Computing students developing apps for Windows Phone

Software Development students in GMIT are fast gaining recognition for apps they are developing for the Windows Phone market such as Labyrinth Madness, Space Shooter, Translate the World, Funix and Xylofun, to name a few.

The students, who are in their final year of a B.Sc (Hons) in Software Development in the Dublin Road campus, have been getting their apps certified and onto the market on an almost weekly basis in recent months. These apps are in areas such as games, education, information and novelty, for all age groups, and are available from the Microsoft Windows Phone Marketplace.

GMIT lecturer in Software Development Damien Costello says the GMIT Maths & Computing Department is delighted with the students' achievements. "The increasing use of mobile telephony and smart phones in particular has prompted significant changes in Software Development programmes in GMIT to adapt to and reflect changing demands on graduates.  We have been using apps in the classroom as a teaching & learning tool and our final year students are developing these apps for Windows Phone as part of their course work".

"It is currently estimated that there are about 3.4 billion mobile phones in use in the world. In 2009, just under 20% of mobile phones were smart phones and this is expected to be around 38% by 2014.  With the advent of the smart phones has come the phone app.  According to Apple, over 3 billion apps have been downloaded from the app store by January 2010."

"Vodafone recently launched the Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone to the market in Ireland and currently there are over fifty thousand apps available for the Windows Phone. And with the introduction of new hardware using the Microsoft smart phone platform, this is expected to grow. Our students are developing a portfolio of work that they can easily demonstrate at an interview, for instance. It's great for them and it's an exciting time for software development; with increasingly ubiquitous internet connectivity, falling hardware prices, cloud computing and more sophisticated software development environments now available, the possibilities are endless." adds Mr Costello.

Michael Meagher, Academic Engagement Manager, DPE, Microsoft Ireland, says: “We are really impressed with the students of GMIT who have embraced the platform as early student developers on the Windows phone 7 platform. Windows Phone 7 is a great platform for students to showcase what they can do and build up their student portfolios and profile to land their dream job or even become the next big start-up.”

For further information on GMIT's Software Development programmes, please see www.gmit.ie/science/dept-maths-computing