Hi Everyone, After learning the iOS side of Buzztouch and getting a few apps in the Apple App Store, I have a client that now wants their app on Android. If I decide to say yes to the project, I'm a little nervous that I'll commit to something that will take a lot of time. I'm up for the challenge, but was wandering a couple of things... 1. For the apps I've already created I've focused only on iOS. For example, I've used Kittsy's carousel for the home menu and installed other iOS only plugins. So I don't think I can download the Android deliverable and go from there because of this. Should I start a new Androd focused App project in Buzztouch just using the iOS project as reference material? I know there is the Snippet Keeper to aid in a move, but I've never used it. 2. The only Android device I have is a rooted Nook Tablet. Can I test on this? There is no camera or phone in this device. 3. I'm using an older Mac Book Pro running Mountain Lion (2007 edition). It's doing the trick for now and I hope to upgrade within a few months, but is there other hardware to consider? 4. How tough is the learning curve for Android really? This app development thing is really a second job for me (or third/fourth job depending on how you're counting!). Any tips / tricks / insights on a smooth entry to the platform? I appreciate any and all feedback! All the best, William

Hi William, Good to see that you're willing to entertain Android! There's a huge market for Android apps, and it's actually not all that hard to get involved with. Let me tackle your questions: 1. If your project doesn't contain plugins that are for both Android and iOS, you will have to create a new project for one or the other, and do some JSON copying, or simply recreate the screens. It can be a little or lot of work, depending on your app. For all the apps I create, I make sure I use plugins that are available for both...unless for some reason the app is intended to be just for a single platform. But that hasn't happened yet. 2. If your device runs a version of Android, you should be able to use it for testing. You can also create Android emulators for use in testing. 3. Your Macbook Pro will handle Eclipse and the Android SDK just fine. Nothing else needed. 4. Assuming you're not coding from scratch, and primarily using the Buzztouch platform to create your apps, the learning curve is pretty low, in my opinion. It's really just a matter of understanding Eclipse and some of the other requirements for Android. But we're here to help, and I have a ton of videos on my YouTube channel that explain quite a bit of what you need : http://www.youtube.com/users/GoNorthWest . I also have a start-to-finish guide for Android in the How-To section of Buzztouch. Hope this helps a bit! Don't hesitate to post back if you have more questions. Mark

Just adding a little to Marks statement... Chris1 has his nifty 'Advanced Menu with Image' that allows you to designate certain menu items for Android, iOS, or for both platforms. This really adds some decent flexibility for making cross platform apps in the same control panel. https://www.buzztouch.com/plugins/plugin.php?pid=3DE38CB0E5550297BB18EA4 If you're self hosted, Mr. David and I built a nifty little script that will duplicate (non-menu) buzztouch screens from one app to another. Handy when recreating something you've already built. https://www.buzztouchmods.com/downloads.php?cat_id=2&download_id=49 Otherwise, I'm just nodding my head at the info Mark mentioned... Cheers! -- Smug

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. I've installed Eclipse and I've at least been able to launch an emulator to see Android on my screen. Now to figure out how to get a Buzztouch test project installed! Best, William

Check out this video. It shows you exactly how to do that...at least with the v2 Android code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV3Ofi2602I Mark

Thanks Mark, looks like exactly what I need to move on to the net steps! William