HowTo do Mobile Programming

Programming according to a Non-CS/IT Student is generally making complicated and Senseless programs on Turbo C++, most of us while learning programming get bored by typing a program which can find either sum of two numbers or multiplying two matrices, now who can't do this manually or better with a 991MS Calculator by CASIO.
Most of us like to do things which can show immediate results like making a Paper Balls and throwing at each other! If you fall in this category MOBILE PROGRAMMING is the sub branch of Computers where you need to look at once.
Whenever a mobile is brought into market, marketing guys mainly focus on how to attract the youth, as they are the ones who change mobile phones on regular basis and why do they change it because they either want to witness some rapid change in Technology, where they are eager to see something "out of the Box" like Apple's iPhone or want to see some improvement in their phone like new features in Nokia's N-Series which were not there in Nokia's 6600, here the youth knows what else could have been done in their old phone. Now if you have COOL ideas in your mind, you are the one who should try to make new softwares for mobile phone.
Ok i am interested but HowTo do that? Answer is you need to follow 3 steps, pretty basic ones though

Step1-> Choose a Platform for Mobile Phone or in simple words Operating System (OS) for mobile phone where you want to do some coding. There are plenty of them like Symbian OS (Nokia's Phone uses it), Android (Google's Recently bought mobile Operating System), Openmoko Linux (An Open Source Option where you can modify the OS), Windows Mobile (Mainly seen in Pocket PC), iPhone OS (used in iPhone and iPod Touch) etc.

Step2-> Selected OS, now need to select programming language for that OS on which you could do programming.

Symbian OS supports,

• Symbian C++ which needs some Integrated Development Environment like Carbide.C++ but trust me if you are beginner you don't wanna work on it, its difficult to get used to if are not comfortable with Turbo C++.

• JAVA ME (Java to Micro Edition), Java ME is a popular option for creating games for cell phones, as they can be emulated on a PC during the development stage and easily uploaded to phones.

• Python for Symbian 60, I found it one of the easiest to work upon as Python as a language is very simple, almost close to writing a code in English Language. But some parts of Symbian OS can't be accessed through it, still as a beginner its best option available for you.

Best place where you can find the answers to your Question is Developers Discussion Boards of FORUM NOKIA, but before asking any question please see if it has been previously brought into notice as the guys who answer your questions there gets irritated when you ask a question that has already been answered.

Now according to Wikipedia
Android Supports,
Coding in JAVA that utilizes Google-developed software libraries, but does not support programs developed in native code. Android only reuses the Java language syntax but does not provide the full class libraries and APIs bundled with Java SE or ME.

Windows Mobile Supports,
Writing native code with Visual C++, writing Managed code that works with the .NET Compact Framework, or Server-side code that can be deployed using Internet Explorer Mobile on the user's device.

Microsoft typically releases Windows Mobile Software development kits (SDKs) that work in conjunction with their Visual Studio development environment. These SDKs include emulator images for developers to test and debug their applications while writing them.

iPhone OS Developers,
Loading an application onto the devices is only possible after paying a US$99 Apple Developer Connection membership fee.
So obviously as a beginner you won't even think of it.

Step3-> Download the Emulator and test your Application
According to Wikipedia, An emulator duplicates (provides an emulation of) the functions of one system using a different system, so that the second system behaves like (and appears to be) the first system.

So if you don't have a Nokia Phone no need to worry as you can easily test your applications on the Emulator.

These were the 3 Steps you need to know before actually starting coding. More importantly "IDEAS" is what everyone is looking for, so just find the things you want your mobile phone to do and maybe everyone wants that feature in their mobile phone after you implement it, means lots and lots of $$$ in your pocket.

Dream Job

So today filled Dream Job options for Placements. The second choice was pretty obvious as "OnMobile" because first of all it does work what i like to do and secondly its a startup company so would have identity there. The first option was "Cisco", one of the well established company doing all sorts of Networking stuff...but the real dream in my life is to open my own company.

Another Break in the Wall

Another Rejection, today got a rejection letter from Google. Seriously its very depressing when things around you are not working according to your wish. Another rejection from another company...no problem life is like that always believe in yourself...Started with Ads on my blog...at least get some money from Google :) not through internship but by Ads :)

BITS GOA: You Guys Call Yourself Best Private College

So after facing a tragic end of the BITS GOA Drama, i completely lost faith on BITS GOA Guys.
Ok it goes like this i had been there for their Techfest Quark'08, won I prize in Paper Presentation Event, my friend Ayush Pranshu won II prize in same category, after giving us our certificates they told that cash prize will be delivered to us in a month, but it wasn't. When i asked them about it they replied "NO MIT GUY HAS WON IN PAPER PRESENTATION COMPUTERS SECTION" and it was like slap on my face...dude how would Archimedes feel if someone told him you didn't do anything...not comparing with the great guy but it hurts...Guys money doesn't matter that much to me but you should have been at least thought of a better reason to justify it....

Google Intern Interview

So had Google Intern Interview today at about 5 p.m. The guy who interviewed me was Nikhil.
He started by knowing my Project on Extended Smart SMS Converter. He more so emphasized on how was i implementing data structures and data base and it took me about 15-20 minutes to convince him that if it can be done without using any thing like that ( My foolishness was that i should have said if database and data structures and all could be implemented there in mobile phone then it would had been better to map each word's corresponding SMS Lingo).
After that he asked me theory questions which was least expected from me to remember, but i answered him partly correct i suppose (wasn't totally blank but had no answer to his question "Are You Sure?").

I think i didn't gave good impression. But thats what Project i had done and thats what i remembered about my course at that time. No problem if they think i can give them new ideas (which i am 100% sure i can) they will select otherwise ...

Music => Peace

Music always give you a "High"...well you don't need any external factor to give you peace, its all inside your mind...so i listened to some of the best songs i have heard ever,

First was by Gr8 "Pink Floyd"...Song was named High Hopes depicting how a man feels when he is leaving things away...like when you leave your school...then you leave friends...then you leave your beloved ones...A suffocating feeling after all but how easily they depicted that...

Then next was by U2 and "Stay" is that beautiful song...was "City of Angels" inspired by this song or vice versa?

But Music is the best way to release your tensions...so leave Cigarettes, Drinks, Drugs to do same.

Time & Destiny: The New Discovery

Well you must have heard everything happens with time, its already decided for you and ya i can just see that...

Examples to prove whatever me saying->
Manish's Example --> One of my good intellectual friend Manish Sinha who recently got through tough interview of Microsoft's Internship 08. He was the one who said, to me when i asked him about his preparation for Interview there, "It doesn't matter, select hona muskil hae". But Destiny had something else in its mind for the guy who wasn't even sure what will he do in this summers.

Saurabh Vats Example --> Ok i told him to take part in IIT Chennai B-plan event Genesis and i think i was destiny's "pyada" (pawn) to tell them about Genesis and they got through top 20 world teams.

So don't worry just do what you are Best at and maybe if Destiny wants to will send some pawn to

Time to Write Something

Ok it has been like almost 6 months when i wrote my blog...i never enjoyed writing blog by the thought of whom am i writing it for? but today i was going through my own blog and ya u feel good after reading it...a sudden rush of memories...so past 6 months were best in my life, let me start month by month

Nov 07-> Able to set up LUG Manipal .... its up and running smoothly...my part has been just like a dummy moderator for now but i suppose next sem i will be taking classes on "How To program ur Mobile: PyS60"

Dec 07-> Had end sem exams till 11 dec,07 got great marks 8.92/10, never expected to get that much....ok after then it was even more exciting i was at my free will to work for as many hours i like on the thing i liked most "Implementing my idea into real solution"...ok ok let me tell u abt it...i was in class once taking notes...i saw my teacher writing "someone" on black board and always i like to note down in SMS lingo ....like i noted down it as "som1"...so i thought why not mobile does that means why should we think and write SMS lingo y cant a message written in Comprehensive English be changed to SMS lingo by a software like if i write "accelerate" and use software it changes to "xlerate".
This idea came along with about 5 other ideas for mobile phone in 5 sem....and ya that time i came to know what i was made for...so i decided that i will stay back in winters break and do something which i will appreciate. But how to program in mobile phone was a Big Question...so i searched in the sem itself i came to know abt Symbian C++ ( tried to learn but couldn't get it), J2ME (totally different than ur normal Java and as such i hate Java) and then i found my destiny Python ( i had a good acquittance with it since i had seen it in my 2 year and i totally loved it).
That winter break payed me off really...first of all I won II prize in international conference where there was Students Paper Contest...i got prize for telling what i was doing in my project the algorithm part...project name was "Smart SMS Converter".....My project mate was Kamna Sinha...We made the algorithm together and i implemented it...i think wasting ur time on thinking about how algorithm will work is far better than learning a whole new language...i sticked to it and ya i got results...

Meeting with Kamna was also luck i suppose...see she had been for the same course which i did in iit Kgp...we had a common friend so we knew each other but not that much and during the course also we didn't talk that much only abt how course was going on and all the stuff...then after coming back to college we didn't even saw each other for next TWO months...i thought she must have left college but then one day we had this treat in "Purple Edge Disc" and i saw her then we talked and she said in middle that she had this "international Conference" organized by her dept.(IT) so she is willing to participate in it, but she had no partners in it so i asked if i can join her and she said yes...so i saw what she was planning to do mostly research work on Networking but it was impossible to do that kind of research in just 2 months with that too exams in between...so i told lets implement any one of idea i was thinking about for mobile phone...

Jan 07-> So i won the prize in front of my mother...she came down to Manipal just to see how her kid presents a paper and she was the Happiest person at that moment...ok so went home with her...stayed for 12 days and college reopened...i had submitted this project idea in iit bombay's techfest under event "Qualcomm Innovator's Challenge"...we were shortlisted to top 10 ..called to iit bombay and guess what we won there III prize...and i loved it...

Feb 07->BITS-Pilani,Goa Campus organized its Techfest and we won I prize in paper presentation...but after that there was like a void in my life...see when u do a project of ur own u r attached to it...its like a baby to u...and when its finished u think abt what to do next?...so we "in a day" completed the reverse process of our project that is convert a SMS Lingo back to its original form like "xlerate" back to "accelerate". Again a void no work to do....

So i applies in Manipal DOT Net a company which gives software solutions...i was given a project on making a management system using Ruby on Rails (RoR)...i didnt had a clue about Web Programming that time but i thought y not take it as challenge? learned the basics of it and implemented my project to abt 15% when i was told that client has backed up from RoR to PHP another interesting language but not that interesting to me...because i thought if a thing can be done in a better way y to do it in conventional way? So i left MDN at that time...but i will complete that project...

March 07-> I was getting frustrated because i had no work to do and the work being offered didn't interest me like "Image Processing using VC++" means what the heck why do i need to learn VC++ for that purpose? Idea is what is most imp thing...and i had idea abt enhancing the image but no body cared so i left it and went home for some break there i realized that anybody should follow his/her interest...and thats what i thought i will do...

April 07-> Had done a very small project but more important was idea behind it...it is now at Nokia Code Examples ...but i followed my interest...had applied at many places for internship but most of them didn't found right candidate in me

IAS indian academy of sciences ->Reject

HP labs -> Reject (even though i was in top 90 abstracts from India in Hp innovate 08)

Microsoft Internship-> Rejected

Nokia-Siemens Network, Google India, iitm, iitb results still awaited.

But i think y rejection took place was because these companies look for how can u solve a puzzle may be a gud process to know how a student is...but i feel its better to ask a student what he is good at rather than what he can be good at....

So pretty long blog...now exams time starting but in summer break i will if i get selected doing internship at some place or be doing what i like the most implementing my Ideas...just got two good ideas recently...ok bye and take care...