Android is the new mobile phone from search engine leader Google. The "droid", as some call it, is currently competing with iPhone for supremacy in the smart phone market. Though in its infancy, this open source tool is likely to become a strong player in the smart phone market apart from being a great educational tool.
To stay current with technology, the College of Engineering & Computer Science has recently begun offering a variety of smart phone courses. Alex Rocha, a FAU Computer Science student, attends the Android class taught by Dr. Ravi Shankar. After working on Android Apps for about a year, Rocha decided to open up his own company. With the help of a business partner, he started Smart Android Apps, LLC., specializing in offering individuals and companies mobile application development for the Android platform.
Rocha has since produced four Android applications currently on the market and has more in the works. The most recent release, AudioManager Pro, sits in the Top 10 Multimedia paid apps in the entire market. As a result of his success, Google sent Alex and other developers around the world who qualified, a free Android 2.0 phone, courtesy of their Android Developer Appreciation Program.
To learn more about the smart phone application courses contact Dr. Ravi Shankar at shankar@fau.edu.
June 4, 2010