Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 about Android

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Saturday 10th March 2012

• Android ≠ Android: Lessons Creating a JS Framework

  by Stephan Haux

  JavaScript is indispensable for even moderate mobile web apps as only scripts enable user interaction and integrate on device capabilities like location, camera, onboard storage or database. But while the SDKs for Google™ Android™ or Apple™ iOS™ look like a single definition with the ability to adjust to different devices – reality is not that simple. The increasing importance of JavaScript adds a whole new layer of complexity to the yet excessive fragmentation in the mobile space.
  In this presentation Netbiscuits shows its experiences with developing high end – and still multi device – mobile web apps providing rich user experience. We constantly enhance our cloud software service to enable rich user experience for mobile web apps cross-platform. Many of our lessons learned during the research for our rich mobile UX framework will be shared in this session.
  Based on (code) examples attendees will get to learn about the power and limits of a framework, the pitfalls in architecture and design and the challenges of testing and QA in mobile. Furthermore, you will receive clear guidelines for deciding server- or client-side, which to use when.

  • Android
  • JavaScript

  At 9:30am to 10:30am, Saturday 10th March

  In Salon K, Hilton Austin Downtown

  Coverage slide deck audio clip

• Holo: Exploring the design of the Android user interface

  by Trevor Johns

  Learn about the design principles that went into Android's latest release and how to design beautiful applications for the next generation of Android smartphones. This talk will take you on a guided tour through the Android user interface design guide, including the rationale behind the creation of the new "Holo" theme introduced in Android 3.0, and will leave you with practical tips for your own Android apps.

  • Android
  • Design
  • Google
  • UI

  At 11:00am to 11:25am, Saturday 10th March

  In Rainey St

• Upgrading Your Android App For Tablets Code Lab

  Come participate in these free, interactive programming classes. Roll up your sleeves and get waist-deep in code. Whether you’re learning a new platform or are a seasoned hacker, these hands-on sessions will help you apply your knowledge.

  This guided lab will take you through the process of upgrading an existing Android application designed for phones into a hybrid phone+tablet application. You'll learn about designing layouts for multiple screen densities, using Fragments, implementing an Action Bar, and using the Android Support Package to maintain backwards compatibility with older phones. Attendees should have at least a basic familiarity with the Android SDK. This is a free code lab and available on a first come first serve basis due to limited space.

  • Android
  • Apps
  • Code
  • Design
  • Google
  • Tablets

  At 3:00pm to 6:00pm, Saturday 10th March

  In Rainey St

Tuesday 13th March 2012

• The Right Tool for the Job: Native or Mobile Web?

  by Buzz Andersen, Jacob Bijani, Majd Taby, Tom Dale and Matthew Delaney

  Mobile devices are changing how we communicate today just as fundamentally as the web has for the past decade, and businesses of all types are rushing to embrace their potential. Thanks to the success of the iOS and Android app stores, "mobile" has become nearly synonymous with "native" in most peoples' minds, while the mobile web is usually dismissed as a poor cousin of the app. As mobile browsers improve, however, the user experience gap between native apps and mobile web apps will continue narrowing, and it will become increasingly important for mobile strategists to have a nuanced understanding of both. This panel will explore the pros and cons of modern mobile web and native apps from the perspective of technologists with extensive experience designing and developing both, and will provide examples of products that use either medium (or both) particularly effectively.

  • Android
  • Apps
  • iOS
  • Mobile
  • Native Apps

  At 9:30am to 10:30am, Tuesday 13th March

  In Ballroom A, Austin Convention Center