Complete beginners to Android application development will find this guide easy to read and follow, covering what is involved in Android application development and how it is done. In particular, the book clearly explains each new technical term as it is introduced, which makes it much easier to follow than other books covering this topic.

The book is well structured, guiding the reader effectively through the process of Android application development. It starts with a detailed explanation of how to install the open-source software tools that are required for Android application development.

In particular, the author introduces Java and Extensible Markup Language (XML) for programmers not familiar with these languages, and outlines how Java and XML are used in Android application development and how the various Android application components communicate with each other inside the application. I found the explanation of the components of an Android application particularly clear, including what the different files are used for and what the common code found in these files actually does.

The book next addresses the features of Eclipse, the integrated development environment (IDE), followed by an easy-to-understand introduction to object-oriented programming concepts.

The main strength of this book is the lucid way it presents information to the reader. For anyone new to Android application development, this book provides exactly what the title claims: a useful guide for absolute beginners.

One weakness of the book is the quality of the images, which are all black and white. In addition, some of the text on the screen print images can be difficult to read.

Overall, despite a slight lack of polish in the images, this book represents an easy, readable guide to Android application development that would be suitable for a novice developer in this field.