Programming

Google is putting some of the most Google-y Android apps in the spotlight, and is sharing their source code to spur development of other apps.

The site Android Experiments is showcasing Android apps that perform novel and unusual functions. A compass app, called Landmarker, for instance, puts a spin on navigational tools by letting users explore nearby landmarks by rotating their Android device around them.

Another, called IOIO Plotter, is an Android tablet app that converts photos from the tablet's camera into abstract drawings using physical markers suspended from strings.

There are also apps for smartwatches running Google's Android Wear software. An app called Coubertin Rings displays animated graphics on the watch face to motivate daily physical activity. It uses built-in sensors on the watch to display rings that represent the wearer's daily step count.

There's also Time Mesh, a motion-based Android Wear watch face.

There were just under 20 apps listed on the site on Wednesday. But Google wants developers to submit their own. The company says it's most interested in projects that explore how people interact with devices, with unique visual aesthetics.

Apps should work on Android 4.4 and higher, Google said. It's fine if the apps are targeted at specific devices, like tablets or smartwatches.

The apps already selected employ various programming systems, including Unity, Processing and Cinder.

Google maintains a similar site for Chrome called Chrome Experiments.

Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com

The AquaJS framework for Node.js looks to speed up app dev by streamlining integration processes. In development at enterprise connectivity services provider Equinix, AquaJS moved to public beta stage this week with a general release, available as an Npm, expected in a month.

"You define a contract. AquaJS will read those contracts, and it automatically generates the scaffolding end-to-end," said Venkatachalam Rangasamy, senior software architect at Equinix.

An open source framework, AquaJS generates API calls, handles connection points between frameworks, and solves integration issues. It's built on top of the Express Node.js Web application framework to support microservice design principles, with Express handling HTTP requests. AquaJS applications are written entirely in JavaScript, and the framework itself leverages the MVC development pattern.

Microservices developed via AquaJS are based on services definitions in the YAML data serialization standard. Socket.io, for bidirectional event-based communication, manages WebSockets connections, and workflow is defined for each API contract request. Orchestration capabilities, meanwhile, enable development of customized endpoints, setting up a request-response model.

In AquaJS, connectors are plug-in modules. "Any external system interaction and integration is via connector," Rangasamy said. "Examples of connectors are database connectors, API connectors, and MQ connectors. By default, all these mentioned connectors are available with AquaJS, and developers need to just configure them. AquaJS also supports new connector development to accommodate specific needs."

The inventor of Npm, Isaac Schlueter, had mixed views on the project based on his cursory view of AquaJS documentation. "It's focused on microservices, which is Node’s sweet spot so that's nice." But the project's emphasis on specific convention in how the framework is used could be an issue with some developers. "They mention in their documentation in a few places that they favor convention over configuration, which is great if the convention is something that works for you," he said. "And if not, then it can be a little bit frustrating." AquaJS documentation does provide for some degree of customization, however.