Here's the new Nov 24 release I've also updated on Play:
http://d-h.st/J8p
- Some minor/cosmetic fixes & changes.
- Fixed support for 3rd party apps*.
This is my first release of an App Inventor 2 sample app:
http://d-h.st/D8D
Go here for App Inventor 2:
http://newblocks.appinventor.mit.edu
MIT App Inventor (AI) is a simple(-ish) non-programmer type APP development system, by which apps are built by graphically connecting blocks. I created the first Spirit1 prototypes with it in early 2011, and it was a great way to introduce myself to the basics of Android development.
It's still very difficult to almost impossible to produce "production quality" apps with AI, but it's cool for some basic prototyping, or messing around on a Sunday.
It can still be a bit of work to get started with AI. For AI2 there's a hassle with the MIT AI companion app. The a3a.aia file linked above needs to be imported into a new project to start.
By looking at the code/blocks, you can get a general idea of the API I'm providing for 3rd party Android Java apps. I did a special API for AI because AI can only do startActivity() and not startService(). The API is Android Intent based and it will take me a bit of time to document.
I also built an APK from this code if you want to look:
http://d-h.st/Tcj
It's basic and has a similar UI to Spirit1. It also looks spookily similar to the original 3 yr old Spirit1 prototypes, LOL.
Screenshot is here:
http://xdaforums.com/album.php?albumid=10337&pictureid=41532
Unlike the actual Spirit2 UI, it's designed to be basic and functional, and not pretty. If you want to modify it and see what you can make, go ahead. I'm licensing this App Inventor 2 code/blocks as GPL v3.
Presets won't work right unless you reset them with Spirit2 v1124.
AI2 support requires Spirit2 v1124.
Screen data can only be updated by polling, which is set to 1 second.
Hypothetically, I or someone could build special easier to use and more efficient blocks for AI that are integrated with the FM, but I have doubts that will happen any time soon, or ever.