Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Android Market in new doubleTwist for OSX

As a fan of both Android and OSX, I was delighted to find out that the latest version of doubleTwist for the OSX features now also access to Android Market for Android applications. DoubleTwist lets users to browse Android applications using a nice user interface quite similar to one provided by iTunes for App Store. In addition, it is possible to download the desired applications via scanning the QR codes presented in the Android Market browser (of course direct syncing with a device would be nicer, but I guess that will be possible in future). If you do not own a Mac (d'oh) or if you do not want to install the doubleTwist for some reason, it is also possible to try out the new service via plain web browser at http://apps.doubletwist.com/.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Rokon - 2D Game Engine for Android

I made a quick search on existing 2D game engines for Android, and managed to find Rokon - 2D Game Engine for Android:

"The project began as a result of being unable to find anything like this for Android, the aim of this project was to create a framework which can be used for any kind of game, and provide as much functionality and flexibility as possible.

Using a variety of classes it is possible to create playable and attractive games much quicker than it would starting from the ground up. A system of drawable objects on layers is the starting point, extensible to almost any usage. Rokon is also aimed at those new to Android programming, it provides all the necessary functions to handle the more laborious tasks - such as handling the hardware, accelerometer, audio, vibrations and incoming notifications. Creating a game ready for the market using Rokon requires ver y little Android-specific knowledge. We make games because we love playing them, so it should be as easy (and fun) as possible."

After a very quick look on Rokon's (Java) APIs, I think I will give it a try, and report later on about my experiences on developing with it.