Apps World

The Developer Zone at Apps World is where developers come to discuss and learn about fundamental aspects of their business; how to make apps that work, apps that are successful, downloaded, used and reach their goals. The life of an app developer isn’t quite as cool and glamorous as success stories like Instagram, Angry Birds and Cut the Rope make it out to be, and working out what separates the fortuned from the failed is an ongoing process.

Each year, Developer Zone attendees hear from leading developers, platform providers and developer community evangelists from some of the principal industry brands, all keen to share their expertise and connect with talented up and coming developer professionals. These sessions aim not only to equip you with the technical skills you need to be successful, but also cover some of the business and strategic issues developers need to be able to negotiate the highly competitive industry.

As every Android developer knows, one of the biggest challenges is device fragmentation.  There are hundreds of different Android devices out there, with more being added at breakneck pace worldwide.  Working globally, you face a hybrid of different devices and Android versions.  Latest statistics from Google (as at April 2013) show approx. 40% of active devices operating on Gingerbread, 30% on Ice Cream Sandwich and 25% on Jelly Bean (with just 2% of that being the latest 4.2.x edition). 

With this landscape how do you stay ahead of the curve? Keep up-to-date with latest Android versions, associated tools and also make the development choices that will best serve your audience whilst keeping an eye on the bottom line. 

In 2012 Apps World Europe dedicated several sessions to exploring Jelly Bean’s new features, and with the next Android version rumoured to be out in Q2 2013 (Key Lime Pie), Droid World is the place to explore new features, how they will help your app development and work with the tools you are already using.  Sessions will also examine business strategic issues for Android developers such as project management, securing investment, testing and app monetisation.

LThe technical briefing track is a closed learning space where developers can meet with technical experts and platform evangelists.  Speakers in this classroom environment show live-coding, give technical demonstrations, and engage with the developer audience.  This track is also a great place for in-depth demos of APIs and SDKs.

New for 2013 we will also be running Apps World Learning Labs, bringing developers together for group work around specific developer issues and pain points.  And for even more in-depth developer content, check-out this year’s series of Apps World Hackathons.

The proliferation of smartphones and tablets in an enterprise environment has provided acceleration towards apps and cloud based solutions, by the key drivers of reduced CAPEX, greater flexibility and the desire to integrate new devices with the cloud to enhance the mobility of the enterprise.

While the enterprise application market is at an early stage, there is a clear understanding that mobile is critical for both employees and consumers.  Mobile is often ranked at the top, or close to the top, of the priority list for enterprises, yet what may be less clear is the best app development path.

The ‘Apps and the Enterprise’ track will consider both business strategic and practical app development considerations, examining why and how enterprises can become more mobile, the significant role that apps and the cloud play in this transformation and the opportunities this presents for developers, both within and outside of the organisation.

Mobile gaming is said to be the single most important activity on mobile devices. The Gaming track at Apps World Europe will be looking at how mobile and gaming together are disrupting the digital entertainment industry, and what this means for developers, gaming houses, console and device manufacturers, digital marketers, publishers and broadcasters.