Google have just announced App Inventor, a new tool in Google Labs that makes it easy for anyone – programmers and non-programmers, professionals and students – to create mobile applications for Android-powered devices.

App inventor will not only make Application development for Android easier, but it will even change the way people use their mobile phones. We have previously mentioned that Google Android is targeting developers, and today we are discovering that it’s trying to make application development easier even for non-programmers.

No other mobile platform will be able to compete with Google on this side. The only negative point for Android remain the differences/incompatibilities between versions, especially that we started already talking about Android 3 – Gingerbread.

From App inventor website :

To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a developer. App Inventor requires NO programming knowledge. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app’s behavior.

An online development environment will definitely make a revolution for the Android platform, even if you will say that applications will be limited in features compared to advanced programming capabilities.

With App Inventor you can create location-aware applications, for example to help you remember where you parked your car, an app that shows the location of your friends or colleagues at a concert or conference, or your own custom tour app of your school, workplace, or a museum. Or simply apps that use the phone features of an Android phone such texting, camera, sensors, … etc. But if you are more familiar with webservices you will be able even to interact with your favorite websites such Amazon and Twitter… etc.

App Inventor  gallery already include apps such :

DROIDMuni : displays schedules for the San Francisco transit system. After the user selects from one of the transits lines and choosing a direction and particular stop, the application will display the lines next arrival times. Once the user has retrieved the desired arrival times, they are able to set up to four favorites which are saved and stored based on their unique e-mail address. Using the DroidMuni remind feature, the user can set a reminder to be notified when a bus is a specified number of minutes away.

ParkIt : allows users to locate their car on their Android phone. After clicking the “Park It” button, the app stores the users car’s location until the “Find It” Button is clicked. The “Find It” button displays the user’s current location, and the user’s car’s location using latitude and longitude. When the user clicks “Show On Map”, GoogleMaps is activated, and the route to the car is displayed.

Drum Kit : allows the user to hit seven different parts of a full, labeled drum kit and hear each drum’s respective sound. This app allows the user not only to learn more about the drums (i.e. the names and sounds of the drums), but also to have fun and create their own beat.

Super Hero Game : a fantastic Quiz game that tests the users true Super Hero Knowledge. Each screen shows a different character from a superhero world and asks a question pertaining to that picture. The user types in the answer and clicks submit. The program responds with a RIGHT or WRONG and the user is prompted to go on to the next question. The question will change as well as the picture. If the user wants to quit at any time they can GIVE UP and the program closes.

Where’s Speedo : allows a user and a users friends or family find each other. The app detects the user’s location and sends it to the users friends or family using the app. The app allows the user to view the location of another user on a map. It also allows the user to set how often the app sends his/her location.

I think we should expect more amazing apps from this magical inventor ! Behind the app inventor a research work conducted in MIT including the Open Blocks Java library used by the blocks editor, Open Blocks visual programming which is closely related to the Scratch programming language, and Kawa Language Framework and Kawa’s dialect of the Scheme programming language used to translates the visual blocks language for implementation on Android.

App inventor is still invitation only, and you can complete this form to get an invitation when available.

irontec have just launched an open source project to bring PHP to Android platform. PHP for Android project (PFA) aims to make PHP development in Android not only possible but also feasable providing tools and documentation. The project already have an APK which provides PHP support to Android Scripting Environment (ASE). To get started you can follow the screencast below :

APK and source code both available at http://phpforandroid.net. Minimum requirement to get PHP for Android running is Android 1.5 phone or emulator. There is even an unofficial ASE build with PHP 5.3 support included. Now Rasmus can get an Android phone and start scripting on mobile.

Alexandria, VA, February  05, 2010 – ThinkFun Inc., the leading creator of mind-challenging games, announces the much awaited and highly anticipated launch of its original Rush Hour as an Android application, available for free in the Android Market beginning today.

“Our customers around the world have been asking for a Rush Hour app, the i-phone version was introduced in November 2009, and now the Android application joins the Rush Hour family” says Bill Ritchie, ThinkFun co-founder and CEO.

Rush Hour is the smartest and most challenging logic puzzle on the Android platform and is packed with exclusive features, such as:

All New Challenges — The free application has 35 original challenges and the $1.99 full version has 2500 Challenges — With each version, the challenges range from beginner to expert that will entertain novice players and test advance players with super-hard expert levels.

Perfect Score — Rush Hour for Android tracks the number of moves players make to get out of the traffic jams and compares them to the shortest, most efficient path possible. Even exceptional gamers who manage to solve all of the puzzles can’t claim mastery of Rush Hour until they have tallied the perfect score on each challenge.

Solve Button — No matter where they are in their challenge, the solve button will show players how to solve it, and then put them back where they left off so players can learn and complete the challenge themselves.

“There are plenty of unauthorized Rush Hour knock-offs out there,” says Liz Deakin, Director, Marketing and Sales at ThinkFun “we are the original, the best, and the owner of the Rush Hour brand, the Rush Hour content, and the Rush Hour magic”.  You can find the Rush Hour/Android app for free in the Andoid Market on your handset – categories:  Games – Brain & Puzzle.

About Rush Hour

The story of Rush Hour began almost 15 years ago, when famed Japanese inventor Nob Yoshigahara traveled to America looking for a game company that shared his vision of excellence and his passion for puzzling. Bill Ritchie and ThinkFun co-founder Andrea Barthello knew right away they had found something special in Yoshigahara and his puzzles. The inventor changed ThinkFun forever, and remained a close friend of the company until his death in 2004. The original Rush Hour board game continues to be a world-wide best seller, winning numerous gaming awards including the Best 25 Toys in 25 Years Award by Parent’s Choice Magazine.

About ThinkFun Inc.

ThinkFun Inc., located in Alexandria, VA, is a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of innovative, educational games and services. ThinkFun understands the essential link between “Think” and “Fun” and is committed to developing products that ignite the mind, motivate learning and encourage fun play for all ages whether in school or at home. All of ThinkFun’s products organically teach problem solving and critical thinking skills…preparing today’s kids to be tomorrow’s adults.

Follow ThinkFun: Web: www.ThinkFun.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThinkFun
Facebook: www.facebook.com (ThinkFun Fan)
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ThinkFunInc

Company to donate portion of proceeds from sales of its new FutureDial Suite Smartphone Edition PC software to Unicef’s Relief Work in Haiti

SUNNYVALE, CA – Feb 4, 2010 –  FutureDial Incorporated announced today that the company will be donating a portion of its sales of its newly launched FutureDial Suite Smartphone Edition™ to assist Unicef’s Haiti relief effort.

From now until the end of April, $1 from every online sale of FutureDial Suite Smartphone Edition™ PC software will be earmarked by FutureDial for donation to Unicef’s relief work in Haiti. The company also features a prominent banner on its website home page (www.futuredial.com) to connect visitors directly to Unicef’s online donation portal. At the end of April, FutureDial will make the contribution to Unicef from all the accumulated sales.

“We were greatly saddened by the devastating 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti, and the heart wrenching misery and suffering that was left in its wake,” said George Huang, Chairman and CEO of FutureDial. “We wanted to help the people of Haiti, and especially the little children who are in such dire need of medical help. So we wanted to mobilize to help raise money for relief efforts there. Unicef has done a tremendous job of bringing relief to the children and families affected by the earthquake, and we are proud to be contributing to their admirable efforts there.”

Information about FutureDial Suite Smartphone Edition PC software is available on the FutureDial website at www.futuredial.com/en/fdsse.html and the software can be purchased directly from that website page.

About FutureDial

FutureDial is a leading provider of mobile content management software and solutions to mobile consumers enabling phone-to-phone transfer, backup, data restoration, and personalization. FutureDial’s products support audio, video, images, contacts, calendar, and SMS over hundreds of handset models. FutureDial solutions are also used by Tier-1 wireless carriers across Europe and the USA at retail stores, service centers, and warehouses worldwide. For more information about FutureDial and its products, please visit www.futuredial.com