Upcoming events: Geo-spatial matters on 20 June & The State of the Developer Nation on 4 July

Yes, that’s right. We have not one but two upcoming events in the next three weeks. Phew!

Geo-spatial Matters on 20 June – Please RSVP at http://momolo.org/event.jsp?eventid=113

First up, we’re talking things geo-spatial with the folks at UCL. Maps and Mobile are natural bedfellows and have been part of the mobile landscape for quite a while whether that's using GPS or mobile technology to determine location co-ordinates. LBS has been touted as the next big thing for at least 10 years so is it already here? Are there really opportunities? And what do real people use this stuff for?

Kindly hosted by UCL as part of their Making Money in Mobile Apps Bootcamp, we'll be exploring the state of mobile geospatial. Does the arrival of GPS equipped tablets mean that the days of the dedicated SatNav/GPS are over? What's the relationship between Location Based Services, Augmented Reality and Maps? We'll be exploring all this, most likely we'll touch on open data and a whole lot more ...

We have speakers from Navteq, Ordnance Survey and UCL.The session will be chaired by Andrew Scott who founded Rummble and is the co-founder of Magical Jaguar. Andrew has been working in LBS for 10 years so knows a thing or two about this area.

If you have a demo in this space we'd love to hear from you - please let us know by filling in this form and we'll do our best to include you.

To attend the event, please RSVP at http://momolo.org/event.jsp?eventid=113 – RSVP is required.

NB. The event will be held at UCL and NOT at our usual Centre Point Venue.

Please enter UCL via the Malet Place gate (opposite Waterstone’s bookshop in Torrington Place). The Roberts building is immediately on your left. Nearest Tube Stations: Goodge Street, Russell Square, Euston Square, Warren Street. More venue details http://momolo.org/venue.jsp?venue=24.

Agenda:

6.00 pm Arrival

6.30 pm Panel Session

7.30pm Demos

8.00 pm Networking

9.30 pm Close

Sponsors:

In association with Making Money in Mobile Apps Bootcamp, a 5 day bootcamp running from 16th to 22nd June for entrepreneurs to get to understand what it takes to develop and deploy iOS apps - at £250 this is a real bargain.

NB The event will be held at UCL and NOT at our usual Centre Point Venue. Address and directions here.

Kindly sponsored by RBS, Interreg and Capital Enterprise. 

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The State of the Developer Nation on 4 July – please RSVP at http://momolo.org/event.jsp?eventid=114

Sponsored by Blue Via, our July event is focussed on the state of the developer nation where we will have key players from within the developer ecosystem share their thoughts and experiences on the topic. The report: Developer Economics 2011 (free download) is the quintessential mobile developer research report. In this second annual report, we explore both what drives developer mindshare, and how brands are fast-forwarding into the world of mobile. It takes the reader across the entire developer journey, from the shift of mindshare and why "users can buy you love," to how money is made in mobile. It covers the hottest issues, from app design and promotion to monetisation and user support.

Speakers for the evening include Eli Camilleri and Andreas Constantinou from Vision Mobile, Tom Hume from Future Platforms, Simon Davis from Snaptu. Further speakers tbc.

Venue - CBI at Centrepoint. Please use the entrance at street level. Nearest tubes are Tottenham Court Road (Central Line only – Northern Line exit is closed until November) and Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly Lines).

To attend the event, please please RSVP at http://momolo.org/event.jsp?eventid=114 – RSVP is required

Agenda:

6pm Doors open

6.30pm Welcome and introductions

6.35pm Report Summary from Andreas Constantinou

6.45pm Panel session and discussion led by Eli Camilleri

8.00pm - Drinks and networking courtesy of Blue Via

9.30pm - Doors close

Sponsors:

- Blue Via

NN4D–NAVTEQ Developer Day–London 8 June

Mobile Monday London is very pleased to be supporting NN4D with their upcoming developer day on 8 June in London. It’s free to attend, but registration is required: http://www.nn4d.com/site/global/market/developerday/p_devday.jsp/. This is a unique opportunity and the first time the NN4D team have brought developer days to Europe. They’ve just had a great developer day with Mobile Monday Tel Aviv so let’s make sure this is a great one too.

Why come?

• Learn directly from NAVTEQ and our partners Nokia, Samsung, Orange, Blue Via, deCarta and more about their map data and partner APIs to quickly apply your skills to create the most compelling location-based mobile apps
• Listen to developers share their lessons learned
• Explore augmented reality and next-generation technologies for location-based 3D apps and games
• Learn about free technical support, free marketing support and free business development opportunities to meet global channel partners (this is the most interesting bit for me – the opportunities are very real and are there for the asking and can make a real difference to your business)
• Network with peers, meet experts and discover how to get your app in front of potential customers and industry influencers
• Participate in a Lucky Draw to win an iPad and other prizes and giveaways

Learn about the latest developments and innovation in location through case studies, interactive panel discussions and unique networking opportunities. Meet the people who matter both on the business side and the technical side. They will be out in force to help you.

Find out what the global opportunity is for location-based applications and how NAVTEQ data can help you differentiate your applications. Discover how the NAVTEQ Network for Developers (NN4D) can assist you every step of the way, from building your app straight through to business development and marketing and help you meet global channel partners. And all this is offered free. They will never ask for a penny from you in fees or in revenue share. Ever.

The technical portions of the day focus on APIs and SDKs that enable both mainstream location-based apps and services, and next-generation technologies for location-based 3D apps and games.Learn how to get started creating location enabled mobile apps from partners, such as Nokia, Samsung and deCarta who will introduce you to their APIs.

The day is suitable for both business people making decisions about mobile apps and services and how they can be distributed and marketed and also developers and coders who need to know more about the nitty gritty of the technical detail.  The full agenda is here: http://www.nn4d.com/site/global/market/developerday/agenda2/p_agenda2.jsp

Where is it?

Dexter House, 2 Royal Mint Court, Tower Hill, London EC3N 4QN  – nearest tube is Tower Hill map.

The event is co-located with Mobile Apps World and there are discounts available to attend that if you wish.

When is it?

Wednesday 8 June 2011 – registration opens at 8.30am and the day will finish around 5.30pm.

RSVP

The NAVTEQ® Developer Day is free of charge but you must pre-register. Please RSVP here:  http://www.nn4d.com/site/global/market/developerday/p_devday.jsp

See you there next week!

Go your own way?

Ok, admittedly that’s a song title from the rather marvellous Rumours by Fleetwood Mac which I’m listening to as I write this, but it also describes where we’re at with location based services. LBS seems to be the new black, it was big news at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year and there seem to be various location based apps cropping up out of the iphone woodwork. But it’s not all rosy in the location based world. Sure, we can use pretty maps on our phones but what else is out there and does anyone actually care?

That’s why I was particularly interested to read Stuart Dredge’s article recently in Mobile Entertainment magazine where he dispels some myths of mobile entertainment (and arguably the rest of the mobile world too and number 9 particularly resonated with me:

"Location-based technology is intrinsically exciting for consumers...

No it's not. The phrase "location-based technology" intrinsically puts most people who aren't in the mobile industry to sleep. And they look equally unimpressed if you promise them their phone can guide them to the nearest cashpoint.

That was the big selling point of the early days of LBS, until the industry realised that even half-cut consumers can womble their way to the nearest bank machine under their own steam. Now the buzz is around social location, and mashing up your handset's GPS with social media and Web 2.0 services.

The problem is that this is all still technology-led. The assumption that everyone wants to track their friends - and especially that they regularly go out in town with no specific plans in mind of who to meet or where to go - is unproven at best. As is the idea that people want to geotag all their photos and videos and share them with the world, all the time.

The next year or two will see some really smart, desirable mobile services launch that use location. But it's the ones that are actually based on stuff people want to do that will succeed.

It's more about great, desirable services that happen to have location elements in the mix.”

So that’s exactly what we’re going to take a look at on 12th October. Stuart Dredge has kindly agreed to chair the session for us where we’ll find out what services out there, challenging how we position and market them, how much location matters (or not), and what customers really want or need. We reckon it’ll be a lively debate kindly supported by Skyhook Wireless and GetJar. We have some great panellists lined up for you which we’ll be announcing in a few days. And we’ll have some demos for your delectation. We’re also still interested to find out which LBS apps and services you use and why so do keep contributing to the email thread on the topic.

What: Go your own way? A fresh look at location based services.

When: 12th October 2009 – 6pm for a prompt 6.30pm start.

Where: CBI at Centrepoint

Register and RSVP here

Photo credit Smiling_Da_Vinci on flickr.Used under Creative Commons licence.

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