Android soon to be able to distribute Python apps as .APKs

[v_]

ASE is awesome, but it doesn't expose the full android API to python scripts. http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/wiki/ApiReference is what you get currently, though this list seems to be growing pretty quickly.

[est]

Google Apps Scripts is also awesome!

http://www.google.com/google-d-s/scripts/scripts.html

[spicyj]

Project #6 for the Ruby Summer of Code is getting JRuby apps on Android to work:

http://rubysoc.org/projects

[jamesbritt]

You can do some sick stuff right now: Ruboto On Acid

http://jay.mcgavren.com/blog/archives/1419

[sprout]

I've been really happy ever since I installed Python on my Droid. It's really fun to show off how you can access text-to-speech with droid.speak().

I'm not sure I buy it will be useful for development without a custom VM, but I have the full power of a 500 mhz (ish) processor wherever I am.

[moe]

Anyone know how scripted apps affect battery life?

[andrewbadera]

My first thought as well. Battery life on my Incredible is poor at best as it is. I don't want to pony up for an oversize battery and wreck the profile, I need it to fit in a case/holster/mount/etc.

[zokier]

Just to provide a counterpoint: N900/Maemo has had the ability to have apps distributed in an arbitrary language since launch, and Nokia seems to especially like Python, sponsoring the developement of Qt bindings for it etc.

[SingAlong]

Now the important question, will it hurt frame rate if games are developed using Python instead of Java for android?

[ggruschow]

Do you have some reason to believe that Google seriously hosed the Java implementation on Android or these guys have massively increased the efficiency of the Python implementation? Otherwise, it seems the answer would have to be yes.. the same algorithm will usually perform (much) worse in Python than in Java.

Note I don't mean to slam Python here.. just being practical. Python's my primary language. Development efficiency usually trumps execution inefficiency.

[dustingetz]

a python interface to a lower level rendering library could mitigate most of that effect.

otoh, serious game writing is pretty hardcore tech, cutting-edge game devs probably won't jump into python right away.

[openfly]

I hope this stuff is executing on top of Dalvik and not via the NDK.

[barredo]

Noob here: What about the GUI? How it will be created?