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Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherNew Android course: Build a Simple Android App (refresh)
Hello aspiring Android developers! I just released a new version of Build a Simple Android App that builds a Fun Facts app using many of the same core concepts covered in the original Crystal Ball app. This course is the first Android course to be refreshed with Android Studio, with more to come!
If you are currently working through the Crystal Ball app, you can either choose to finish it or switch over to this new app. Again, most of the concepts are the same, but the tools are different.
From the course:
This project covers the very basics of Android development. We will build a simple app that will serve up some fun facts when you tap on a button. We introduce the Java programming language, a tool for Android development called Android Studio, and some very basic concepts of the Android Software Development Kit, or SDK. By the end you will have a good idea of how a basic app works, and you will be armed with the knowledge to start building more.
7 Answers
Harry James
14,780 PointsAwesome! Glad to hear Android Studio being used for a new project!
Gregg Mojica
11,506 PointsAwesome, Ben Jakuben! Just out of curiosity, will you guys be refreshing the iOS course with the new app (the facts app)? And if so, in Swift??
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherGreat question, Gregg! All I can say is keep an eye on the public roadmap regarding the new app and Swift. :)
Ben Watkins
20,377 PointsI guess the same goes for an Android Wear course?
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherI hope to give an intro to Android Wear sooner than later, but yes, keep an eye on the roadmap! Lots to cover!
Majdi Mgaidia
1,642 PointsNow I must retake the same "first" course again in order to keep going in the Android track :/
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherThis is something we are trying to combat with "versions" of the tracks. I created a new version that uses this course. If you continue with the old track version you can still get full credit for completing the track.
Majdi Mgaidia
1,642 PointsHow do I do that ? I can only see 1 track and its the one with the new version of the first course.
Harry James
14,780 PointsFor me, I get this message:
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherThanks Harry! You had to be on the track originally to get that update message and the choice to stay on your current one or update to the new one. If you weren't on it you might still be able to join the older one, though I don't know for sure. Email our support team at help@teamtreehouse.com if you need help getting on the older one.
Abdülhak Gözegir
4,689 PointsHello Ben Jakuben, I'm following your courses and I love too much.
I'm wondering, what will I get if I start over ? What do you mean by the tools are different ? (android studio ?) Could you give an example ?
I see as if the new course have more details about programming and styling.
Thank you
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherIf you've already completed the Crystal Ball course then there isn't much you'll get out of the new course in terms of actual programming. In it we build an app that uses the same basic concepts. The big difference is the tool we use. Instead of Eclipse, we are officially switching over to teaching with Android Studio. Android Studio is the new official tool for Android development, but it wasn't quite ready until recently. It's still in a beta release, which means there may still be bugs, but it's been very stable for me and will only get better and more popular.
The "tools" are really just the IDE. The basic ideas of the tools are the same, but they look and behave a little differently. The existing Android Studio stage was an overview of an older version of the tool in case students wanted to get up to speed with it while it was still in a pre-release stage.
There's a trailer on the course page that you can watch to get a feel for the course. You might be interested in taking it and watching things you already know at 2x speed (or skipping some videos completely). Let me know if you have further questions.
Abdülhak Gözegir
4,689 PointsThere is already android studio course ? http://teamtreehouse.com/library/android-tools
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherThat was a course on a few things to help with Android development. At the time Android Studio was still very new and not quite ready for main tutorials. I plan on refreshing Android Tools in sequence with the rest of the track that is still on Eclipse.
mohsinmumtaz
729 PointsMy problem is related to theme in Crystal Ball hasn't resolved so thought of posting it in here:
So when i opt for theme "theme.appcompat" it works fine but however when i choose theme which is used in the video "theme.black.Notitlebar.fullscreen " it crashed :(
I'm looking for your answer Ben.
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherHi Mohsin, that's one of the reasons I refreshed the Crystal Ball course. :) Check the Teacher's Notes on this video for steps you can take to get past this issue. If you have any problems with that solution, post a new question here in the Forum with whatever error message you get.
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherBen Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherThe down side is that I need to now refresh all the existing courses, but yes, I am excited to switch to Android Studio! Love the tool.