Free Xamarin Studio and Free Chapters 1-4 Professional Android Programming with Mono for Android and .NET/C#

Last week Xamarin announced a new version of MonoDevelop called Xamarin Studio. We’ve been big fans of Xamarin and Miguel de Icaza’s work all the way back to the inception of the Mono project so we’re especially amped to see Xamarin release a Free Starter Xamarin Studio to bring this great mobile development tool to an even bigger programmer audience.

In the spirit of free then, we’re happy to share this free starter from Wrox’s Professional Android Programming with Mono for Android and .NET/C#. Download this free starter is a PDF with chapters 1-4 of the book to get you started developing Android apps in the Xamarin tools. While the new Xamarin tools have changed a bit, we do still think these chapters will be useful if you’re new to using Mono and Xamarin for Android development. Here’s the outline of what’s covered in these free Mono for Android chapters. We hope if you find this useful, you’ll come back and buy the complete book from Wrox here at Wrox.com or at your favorite book retailer.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Android, Mobile Devices, and the Marketplace

• Product Comparison
• Mobile Development
• Android
• Cross-Platform Alternatives
• Summary

Chapter 2: Introduction to Mono for Android

• Before You Begin Developing
• Visual Studio Development with Mono for Android
• Mono for Android Development with MonoDevelop
• Summary

Chapter 3: Understanding Android/Mono for Android Applications

• What Is an Android Application?
• Binding the Components: The Android Manifest
• Summary

Chapter 4: Planning and Building Your Application’s User Interface

• Guidelines for a Successful Mobile UI
• Building an Android UI
• Choosing a Control Layout
• Designing Your User Interface Controls
• Controlling Your Menus
• Resolution-Independent UI
• Constructing a User Interface: A Phone and Tablet Example
• Summary