Not the only fruit....

Less than two years after Google opened its Android Market application store, consumers have now apparently downloaded more than one billion apps to their phones (according to estimates from analytics provider AndroLib.com).

Although Android store is still far behind Apple's rival App Store, which recently topped 5 billion downloads, interest in Android is clearly on the up.The report boasts about 92,000 applications, showing rapid growth, and is on pace to hit 100,000  by the end of the month. Developers have already submitted over 10,000 new applications through the first 15 days of July, compared to 15,000 new Android apps in all of June. An increase in volume, but perhaps not quality.

Last week, Google introduced App Inventor for Android, a free software tool enabling users to create their own Android applications regardless of previous programming experience - I have signed up and expect to see my efforts in future weeks. Under development for a year and tested in environments including a variety of schools, App Inventor for Android does not rely on conventional coding - instead, consumers visually design the application's appearance, using blocks to specify its behavior.