ECLIPSE

Eclipse is an IDE, or interactive development environment, for the Java programming language. Well actually, you can use it for many languages, but I will focus on the Java part. Most of the actual programming is done here. Newbies should try to make a “Hello World” version of a Java program that simply prints out “Hello Eclipse” found here.

Google App Engine

Google App Engine is an easy way to provide a server for your apps, albeit with a catch. If your app takes off, you have to pay cash accordingly. In the long run it is likely cheaper to use another service. But it is super easy and free in the short term so worth it for small projects! This easily integrates with Eclipse through the Google Plugin. After you finish writing the server side of your app, you can upload to GAE with the click of a button.

Android SDK/ADT

If you want to write android apps, you also need the Android “SDK” so Android devices know how your program works. ADT is an eclipse plugin to make Android setup easy. ADT also comes with Android emulators to test out your programs (you can also use actual Android hardware).

Well that’s about it!