Hands-on at iOSDevCamp 2012 with the Millennial Media Team

Written by
Matt Gillis, EVP, Global Product & Platform

We recently attended iOSDevCamp 2012 in San Jose. The annual developer gathering drew an array of both up and coming developers and seasoned industry vets.

The event was naturally iOS focused, however many developers were well aware of the need to grow across mobile platforms in order to scale their business. We couldn’t agree more. We shared knowledge about porting their iOS apps to other operating systems like Android and Windows Phone – all of which can be managed and monetized on our platform.

At the event, we also participated in an intense 48-hour Hackathon. Mark Burger, a tech support engineer for our Global Monetization Solutions team, describes the Hackathon experience as “A grueling test of endurance, where developers flex their technical muscle to transform their creative dream into a tangible product – an awesome app.” He loved the opportunity to work hands-on with developers to integrate our iOS SDK code, enabling them to earn revenue with their new iPhone and iPad apps.

We were happy to sponsor the “Best New Developer” Hackathon prize, where our team chose one app that took home a $500 gift card and some Millennial Media swag. The winning app was called “Bombs Away,” a game built by a group of five developers, all between the age of 12 and 16. It was a complex, multi-player game, and for a group of developers creating their first app, it was remarkably polished and well done.

The “Bombs Away” team

Many attendees left the event with plans to establish their own Hackathon with developer peers or in their office in their home towns. Although the majority of apps they create are for fun and to challenge themselves, there seemed to be an understanding that any app that is built well has the potential to go mainstream.

Our tips for developers:

  • If you are going to submit your app to the app store, don’t leave money on the table. Monetization is free and easy to integrate into your app, especially with our new iOS 4.6 SDK.
  • Find a partner that will give you a full monetization toolset. This may include integrating advertising in your app to earn more revenue, using house ad campaigns to cross promote your apps, and running mobile ad campaigns to drive more installs of your apps.

For more information on the monetization options at Millennial Media, shoot us a note at support@mmedia.com or visit mMedia today!