MIT App Inventor Explorer

This course will become read-only in the near future. Tell us at community.p2pu.org if that is a problem.

Task Navigation 

What is App Inventor and what can you do with it?


Description of the App Inventor service

MIT App Inventor is a system that allows you to develop Android apps very easily by just using your web browser. If you have an Android powered device you can have your apps running on it in no time. If you don't have a device you can also use the emulator provided with the software.

For more information on how the system works please have a look at the description page.

To see what the app inventor can do, and how easy it is to work with it, have a look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/8ADwPLSFeY8

For an introduction on how easy it is to work with App Inventor have a look at the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/nC_x9iOby0g

In the next task we will go through how to set up your computer to get started with the system, but first, to finish this task please leave a comment about your impressions of the App Inventor and what you are going to use it for.

Task Discussion


  • Clara said:

    It seems simple and fun! Thank you!

    on Sept. 24, 2012, 12:27 p.m.

  • Katin said:

    I want to create a simple habits-logging app with funny rewards (joke of the day?) to get a smile or laugh. Maybe also another project: a feed-reader style of app that displays the newest (XML) entry for a set of web sites.

    Can't wait to see more and experiment. Having the Andriod simulator available enables me to take this challenge, since I don't have an andriod phone.

    on Sept. 11, 2012, 2:20 p.m.

  • JoeyBank said:

    It seems fairly easy to use.  Different side of the bridge for me but I find very interesting.

    on Aug. 31, 2012, 3:20 p.m.

  • Nathan said:

    App Inventor seens to be very easy to use, despite offering several valuable functionalities.

    on Aug. 9, 2012, 5:18 p.m.

  • Anonym said:

    AppInventor seems a really good Idea for those of us who don't have advanced programming skills...

    I'm not sure for what I'm gonna use AppInventor yet... BUt I'm sure it'll be funnnnnn...

    on Aug. 8, 2012, 3:09 p.m.

  • Wellsy said:

    Scratch for mobile! I tried MIT's Scratch a while back but ran into computer problems with it. This poor old laptop kinda freaked. Considering I still have the same old laptop I'll have to see if it can keeps up. 

    I want to learn how to make simple little apps and programs to for both home and work. Nothing fancy, just fun things with my 9 year-old.

    Thanks for the opportunity to learn this with others instead of struggling through it by myself.

    on July 28, 2012, 8:19 a.m.

  • Neal said:

    I'm a nub with a mission to embark on a new and exciting journey.  Two jobs isn't enough, it's time to start another as a nubs nub android application inventor.

    on July 22, 2012, 10:28 p.m.

  • davidmaulik said:

    I am trying my hand at Android apps again...didn't go so well last time. I mostly like to tinker and I think this is just what I need to help me finish my projects.

    on July 5, 2012, 8:36 p.m.

  • Tigger said:

    The App Inventor  provides a great intro to anyone of any age to start learning about computer.

    I love the fact that it creates the Apps on the Android Phone. 

    I absolutely love the visual jigsaw pieces which allows me to explore rather than reading loads of text that can be intimidating.

    cons

    Has google not stopped its development? I'm not a 100% certain if I got my facts right here.

    And I know this is primarily an educational tool but are the boundary capability of this app? Can I develop more serious app for the real-world. Can the graphical "pieces" become text or scripts because one of the problems I can foresee is the hundred of pieces of graphical jigsaws that are going to appear...

     

    I think its a great step forward for kids primarily and for teaching computing though. I would love it if it can be attached to the raspberry Pi as well and also aduno. An application with all three components would result in something inspiring for the modern day kids.

     

     

     

    on June 30, 2012, 7:47 p.m.

    Jos said:

    Hi there, the project was open sourced and now MIT is leading its development, so the project will continue existing. There are many new features to come, and some of the things you mention are still in development, so keep an eye on the project :)

    on July 2, 2012, 6:13 a.m. in reply to Tigger

  • Kallisti said:

    If the program is designed to be usable by people with no coding experience at all, how much will the interface allow people who do have some experience to tinker?

    on June 21, 2012, 12:47 a.m.

    Jos said:

    Hi there, the program caters for different levels. There's some advanced features that allow you to start other apps in your phone by sending Intents, or connect to external APIs in any language.

    There's also certain advanced actions that are not provided, but the features list is in active development so if you think of something you would like to do, get in touch with the MIT team!

    on June 21, 2012, 3:49 a.m. in reply to Kallisti

  • Julz80 said:

    So looking forward to learning more!  I'm a total noob, but I have an idea I'd like to be able to execute and share with my friends.

    on June 15, 2012, 1:45 p.m.

    Jos said:

    Cool! You are in the right place if you are willing to learn. Let us know if you need any help!

    Have fun!

    on June 15, 2012, 1:53 p.m. in reply to Julz80

  • franciscoteca said:

    It looks more fun than the usual way of progamming Apps.

    I can't wait to start working with it!

    on June 10, 2012, 4:06 a.m.

    Jos said:

    Good to hear! it is a lot of fun indeed. Let us know how you get on!

    on June 10, 2012, 5:22 a.m. in reply to franciscoteca

  • JustTrombonin said:

    Seems interesting, though seems quite simple.

    on June 8, 2012, 9:09 p.m.

    Jos said:

    And that is good, right? :)

    on June 10, 2012, 5:21 a.m. in reply to JustTrombonin

  • Sebastion Aleksandyr Brolaf Chin said:

    Ive allready tried building apps for google, So let me see how this goes

    on June 6, 2012, 11:02 a.m.

    Jos said:

    You will find it very easy then if you have already worked with the SDK. Let us know how it goes!

    on June 7, 2012, 2:39 p.m. in reply to Sebastion Aleksandyr Brolaf Chin

  • Ernesto Gálvez said:

    Amazing software, I will try to develop business applications.

    on June 5, 2012, 8:49 p.m.

    Jos said:

    Great t o hear that Ernesto!

    It does have some limitations, compared to developing with the full Android SDK, but you get tons done very easily. Have fun!

    on June 6, 2012, 5:07 a.m. in reply to Ernesto Gálvez

  • White Crane said:

    Looks less scary than I thought.  I think I'll keep crawling forward.

    on June 5, 2012, 1:26 p.m.

    Jos said:

    :D good to hear! Let us know how it goes.

    on June 5, 2012, 2:45 p.m. in reply to White Crane