Notes on Publishing Android Apps on Amazon App Store

Like it or not, Amazon is going to be selling a lot more Kindle Fire Android tablets. From a developer’s point of view this is a pain – we simply don’t need more stuff to manage, be that platforms (i.e. new OS like Windows Phone) or app stores (like non-Google-Play Android stores). Amazon’s motivation and business plan is as clear as day and they will have some degree of success. Here’s some of the things I’ve noted Continue reading “Notes on Publishing Android Apps on Amazon App Store”

Kindle Fire HD, Ubuntu and Google Apps

I just got a Kindle Fire HD for testing apps and content that we’re creating for the Kindle platform. I also have access to a Nexus 7 which is, as we should all know by now, totally awesome. With the Kindle I feel rather disconnected from the comfort of my ‘Google experience’, GMail, Play, YouTube, etc. Here’s some notes on getting started: Continue reading “Kindle Fire HD, Ubuntu and Google Apps”

Avoid Out-Of-Memory Problems in Android

It’s Java so you don’t need to worry  – the garbage collector ‘just does it’, right?

NOT!

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Bitmap Size Exceeds VM Budget is a common error and don’t we know it!  The garbage collector isn’t totally magic and no guarantee that your app cannot / will not leak memory.  There are various deliberate approaches / considerations that should be taken to avoid memory problems: Continue reading “Avoid Out-Of-Memory Problems in Android”