A Must Have for Low Level Android Development - Updated, comprehensive documentation for low level Android services are few and far between. Many of these components, particularly the hardware abstraction layer, went through a major transformation a few years ago. Therefore I was pleased to see "Inside the Android OS" keeps pace with these changes and does a great job of breaking down these complex subjects, into practical code examples with some really good architecture diagrams to drive home the concepts. The fact that this book manages to cover so many internal subsystems, so thoroughly and still come in just under 250 pages speaks to the expertise and conciseness of its authors. Its very approachable. I recommend this book for anyone working with custom or OEM Android hardware, but also for Android application developers looking to take their craft to the next level. Review: A clear guide into the complex subject of Android Internals - This book is a really great resource for anyone needing to dig deeper into the underlying Android OS. If you have ever tried to build the AOSP from scratch, you know how difficult working with this can be (the authors explain this process, and other things very clearly). I've only started going through the Acme project that ties the book together, and I am sure once I have finished that, I will understand this complex subject much better. This books seems to be the definitive reference to understanding Android under the hood, if you are developing a project customizing the Android OS, this book is a must have for your library.