#App inventor emulator not working mac how to
#App inventor emulator not working mac mac os x
#App inventor emulator not working mac for android
#App inventor emulator not working mac android

I still think itвЂ™s worth working through issues like this in return for not being locked into one hardware vendor, though.) (This underscores what fans of the iPhone - and the Palm Pre, Palm Pixi and BlackBerry - argue is the drawback to AndroidвЂ™s open platform: Because one company doesnвЂ™t control hardware design and how devices interact with the OS, undocumented quirks such as this on some devices are more likely.

#App inventor emulator not working mac how to

Even the helpful folks in the App Inventor Google discussion group didnвЂ™t seem to know how to handle that particular issue.ДЄfter some trial and error, it turned out that the default USB connection setting on the Droid X did not work for App Inventor, at least on my Mac, so I needed to change the phone from вЂњPC ModeвЂќ to вЂњUSB Mass Storage.вЂќ Logging into the browser-based software and downloading the additional components worked on the first try, but the final step - connecting a device - was more challenging: App Inventor wouldnвЂ™t see my Droid X at first, making it impossible either to view my app in progress on the phoneвЂ™s screen while doing development work or to download my apps to the device. I found the first-time setup to be surprisingly frustrating.

#App inventor emulator not working mac android

There is also an вЂњExtrasвЂќ application to download and install, containing items such as an Android phone emulator. There are two main parts to App Inventor: a browser-based design screen and the Java-based Blocks Editor (which is launched in a separate window by clicking an вЂњOpen the Blocks EditorвЂќ button). ItвЂ™s less daunting than, say, learning Java, but there is a time investment, especially if you want to become proficient in creating applications that let you do more than tap a button to play a sound.

There is a learning curve - even visual interfaces require some investment in time to discover just how they work. If you can write good вЂњpseudocodeвЂќ - basic instructions in English describing each step of what your app needs to do - you should be able to use App Inventor. If you already have the skills to outline the steps needed to make your app come to life, you donвЂ™t have to worry about what code creates a button or what syntax is needed to pull a name up from the contacts database.

However, for those who are knowledgeable coders but not yet experienced with Android, App Inventor could make it more attractive to start developing for the platform, since this lessens the need to learn a lot of particulars. In other words, the goal here is not to turn the majority of Android owners into professional developers, but to give them access to more-robust phone customization than is currently available. MIT professor Hal Abelson, currently on sabbatical in order to work on the App Inventor project, cites one student-created app that simply delivers a text auto-response when the user is behind the wheel (вЂњPlease donвЂ™t text me now, IвЂ™m driving.вЂќ) as an example of what App Inventor was designed to facilitate. Even with a visual interface, devising complex applications is not trivial.Д«ut just as you donвЂ™t need to create pivot tables in order to get value from Excel, you donвЂ™t need to be creating, say, a full-fledged fantasy football app in order to use App Inventor. Now, letвЂ™s be clear: Drag-and-drop programming will not turn an average user into an expert coder.

I also walked through a number of the available tutorials.

#App inventor emulator not working mac mac os x

I ran the browser-based tool on both Mac OS X and Windows 7. I received access to the beta a couple of weeks ago and tested many of the available programming functions, using both the built-in Android device emulator and a loaner Droid X smartphone. The tool, still in invitation-only beta, offers a graphical drag-and-drop programming interface instead of requiring that apps be written in Java.

#App inventor emulator not working mac for android

GoogleвЂ™s new App Inventor for Android comes with an ambitious goal: Allow anyone to create simple apps for their mobile phone.