My new book "Beginning Android Application Development" is released (in US for now)

Source: http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/wrox/~kJGj2. Thanks, Jim!

Coming to Singapore real soon!

New batch of Advanced iOS Programming graduates

Here is the latest batch of the graduating attendees from my Advanced iOS Programming course on the 24-25 March 2011!

Check out the next run of the iPhone series of courses here.

Course Schedule for 2Q 2011

Here is the schedule for the various courses in 2Q 2011

April

* Foundation of iPhone Programming - 7-8 April

* Programming iPhone USer Interface - 13 April

* Advanced iOS Programming - 14-15 April

* Android Programming - 28-29 April

May

* Foundation of iPhone Programming - 9-10 May

* Advanced iOS Programming - 12-13 May

* Android Programming - 18-19 May

* Windows Phone 7 Programming - 26-27 May

NEW WEEKEND CLASS

* Foundation of iPhone Programming - 21-22 May

June

* Foundation of iPhone Programming - 13-14 June

* Advanced iOS Programming - 16-17 June

* Android Programming - 20-21 June

* Windows Phone 7 Programming - 23-24 June

Some of our satisfied customers!

Foundation of iPhone Programming - 21-22 March 2011

A big thank you to those of you who attended the Foundation of iPhone Programming course on the 21-22 March 2011. It was indeed a fun 2 days of intense iPhone programming. I hope that with this course you are now equipped with the knowledge to develop your first killer iPhone application!

Check out the next run of the series of iPhone courses here.

* As my book - Beginning iOS 4 Application Development, is currently out of stock in Singapore, participants will only get a copy when the new stocks arrive in mid-April. My sincere apologies for this.

Speaking at DevTeach 2011

I am very excited and honored that I have been invited to speak at DevTeach 2011, to be held in Montreal, Canada., on May 30-June 2011. I will be speaking on two sessions on iPhone development. One topic will be on location-based services, and another will be on iPhone Bluetooth programming using the GameKit. If you are around during that time, be sure to say hi! See you in Canada!

Check out the speaker list if you want to know who else will be there.

Courses in April 2011

Backed by popular demand, here is the schedule for the various courses in April:

* Foundation of iPhone Programming - 7-8 April 2011 (was 11-12 April 2011) *updated

* Programming iPhone UI - 13 April 2011

* Advanced iOS - 14-15 April 2011

* Android Programming - 28-29 April 2011

Download the course brochures and application form here.

How the Nokia and Microsoft collaboration will affect mobile developers

By now, you should have heard of the announcement of Nokia's collaboration with Microsoft to put their Windows Phone OS onto their devices. The following are some of my thoughts on how this collaboration will affect mobile developers.

This is definitely a win for Microsoft. Having a partner strong in hardware is definitely going to drive up the reachability of the platform. And Nokia has always been good in their hardware, hence Microsoft will get a lot of additional exposure, apart from the usual hardware partners like Samsung, HTC, LG, and others.

I am not sure if Nokia will win in the long run. In the short term, this may drive up the sales for it's hardware, but Nokia's pace will likely be dictated by the timeline of the Windows Phone OS. Whatever hardware innovations they have will be subjected to the support of the OS. We do not know the detailed arrangements, but I doubt Microsoft will customize the OS too much to suit each device manufacturer's request as other device manufacturers will also want the same treatment. Also, by this collaboration Nokia is directly jumping into the boxing ring together with the other devices manufacturers, and will now face the other very stiff competitors such as HTC, Samsung, LG, etc, who already have a head start in supporting the Windows Phone OS.

I think the overall success factor affecting Microsoft (and Nokia and other device manufacturers) is their ability to build a successful ecosystem. Having a good ecosystem will get people to buy your devices, and when people buy your devices, developers will come. This is very much a chicken-and-egg problem - there are no users if there are no apps, and if there are no users, there are no apps.

Personally, I would think that Nokia is buying time to get their MeeGo OS ready. This is very much like the early day of Steve Jobs' return to Apple, where he collaborated with Microsoft by bundling Internet Explorer with the Mac OS. In return, Microsoft agreed to invest in Apple and committed to continue writing apps for the platform.

Obviously, if you are a Symbian developer, this is really bad news. I don't think there is much you can do now, except to learn a new platform as soon as you can. The good news is that the Windows Phone platform is very easy to pick up. Experienced C++ and Java developers should have no problem in learning the .NET Compact Framework, which supports languages such as VB.NET and C#.

If you are a Windows Phone developer, this news could not be better - you now have a wider customer base to reach out for. If you have been hesitating to get onto this platform, there is no better time than now.

If you are an Android developer, there is little impact for you, as Android devices are already flooding the market today. And there is no certainty that Nokia might not look to Google for another partnership. Look at Motorola, their devices run on all sorts of platforms, such as Windows Mobile, Android, etc. Moreover, 2011 is the year of tablets, with the Motorola Xoom stealing the limelight at this moment.

What about iPhone developers? This is not going to change your world as you have enough devices to keep yourself busy for a while - iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. And oh yes, the new iPad 2 will make things even more exciting, not to mention the up-and-coming iPhone 5.

In short, this year is going to be a very exciting time for mobile developers, only if you choose the right platforms to hedge your bets. For me, I am putting all my money on Windows Phone, Android, and iOS.

Learn Windows Phone 7 Programming today!

For those of you sitting on the fence, think no further. With the collaboration of Microsoft and Nokia, Windows Phone 7 is set to be the next mobile platform that you cannot simply ignore.

Here is the series of articles on Windows Phone 7 programming that I have written to get you started:

* Introduction to Windows Phone 7 Development

* Building Location Service Apps in Windows Phone 7

* Web Access in Windows Phone 7 Apps

When you are ready to learn more, come join me in the upcoming course on Windows Phone 7 programming on the 28-29 March 2011.

Download the course brochures and application form here.

Learn Android Programming Today!

According to the ComScore report released on Monday, Android has overtaken BlackBerry as the most popular smartphone platform in the US. Going forward, Android is definitely going to eat into the market share of other smartphone vendors, such as Apple's iPhone and Nokia's Symbian.

Now is the perfect time to start learning about Android programming. And what's more, get a head start today so that when Android 3.0 is released, you would be well equipped to tackle Android tablet programming!

Download the course brochures and application form here.

Register for the Android Programming course on the 17-18th March 2011 today!

Courses for March 2011

I am pleased to inform that the series of iPhone courses on the 21-25 March are all confirmed. If you have not registered yet, do so now so that I can reserve the seats for you.

Download the course brochures and application form here.

Foundation of iPhone Programming - 10-11 Feb 2011

There is still time to register for the Foundation of iPhone Programming course running on the 10-11 Feb 2011. For more details, download course brochures and application form here.

Each participant will get a copy of my iOS 4 book - Beginning iOS 4 Application Development.

See you at the course!

Revised course schedule for Feb and March 2011

Due to the holidays and my travelling schedule, here is the revised course schedule for Feb-March 2011.

Download the course brochures and application form here.

Android Bootcamp at Mobile Connections! 17-21 April Las Vegas

Register for the Mobile Connections (April 17-21, 2011; Bellagio, Las Vegas) and get a $100 discount off the registration (use this SPKSPE7 discount code)! I will be delivering an Android bootcamp on the 17 April (http://www.devconnections.com/shows/mobile/workshops.aspx?s=166) where I will get you up to speed within a day. If you have always been wondering what Android development is like, come and join us in this bootcamp and I assure you that you won't be disappointed!

In this bootcamp, you will learn how to build a location-based services application and how to listen for incoming SMS messages (we will do something really neat with this!). By the end of the bootcamp, you will have a deploy-able Android application that you can install on your Android device, as well as share with your friends and family members.

This is the shortest route to Android development! Hope to see you all at the event!

New Course Schedule for Q1 2011

I am pleased to announce the new course schedule for Q1 2011. Courses include:

* Foundation of iPhone Programming

* Advanced iOS Programming

* Programming iPhone User Interfaces

* Android Programming

* Windows Phone 7 programming

All the courses will be conducted in Singapore.

Download detailed course outlines and application form here.

New course schedule for Jan 2011

Here is the new course schedule for Jan 2011:

* Foundation of iPhone programming - 24-25 Jan 2011

* Advanced iOS Programming - 27-28 Jan 2011

Enroll now by emailing me at weimenglee@learn2develop.net. Or download the application here.

There is still time to enroll for the Android Programming and Advanced iOS courses this month!

Just in case you are still considering which mobile platform to learn, think no more.

The Android Programming course next Monday and Tuesday (27-28 Dec 2010) is confirmed. Also confirmed is the Advanced iOS Course on Wednesday and Thursday (29-30 Dec 2010). These will be the last 2 courses for the year!

So, enroll now as seats are limited! Download the course outlines and application form here.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

MVP Summit 2011 - 28 Feb - 2 Mar 2011

I will be attending the Microsoft MVP Summit 2011 (28 Feb - 2 Mar 2011) at Bellevue and Redmond, WA. If you are around the area during that time, do feel free to let me know so that we can get together for a chat.

Next year will be a very busy year for mobile developers! And Windows Phone 7 is going to have a splendid year!

Mobile Connections - 17-21 April 2011

I will be speaking at the Mobile Connections next year (2011) to be held on the April 17-21 at Bellagio, Las Vegas!

If you are attending as well, be sure to come by and say hello. I will be presenting a couple of sessions on iPhone and Android development. I will also be running a full-day boot camp on Android development. Check out the details here. Hope to see you at the boot camp! Register early!

If your company is interested in custom training on iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone 7, send me an email at weimenglee@learn2develop.net.

New course schedule for Dec 2010

Due to the busy period of Dec, here is the revised schedule for Dec 2010 (updated on 1 Dec 2010).

Download the course brochures and application form here.

iPhone courses next week - 22-26 Nov 2010

The iPhone courses on the week of 22-26 Nov 2010 have been confirmed!

Each participant of the Foundation of iPhone Programming course will get a free copy of my Beginning iOS 4 Application Development book!

Hope to see you at the course!

New Course - Fundamentals of Programming using C#

As iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone take the mobile world by storm, there is an increasing need for people to write mobile apps. Due to the increase demand in the industry, I will be launching a new course this coming December - Fundamentals of Programming using the C# Programming Language.

This upcoming course is for people who are new to programming, for those who wanted a headstart to programming mobile apps. As these three mobile platforms use different languages, therefore it is always a challenge to have a course that caters to all people.

However, I believe the C# language is a nice and easy language to get started and provide a good vehicle to learn about programming, in particular about object-oriented (OO) programming . And hence this upcoming course will use C# as the language of choice to start your programming journey. Participants will learn about basic programming concepts and then more importantly OO programming. Here are the course details:

Fundamentals of Programming using the C# Programming Language

Date: 2-3 Dec 2010

Fee: S$997

Download the course details here.

Introduction to Windows Phone 7 Development

By now, you should already have heard of Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 mobile OS. And while many developers are busy developing for Android and iPhone, Microsoft is hard at work, developing its killer mobile OS that could give the competitors a run for the money. Before you dismiss Microsoft as a serious contender in the mobile space, think again. The new OS is now a total rewrite of the older Windows Mobile platform, and sports many features that you have come to expect of a modern mobile operating system.

In this series of Windows Phone 7 articles on mobiForge, I will bring you on a development journey to explore the full capabilities of the new operating system. And in this first installment, we will explore the tools and see how you could start writing your first application quickly.

Confirmed iPhone Courses in Nov 2010

I am very excited to announce that the series of iPhone courses in Nov 2010 has been confirmed.

They are:

* Foundation of iPhone Programming - 22-23 Nov 2010 (S$997)

* Programming iPhone OS - 24 Nov 2010 (S$499)

* Advanced iOS Programming - 25-26 Nov 2010 (S$997)

The venue of the courses is:

Mountbatten Square

229 Mountbatten Rd

Singapore 398007

For those of you residing outside Singapore, the courses are all confirmed so you can go ahead and book your hotel room and air ticket. See the following for a list of hotels near the training venue.

While you are in Singapore in Nov, why not go to the latest Integrated Resort at Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa after the courses? :-)

Download the application form here.

iPhone Training at SPH - Sep 2010

A bunch of happy iPhone developers after attending the Foundation of iPhone course - Oct 2010

iPhone Training in NUS - Oct 2010

Apps published by participants of my iPhone courses

One of the greatest rewards of doing training is when you see the participants of your courses putting into use the skills you shared with them. One such participant is Ian Wen, who attended my Foundation of iPhone course earlier this year. He was recently featured in The Sunday Times (17th Oct 2010) for his work on creating a number of apps for the iPhone.

Check out Ian's app here:

iMathSg - Pythagoras Theorem

iMathSg - Graphs

Great job, Ian!

Course schedule for Nov and Dec 2010 now out!

Here is the new course schedule for Nov and Dec 2010! Download the course brochures and application form here.

Note that all courses are conducted in Singapore.

My new book - Beginning iOS 4 Application Development

I am very excited to know that my latest book - Beginning iOS 4 Application Development, is now published! It is in full color, one of the new initiatives that Wrox is trying out.

I hope that this book will provide you with a good start, and I look forward to reading your feedbacks. Check it out if you have the chance! Better this, attend my series of iPhone courses this coming Nov!