just starting out on Android development; figured i'd gather bits as i learned them.

  - Install Android Studio 
    - https://developer.android.com/studio
    - be sure to check the sha256 just in case; they're in the lower half of the above page with no internal link. :-/
  - create ''~/.local/share/applications/android-studio.desktop''
    - <code>
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Android Studio
Comment=Android IDE
Exec=/path/to/android-studio/bin/studio
Icon=/path/to/android-studio/bin/studio.png
Terminal=false
Categories=Development;IDE;
StartupNotify=true
</code>
    - ''chmod +x ~/.local/share/applications/android-studio.desktop''
    - it will now appear in the Apps list (if you're using Ubuntu + GNOME)
  - start android-studio
  - new Project
    - select an Activity
      - https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/android/introduction-to-activities-in-android/
      - Activity Lifecycle dictates which methods of the Activity are invoked when and why
        - https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/android/activity-lifecycle-in-android-with-demo-app/

| Template | UI System | What It Generates | Best For |
| No Activity | None | Completely empty project; no Activity, no layout, no Compose setup | Custom architectures, manual setup, advanced users |
| Empty Activity | XML | ``MainActivity.kt`` + ``activity_main.xml``; classic ``setContentView()`` | Traditional XML apps, tutorials, legacy UI |
| Gemini API | Compose | Activity wired to Google AI Gemini API client; sample request/response UI | AI‑powered apps, chatbots, LLM demos |
| Navigation UI Activity | Compose | Activity with Navigation Compose graph, multiple screens, scaffold | Multi‑screen apps, modern navigation patterns |
| Basic Views Activity | Compose | Starter UI with Material3 theme, sample composables, preview | Compose beginners, quick prototypes |
| Empty Views Activity | Compose | Minimal Compose setup; empty ``setContent ``{}`` block | Compose experts, custom UI from scratch |
| Responsive Views Activity | Compose | Adaptive layout scaffolding (window size classes, foldables) | Tablets, foldables, desktop Android, responsive UI |
| Game Activity | Native/Compose hybrid | Activity with game loop, rendering surface, input handling | 2D/3D games, custom rendering engines |
| Native C++ | C++ + XML | Activity + JNI bridge + CMake + native code sample | High‑performance native apps, NDK projects |