AnDevCon Arrives in San Fransisco

Hundreds of software developers come together for the android developers conference AnDevCon, hosted at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame.

The weeklong conference hosts many workshops from guest speakers in the industry. Speakers include Google Android Developers, former Twitter engineers, and experienced Java Programmers.

Individuals who attend have over 75 courses available in developing applications for Google’s mobile operating system. Tutorials and classes range from a variety of topics, including making apps for wearable products, location based services, and designing new User Interfaces.

Tutorials also come in a range of skill levels for all attendees. For those with a more confortable grasp on the subjects, there are intermediate and advance level workshops. Each course shows the prerequisites required, and what programs would be required to be used. Classes include topics such as lowering power consumption of applications, or fixing the most common bugs in the OS. However, AnDevCon was not just meant for coding veterans.

Some workshops come in the “overview” level for those with little to no coding backgrounds. Courses provide a business perspective of some products and hardware, such as “Apps for Profit,” a discussion that looks into the potential profit of applications and cost of production.

AnDevCon also provides workshops gives the opportunity for anyone interested in becoming programmers to learn through courses, such as “Android 101” course, an introduction class for new developers hosted by “Dojo: Using Dojo JavaScript Library” author James Harmon that they promote on the first day.

Harmon is a former consultant and hosts many trainings on software development. Some of his classes have been taught to companies like Cisco, Intel, and State farm insurance.

His course contained a full days worth of lessons going over the basics of the Android Studio, allowing time for all to download and install while explaining the overview of his course. Using the online storage Drop Box, he provided attendees’ with the sample programs and walkthroughs for the course.

“I’ve taught variety of class sizes, between 8 to 10, to today’s 40-45” said Harmon. His classes contain a few breaks to help all catch up and give himself time to trouble shoot issues that arrive on students computers, especially since he uses the programming coder Android Studio as opposed to Visual Studio, Microsoft native programmer.

While Visio Studio is the more popular programmer, it’s even used as the default programmer here at CSUEB, Harmon explained that the Android Studio contains an easier coding option despite being in beta stage, as it does not contain as much coding language options as Microsoft’s program.

“Gmail was in beta for 7 years, but Google has a much faster rate of fixing bugs than most companies” said Harmon. He has taught in AnDevCon for the past 3 years.

Other courses also contained downloadable files for attendees to take home as a “self pace” lesson. The price of the conference for individuals being almost $1500, it’s no wonder they receive many programming guides for homework, as coding cannot be learned in just 3 days.

Over 40 companies are attending the conference to promote and sell their applications, development packages, and investments. AnDevCon will be hosted in Boston next year.