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  •   about 10 years ago

android

I noticed ipad based apps are allowed for submission but not android tablet apps.

As you may know, android is the most popular open source mobile operating system. In terms of market share it is #1 on mobile phones and #2 in the tablet space, so its omission is a bit remarkable...

I hope this is an oversight. In any case please clarify.

Thanks

  • 19 comments

  • Manager   •   about 10 years ago

    Hi Numan,

    Thanks for your interest in the NYC Schools Gap Apps Challenge.

    The platforms that are eligible for this challenge represent the software and hardware that is currently available for classroom use in NYC public schools.

    For challenges that open to Android devices you can check out the ChallengePost Discover page.

    All the best,

    Serena

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    Numan - I agree with your thoughts on Android. Even though it might not be part of this challenge, any solution would be very smart to include access on as many mobile devices as possible. Just my 2 cents. -- Mark

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    I'm part of a team that develops an Android tablet manager program that's specifically for schools, so I would also be interested in such opportunities should they open up. With fantastic devices like the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 that are powerhouses and so much less expensive than "i" devices, I think we'll see more activity around Android in schools.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    This is serious mistake and may show a lack of vision on both the part of challengepost and the NYC school system.

    It is a significant error to limit future opportunities for the school system based on their current technical platforms.

    This should be rectified, not clarified.

    Android should be allowed.

    For true innovation, there should not be a limit of devices. What if the Windows Surface of even an XBox makes kids and the school system more successful. Maybe Microsoft and Google will even help out with the challenge.

    My anticipated entry would combine Google TV and Android, but that would not currently be allowed.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    Don't develop a native app then. Just go with HTML5. This may be when I finally try PhoneGap or a similar cross-platform library.

    Don't get mad at the NYC school system because they already bought a bunch of iPads for their classrooms.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    Here is MARTINIAMINC Curriculum Program for America schools NYC school Gap Challenge and MARTINIAMINC Teacher Training Certification (MTTC) http://www.all4webs.com/u/l/martiniaminc and
    http://www.all4webs.com/u/l/martiniaminc/curriculumstart_2011.htm

    Contact person
    James Booker
    martiniaminc@aol.com

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    I don't think NYC Schools should limit innovation based on their current purchases. If this challenge had been held a few years ago they would not have allowed iPad apps. A few years before that, they would not have allowed Web apps.

    Limiting the technology that can be used to innovate the education system is a serious issue. As I mentioned - maybe the features of Microsoft, Android, or some other platform (Wii) is the key to solving a problem.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    I have to agree with others that not including android is short sighted.

    Let me summarize why NYC public school system should consider android:

    1 - Android runs on over 500 million devices. Expected to be over 1 billion in 2013.

    2 - Its open source nature means its highly customizable which I would think would be attractive to schools.

    3 - It will save schools money.

    On the last point, please consider this:

    According to wikipedia NYC public school system has 1.1 million students and 75k teachers.

    If you give every one of them an ipad vs a comparable android tablet (like nexus 10, which is $100 cheaper) NYC would save about 120 million dollars.

    Last time I checked the city was laying off teachers because of financial problems.

    Please note my estimate of $100 saving per student is on the conservative side. Schools don't need to buy a nexus 10. Thats the beauty of android ecosystem. Tomorrow you could have some OEM making a much cheaper android tablet (e.g targeted for schools).

    btw Is anyone from NYC public school system monitoring this forum? Would love to hear their opinion on this matter.

  • Manager   •   about 10 years ago

    Hi Everyone,

    Thanks again for your interest in the NYC Schools Gap App Challenge. We certainly understand where you're coming from and appreciate your feedback.

    Don't get us wrong, we are fans of the Android OS. Unfortunately, at this point in time the Android OS is not compatible with the Proxy infrastructure deployed at NYC public schools. There may be future NYC Department of Education challenges where this platform restriction isn't part of the competition rules, but for now Android apps will not be eligible to compete.

    Thanks for your time and understanding!

    Serena

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    As Nunan W, said:
    Is anyone from NYC public school system monitoring this forum? Would love to hear their opinion on this matter.

    Please consider this a request to revisit the rule on platforms supported for this challenge.

    It is difficult to comprehend that this is the position of the NYC Department of Education and the tech savvy Bloomberg team. By its nature, these things are about the future.

    If it is, so be it, but if it is a restatement of the current rules, it would be great to raise this issue to another level.

    I understand and appreciate your position and role as moderator Serena.

    Thanks for your responses,
    Carmen

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    At this point, I don't think it should matter to the app developers. In order to get global visibility for your work as a developer, you probably want to explore building the app on as many platforms as possible, but for the purposes of this request, just make sure at least your iPad app is a killer!.

    Looking forward to view everyone's submissions. -- Mark

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    Alex Pierce in the UK has a nice idea for using QR codes for BYOD app display. -- Mark

    http://www.bfcnetworks.com/sharepoint-design-when-consider-byod-qr-code/

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    Oh, well. I guess we're out then.

    We only make apps for Android so far (http://www.infinut.com) . We are not vested in the iOS ecosystem. Do send out an update if you decide to change the rules.

    Agree with all that is being said on the discussion... huge oversight to not allow android.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    In wonder when that determination about the proxy was made. Android didn't work well through proxies up until version 4.0 from my understanding. Now proxy settings are build into the WiFi settings area. I wonder if this has been re-evaluated with recent versions.

    Serena, is this something that you can find out? It's possible that they are avoiding an entire platform based on old information regarding past incompatibilities that don't exist anymore.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    I find it a bit hypocritical to complain that there is no support for native android devices. Any stat you can claim for android adoption and use on the 'tubes' will be dwarfed by HTML support.

    Might I suggest looking into adaptive / responsive design with a mind for small screens first (see mobile first) ?

    Why not make it available to all devices and o/s ?
    If you need native phone support (camera, gyro etc) as stated PhoneGap is a good solution.

    http://bradfrost.github.com/this-is-responsive/

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    The main reason we like tablets for kids are because of the touch surface, and the interactive simulations we can build using that.

    Last year when I tried HTML on the mobile devices, it was very slow - not at all responsive for things other than scrolling and button presses. It is ok for content-type web apps, flash-card apps but was not good usability for drag and drop or custom gestures on the phone.

    We are waiting to see if HTML5 will provide things like onDrag, onSwipe, onGesture natively supported by the browser. So far that hasn't happened.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    Its all there : http://www.html5rocks.com/en/mobile/touch/

    You can check out sencha library, it has a lot built out, personally I think the library is a bit heavy and its much better to build the functionality from scratch but its a good starting point.

    http://www.sencha.com/products/touch

    By utilizing CSS3 and webGL which is hardware supported you can accomplish those interactions without the lag

    http://www.awwwards.com/22-experimental-webgl-demo-examples.html

    A lot of this is only for modern browsers so the use of modernizr and progressive enhancement is necessary if you want to support older browsers but if we are talking about the difference between native support and web support you don't need to worry about older browsers.

    Also, if you check out what chrome is doing even access to things like camera and voice support are there.

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    people, just remember the Golden Rule.
    he who has the gold makes the rule. :-)

    NYC can make whatever the rules they want.
    we want their gold?
    we play by their rules.
    it's that simple.

    who knows the real reasons....might be proxy or might be NYC loves the letter A and hate letter G.
    or....may be Apple passed several Franklins under the table with whomever came up with the rules.
    the truth is that....nasty deals are done all the time.
    some get caught and some not.
    the fact is that, it is more economical to work with what you have.
    in this case, NYC decided to work with their available devices...which makes sense.

    needless to say, the Golden Rule is still applied. :-)
    we want their gold, we play by their rules.

    and something to think about....
    i saw and use Apple product since i was in elementary school in the 80s.
    why?
    from what i heard, Apple donated their product to the school.
    get the kids familiar with their product.
    guess which product the kids want for Christmas???!!!
    it might cost Apple $50 million to donate those devices and
    it looks good to the press and 100% tax deductible.
    but in return, the kids will bug their parents to buy Apple product that generates billion of dollar!!
    it's all about marketing and business strategy, my friends.

    in fact, i didn't even know Windows existed until i was in engineering school!!!
    of course, all the engineering software were only available in PC.
    that's when i found out there's another option and a whole new world for me!!

  •   •   about 10 years ago

    wow. I'm glad i read this post. I overlooked the fact that android wasn't included. I just assumed it was a typo. No android? That's crazy

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