The Android SDK is a robust software development package created by Google to provide developers with a complete set of tools for building Android applications.
Android SDK features
The Android SDK has a decent set of libraries and development tools to help programmers create and test applications. The solution for new or inexperienced Android developers is the ADT Bundle. There is a large collection of utilities, including
- Eclipse;
- Android Platform Tools;
- latest Android system image.
The Android SDK assumes that the developers already have Eclipse installed (officially supported by IDE), the JDK (Java Development Kit) and the Android Development Tools plugin (optional but recommended). In other words, the SDK includes only basic utilities for working with Android applications.
Android SDK Features
Initially, the SDK does not contain the Android platform and any third-party components. In order to get them, you have to run the SDK manager and install at least one platform along with the proper tools. The reason for this is very simple - the platforms are constantly updated to support new functions and packaging them in the SDK all the time will be quite expensive, not to mention the size of the final package. That’s why Google made a simpler decision. Of course, you need to connect to the network, but who in our time does not have it? And in this way you can be aware of the latest functions of the platform.
In addition, the SDK supports older versions of the platform, ranging from Android 1.1 to the latest version. Thanks to this, developers can create applications for older devices and check their compatibility with the latest platforms.
In general, the SDK is a great helper for Android developers, although it is aimed at experienced developers.
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