Q:

What is a simple way of drawing sprites without OpenGL?

We are developing simple arcade game for android now and we are interested in adding some visual effects to it. Like disappearing or appearing animation and so on. Is there a simple way to do it without OpenGL for example just using some improvements to ImageView?

A:

You could use the BitmapFactory and Bitmap Class to perform simple manipulations on images. Check out the http://developer.android.com/reference/android/graphics/Bitmap.html for what you can do with this class. It supports simple stuff like reloading, fading out, creating ScaledMaps and manipulating images on the screen on basic level. 
For some simple instructions and examples see: 

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/graphics/index.html
http://www.anddev.org/resize_and_rotate_image_-_example-t621.html
Chapter 6 in "Android Developers cookbook" : http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0321741234

