To begin, you are going to download the Android SDK from the Google Android development site, located at http://code.google.com/android. The Google Android Development home page contains a host of valuable tools and documents about developing for the Android platform, including links to the Android developer forum (or “community”).
TIP
If you ever encounter a problem while you are developing an Android application, the first place you should look for an answer is the Android developers’ forum at http://code.google.com/android/groups.html. There are discussion groups for beginners, developers, and “hackers,” and a general-issue discussion group. Given that Android is such a new platform, the Android developers’ forum is one of the few places to find comprehensive, reliable information about developing for the product.
Downloading the Android SDK
The Android SDK is easily accessible from the http://code.google.com/android page. From the development home page, click the Download the SDK link under Getting Started. After you agree to the terms of the Android SDK License Agreement, you will see the Download the Android SDK page. The Android SDK is downloaded in a 79MB (for Windows) package and it should download fairly quickly. Click the package name
for your operating system to begin the download.
NOTE
Download sizes for other operating systems may vary. There is no “setup” or installation process to speak of for the Android SDK; rather,
you must follow a series of steps to associate the SDK with your Eclipse development environment. The first of these steps is to obtain the Android plugin for Eclipse, after which you will configure it.
