

If you have released apps before, you might have used the keytool resource to sign them. The key is based on your Android app debug or release certificate. To access the Google Maps tools, you need an API key, which you can obtain through a Google account.

It should be inside your downloaded Android SDK directory, at the following location: extras/google/google_play_services/libproject/google-play-services_lib. Select File > Import > Android > Existing Android Code into Workspace then browse to the location of the downloaded Google Play services package on your computer. Once Eclipse downloads and installs the Google Play services package, you can import it into your workspace.

Select the Google Play services checkbox and install the package. In the list of packages that appears scroll down to the Extras folder and expand it.

In Eclipse, choose Window > Android SDK Manager. Google Maps Android API V2 is part of Google's Play services SDK, which you must download and configure to work with your existing Android SDK installation in Eclipse to use the mapping functions. The processes required to integrate Google Maps and Google Places with Android apps are relatively complex and not suitable for beginners, so for the purposes of this tutorial it is assumed that readers have already completed at least a few basic apps in Eclipse. Working with Google Maps - Displaying Nearby Places (Pending Publication).Working with Google Maps - Places Integration.Working with Google Maps - Application Setup.This tutorial series about Using Google Maps and Google Places in Android apps will be presented in four parts: The app will present a map to the user, mark their current location and nearby places of interest, and will update when the user moves. In this tutorial series, we will create an app that uses Google Maps for Android V2 in conjunction with the Google Places API. Version 2 of the Maps API was released at the end of 2012 and it introduced a range of new features including 3D, improved caching, and vector tiles. The Google Maps API for Android provides developers with the means to create apps with localization functionality.
