After spending days testing all the free ways to make a android app, the App Inventor so far is the ony one that I have
been able to do what I would like to, App Inventors UI builder is a really bad and the pasts they offer are really limited but
to get a simple app that requests data from a server this wins and it builds a native app that is ready for the market place
or standard install, I have made Hello app in the Native way on windwos, App Inventor and PhoneGap - Webapp/API just little like the webapp way of making iphone apps, Native and Gap builds failed to install on a device after build only worked when in dev mode, App Inventor was able to download and install on my device and was compatable with the older devices like my partners MID Android Pad powered by 1.6

Google App Inventor is limited but still the best for the new comer or people with problems where they can't just learn a new language like my self.

I build a app that was made in App Inventor I say this app is worth the slow updates better
do it right then rush it or use a app build that is really a webapp.