A template app that uses the Google Places API to demonstrate the core functionality of apps that use your current location to provide a list of nearby points of interest, allow you to drill down into the details, and then checkin / rate/ review. It incorporates the tips, tricks, best practices, and cheats I know for creating high quality apps.

Particular attention has been paid to reducing the time between opening an app and seeing an up-to-date list of nearby venues and providing a reasonable level of offline support.

The code implements all of the location best-practices for reducing latency and battery consumption as detailed in my Google I/O 2011 session, Android Protips: Advanced Topics for Expert Android Developers.

You can learn more about the decisions involved in this deep dive into location-based services post on the Android Developer Blog.

Quick Start Guide (see the Readme.txt for more details) * Make sure you've downloaded and installed the Android Compatibility Library. * Obtain a Google Places API key and assign it to the MY_API_KEY static constant in PlacesConstants.java. * Obtain a Backup Manager API key and assign it to the backup_manager_key value in res/values/strings.xml.

Implemented Requirements * Display list of nearby locations. * Allow drill-down to display place details for any selected place. * Support some form of user feedback for a location (Checkins). * Offline support for all features (place list, details, and checkins). * Must support Android 1.6+. * Must be optimized for tablets and use the best APIs available for any given platform version.

Protips Covered in this Project * Using and supporting the latest APIs and hardware. * Using Interfaces for backwards compatibility. * Using Intents to receive location updates. * Monitoring inactive Location Providers for a better option * Monitoring the Location Providers in use in case they’re disabled * Using the Passive Location Provider * Using Intents to passively receive location updates when your app isn't active * Monitoring device state to vary refresh rate * Toggling your manifest Receivers at runtime * Monitoring state change broadcasts * Backing up Shared Preferences to the Cloud using the Backup Manager * Making everything asynchronous. No exceptions. * Using Intent Services * Using the Loader and Cursor Loader * Using Strict Mode

Using the code? Let me know!