Drag + Drop = The EASIEST Way to Make Apps. Ever!
If all of these kid-friendly coding apps we’ve been writing about have you thinking, “Gee, I’d like to make apps too, you know… and my skills are also at the level of an average 5-year-old” — you’re in good company. But before you go downloading anything aimed at teaching toddlers tech, we have a more age-appropriate option to offer up.
PencilCase is an iPhone and iPad app maker that wants to give non-developers (like you! and me!) the tools to create apps using a process you’re probably very comfortable with: drag and drop. It comes from the adorably-named Robots & Pencils, a company that makes apps. Who better to offer guidance in this area?
The program will guide you in making forms, animations, games, simulations, even videos and e-books. An intuitive, familiar-feeling interface makes it seem easy and templates help you along if you need your tech training wheels. Feeling advanced? It’s a cinch to pull data from sites with open APIs to use in your apps so you could someday make your very own Statigram, Tweetdeck or weather checker. And yes, you could even make your own version of Flappy Birds with it (see above!).
We always feel a little bit of FOMO when an up-and-coming wearable or device invites developers into the beta pre-party. We vote that they use PencilCase or another app maker to get those outside the developer world to help shape the device and its future, real world uses. An easy app maker could help out small companies looking to expand their digital footprint, teachers who want to reach students in all-new interactive ways, designers, artists or anyone who wants to learn coding without learning coding.
PencilCase is ready to rocket your homemade application to the top of the app store charts in late 2014, but you can pre-order now ($119) and get 20% off until the release.
If you could make an app, what would it be?! Go! Tell us below!