Why You Should Consider Using A Custom Android Kernel(How to customize Android according to our need)

Do you want the best performance out of your Android device? Or maybe you want the best battery life? If you’ve already rooted your device or even installed a custom ROM onto it, it may be a good idea to check out the realm of custom kernels.

If you haven’t yet tried a custom ROM but are interested, you should check out this general guideline to the process.

Here I’ll show you why you might want to use a custom kernel, as well as where to find them.

About the Kernel

The kernel is the piece of software that bridges the gap between the operating system (and installed apps) and the hardware in the device. Everything you do on your device involves the kernel. Increasing the volume while playing a video? Android doesn’t directly tell the speakers to increase output. Instead, it tells the kernel that it wants to increase the volume, and the kernel talks to the speaker to increase its output.

But why the middle man? In very simple terms, it makes Android a lot more flexible. Google can worry about creating all of the functionality in Android, but not have to worry about how that is exactly executed on each device. Since there are so many devices that have all sorts of hardware, Google can’t worry about providing compatibility and drivers with each device. It’s the manufacturer’s job to create the kernel that has all the drivers necessary to make everything work on the device.

Customization

The kernel, in this regard, is extremely customizable. Not only does the manufacturer have to plug in the necessary drivers to get all of the hardware to work correctly, but there are a lot of variables that they need to set. They can mess with all sorts of things, such as:

• the minimum and maximum frequencies that the CPU can scale up or down to
• how busy the CPU should be before it enables extra cores that it normally has disabled to save battery
• the frequency the CPU should boost to whenever it detects touch input (to ensure a smoother wake up)
• the CPU governor (which determines how quickly it tends to ramp up the frequency or not) that should be used
• change the voltage of the CPU during all possible frequencies
• the maximum frequency of the GPU
• enable USB fast charge (for USB 3.0 ports)
• configure the I/O scheduler that is used

How A Replacement Kernel Benefits You

That’s great and all, but what can a custom kernel do for you? There are many different custom kernels for virtually every Android device in existence, so you’ll have a lot of options to choose from. Depending on your needs, you can pick kernels that are optimized for performance, or ones that are optimized for power savings. Others have a good balance of both.

There are some developers who switch out some drivers with others (for varying reasons), or develop their own patches for problems they identify. A lot of developers also try to include upstream Linux kernel patches, or use their own toolkits for compilation. For example, for my Nexus 5, there’s one developer who uses his own toolkit, which includes the latest version of GCC, a Linaro toolchain with optimizations specifically for the CPU architecture used, and maximum optimization flags for the compiler.

Developers can even add some additional features from other kernels that don’t officially exist for your device. For example, there are some kernels for the Nexus 5 that include the “double tap to wake” feature that first appeared on the LG G2.

Most of all, a handful of kernels allow you to access the configurable variables yourself, so that you can use the code that the kernel developers release but tweak it to adjust its behavior to your liking. However, you’ll want to research some of the options available before you actually start to change values for them. In other words, a custom kernel can provide improvements, extra features, specialization, and extreme configurability.

Where To Find Android Kernels

It’s rather easy to find a kernel for your device. Assuming that you have your device rooted and a custom recovery installed, you can browse through the XDA-Developers forum, look in the subforum for your specific device, search through the threads for any that have a [KERNEL] tag in the thread’s title, download one that you like, and flash the .zip file via your custom recovery.

There may also be a sticky thread that may contain a list of popular kernels available for easy searching. Once you’ve decided on a kernel you’d like to use, just download it (it should be in a .zip file) and flash it using the custom recovery. Be sure to adhere to all instructions that the kernel developer may provide, and any of their instructions would override any of my advice.

Conclusion

Custom kernels can make your device that much better. If you happen to choose a kernel that isn’t right for you, you can always find another one and flash it to replace the currently-installed one. Once you’ve found one that’s right for you, congratulations! You’ve just made your device that much better for you.

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Transfer Files Quickly Across Your Devices Using Feem

Android users love AirDroid, while Apple users swear by AirDrop for fast, hassle-free file transfers. So how would you transfer files if you had a Windows PC, an iPad and an Android phone? Try Feem, an ad-supported cross-platform app that is available for Android, iOS, Linux, Mac and Windows.

Cloud storage apps are one way to send files across, but they aren’t the best if you simply want to send files to colleague who’s sitting three terminals across. However, if your work isn’t wedded to one ecosystem, transferring files between devices can be a bit of a headache. Feem is one of the few apps that let you do this.

Functionality Over Form

When you first open Feem, you might be disappointed with its design. The app has an ugly logo, unappealing fonts and no tutorial to help you. While some of you love figuring out things on your own, a short tutorial would save some time for many others. Fortunately, there aren’t too many things to figure out. It took me around five minutes to get the hang of Feem.

Feem takes around 10-20 seconds to detect devices. If you’re using an iOS device, make sure that the screen is unlocked and Feem is open. Otherwise, the iOS device won’t show up in the list of peers on Feem. On all other devices, you’ll have to keep Feem running in the background to use it.

On the left hand side, Feem has a few icons — peers, send files, downloads, uploads and settings. You just need to hit the ‘send files’ icon to initiate transfers. It took me around 10 minutes to send 150 songs (420 MB) from a Windows laptop to an Android tablet.

Although you can send songs and films to iOS devices, they won’t show up in the default music or videos apps. However, the “Open In…” feature works perfectly and I opened both videos and songs in my favourite player – VLC for iOS. Sadly, bulk actions aren’t supported, so you will have to individually save each photo (to camera roll) or video (to VLC, etc) on iOS. That isn’t the case when you send files from iOS to Windows.

On Android, I was disappointed to see that Feem didn’t show up when I tapped the share button from the Gallery app. Instashare, which transfers files across Mac, iOS and Android devices, showed up in that list.

However, I was able to import files through the Feem app without any trouble. My Android music app was able to add all 150 songs I sent via Feem without a hitch, so it is a good app for bulk file transfers to and from Android. If you have a better router, you’ll be able to send files faster.

Local Chat

Now that you know you can transfer files, don’t you wish you could quickly send messages across devices, too? Feem’s local chat feature allows you to do just that. If you’ve been wishing for a feature to sync your clipboard across devices, this is as close as Feem gets to answering your prayers.

I found myself using the chat feature to send links across devices. The notification tone is annoying, but there’s no way to change that.

If you want to synchronise your clipboard on Windows, Craig suggests ArchiveCloud. For Mac users, Mihir recently wrote about Command-C and Scribe, which sync your Mac and iOS clipboards.

Annoying Advertisements

Advertisements are another annoyance when using Feem. I tested Feem on Windows, Android (phone and tablet) and an iPhone, and asked a friend to use it on his iPad. Among these, the Windows version was the least annoying.

Feem for Windows asks you to purchase a licence every time you open it. Since you will only launch the app when the system starts, the pop-up will show up just once.

Unfortunately, Feem’s Android and iOS versions aren’t as unobtrusive. There’s a banner ad at the bottom and a frustrating pop-up ad that appears randomly. The pop-up ad is borderline spam. It reads, “Download a free game now”, with no indication of where the link might lead.

The placement of the ads is such that you will hit those accidentally. Also, the pop-up ads look downright ugly on tablets.

Although you can pay to remove ads, you’ll have to do so separately for each client. Feem for Windows costs $4.99 and the Android and iOS versions will set you back by $2 each. The price seems a bit steep, especially since the design isn’t great.

Conclusion

Feem isn’t perfect, but it is a good app for quickly sharing files over WiFi. Some of iOS’s limitations make Feem less useful than it could be. It lacks the polish of AirDroid or Instashare, but cross-platform availability makes Feem stand out.

Did you find Feem useful? Which apps do you use to share files locally? Leave a comment to let us know.

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Why I Switched From Windows 7 To Elementary OS Luna

What prompted me to try Luna? In what ways does it fare better than my previous OS, Windows 7? Why not a different Linux distro? Here are some answers.

I Took The Linux Plunge When…

I recently replaced my six-year-old Lenovo laptop with a lightweight Asus netbook fitted with a Celeron Dual Core processor and 2 GB of RAM. When it was time to swap DOS (pre-installed) with a different OS, I decided to go with Linux, because I was tired of all the work involved in customizing Windows to my satisfaction. I looked for a few Linux distros, and opted for Petra, the latest version of Linux Mint. It had a nice set of features, but I was not eager to make it my primary OS. I’m all for bloat-free software that gets the basics right. For this reason, when I learnt about Puppy Linux, I thought it would be the ideal OS for me. I narrowed down my choices to a couple of Puppy Linux versions, MacPup and LXPup. Feature-wise they were good, but aesthetically speaking, their low-res 90s feel was not to my taste. Since I planned to use my netbook for several hours a day, I did not want to settle for something that I was not 100% happy with.

I was ready to give up and resign myself to Windows again when I stumbled upon Luna. Impressed by its appearance and reviews, I decided to give it a shot. After a couple of days of experimentation, I abandoned Windows. Here’s what convinced me that eOS Luna is a better bet than Windows 7.

Why eOS Luna Over Windows 7?

Windows always demanded constant tweaks, because it never behaved the way I expected or wanted it to. I spent hours browsing for apps and fixes, making visual changes, organizing partitions and folders, finding and setting up antivirus programs, scanning for malware, and doing a host of other similar tasks. In a single shot, Luna reduced the need for most of those tasks.

It’s Stress-free

Many apps that come pre-installed on Windows are either just so-so or tied to Microsoft services. Some useful ones are altogether missing. In any case, you have to take the trouble of finding the right programs. Not so with Luna. It comes bundled with a set of apps that you use on a regular basis: an email client, instant messenger, archive manager, a calendar, document viewer, text editor, screenshot app, and a photo manager. These pre-installed apps are surprisingly good. Of course, you might wish to replace them anyway, but it won’t be for a lack of great defaults.

While installing apps on Windows is not difficult, it is not straightforward either. You have to scout the Web for reviews of a program, find its right version, monitor its download, and get through various dialog boxes before you can use the program. On the other hand, installing apps on Luna is a breeze. In the Software Center, find the apps you need, hit Install for each of them, and sit back as the apps are installed one by one in the background. Do ensure that you have a working Internet connection first. If you’re comfortable using the Terminal, you can also install apps using that.

You don’t really need antivirus software for Luna. As a Linux OS, it is quite secure. But if “quite secure” isn’t secure enough for you, try one of these antivirus programs for Linux.

Fast And Gorgeous…

I’m finding Luna quick and intuitive. The only lag I experience is when I use Firefox, but that was no different when I was using Windows 7, so I guess it’s a Firefox issue rather than a Luna one. My old laptop was plagued by frequent crashes. Running even the most lightweight applications on it was time consuming and frustrating. But a fresh Luna installation has worked its magic on the dying machine. That makes me wonder if I could have done without the upgrade to the netbook. And what can I say about the Pantheon desktop environment that ships with Luna? I’m in love with it. It’s sleek and elegant, with an appealing simplicity. I haven’t changed a thing except for the wallpaper, and even that is from one of the stock options.

I consider the absence of desktop icons a big plus, and in time I have gotten used to it. The Wingpanel – the Linux equivalent of the Windows task bar + system tray – is handy, yet discreet and clutterfree. The Mac-like dock is sufficient to keep your frequently used apps ready for use. I liked the look and feel of Windows 7, and had no major complaints about its interface, but now that I have used Luna, I find Windows lacklustre.

The File Explorer is well planned, and its visual hierarchy makes it easy to find files and folders. I was surprised by the lack of a search function in the file manager, but to me that seemed minor. The file manager is different from its Windows 7 counterpart in some ways. For example, the Close button is on the left and apps open on single clicks. The good news is that you get used to these differences before you know it. I haven’t had to deal with unknown file types as much as I did on Windows. Luna opens every file I throw at it. In the rare case it can’t, it is helpful with error messages.

Unlike Windows, Luna’s interface responds brilliantly without bothering you with irritating popups or anything that feels unnecessary. Working on Luna is seamless and painless overall, which is more than I could ever say about Windows 7, or any other Windows version that I have used.

And It’s Open Source!

Luna is community driven and free to download. There are no terms and conditions to blindly agree to, no restrictions on the number of systems you can use it on, and no legalities to stop you from sharing it with others. What’s not to like? And if you’re happy with what you see, you can always make a donation to support eOS.

Bowled Over, But…

I’m gushing over Luna, but am I saying that it is devoid of flaws? Not at all, though it has been tough to find them. I still have a Windows 7 installation on a shared PC, but I haven’t returned to it for more than a month now, except for a couple of times when the Luna installation was new. I was skeptical when I decided to install Elementary OS, because it sounded too good to be true. I was tempted to stick to the familiarity of Windows 7, or maybe try a Windows 8 upgrade. But I’m glad I made the switch. It has given me a near-perfect computer setup that will not demand a revamp for quite some time. I have enjoyed the Windows experience for more than a decade and I look back on it lovingly, but I don’t see myself going back to it any time in the near future.

Is Luna The Right Introduction To Linux?

If you’re on the verge of switching from Windows to Linux, but are hesitant to take the plunge because of all the things you have heard about its complexity for beginners, try Elementary OS Luna. You can test run Linux from USB till you’re ready to install it. In my experience, Luna will not disappoint. Some of you might be unwilling to give up Windows-specific features like desktop icons, or adjust to Linux-specific features. Also, you might have a Windows program or two that you just cannot give up.

There are workarounds to some of these issues, and you can use them to bring Windows features to Linux. But if you want too many of these fixes to make Linux behave like Windows, it defeats the whole point of making the transition to Linux. In that case, you’re better off continuing with Windows. Do you see yourself switching from Windows to Linux with Elementary OS Luna? Let us know in the comments.

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HOW TO INSTALL ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ON LINUX?

Gimp may be an open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop, but people still miss working on Photoshop[especially Windows and OSX users] . Users are more comfortable with Photoshop no matter what. No worries! Here is how you can install Photoshop on Linux. Wine is a free application that lets you to run Windows programs in Linux. This basically creates a virtual C: drive which is hidden inside the home directory. It is a Windows Emulator that lets you install and run Windows programs on Linux by calling alternative implementations of DLLs that are being used in Windows.


Installing Wine on Ubuntu:

Wine is available in the Ubuntu software center and it is absolutely free. Just search for wine in software center and download the following packages:

• Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer(meta-package)
• Winetricks
• Wine Windows Program Loader
• Configure Wine
• Uninstall Wine Software

Or use the terminal which is more fun than downloading from software center. Using the terminal is the fun-way for doing things on Linux.

sudo apt-get install wine1.4

sudo apt-get install winetricks

Configuring Wine:
Step 1: Open Winetricks.



Step 2: Select the default wineprefix.



Step 3: Select Install a Windows DLL or Component.



Step 4: Install the following Windows Components:

• mfc42
• msvcirt
• vcrun6
• vcrun6sp6
• gecko

There might be a little problem with installing gecko. It shows up a popup for downloading the package. You can follow the instructions,copy the script and run it or use this bash script which I have already downloaded.

#!/bin/sh
# Install the Gecko and Mono needed by modern wines
set -e
set -x

# Wine installs to /usr/local by default:
if test -d /usr/local/share/wine
then
WINE_SHARE_PREFIX=/usr/local/share/wine
else
WINE_SHARE_PREFIX=/usr/share/wine
fi

install_gecko()
{
case $1 in
wine-1.1.2[789]*|wine-1.1.[34]*|wine-1.2*|wine-1.3|wine-1.3.[01]|wine-1.3.[0]-*)
GECKO_VERSION=1.0.0
GECKO_SHA1SUM=afa22c52bca4ca77dcb9edb3c9936eb23793de01
GECKO_SUFFIX=.cab
;;
gecko-1.2)
GECKO_VERSION=1.2.0
GECKO_SHA1SUM=6964d1877668ab7da07a60f6dcf23fb0e261a808
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.3)
GECKO_VERSION=1.3
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=acc6a5bc15ebb3574e00f8ef4f23912239658b41 ;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=5bcf29c48677dffa7a9112d481f7f5474cd255d4 ;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.4)
GECKO_VERSION=1.4
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=c30aa99621e98336eb4b7e2074118b8af8ea2ad5 ;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=bf0aaf56a8cf9abd75be02b56b05e5c4e9a4df93 ;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.5)
GECKO_VERSION=1.5
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=07b2bc74d03c885bb39124a7641715314cd3ae71 ;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=80a3b36c30bb79a11889879392fdc1fcda9ca165 ;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.6)
GECKO_VERSION=1.6
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=41167632dbc30f32dce7dca43c2a0487aa7cac04 ;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=edc626480024f58e294447573c7ab94606e8d610 ;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.7)
GECKO_VERSION=1.7
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=efebc4ed7a86708e2dc8581033a3c5d6effe0b0b ;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=2253e7ce3a699ddd110c6c9ce4c7ca7e6f7c02f5 ;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.8)
GECKO_VERSION=1.8
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=a8622ff749cc2a2cb311f902b7e99664ecc2f8d6;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=ea8bb450c6b41f71cc0ef23c490dfebdaccf789d;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
gecko-1.9)
GECKO_VERSION=1.9
case $myarch in
x86) GECKO_SHA1SUM=d2553224848a926eacfa8685662ff1d7e8be2428;;
x86_64) GECKO_SHA1SUM=c7cd0994f89dd15b36ce8dacaa33d0ec47c407d1;;
esac
GECKO_SUFFIX=.msi
;;
*)
GECKO_VERSION=1.1.0
GECKO_SHA1SUM=1b6c637207b6f032ae8a52841db9659433482714
GECKO_SUFFIX=.cab
;;
esac

if test ! -f $WINE_SHARE_PREFIX/gecko/wine_gecko-$GECKO_VERSION-$myarch$GECKO_SUFFIX
then
rm -f wine_gecko-$GECKO_VERSION-$myarch$GECKO_SUFFIX
wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/wine/wine_gecko-$GECKO_VERSION-$myarch$GECKO_SUFFIX

gotsum=`sha1sum < wine_gecko-$GECKO_VERSION-$myarch$GECKO_SUFFIX | sed 's/(stdin)= //;s/ .*//'`
if [ "$gotsum"x != "$GECKO_SHA1SUM"x ]
then
echo "sha1sum mismatch! Please try again."
exit 1
fi

sudo mkdir -p $WINE_SHARE_PREFIX/gecko
sudo mv wine_gecko-$GECKO_VERSION-$myarch$GECKO_SUFFIX $WINE_SHARE_PREFIX/gecko/
fi
}

install_mono()
{
case $1 in
0.0.4) MONO_SHA1SUM=7d827f7d28a88ae0da95a136573783124ffce4b1;;
0.0.8) MONO_SHA1SUM=dd349e72249ce5ff981be0e9dae33ac4a46a9f60;;
*) return;;
esac

if test ! -f $WINE_SHARE_PREFIX/mono/wine-mono-$1.msi
then
rm -f wine-mono-$1.msi
wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/wine/wine-mono-$1.msi

gotsum=`sha1sum < wine-mono-$1.msi | sed 's/(stdin)= //;s/ .*//'`
if [ "$gotsum"x != "$MONO_SHA1SUM"x ]
then
echo "sha1sum mismatch! Please try again."
exit 1
fi

sudo mkdir -p $WINE_SHARE_PREFIX/mono
sudo mv wine-mono-$1.msi $WINE_SHARE_PREFIX/mono
fi
}

# Install gecko for stable wine and recent versions of the current dev branch
myarch=x86
install_gecko gecko-1.9 # 1.5.22-
install_gecko gecko-1.8 # 1.5.15-1.5.21
install_gecko gecko-1.7 # 1.5.10-1.5.14
#install_gecko gecko-1.6 # 1.5.7-1.5.9
#install_gecko gecko-1.5 # 1.5.0-1.5.6
install_gecko gecko-1.4 # 1.3.33-1.4
#install_gecko gecko-1.3 # 1.3.27-1.3.32
#install_gecko gecko-1.2 # 1.3.16-1.3.26
#install_gecko wine-1.2
#install_gecko wine-1.3.3
case `arch` in
amd64|x86_64)
myarch=x86_64
install_gecko gecko-1.8
install_gecko gecko-1.7
install_gecko gecko-1.6
install_gecko gecko-1.5
install_gecko gecko-1.4
install_gecko gecko-1.3
;;
esac# And mono, too
install_mono 0.0.4
install_mono 0.0.8

Just copy and paste the above script in gedit and save it as install-addons.sh. Then run the script using the following command.

./install-addons.sh

This might take a few moments to download and install the package. After it’s done install a font and select core-fonts which is pretty much required for Photoshop to function normally as in Windows or OSX.

Installing Photoshop Using Wine:

If you already have an installation file just double click on the .exe file and the installation is pretty much the same as in Windows. Now run Adobe Photoshop.Voila!

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How to Install Spotify in Ubuntu

Spotify is a great way to listen to music by streaming it on your phone, in your browser, or on your Linux desktop. You can stream everything, upgrade and sync tracks and playlists offline, or purchase individual tracks to keep forever.

The following code will add the Spotify repository, authenticate it (which makes sure the software you install is the official one), checks for the latest version, and installs Spotify. You should copy and paste this code into your Terminal and execute it.

sudo apt-add-repository -y "deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free" &&

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 94558F59 &&

sudo apt-get update -qq &&

sudo apt-get install spotify-client

You can view these commands individually at the Official Spotify Linux Preview page.

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LibreOffice 4.2 Brings Major Changes To The Popular Microsoft Office Alternative

 

The Document Foundation has released the latest version of its office productivity suite. LibreOffice (Version 4.2) offers better performance and better interoperability with MS Windows, and further lays claim to its title of the best free office suite for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

The hardest work has gone into Calc with GPU-enabled power enhancements that should help it to handle big datasets and importing complex XLSX spreadsheets. Document interoperability with Microsoft OOXML, particularly for DOCX, as well as legacy RTF, has been improved. Abiword documents and Apple Keynote presentations get their own import filters too.

Open LibreOffice with the new Start screen. The interface is swished up with cleaner layout and a preview of the last opened documents with grouped thumbnail previews. Smaller mobile screens have been kept in mind for the design. Almost 70% of the dialogs have been re-designed. The suite now has a beautiful new “flat” icon theme – Sifr – and a fresh set of default document styles.

iOS users should like the new Impress Remote Control feature that gives users control over presentations playing on their Windows, Mac, or Linux machines from the app on their smartphones. Earlier available on Android, it now caters to Apple users as well.

The changes are attuned for power users. Business and Enterprise users can benefit from the new Expert Configuration window which is simialar to an “advanced settings” funtion. A simplified custom install dialog to avoid potential mistakes, and the ability to centrally manage and lock-down the configuration with Group Policy Objects via Active Directory are two more key features of note.
You can go through the full list of changes in more detail, or head directly to the LibreOffice 4.2 download page.

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How to Get An Android Development Environment Set Up in Fedora Linux

If you’ve ever been interested in Android development, Fedora is a great operating system to install on your computer – there are loads of developmental tools available for programmers of all types.
With a bit of effort, you can get a very nice Android development environment set up in Fedora (Heisenberg, the latest version, works wonderfully). You’ll be up and running in no time, so you can start making your creative ideas into real apps.

Install Eclipse

The first step is to download Eclipse, the best IDE for Android development. In Fedora, you can easily do this by running the command sudo yum install @eclipse eclipse-jdt.
This will actually install the “Fedora Eclipse” package group which includes all necessary Eclipse packages as well as a few others that are related to Fedora development and Java support. Just let all this install, and you’re off to a good start. If you’re new to Eclipse, then don’t forget to check out the 8 most useful keyboard shortcuts for it.

Install Android Plugin

Once this completes, you’ll need to install the Android Plugin for Eclipse. To do this, open Eclipse and click on Help –> Install New Software. Then click Add, at the top right of that window. Type in Android Plugin for the name and https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/ for the address.
Once this is done, click on the Available Software Sites hyperlink below the Add button, then highlight the Android Plugin source and click on Reload. Now exit this window, and choose Android Plugin from the “Work with” dropdown menu. Choose the developer tools option that you see here. Proceed to install these tools, accepting licenses agreements when asked.

Download SDK

You have the Android Plugin installed now, but you still need the SDK that the plugin connects to. The SDK is a big package of code that allows you to test out Android apps, and it also provides other useful tools (for a while, the only way to take screenshots was to use the SDK). You can download the Android SDK from here, and be sure to select the appropriate SDK for your architecture (32-bit or 64-bit).

This download is almost 200 mb, so give it a little time. Once it completes, unzip it to your home folder (so that the path reads /home/<user>/AndroidSDK). The last thing you need to do for the SDK is to open up your .bash_profile file (make sure that your file browser is showing hidden files, as all hidden files have filenames that start with a period), and add the following text to the bottom of the file:

PATH=$PATH:$HOME/AndroidSDK:$HOME/AndroidSDK/tools
export PATH

# For SDK version r_08 and higher, also add this for adb:
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/AndroidSDK/platform-tools
export PATH


What this code does is lets the SDK function correctly, by allowing those tools to be accessed by their name rather than a path – “abd” instead of “/home/<user>/AndroidSDK/sdk/adb” or the like. Once you’ve saved that modification, you have to log out and back in (or simply restart your computer) for the changes to go into effect.

Configure Your Android Virtual Device

Think you’re done? Not quite yet – you still have to create a virtual Android device that will emulate the app(s) you are developing. You can do this by opening a terminal, going into the sdk folder using the command cd AndroidSDK/sdk, and then by running the command tools/android. Here you’ll need to choose which version(s) of Android you’re targeting – remember that an older target would make the app more compatible, but a newer target will benefit from recent advancements made in Android. You’ll need to select the categories:

• SDK Platform Android 4.0 (replace 4.0 with all versions you’re interested in installing)
• Documentation for Android SDK
• Platform Tools

When installing, be sure to accept all licenses so everything actually installs. Once it completes, choose Tools –> Manage AVDs, and then click on New. Name it something, choose a device to emulate (the Nexus 4 is a good idea if you’re developing for phones), and choose all other options you’d like to have.

Start Coding!

You’ve finally set everything up! You can now go to Eclipse and create a new Android project and start developing your next app. We have plenty of articles at MakeUseOf to on how to start learning Android development, now that you have a working development environment ready to go. Once you’re ready to test out some code, just hit the Run button and the emulator will appear with the app running! If it doesn’t appear at first, just give it some time – it took almost half a minute to appear for me, even though I have an SSD!

What Android development tips do you have for fellow beginners? Let us know in the comments, okay?

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