Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Create Your Own Android Apps With Android App Inventor


The world of mobile apps is growing at a phenomenal rate. You could even say that this has become the new “cash cow”. I know that it’s something that I intend to learn. I remember I had just discovered the Android App Inventor whenever Google was getting ready to end the program in Google Labs. However this year I was glad to see that someone picked this project up. Those at the ever infamous MIT have decided to let this live on. It is even equipped with support from a growing community of aspiring developers.

What is the App Inventor? It is a set of tools that’s designed and offered free of charge to help the amateur developer create apps without knowing all the ins and outs of coding. Do you have the desire to develop the next big app? There are even a few good books available to help you create your app. Here is a small list:
Android Apps with App Inventor: The Fast and Easy Way to Build Android Apps By Author Jorg H. Kloss

App Inventor: Create Your Own Android Apps- By Authors Liz Looney, Hal Abelson, Ellen Spertus, David Wolber

 

App Inventor for Android: Build Your Own Apps - No Experience Required By Jason Tyler

 

The App Inventor is still very much in the beta stage. Those who have higher aspirations for their coding strategies may wish to just head straight for learning a programming language. Others that are just exploring building mobile applications will find it to be the ideal tool to toy around with. Android Apps with App Inventor has a solid introduction, taking readers through the many iterations of the Android operating system, beginning with 1.1 and finishing with version 4.0, dubbed, “Ice Cream Sandwich”.

 

These books doing a really great job of complimenting the app development process. These books also take the users through the development environment and explain the various tools found in the App Inventor. Some of the processes of these steps include creating an account; downloading the necessary software and ensuring you have a phone ready for tinkering with the App Inventor are all covered in these books. 




These books are for anyone who is tech savvy and familiar with the terms and concept around mobile devices. Someone who is still feeling their way around mobile technology and does not feel like they have mastered their own device may want to start with something more user friendly. There are some good how-to projects and exercise to warm the would be developer up on the way to more complex app development.

Currently users who complete an application in App Inventor are not able to upload it directly to Google Play for distribution. However, the FAQ section on the MIT help site says, “We are actively working to resolve this.” It is unclear if users would be able to charge for applications when this functionality is available. However, it is clear that MIT is actively seeking to build the platform. I just signed up to become a beta tester one day last week myself. I was officially accepted as a beta tester yesterday. This is really something that I’m sure that I’m going to enjoy learning. What are you waiting for? Get into the world of developing apps for Android. You can check out the App Inventor website here: http://beta.appinventor.mit.edu/learn/  You may even want to check out this really cool video on it:





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