Welcome to Monday’s Apps For Kids, a new Cult of Android feature where we take a look at kid-centric apps. Many of us are parents with kids who seem to know their way around our mobile devices better than we do. With the Android Market having over 400,000 apps, it can be quite a daunting task trying to find apps appropriate for our young tech enthusiasts. With Monday’s Apps For Kids, we hope to make that task easier by suggesting an array of topics and apps that have been kid tested and parent approved. So grab whatever crayon is lying around and get ready to write down a few apps worth checking out.
Google has been working on a voice assistant service similar to Apple’s Siri and last we heard it was going to be called Majel (named after the woman who provided the voice of the Federation Computer on Star Trek). According to the latest rumors, that name seems to have been dropped in favor of the simpler “Assistant.” This information comes via an unnamed source who spoke with TechCrunch about the project. The project, which is being led by the Android team along with the help of search engineer Amit Singhal, is expected to launch Q4 and includes three core layers to achieve its goals:
We have some good news for anyone interested in the world of app development. App Inventor has returned! For anyone who remembers, App Inventor was a way for your average person to learn about development while creating simple apps using a drag-and-drop concept. A year and many cat apps later, App Inventor was discontinued by Google and open-sourced for anyone looking to further its development. Being an educational tool, it wasn’t surprising when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) decided to scoop it up and continue the work Google started. Fast-forward to today, and the first beta-version of MIT App Inventor is ready for download to anyone with a Google account.
At this year’s Mobile World Congress, Google all but confirmed that Android’s next iteration would be named Jelly Bean. Of course it’s still unofficial, but even Benson Lin, Asus’ Corporate Vice President, is talking about it and has every intention of being the first on the upgrade list.
It’s Sunday again and that means MORE SWAG! Last week we were giving away three Android mini collectibles and today we will announce the lucky winners as well as give you a chance to win some new swag. This week we’re giving away two of those cool Android mugs you see above. Win one of these and kick start your day with your favorite beverage and some Android news from Cult of Android.
