Android App Inventor lets you be the developer (video)

Google is following in Nokia's footsteps today by offering its users a simple-to-use DIY app maker. Employing a design scheme that relies on visual blocks rather than oodles of arcane code, the App Inventor -- still in Beta, of course -- has functions for "just about anything" you can do with an Android handset, including access to GPS and phone functionality. All that's really missing is the raw creative talent, which we're sure you'll be happy to provide. Hit the source link to get involved or skip past the break for an educational video.

[5T3FonPC Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:21AM]

Will we be able to sell apps made with this software? Or is it restricted to purely personal use?
And any idea on when it'l actually start working? I downloaded he files only to discover it's not actually out yet...

[5T3FonPC Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:33AM]

I can see this getting tweaked and updated until it becomes powerful enough to make real apps. On Day 1, I don't think so, but remember being Open Source it has the potential to morph into "the" IDE for Android development. All it takes is for Google (or others) to gradually add new options and functionality. Sure at first it'll have "fart button" apps coming out of it, but I see far more potential in the UI they've got there. Could easily become just like the Visual Studio environment.

[jimzakany Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:15PM]

@5T3FonPC Fart button, hello world. Same difference. Everyone starts somewhere.

[adamjustadam Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:33AM]

So the spam crap apps will flood out of the gates, 50000000 different fart apps, and Google will claim they have 5,035,000 apps .. great .. this is only going to flood the market with useless apps that do nothing but pump up numbers. Bravo google looks like you finally found a way to compete with the app store by apple

[evildoer Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:05PM]

@adamjustadam
creating an app does not put it on the market. you need to sign up as a developer and manually submit it. do you honestly believe every schoolgirl making a kitty clicking app is gonna do that?

[gmlvsk Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:42AM]

I am writing something similar.
Install IProgram app from Market and go to
androidscript.appspot.com to start

[Awall Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:10PM]

Cool

[Jakeeeee Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:17PM]

I think you forgot to say that this is really similar to Palm's version of Ares, which is a Drag and Drop app creator for webOS

[esp Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:24PM]

I think this is brilliant. All the children and non technical people who are going to have their first wow moment when they create something that works rather than just consume something. This has the potential to provide a movement of Android users that will be more connected to their devices and may be the first step of inspiration for some budding new developers.

I think that this could prove really useful to small groups, organisations and and companies who want to develop their own small scale apps that would never be catered for in the Market or would be cost prohibitive to develop professionally. Exciting step for Android.

[daewootech Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:41PM]

why has this not been out yet? i cant wait for them to do for apps what programs like Dreamweaver has done for web

[crow610 Posted Jul 12th 2010 1:11PM]

this will do to Android what Geocities did to the Internet

[pete42 Posted Jul 12th 2010 1:22PM]

This is great but does it also show the code. I'm an iPhone developper and would like to do some android apps but I don't really know Java so if this showed the code after it would be a great learning tool.

[Beto4209 Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:26PM]

Lol this is GAY!!!!

[Keeney Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:48PM]

I have to agree with the comments that better tools are going to lead to more and better apps. Its the same strategy Microsoft had since our first versions of Visual Basic, Visual C, etc.

The Microsoft tools for Windows Phone 7 have essentially this same functionality but also fully integrate with the full Visual Studio IDE! You can have both worlds - ease of UI layout and interactivity design without writing code; and the ability to dig deep and write more complex code and business logic where required.

http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/us/details/61ed7e86-0b1c-432e-a1fb-a882f95ec250

- Rick

[weedalin Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:20PM]

No one has noticed a similarity to Ares?

[Wevenhuis Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:35PM]

Now why don't they have something like this for ALL mobile OS's that's as intuitive as this?

[alex904 Posted Jul 12th 2010 8:56PM]

Finally. Google developed alternative to Apple's Interface Builder. Congrats Google, you're just 2 years late. :)

[tayshun12 Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:44AM]

Goodbye adobe air and flex... Sorry adobe, first it was apple now google is abandoning you

[PinchofSalt Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:52PM]

@Inf

Well, actually there are already Nintendo and Sega console emulators on the market - don't know if they are using the NDK though.

For most part, most programs don't even need the full power of the device. So we aren't losing much.

And if there is a program that is really performance critical, there is an NDK available for you to write the "expensive" parts in native code.
You lose the benefit of portability and might have to release a new version if phone makers make big hardware changes, of course.

Hardware utilization wise, I'm sure the VM is aware of what hardware is available, and makes the most of what it can - whatever is exposed by the hardware drivers that is.

And it does benefit us in one way, phone makers will be able to use the best CPU they can for the job, and not be trapped to a specific CPU architecture.
Give us better "fitting" phones.

[appreviewer Posted Aug 6th 2010 6:09PM]

wow that has to be one of the coolest apps, so it gives access to gps, what about impact detection? i wonder if some of the coolest apps like Google Goggles or My911 could have been created using it...

[mobitinker Posted Aug 6th 2010 7:14PM]

I see the most promising aspect of this as bringing the joy of programming to more kids. Especially those in low-income communities. I can't wait to see a few moms get a cool app as a Mother's day gift!

http://applicationsforchange.org/2010/07/14/mom-look-at-my-app/