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What does Twilio do?

Twilio makes it really easy for developers to send and receive text messages, make and receive phone calls, and embed VoIP functionality into web and mobile applications.  Possible use cases are SMS notifications, two-factor authentication, phone-based customer support systems, voice broadcast, “click to call” in the browser, and much more.  The Twilio APIs have been thoughtfully designed for developer productivity; our goal is to get you from signup to sending text messages via our REST API in five minutes.

Who should use your tools?

Everyone! Communication is at the center of every business or personal interaction. We believe every developer in every industry could benefit from the inclusion of voice, SMS, or VoIP interfaces within their web or mobile application.

How much does it cost to use?

Twilio is a pay-as-you-go web service, so developers are charged per minute of voice usage, per SMS message sent, etc.  Pricing will vary by country, but in...

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Alex Gaber, API Evangelist at Layer 7 - I build mobile apps using Cordova for iOS, Android and Blackberry.  My background is in front end and back end development for the web andI also build mobile apps for iOS, Android and Blackberry. Apart from coding, I like to surf, trail run and yoga.

What do you do at Layer 7?

I help our customers improve their developer user experience (DevUX) and help take APIs to hackathons and developer challenges.   I also help our customers plan a strategy to open up their APIs to developers and drive API consumption.  Work with developers to help them integrate APIs into their apps.

What does Layer7 have in store this year at MWC?

Layer 7 offers a light weight API Management platform at APIfy and we also offer large scale enterprise solutions at www.layer7.com. We will be demonstrating our Mobile Access Gateway functionality, specifically a single sign-on for mobile.  We have a Mobile Single Sign On...

As predicted, developers were in hot demand in 2012.  Operators/carriers and large company developer programs held events to attract developers to their SDKs, APIs and tools.  The demand for developers will continue in 2013. What will change is the type of events.  Many companies will opt for several smaller developer events in various locations rather than just one large event. Their offerings will include: webinars, meetups, code fests and hackathons and they will also sponsor mobile events to connect with developers.

There will be new mobile events in 2013. Verticals and brands will enter the space in large numbers, hosting developer conferences, workshops and hackathons to encourage developers to use their APIs. Generic Mobile Events that try to be all things to all people will slowly disappear over the next few years.

The emphasis on how developers can make money with their applications will continue in 2013.  Events with this theme will remain strong. Other areas that will...

As the rest of the team predicted, it's going to be a crazy year of evolution in the mobile world, especially for consumers. As I watch my parents socialize with their peers about which apps they've downloaded lately, I feel that this quote from last year rings even truer this year: "We are reaching the sweet spot as the penetration of a [mobile] technology reaches [the masses]". It's a sweet time to be in the industry for sure. Here are some specifics I see happening this year:

1. Death of the 'smartphone'
   There was a time when you had to be somebody 'important' to own a smartphone. It was a status symbol aptly named as a phone for 'smarter' people who needed to be more connected than everybody else. Those days are gone. Not only have smartphones warmed up to the masses, but we have more ways to communicate with one another than we ever have. 'Phone calling ' is now only of the many features, and its usage is on a downward trend. In so many ways, it's not just smarter...

Recently at MWC2011 we had one of our classic WIPJam discussion groups. Thanks again to all the discussion leaders and here are a few interesting notes and takeaways from those discussions.

HTML5

• HTML5 still has a long ways to go in terms of its own evolution and growth
• 2 big positives that HTML5 will offer is the speed of development and it will help solve cross platform problems
• Currently there is a lot that hinders HTML5, everything from performance to battery life
• More specifically a few of the issues include Geolocation, SQL storage and there are issues with fragmentation using tools like Modernizr, Has.js, Device Atlas and WURFL. 

Cross Platform Development

With so many platforms to address now do you have to provide less functionality to your app to ensure a successful port?

This is one of the major concerns when it comes to developing across platforms, along with the learning curve each platform requires. When it comes down to it there is not...

As I peer into my crystal ball I see a year of more growth coupled with higher expectations for mobile along with a few upsets along the way.

The Growth

If you didn’t rest over the holidays, don’t expect to relax anytime soon no matter where you fit in the industry.  We will continue to see more devices, more demand for apps, and more demand for developers. 

It was March when we declared 2010 The Year of the Mobile Developer.  Developers were in hot demand and were finally being embraced publically and vocally as a key piece of the mobile ecosystem.   

With that, we will continue to see huge growth in the number of mobile developers entering the scene.  I do think we will see a combination of really newbie/webby developers, given the rise in toolssuch as AppMobi.   As mobile has now become ‘mainstream’ we will also see more traditional software folks entering mobile.  Expect more development tools and enablers (analytics, advertising etc) on the scene too.  Choice...

Calling Canadian MobileDevelopers - Join a GSMA OneAPI Hack-a-thon

The GSMA has put together a global initiative called OneAPI.  It's all about network APIs and making it easier for application developers to work with the operators - you only develop to OneAPI, have one set of T&Cs and get access to multiple carriers. 

The first pilot is in Canada, with Bell, Rogersand TELUS! And the first APIs open are messaging, location and operator billing.   We need YOU, the developers, to work it, play with it and tell us WHAT YOU THINK!  Other international operators will follow shortly.  So get in on the ground floor now!

Join us for a briefing session and stay to hack-a-thon with refreshments and prizes.

Sign up on the WIP website for a Hack-a-thon in these cities:

- Montreal:       Thursday, May 13

- Ottawa:          Monday, May 17

- Toronto:         Tuesday, May 18

- Vancouver:    Thursday, May 20

http://www.wipconnector.com/wipjam/oneapi

OR  Get started right away,...