Android App Inventor Beta

[DivideBYZero]

Looks interesting. I've signed up for the Beta, even though I don't have an Android device!

You need to have a gmail account to sign up: http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/

 

[tatteredpotato]

I've signed up for the Beta, even though I don't have an Android device!

If this doesn't ship with the Emulator (I would expect that it does), you can most likely use the one in the full blown Android SDK.

 

[Pliablemoose]

That's pretty impressive...

 

[tatteredpotato]

That's pretty impressive...

This style of programming is an interesting way to allow non-technical people to make programs. Microsoft released Kodu for Xbox Indie Games which allowed "players" to program games using a library of built-in models and actions and this seems like a more advanced version. I don't mean to imply that Google is copying MS in any way, as Google states this is built off technology developed at MIT, so I'm sure it's been in the works for a long while now.

It will be interesting to see if this catches on, however I have a feeling the tool chain needs a bit more simplification before normal people start taking serious cracks at it.

 

[Pliablemoose]

The downside is that this tool will flood the marketplace with crappy apps, and make it more difficult to find useful ones.

 

[DivideBYZero]

The downside is that this tool will flood the marketplace with crappy apps, and make it more difficult to find useful ones.

Well it's the crappy apps, such as cookie cutters or link apps, that allow Apple's App Store to claim so many apps.

 

[tatteredpotato]

The downside is that this tool will flood the marketplace with crappy apps, and make it more difficult to find useful ones.

In all honesty I rarely browse the app stores on any platform. I hear about something good, I search it, I download it. As long as the search function is good I don't care how many garbage apps there are.

 

[preslove]

So, will this spur people to create thousands of 1 book ebook apps for out of copyright books? You know, like all the iPhone ones?

 

[TheWart]

So, will this spur people to create thousands of 1 book ebook apps for out of copyright books? You know, like all the iPhone ones?

Most of those were purged when iBooks came out I believe, thank goodness.

In all honesty I rarely browse the app stores on any platform. I hear about something good, I search it, I download it. As long as the search function is good I don't care how many garbage apps there are.

While this is mostly true for myself, I will browse the app store on my phone about once a week or so to see what the new top apps are, and every once in a while there is something that slipped under my radar.

 

[jalaram]

The downside is that this tool will flood the marketplace with crappy apps, and make it more difficult to find useful ones.

That's the argument any time coding is made is easier. While I do agree that leads to lots of crappy efforts, I still appreciate any RAD effort like this.

 

[vshah]

signed up for the beta as well. I hope it will allow exporting generated code to eclipse for further tweaking. using it for layout and then coding in eclipse would be great.

 

[dwell]

This is great, because Android was in danger of having too many high-quality, stable applications.

 

[jpeyton]

The downside is that this tool will flood the marketplace with crappy apps, and make it more difficult to find useful ones.

Isn't that Apple's claim to fame? 200,000 mostly crappy apps in a crowded app store?

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

 

[zerocool84]

This is great, because Android was in danger of having too many high-quality, stable applications.

Read above already. Both app stores have have tons of crappy apps and tons of apps that are the same but you always have to crap on Android threads. Are you scared of Android for some reason? Did Android rape you at night?

 

[lokiju]

My biggest issue with the Market Place is how hard it is to find and sort apps.

But I signed up for this and will give it a shot.

There's been plenty of time where I've wished there was a app with a function that I wish I knew how to make.

 

[Glitchny]

My biggest issue with the Market Place is how hard it is to find and sort apps.

But I signed up for this and will give it a shot.

There's been plenty of time where I've wished there was a app with a function that I wish I knew how to make.

use appbrain

categorizes the entire market etc makes it very easy to find things. With the new update and downloading the appbrain app to your phone you can install apps just from clicking install on the website and it downloads/installs to your phone. The phone app is also much more featured than the standard market app.

oh and it's free.