Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Android envy

I'm suffering from a severe case of Android envy. I was just checking the latest post in Jeff KE9V's excellent blog (glad you haven't forsaken the blogosphere in favour of podcasts, Jeff) which mentions in passing that Google has just released AppInventor, a free simple application builder for the Android platform.

What piques my interest particularly is that AppInventor includes building blocks that allow you to talk to things like the GPS, so you can write location-aware apps, perhaps even apps that are APRS related.

I own a Windows Mobile smartphone. I also own a currently uninstalled copy of Microsoft Visual Studio, which can create apps for the phone. I once wrote an app to sync the clock to an internet time server. But like everything to do with Windows it's all just too darn complicated and my ageing brain doesn't feel like getting to grips with it.

The AppInventor approach looks much easier and more fun. I see an Android in my life before too long.

3 comments:

Lynn (D) said...

Great! Everyone heard Julian step up to the plate to deliver the first Android APRS app, right?

I'm starting to hear as many requests for an Android APRS app (there is at least one) as I had been hearing for a BlackBerry APRS app (there isn't one yet that I know of).

Lynn (D) - EA4/KJ4ERJ

Alex Hill said...

I second that. I'd even buy an android phone for that!

Sounds like a good step forward for us non-programmers to make some really useless applications. Seriously though I have started a course to learn programming methodology, sounds like this would be useful once I've understood the basics in 'Karel's World'

G4HYG said...

Thanks for posting about the AppInventor, Julian. I've applied to get AppInventor so I'll look at writing a simple APRS app when it's available. I'm sure I won't be the only one!

73, Chris, G4HYG