Android Development with Kotlin

Introduction

The book "Android Development with Kotlin" (authors — Marcin Moskała and Igor Wojda) was published in 2017 and immediately became one of the most sought-after guides for creating Android applications in Kotlin. At the time of publication, Kotlin was just beginning to gain popularity among Android developers, and today it is the officially recommended language for the Android platform. The book offers a practical, structured approach that allows both beginners and experienced Java developers to quickly master Kotlin and start writing modern, reliable applications.

What the book is about

The book covers the full cycle of creating an Android application: from setting up the development environment to publishing on Google Play. The authors consistently introduce the reader to Kotlin syntax, its key features (null safety, extensions, coroutines, lambdas) and integration with the Android SDK. Special attention is paid to architectural patterns (MVP, MVVM), working with databases (Room), network requests (Retrofit), as well as testing and performance optimization.

Who this book is for

The book is aimed at a wide audience:

• Beginner Android developers — those who are already familiar with the basics of Java or another object-oriented language but want to switch to Kotlin.
• Experienced Java developers — the book will help quickly master Kotlin syntax and idioms, as well as best practices for Android.
• Students and teachers — the structured material is suitable for courses on mobile development.

What the reader will learn

After reading the book, you will be able to:

• Set up a project in Android Studio using Kotlin.
• Write clean, concise code using extension functions, data classes, and sealed classes.
• Work with null safety and avoid NullPointerException.
• Use coroutines for asynchronous operations (network, database).
• Implement MVVM architecture with LiveData and ViewModel.
• Integrate REST API via Retrofit and handle responses.
• Work with local storage (Room, SharedPreferences).
• Write unit tests and UI tests for the application.
• Optimize performance and manage memory.
• Prepare the application for publication on Google Play.

Strengths

The book stands out from its counterparts in several aspects:

• Practical focus — each section contains code examples that can be immediately run and modified.
• Relevance — although the book was published in 2017, the core concepts of Kotlin and the Android SDK remain relevant. The authors use stable versions of libraries.
• Clear structure — the material is divided into logical chapters, from simple to complex. Each chapter ends with a summary and self-assessment tasks.
• In-depth explanation of Kotlin — the authors not only show the syntax but also explain why Kotlin is designed the way it is and how it helps write safer code.
• Attention to architecture — the book teaches not just to "throw together code" but to build maintainable, testable applications.

Who it is recommended for

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to professionally engage in Android development with Kotlin. It will be useful both for self-study and as a reference when working on real projects. If you already know Java but want to switch to Kotlin — this is the best start. If you are a beginner — start with the basics of Java or Kotlin, and then take on this book. The only wish: supplement your reading with the official Android and Kotlin documentation, as technologies evolve rapidly.