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The right app-titude [New Straits Time (Malaysia)](New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Award-winning app developer Calvin Tam tells Nicholas King how he has turned his passion into a career SWIPING and tapping on a 5-inch glass surface may sound funny, but this is what all smartphone and tablet owners do. We can thank mobile software applications, better known as apps, for our finger surfing. The apps come in a variety of features and, are quick and easy to access - just tap and immediately, you're logged into a chatroom, newsportal, game and more. We may think little of it, but such ease and speed of access to information and entertainment has been unprecedented in human history. "It is a reflection of a fast moving society - a reflection of our lifestyle today," says Calvin Tam, 25. The freelance software developer and head of software development at Terato Tech was a two-time winner of the Digi Challenge for Change hackathon. He created the winning apps Pillow (a pill reminder app) in the Healthier Together category and Mini Malaysia (tourism app for local and foreigners to navigate what Malaysia has to offer) under Discovering Culture. Tam's other creations include the banking app CIMB Clicks, side- scrolling role playing adventure game Qalvinius, the interactive Aiyo Magazine, and the Minecraft encyclopaedia Minepedia which has garnered more than a million downloads on iTunes Store. "Apps are portable-mobile and instantaneously accessible compared to computer software programs. For instance, a laptop takes a while just to boot up, so it will prove a hassle to keep switching it on just to check on the weather," he says. "On the other hand, it takes less than a minute to unlock your phone and tap on an app." For those who are always on the go, the numerous smartphone and tablet apps means being able to access the internet anywhere, anytime. HOW IT STARTED While studying software engineering at Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (Apiit), Tam began tinkering with app development with his first generation iPhone. Fascinated, he was inspired to study app coding on his own, believing that one day, apps would be the "in" thing. He won a number of competitions while in college, including the eGenting Programming Competition, winning a merit and distinction award in 2007 and 2008 respectively. He also won a merit award from the Standard Chartered Scope International ICT Competition in 2007, and came out tops in the MSC Malaysia IP Creators Challenge 2009, in the best gaming for mobile games category (prototype). Tam's reputation in app development has earned him invites to Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) in San Francisco. He has created numerous apps for the iTunes store, done freelance work for the brand and even given talks to aspiring developers. Tam's inspiration comes from what he sees as a lack of apps for the masses. Many apps are service-oriented, he says. His latest app is Slurp, a food and beverage ordering system which also acts as an analytics tool. "When I first started creating apps, I didn't know what I wanted so I came up with a game instead, to pass the time," he says. The apps industry is very profitable if you make the right choices, he adds. Previously, when it came to software making, only the large publishers can make money. Nowadays, an app developer can just rely on word of mouth to get a product out. "Apart from projects for clients, Minepedia is probably my most successful apps to-date. It's an item encyclopaedia for the hit online game Minecraft that costs US$0.99 (RM3.15) from Apple Store," he says. UNTAPPED MARKET According to Tam, when he first started making apps, many said it would not be a niche market because the iPhone was too expensive and that only a selected few could afford it. "Times have changed. Today, everyone either has or can afford an iPhone. The advancement in technology and access has surprised even myself. I told myself back then that apps would be the future. And true enough, apps have evolved and are part of our lifestyle today," he says. "With computers, especially the older models, there are still people who are afraid to operate them because of their complexity and bulky nature. Even navigation takes time and you need to know certain ins and outs to be able to use its basic features. "iPhones and smartphones have opened the door to a new market and a whole new generation of users because they are easy to operate. This is why mobile apps use has grown by leaps and bounds." MANPOWER PROBLEM The demand for someone of his talent underlies a growing issue in an ever expanding industry as the demand for newer apps increases: Lack of specialists. "The problem is manpower - the push for more apps is faster than we can create - take the anticipated benchmark of 40,000 apps during a Google I/O and WWDC session alone, which is beyond what the industry's workforce can deliver. There are many companies still struggling to find apps developers because college and universities don't have such a syllabus. Much of it is self-taught," says Tam. "You learn Java and C-sharp computer languages but they are not smartphone friendly. It is still very new - five years - so it is hard to justify a full-fledged study course. Given how fast smart technology is evolving, it is just not enough to have its own syllabus yet. "This issue isn't unique to Malaysia. When I was in the US for the WWDC, companies like Google and Apple were also facing a shortage of app developers. I may be mistaken but I think even in the US, only selected colleges and universities are offering courses centred on app development." PARTING SHOT "If you plan to go into app development - get a good laptop, preferably a Macbook," says Tam. "It is the preferred brand only because it covers iOS, Android and Windows development. You can still resort to Windows but you'll miss on out developing for the iOS platform due to compatibility issues." (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |