Overview

• Android applications are primarily designed using Java, but other options are available for developers unfamiliar with this programming language. According to Android, apps are composed of one or more components consisting of activities, services, content providers and broadcast receivers. Activities represent the user interface while services are background tasks. Content providers determine how the app shares data and broadcast receivers are events like notifications that appear in your phone's status bar. When using a tool that requires you to do programming, you may have to set each of these components. However, with Web-based tools, you likely will have little, if any, interaction with any technical requirements.
  
  

Android Software Development Kit

• The Android Software Development Kit, or SDK, is the official set of free tools offered by Google to help you design apps. The SDK tool set can be downloaded to computers running Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems and a development environment like Eclipse. Once installed, the SDK packages the code, resource files and data you have developed into one Android file. To help you with the design of your app, the SDK also includes a debugger, emulator and sample code.
  
  

Web-Based Design Tools

• Other design tools are available for Android app development that rely on Web-based programs rather than coding expertise. The App Inventor, for example, uses visual programming and a browser-based application. You assemble, test, package and produce your app by assembling "blocks" that represent all the features of an Android smartphone. AppsGeyser is another platform that allows you to take any Web content or widget and make it an app in a few steps without coding support. Andromo can help you design an app from your Web content as well as content from your Twitter, iTunes, Tumblr and other social media channels through a point-and-click process.
  
  

Programming-Based Design Tools

• For developers with more advanced technical skills, there are app design tools like Mono. Created by Novell, Mono is a paid tool set that uses Microsoft's Visual Studio and .Net and C# programming to develop Android apps. You can also access templates and emulator to help deploy and launch your app. If you are familiar with Adobe Flash or Flex, you can use these tools to design Android apps. Flex is an open source framework that Adobe offers at no cost. Apps can be built using Flash or the Flex Software Development Kit.