Side projects are great. They are great motivator for learning new stuffs. There are so far you can go with tutorial or sample codes. You have to do it in a serious enough project to learn the nitty gritty details.
Some of them will die away but some will stick. Here're my recent more successful side-projects.
I always have had some small-ish projects on the side. Some for fun, some for more serious things.
Most didn't make it past the prototype phase, expect two of them. And one of them helped me a lot when I was interviewing for the current job (it is actually a non-trivial/large project).
As long as they don't become your main focus, small projects will actually help on your day to day job. (you end up applying a lot of the things that you learn on your side projects, to your day to day job).
Cool, game ww250.
BTW are you looking for a job? I am working currently at Yammer, and we are looking for few good Android developers. (iOS as well). shoot me an email at ardit33@gmail.com
Some of them will die away but some will stick. Here're my recent more successful side-projects.
http://www.previouslook.com/hnews
http://www.topchan.tv
Android game Starxscape.