Software Development student wins industry accolade

A GMIT Maths & Computing student, Adeel Gilani, has become the first winner in the new ‘AppMeUp’ competition for professional and student developers announced by Microsoft and Acer.

Adeel, from Pakistan, is a third year student on the Bachelor of Science in Software Development programme. He was selected for his four apps called ‘Muslim Suite Pro’, ‘Mastermind Pro’, ‘Words Pro’ and ‘My Wallet Pro’ which are all available on Windows 8 through the Windows Store.

"I attended the WOWZAPP 48-hour coding hackathon at GMIT last October and this really kick-started my passion for developing Windows 8 apps," said Gilani. "The Windows 8 platform and new modern UI offer a great opportunity to be creative and develop apps that are not only unique but fun and useful. And I've got several more apps on the go."

Caroline Phillips, Developer & Platform Evangelism Lead at Microsoft Ireland, said: “There’s never been a better time to be an app developer. Windows 8 represents a huge opportunity for developers, no matter what coding language you use (HTML5 or .NET) or what device your apps run on. Since the launch in October 2012, we’ve seen the number of Windows Store apps quadruple and over 60 million Windows 8 Licenses have now been sold. Microsoft Ireland has a really good relationship with GMIT and we are delighted to see one of its students as the first winner in the AppMeUp competition."

Running since December 2012, the ‘AppMeUp’ competition has a prize fund of €50,000 worth of Acer W510 tablets running Windows 8 Pro to be split up between monthly winners and a public draw from January to June.

Acer Ireland general manager Justin Mulhern said: "The launch of Windows 8 opens up a great new platform to Irish developers. “We're delighted to be working with Microsoft to encourage developers to build apps and help make the experience a rich one for our customers who rely on Acer to deliver the best device experience possible."

Gabriel Hicks, Head of the Maths & Computing Department, GMIT, says: “Platforms like Windows 8 are an ideal way to engage with the software development process and to see your work come to fruition. When an app gets on the store there is a great sense of satisfaction for the developer. Adeel has really embraced this technology and has gained well deserved recognition for his efforts.”

For further information on AppMeUp, visit http://www.microsoft.com/Ireland/app/acer.html