This is the world of smartphones like Blackberry, iPhone and Android where application developers have a huge potential to become rich in less time. Android is a smart devices software developed by Google for mobile devices that contains an operating system, middleware and key applications.The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs with which one can begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language. So it is easy to earn money by developing Android JAVA based applications if one has the potential. If you want to earn money this way, you will need computer with Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Linux / MAC operating system, at least 1 GB RAM, 2 GB free hard disk space, Android SDK or Plug-in for Eclipse, Android Simulator and basic knowledge of JAVA programming.
In addition to all of these, you need to follow the steps given below.
Step1: Install Android SDK on your computer. Go to the development tools website for Android. Download the Android SDK suitable for your operating system. Here I assume that your OS is Windows unpacked the downloaded .zip file to a safe location and add this location to the PATH variable by Right-clicking My Computer, selecting properties and selecting Environment Variables under Advanced settings. Add the path location to the PATH variable. Run SDK Setup.exe from root directory of SDK tool to install it on your computer.
Step 2: By installing custom plug-in for the Eclipse IDE, called Android Development Tools (ADT) on your computer, you can develop applications in parallel for both the platforms, i.e. Blackberry and Android. You can download it from https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/. You need to modify your Eclipse preferences to point to the Android SDK directory.
Step 3: Once you have installed the Android Plug-in for Eclipse successfully, restart Eclipse tool and start developing a Test application project. Select File > New Project > Android Project and enter a name for project. Now select a Build Target 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6 and enter application name, package name and Min SDK Version and click on “Finish”. Then you can copy the source code for a basic Hello World project. Run on the Emulator after building the project.
Step 4: You need to Sign an application before publishing it for security and integrity reasons. If you are using Eclipse tool and if ADT has proper access to the Keytool then you do not have to do anything. The application will be signed during compilation and debugging. For public release, compile the application in Release mode by following procedure given on Android Developers website.
Step 5: It is advisable to test your application before releasing on an actual device also. For this purchase either an Android running phone like Motorola Droid or an Android Development phone. Add an End User license agreement to publish on Android Market.
Step 6: To become an Android developer and publish applications, you will have to pay one time registration fee of $25. After people start downloading the application at your published price, you will receive 70% of the revenue. There is a prize money of $150,000 or 100,000 or 50,000 or 25,000 for a very good application.
