Android Things Quick Start Guide

Android Things is the new Android based Operating System for the Internet of Things. With this book you will learn the core concepts by running code examples on different peripherals.

Key Features

• No previous knowledge of IoT or microcontrollers required.
• Hands-On with simple code and plenty of examples.
• Use Kotlin to write simpler and more readable code

Book Description

Android Things is the IoT platform made by Google, based on Android. It allows us to build smart devices in a simple and convenient way, leveraging on the Android ecosystem tools and libraries, while letting Google take care of security updates.

This book takes you through the basics of IoT and smart devices. It will help you to interact with common IoT device components and learn the underlying protocols. For a simple setup, we will be using Rainbow HAT so that we don't need to do any wiring.

In the first chapter, you will learn about the Android Things platform, the design concepts behind it, and how it relates to other IoT frameworks. We will look at the Developer Kits and learn how to install Android Things on them by creating a simple project.

Later, we will explore the real power of Android Things, learning how to make a UI, designing and communicating with companion apps in different ways, showcasing a few libraries. We will demonstrate libraries and you will see how powerful the Android Things operating system is.

What you will learn

• Understand key design concepts of Android Things and its advantages
• Set up an Android Things Developer Kit
• Interact with all the components of Rainbow HAT
• Understand how peripheral protocols work (GPIO, PWM, I2C, and SPI)
• Implement best practices of how to handle IoT peripherals with in terms Android Things
• Develop techniques for building companion apps for your devices

Who this book is for

This book is for developers who have a basic knowledge of Android and want to start using the Android Things developer kit.

Table of Contents

1. Introducing Android Things
2. The Rainbow HAT
3. GPIO - Digital Input / Output
4. PWM - Controlling Servos , buzzers and more
5. I2C - Communicating with other circuits
6. SPI - Faster bidirectional communication
7. The real power of Android Things

Raul Portales is a software engineer who has had a love for computers, electronics, and gadgets in general for as long as he remembers.

He jumped into Android as soon as it was released. Raul has worked on social networks, education, healthcare, and even founded a gaming studio and a consultancy company. Specializing in mobile and UX, he speaks frequently at conferences and meetups.

Raul's love for electronics reignited when Google announced Android Things. He started tinkering with it with the first Developer Preview, which lead to adding the IoT category on his Google Developer expert profile.