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July 12, 2010

App Inventor for Android

App Inventor is a Google software that allows anyone to develop simple Android apps. "To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a developer. App Inventor requires NO programming knowledge. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app's behavior."

App Inventor lets you create applications that use advanced features like GPS or sending SMS messages. "You can build an app to help you remember where you parked your car, an app that shows the location of your friends or colleagues at a concert or conference, or your own custom tour app of your school, workplace, or a museum."

Google says that the software has been successfully tested in several schools across the US. "App Inventor for Android gives everyone, regardless of programming experience, the opportunity to control and reshape their communication experience. We've observed people take pride in becoming creators of mobile technology and not just consumers of it," says Google's Mark Friedman.

You need an invitation to try App Inventor, but you can complete this form to get an invitation.


"The App Inventor project is led by MIT computer scientist Harold Abelson, the founding director of the Free Software Foundation, Public Knowledge, and the Creative Commons who's now on sabbatical at Google," reports the Register.

"The Google project, Mr. Abelson said, is intended to give users, especially young people, a simple tool to let them tinker with smartphone software, much as people have done with computers. Over the years, he noted, simplified programming tools like Basic, Logo and Scratch have opened the door to innovations of all kinds. Microsoft's first product, for example, was a version of Basic, pared down to run on personal computers. The Google application tool for Android enables people to drag and drop blocks of code — shown as graphic images and representing different smartphone capabilities — and put them together, similar to snapping together Lego blocks. The result is an application on that person's smartphone," notes the New York Times.

App Inventor is especially suitable for Android because Android apps are collections of reusable intents. Even if you build a simple application, you can easily make it more powerful by using components from other applications.



{ Thanks, Kevin. }

8 comments:

  1. Pretty awesome. Maybe we'll start seeing app inventor for Chrome OS here soon(?).

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  2. Thank you for your article. Android is the most or second m Inventor is a Google software that allows anyone to develop simple Android apps. ost exciting mobile operating system on the market . Hope you will continuo your informative post.

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  3. That's the best idea for new users and new developers!

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  4. Para mim, desde meus 16 anos (ou seja, a muitos anos atrás!), já era bem previsível que num futuro muito próximo esse tipo de ferramente estaria disponível e podando a necessidade de uma demanda crescente de profissionais da área de TI.

    Por um lado, isso é bom; restarão, pois, apenas profissionais de real qualidade e deveras capacitados. Por outro lado, banaliza-se a profissão.

    Analisando-se, todavia, por uma terceira perspectiva (e, diga-se, é dessa perspectiva que eu mais gosto), a de que a área de TI - no fundo - não é de um nicho de profissionais/mercado mas, sim, do saber/executar humano... aí sim, sendo funcional, será o software perfeito. Sem senões e/ou poréns. Apenas responsável por sanar toda e qualquer necessidade de todo e qualquer ser dotado de encéfalo e polegar opositor deste planeta; e sem a necessidade direta de terceiros.

    É esperar para ver como estarão as ferramentas desse gênero daqui 5 ou 10 anos. Espero que estejam como eu já as imagino hoje. :)

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  5. What a cool way to fill the 200000 apps gap between android and the iPhone! The thing is, this may turn out to be irrelevant as I believe the most important mobile apps will be converted to web apps sooner or later.

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  6. Of course its not actually available now - but you may get a chance in a few years (knowing google)!

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  7. google genius!
    lets teach kids how to write apps on android.
    10% will go on to a more complex systems..good chance its andriod frendly.
    10% of them will be come proper programmers who can progam android well and with ease.
    its winwin for them.
    more people aware of thhe platform, a large pool of basic andriod ability, increase in those where android languages are thier default creative outlet.
    I know this for sure, if i suddenly have a sudden idea my default is to VB it.(admitly three days later im rewriting it on som other language, cursing MS for VB)

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  8. Well making desired apps for android is something that should come quick to the market ;-) , i know if google will handle it will give the best stuff.

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