Microsoft officially kills its Android app porting tool

Well, that didn't take long. After lots of silence regarding Project Astoria, Microsoft is killing it in favor of its shiny new Xamarin purchase. In case you'd forgotten (entirely understandable!), Astoria was the initiative that'd make porting Andro...

Apple Swift Coding Language


If you are developing a mobile app or thinking about doing so, then you need to use Apple’s new language, Swift. This is the take from Nate Murray, who is the co-founder of Fullstack.io, which is an...

Hour of Code Computer Programming Campaign Also Supported by Obama and Republicans


The United States is a postindustrial society, yet it lacks in training its kids in the basics of information technology and computer programming. Nine out of ten schools don’t teach computer science...

Plastic iPhone May be Called iPhone 5C


A photo of a bin full of packaging boxes with brand name iPhone 5C was leaked this previous weekend. It was being suggested that it could be the name of Apple's upcoming budgeted iPhone with plastic...

Insert Coin: Modkit Micro asks us if we’re ready for six-year-olds coding Arduino boards

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/29/insert-coin-modkit-micro-graphical-programming/

What does microcontroller programming have in common with Tetris? Quite a bit if you're doing it with Modkit Micro from a Kickstarter project out of Cambridge, MA., which allows almost anyone to visually set up their hardware using graphical blocks to write the code. The partially-hooded trio behind it promises that the software is ideal for use with prototyping boards from Arduino, Evil Mad Science, Lilypad, Seeed Studio, Wiring and SparkFun, and they even claim that elementary school students have used it to "take their projects from concept to reality in just a few hours." Purists should have no fear either: you can still get into a code view to see what's going on behind the scenes. A web-based Modkit Micro is being offered online starting June 1st for $25, and there'll be a desktop variant for Windows, OSX, and Linux as early as July if they reach their funding target. Check out the video after the break and then try to get your kids to wait for college before inventing version 2.0 of this.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Modkit Micro asks us if we're ready for six-year-olds coding Arduino boards

Insert Coin: Modkit Micro asks us if we're ready for six-year-olds coding Arduino boards originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Boing Boing  |  sourceKickstarter, Modkit Micro  | Email this | Comments

Xamarin’s XobotOS opens prospect of Android port to C#, can of worms

Xamarin-XobotOS-ports-Android-to-C-Sharp

Would it be ironic if Android developers did an end-run around Microsoft patents by using Microsoft's own C#? Or if Google kiboshed its Oracle brouhaha with the aid of none other than Redmond? We're asking because Xamarin, the wacky open source implementer of .NET, has ported Android to Microsoft's C# with its XobotOS project. Although just an experiment and unlikely to solve Google's issues, the team showed that running the robot on C# instead of Java gave fewer coding limitations, better battery life and direct graphics access. Additionally, Xamarin reports "massive" speed gains on its HTC Flyer and Acer Iconia when running the side-project port -- no surprise given C#'s machine heritage. Sure, it's pure speculation that Mountain View and its developers would ever change their Java MO, but a little patent relief and faster Android devices in one kill shot? That's a sweet idea.

Xamarin's XobotOS opens prospect of Android port to C#, can of worms originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 16:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Inquirer  |  sourceXamarin  | Email this | Comments