Today, 40Tech is pleased to present a guest post by Tim Millett.
Google, which has received a deluge of apps for its own devices, has obviously decided to do some lateral thinking, and its App Inventor is a sort of assembly process for apps. This is the sort of thing where you can ask your IT Support to create a business app for you, for example.
App Inventor basics
Google hasn’t missed any tricks with App Inventor. Anyone can make his or her own apps. Google has included a tutorial, which is so simple it’s like LEGO. You literally upload your app elements, set up your app and download it onto your phone, pad or computer. Simple as that. It’s a very good idea for those who really need or want their own special apps, and a money saver, too, when you’re thinking about commercial apps.
Benefits for consumers
As a matter of fact, making your own apps is actually a very good idea for consumers. Commercial apps tend to be very generalized, and some, let’s face it, are less than dazzling. Some apps, in fact, are almost 1995 level technology. The graphics may be slightly better or worse, but they’re not too impressive by any standards.
Consumers who know how to make their own apps have more choices. Google App Inventor is so easy to use that even basic trial and error will only take up a few minutes. It’s also a good way of experimenting with what’s possible.
For example:
What apps would you like to have on your phone?
· Organizer
· Appointment book
· Cash book
· Invoice
· Professional electronic data
· File sharing
Well, if you want them, you can get them. You can see how useful this sort of technology really is. An all-in-one “office” isn’t impossible, either. Many business IT support app concepts are actually based on a series of task-specific operations, and the software isn’t particularly complex.
Apps evolution and Google App Inventor
Google App Inventor is likely to be a groundbreaker in many ways. Several thousand apps come onstream every day. The world is awash with apps, from brilliant to gruesome, and the world’s major platform operators, particularly computer and phone makers, are swamped. It could take a year just to check out all the apps currently available for an iPad, for example.
DIY apps are definitely a better option for the basic things. That’s a true indicator, because the normal track record for technology is that today’s advanced technology is tomorrow’s standard open source freebie. Given that mobile technology is now part of the infrastructure of society, App Inventor is likely to be the start of a revolution.
Give Google App Inventor a shot. See what you can do, and then check out what you need. You will definitely find that you can save yourself a lot of time roaming the net looking for apps, to start with. You may also find that you can make a better app than the stuff on the market.
Author Bio: Tim Millett is an Australian freelance writer and journalist. He writes extensively in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the US. He’s published more than 500 articles about various topics including IT Support and Business IT Support.
