Ask HN: Would you use a language other than Java for an Android app?

As part of my CS degree, one of my courses involves developing an Android application that helps new students choose their courses and generally familiarize themselves with the university. This is sponsored by Google.

It's recommended we use Java with the Eclipse IDE. I'm not a big Java fan, I know it's solid but I find development time slow.

However can I realistically use ruby or html5/css/javascript or anything a bit more interesting (which may also make me stand out)?

I have seen phonegap, appcelerator and ruboto but I don't know if they are stable enough or there is enough tutorials/documentation to risk my course on.