Don't Miss This Hangout Tomorrow on UX Design for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge

GCDC: Let's talk about UX Design

Rahman Oloritun invited you

Tomorrow, Oct 25, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Elizabeth Clark, Rahman Oloritun, Umberto Cancedda + 99 others going

What is User Experience (UX)? Why is UX an important aspect of App Development? If you want to know the answers to these questions and more, then hangout with us and our UX expert  this Friday! Also, great UX can give you an edge in the Google Cloud Developer Challenge.
This event will be a Hangout on Air with live broadcast available on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRahmanoloritun/live) for participants who cannot get into the hangout. You can submit questions via google moderator at http://goo.gl/HqZ8Tg

Official website:http://www.google.com/events/gcdc2013

Google Cloud Developer Challenge Submissions Now Being Accepted!

For those of you who got a head start on developing your killer cloud app for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge, you can now submit your app. If you're still putting the finishing touches on your app, you've got almost a month to keep working on it!

And even if inspiration just struck you recently, there's still plenty of time to explore  ideas (grab a teammate or two to brainstorm together!), develop a concept, and start hacking! Check out the hashtag #gcdc on Google Plus for great tutorials on Google App Engine and other tools that will help you succeed in the challenge.

Good luck and make sure to get those awesome apps in by November 21st!

What Category Are You Entering for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge?

If you're following the hashtag #gcdc on Google+, you'll see that developers around the world are working on some really great apps for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge!

Developers are eligible for prizes of up to $20,000 (USD) in several categories, including:

Category 1:

• Enterprise solutions
• Small business solutions
• Education
• Not for profit

Category 2:

• Social
• Personal productivity
• Games
• Fun

One talented developer will be chosen as the winner in each category in each region for 12 prizes in total.  The regions include:

• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Middle East and North Africa
• India
• Southeast Asia
• Latin America
• United States, Europe and ROW

We're all very excited about seeing the apps you're developing. So without giving too much away, comment on this post or on Google+ with just your region and the category into which you're entering your app so we can look for you when the semi-finalist winners are announced on December 5th!  

Wishing you continued inspiration and all the best in the challenge...

You No Longer Need to Whitelist Your Google Cloud Developer Challenge Application

I recently received this email and thought I would share it with you because it may be relevant if you are entering the Google Cloud Developer Challenge.  This blog post says that it's no longer necessary to whitelist your Google Cloud Developer Challenge application for deployment.  

Google App Engine PHP Runtime now available to everyone

PHP on App Engine is now available for everyone. Take advantage of App Engine's scalability and ease of use to run PHP products like phpMyAdmin, Drupal and phpBB and frameworks like Laravel, Silex and CodeIgniter.

You can read more about it on the Google Cloud Platform Blog.

In Case You Missed Today's Google Cloud Developer Challenge Hangout: Ideas for Great Apps and Real Life Use Cases of App Engine

In case you missed today's Google Cloud Developer Challenge Hangout entitled "Google Cloud Developer Challenge:  Ideas for Great Apps and Real life use cases of App Engine," you can watch the video here or on YouTube.

This latest #gcdc Hangout is also full of helpful tips for developers.  You definitely won't want to miss the slide show "Killer Apps - How to Come Up with Great Ideas for Applications," presented by Google product manager Aneto Okonkwo.  

+Aneto defines a "killer app" as being one that is "so desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology."  

He also provides these 5 tips for coming up with YOUR great idea for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge:

1) Find a big problem with market demand

2) Follow your passion

3) Ensure enabling technologies

4) Learn from successful apps

5) Remember that you are the expert

For more great tips like these, make sure to watch the whole video! 

Who’s in It to Win It? The Race Is On for the Google Cloud Platform Developer Challenge!

On the 4th of September, developers all over the world fired up Google App Engine to start building innovative and locally-relevant apps for the Google Cloud Platform Developer Challenge. If you aren’t one of them yet, you can learn more about the challenge, the categories and the prizes by firing up this new recently released video!

All apps begin with an idea. But if you don’t have one yet, there’s still plenty of time to come up with one. You can even form a team of up to three developers and brainstorm an app concept to develop together. Teams of all compositions are welcome and special awards exist for all-student and all-female teams.

Already have a great idea and want help refining it? Reach out to other developers and mentors on Google Plus using the hashtag #gcdc and watch out for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge interactive Hangouts on Air. The videos of past Google Cloud Developer Challenge on Air Hangout are available here.You can also try to get involved in local educational events and hackathons to gain inspiration and advice from others.

Either way, we hope this video will inspire you to race for the finish line with a great app you’re proud to enter into the challenge. Stay tuned to this blog and to Google Plus for further challenge updates and be sure to register for the many informative Hangouts covering great topics like Google App Engine, Google Cloud Platform technologies, and integrating APIs into apps.

The stopwatch is ticking and submissions are due by November 21, 2013. So, now’s the time to watch the video, check out the challenge website to learn about eligibility, and read the frequently-asked questions (FAQs). Then get ready to race across the finish line towards global recognition for building an outstanding app, plus the chance to win up to $20,000 and other cool prizes!

Announcing the Google Cloud Developer Challenge Overview Video

In case you haven't seen it yet, check out this great video overview of the Google Cloud Developer Challenge.  The challenge will run for 42 more days so keep those ideas and apps coming!

Youtube video link:  http://youtu.be/U4n-Cc8Mq6w

All About Accessibility - The Google Cloud Developer Challenge

Why is accessibility so important in the Google Cloud Developer Challenge? Well, for starters, it's a key piece of the criteria in the evaluation of your app by the judges. And it's part of Google's mission to make apps more accessible by all users, including those with disabilities. You can read more about accessibility here. 

Here are some great resources from Google on accessibility to help you as you build your app:

1) Check out the free tutorial and code playground on accessibility:  https://webaccessibility.withgoogle.com 

2) Take the free accessibility course:  webaccessibility.withgoogle.com

3) Watch the recent Google Cloud Developer Challenge Hangout on Accessibility. 

Good luck building accessibility into your app and good luck in the challenge! 

Google Cloud Developer Challenge Hangout on Friday, October 11, 2013

Google just announced another informative Hangout for the Google Cloud Developer Challenge. 

https://plus.google.com/events/c9ivs4lpff7ttrqfcepk4kcp468

Need hints and tips on how to come up with ideas for great apps? Do you want to know how companies and developers are using the Google App Engine?  If you answer is "Yes", then hangout on air with the GCDC Team, Aneto and Jens.

Aneto will be talking on "how to come up with ideas for great apps?" and Jens will share with you "Real life use cases of Google App Engine."


A live broadcast of this hangout will be available on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRahmanoloritun/live) for participants who cannot get into the hangout. You can also submit questions via Google moderator (http://goo.gl/DjCGDZ).

About AnetoAneto is a Product Manager at Google. He works with the engineering team to design and launch new features and products at Google. Aneto currently works on mobile payments for Emerging Markets. He previously worked on Question & Answer websites, SMS products, Google Trends and Google Infrastructure. 

About JensJens is a Solutions Engineer at Google, working with partners and customers on building scalable applications on top of Google Cloud Platform. Before working on Google Cloud Platform, Jens worked on the Google Infrastructure side for the global network and on Infrastructure Programs such as the Google Apps Support Programs for Africa.

Hangout on 10/4: Google Cloud Developer Challenge - An Overview of Accessibility

As you may know, accessibility is a key part of the criteria for a winning application in the Google Cloud Platform Developer Challenge.

On October 4, you will have an opportunity to join a Hangout on the topic of accessibility.

You can register for the Hangout and learn more details here:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/ch9942ju8cuubha0pgpep7o16bg

You can read all about the criteria and other requirements on the challenge website, but here is a quick summary of what the judges will be looking for:

• Effective use of Google App Engine (Compulsory)
  • All submissions must have an appspot.com domain
• Originality of concept
• Relevance to region (SSA, LATAM, India, SEA, MENA)
• Polish and appeal
• Accessibility
• Usability on multiple screen sizes
• Indispensability: Is the application compelling and/or essential?
• Amount of user interactions on their app (comments, +1s, FB Likes, etc...)
• Google+ Sign-In / Integration (Not compulsory: Bonus points)
• Creative use of YouTube and Google Maps APIs (Not compulsory: Bonus points)
• Use of other Google platforms/APIs (Not compulsory: Bonus points)

Hangout on 10/3: Soar High with Google Cloud Developer Challenge

One of the GDGs has scheduled a Hangout called Soar High with Google Cloud Developer Challenge.  

Learn and be inspired from last year's Google Apps Developer Challenge 2012 winner - Collabspot.

Please visit the link below for full details:  

https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/ckjp78edp8q49uof90cug6otfck

In Case You Missed the Big Announcement on September 4, 2013...

The Google Cloud Platform Developer Challenge will recognize and reward entrants who develop applications that are based on Google’s Cloud Platform that are original and relevant to the region in which they live.

The challenge invites developers to build locally relevant web applications that solve real world problems. Developers will have the opportunity to “WOW” the world with web applications built on Google App Engine using Google APIs like the Google+, YouTube and Maps APIs.

In case you missed the announcement of the challenge on September 4th, you can check out the original post, because it is definitely "time to show what you can do with Google Cloud Platform!"

Welcome to My Unofficial Google Cloud Platform Developer Challenge Blog

Welcome to my unofficial blog, where I will report on key milestones of the Google Cloud Developer Challenge as they happen!  

This blog will contain the key announcements and activities that occur along the way to the finish line for the many talented developers around the world who are participating in the challenge. 

It will also contain links to upcoming Google+ Hangouts and other important sources of information that will hopefully help to inspire you to keep working on those winning applications!  

To get you up to speed on the challenge, you can check out this great overview, the eligibility requirements, the official rules, some frequently asked questions (FAQs), and several resources that will help you develop a killer app to enter into the challenge.

Good luck to all of you.  I'm looking very forward to posting links to the winning apps at the end of the challenge!