Mono for Android V1.0 is officially released!
Mono for Android is the original MonoDroid. Due to trademark issues (the name contains Droid), it is now renamed Mono for Android.
Mono for Android provides a Mono virtual machine based on Android, allowing developers to develop Android applications using C#. In addition, the Dalvik API has been bound to C#, and you can use C# to easily call many of Android's built-in class libraries. The OpenTK class library has also been migrated, so you can share the same OpenGL code on three different platforms: Windows, Linux and iPhone.
The current version only supports C# language, but in theory it should support compilers in other languages. With the Visual Studio 2010 add-on for Mono for Android, you can develop Android applications in the familiar VS2010 development environment.
If you are a .NET programmer, if you want to develop mobile applications, if you don't want to learn and write Java code, if you are not optimistic about Windows Phone 7 at the moment, then use Mono for Android! Moreover, if one day Windows Phone becomes developed and you want to develop WP applications, then a lot of the code you write now can also be used for WP application development! In addition, if you consider using MonoTouch to develop iPhone applications, you will be even happier. The C# code written for Android applications can also be used for iPhone application development. Write code once, but it can be used on three major mobile platforms. Is there a happier programmer in the world than .NET programmers? .NET programmers, rejoice!
But while cheering, we must also face reality. There are some limitations to using Mono for Android. For example, you cannot use the dynamic features of C# 4.0. In addition, some class libraries specifically for Android (such as for Android-specific hardware, for UI implemented by Android native class libraries and TK) may not be supported in .NET implementations on other platforms. This means that if Android applications and Windows Phone applications want to share code, they can only share core code. What Mono for Android only provides is that you can write Android applications with C# code, but to develop a real Android application, you still need to learn a lot of things, such as: Activities, Intents, and creating UI through XML.
Mono for Android provides a free downloadable version, but it can only be used in the emulator. For use in real-world environments, a commercial license needs to be purchased. The professional version is $399/year, and the enterprise version is $999/year. The report on i-programmer is wrong. After checking on the Mono for Android official website, the licensing fee for the professional version is $399, the licensing fee for the enterprise version is $999, and the licensing fee for the student version is $99 (no time limit).