Android Developer Labs World Tour

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Late last year, we held a series of developer labs to give you a chance to ask questions and play with some new hardware. One of the most common questions we received was, "When are you going to visit my city?" It's a good question, and we're pleased to answer it today.

The Android team is embarking on a world tour, which will include cities in Europe, North America, and Asia.

At each stop, we'll be delivering an update on the state of the Android platform—including a look at the latest Android hardware. It's a great opportunity to meet like-minded Android app developers, play with the latest Android devices, test your apps, and ask Android team members any questions you might have. You can find out more on the Android Developer Lab site.

Here's the line-up of Android Developer Lab locations for February and March 2010:

North America

• Austin, Texas – Feb 4
• Seattle, Washington – Feb 8
• Waterloo, Ontario, Canada – Feb 8
• Washington, D.C. – Feb 9
• Mountain View, California – Feb 10
• Cambridge, Massachusetts – Feb 11
• New York, New York – Feb 12

Europe

• London, UK – Feb 2
• Paris, France – Feb 8
• Berlin, Germany – Feb 10
• Zurich, Switzerland – Feb 12
• Madrid, Spain – Feb 13

Asia

• Singapore – Feb 28
• Taipei, Taiwan – March 3
• Hong Kong – March 5

If you'd like to attend, you'll need to request a spot by February 1st. Space is limited, so please wait for an email to confirm that you have a spot in the lab.

While we're on the road, we're also going to stop by and speak at the following local Android user groups:

• Stockholm, Sweden – Feb 4
• London, UK – Feb 5
• Chicago, Illinois, USA – Feb 6

We're looking forward to meeting you in person!

Android Developer Labs 2011

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We in Android Developer Relations have been cooking up a rather special set of Android Developer Labs (ADLs) for the second half of 2011, and we’re ready to start the ball rolling.

Here’s the schedule. These are one-day events, so in Seattle and New York we’re running it twice for two audiences.

• Bangalore — August 2 (happening today)

• Seattle — August 15 and 16

• New York — August 23 and 24

• Los Angeles — September 2

This ADL series isn’t another set of introduction-to-Android sessions, nor any other kind of general overview. It's specifically aimed at optimizing Android apps for tablets, in particular creating high-quality tablet apps with an emphasis on polish and user-experience.

Registration is a two-step process. Anyone can register, but we can only accommodate a relatively small number of attendees from among the registrants, based on whether they already have an Android app with the potential to be a top-tier tablet app in terms of quality, fit, and finish. The goal is to bring your app to the ADL, and leave equipped to make it into one that makes Android tablet users smile.

Do you think you qualify? Sign up and show us!

Android Developer Challenge 2 open for submissions

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The time has come! The submission site for Android Developer Challenge 2 is now open. You can now submit applications for the Challenge at http://market.android.com/adc. Full instructions are also available on the site.

The key thing to remember is that all submissions must be entered by 11:59:59pm Pacific Time in the United States on August 31, 2009. If your applications are not submitted by that time, they won't be eligible for participation. Please carefully note what time that is in your local time zone.

It's very important that your apps only use published APIs. Some users might be judging your submissions on new phones you haven't seen or tested. If your apps depend on unpublished APIs, they might not work on some of these phones. Please note that you won't be able to submit new versions of your apps after the deadline!

Since you'll be competing against developers around the world for users' attention, it is important to focus on the fit and finish of your app. Your apps will be judged by users as a final product and not just a cool demo.

As a final note, if you've uploaded a version of your app to Android Market, you'll need to use a different Android package name for the version you submit to the Challenge.

I look forward to see all the great apps and innovations from you all.

Android Developer Challenge: Round I Results are In

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The last few weeks were both extremely intense and rewarding. Based on feedback from the judges, it was apparent that large number of applications were compelling, innovative and well implemented. The quality of these entries clearly reflects the creativity and hard work that developers have invested in building their apps.

In addition to developers' participation and contributions, over 100 industry judges around the world spent weeks reviewing these submissions. I want to thank all the developers and judges who have worked incredibly hard over the last few months, making the Android Developer Challenge such a success.

Many of the top submissions took advantage of the geo and social networking capabilities of Android. These applications allow friends to share their personal experiences and favorite content such as vacations, photos, shows, music, cooking recipes, restaurants, and much more as they relate to certain locales. I've also seen applications that connect people during emergency situations and others that allow users to share information on how they can reduce their carbon footprint. One developer even turned a real city block into a playing field where gamers can role-play and chase after villains.

Furthermore, some of these applications provide rich interactive experiences by combining web services and mash-ups to bring together data that's on the web with data that's on the mobile device. One application combined weather, pollen and allergy information in the context of a map that is relevant to a user's location.

Though many applications use a traditional "download" model for data, many also enable users to publish content, such as photos or even voice memos, for others to use on other mobile devices or the web.

This is just a brief snapshot of the many impressive applications I've seen. The 50 highest scoring applications will receive $25,000 each and go on to compete in the final round. We plan to publish a list of these applications as soon as we receive the developers' consent. The real winners, however, are the consumers who will benefit from the work of these talented developers.

Android Developer Challenge Deadline Approaching Quickly

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The Android Developer Challenge is proceeding nicely. We're excited about the interest people have shown so far and have enjoyed talking to everyone working on new Android Apps.

As a quick reminder, the first phase of the challenge will be ending on April 14. In the Android Developer Challenge I, the 50 most promising entries received by April 14 will each receive a $25,000 award to fund further development. Those selected will then be eligible for even greater recognition via ten $275,000 awards and ten $100,000 awards.

Keep working on your applications, and be sure to post in the forums if you have any questions!

Android at Google I/O and Developer Days

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It was great to connect with everyone at the Google I/O event in San Francisco and at our recent Developer Days across the globe. We enjoyed meeting all of the Android developers and answering your questions - both at our booth and at the fireside chats.

For those of you who were unable to attend, all of the sessions are available on video:

http://sites.google.com/site/io/

Enjoy!

Android Developer Challenge, Sub-Saharan Africa!

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[This post is by Bridgette Sexton, an innovation advocate for the African tech community. — Tim Bray]

En Français.

In the past year alone, we have met with over 10,000 developers and techies across Sub Saharan Africa. We are continually impressed by the ingenuity and enthusiasm of this community in solving real problems with technology. From applications that crowd-source traffic info to mobile registration of local businesses, handheld devices have taken center stage for consumers and developers in Africa. With a number of countries in the region hovering around 80-90% mobile penetration, mobile is the screen size for the web and the communication experience.

Correspondingly, at every Google event in Africa, Android is the hottest topic; we know why. Every day over 300,000 Android devices are activated globally! A growing number of these mobile devices are powering on for the first time in emerging markets like those in Africa. As Android users multiply, so does the appeal to for developers of building apps on this free open-source platform.

An increasing number of users are searching for 'Android' on Google in Sub-Saharan Africa

For all these reasons and more, we are proud to be launching the Android Developer Challenge for Sub-Saharan Africa!

The Android Developer Challenge is designed to encourage the creation of cool and innovative Android mobile apps built by developers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Invent apps that delight users and you stand a chance to win an Android phone and $25,000 USD. To get started, choose from one of three defined eligible categories (see below), build an Android app in a team or by yourself, and submit it via the competition website by July 1st. The winning app will be announced on September 12th at G-Kenya. Get more details as well as Terms and Conditions on our site.

Categories for Entry:

• Entertainment / Media / Games

• Social Networking / Communication

• Productivity / Tools / Lifestyle

(See Terms & Conditions for more details!)

To launch this competition, we have teamed up with Google Technology User Groups (GTUGs) across Africa to host Android Developer Challenge events. Check out our website for Android gatherings near you, and get coding!

Android Developer Challenge Judges

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We have received a few inquiries regarding the judges who will be evaluating entries to the Android Developer Challenge (ADC). All Entries will be judged by a panel of experts in the fields of mobile devices, cellular telecommunications, software development, and/or technology innovation ("Judges"). Google will select the Judges from the member organizations of the Open Handset Alliance, Google and/or mobile experts.

As a reminder, the deadline for the Android Developer Challenge is April 14, 2008. We're really looking forward to seeing what you've created so make sure you submit in time. Good luck!

Android Developer Challenge Judges and Top 50 Details

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It's been a busy few weeks here as we've wrapped up the first round of the Android Developer Challenge. We'd like to share a couple pieces of information with you:

• The full list of judges is now available. It was fun to work with such a diverse group of judges from different companies all around the world.
• A slide deck of the Android Developer Challenge prize recipients is also available. The deck includes descriptions and screenshots of the 46 recipients who consented to sharing their information and is a great way to get a feel for the quality of apps submitted.

The prize recipients' entries were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of great applications submitted, and we'd like to thank and congratulate everyone who entered the challenge. We look forward to seeing all of the application in the hands of consumers with Android devices.