Android has become the most important mobile operating system in the world. It’s on countless devices and will be a major player in bringing the next billion people online. As these numbers rise, it becomes more lucrative as a platform; this is evidenced by the growing number of Android apps and developers. The proliferation of Android hardware means that you can develop for a phone, a tablet, a TV, or a washing machine.
However, the Android community is feeling growing pains. There are issues of fragmentation, new application stores, and new players. Google has shown a willingness to take control of the OS and drive toward a more unified experience, but it must balance that control with the Esprit de corps of the ecosystem. As the community grows, there needs to be a place for it to come together and communicate. Google I/O serves this purpose in the spring, but with a rapidly changing marketplace and frequent OS updates, a year is too long to wait between gatherings.
To that end, this fall O’Reilly is launching Android Open, the first “big tent” Android-only conference. Our goal is to give all the Android players a place to become a community. The call for proposals for the conference is open today. Share what you know about app development, the Android platform and the business and marketing of Android apps.
Android Open is the first conference to cover the entire Android ecosystem, from building and marketing Android apps to what goes on under the hood. It is the single place for developers, IT pros, business decision makers, and marketers to share ideas and insights about the power of the Android platform.
One of the goals of Android Open is to spotlight technologies, people, projects, and companies that point to Android’s future. It is an opportunity for you to learn, hear, and extrapolate on what Android’s future might look like. By bringing the community together we hope to provide a framework for all interested parties to set the path.
Android Open is going to be chaired by Marko Gargenta and me. Marko is a well-known Android community leader and the author of our new book Learning Android. (And in case you don’t know who I am, I co-started Ignite and I co-chair the Web 2.0 Expos and Where 2.0.)
The conference will be held Oct. 9-11 at the Hyatt on Embarcadero in San Francisco. There will be workshops on Oct. 9 and keynotes and sessions on Oct. 10 and 11. There will be three tracks: App Development, Platform Development and Marketing & Business. We will have app and hardware showcases during the event as well.
If you would like to speak or show off a project then definitely submit a proposal to our call for proposals, which will remain open until June 1. Registration also begins today and we are offering a special Google I/O price with the code “lucky13” — it’s good until this upcoming Friday the 13th.