Welcome back to our Meet the Devs segment! In this piece we take a little time to get to know the people who really make Android what it is today and that is the app developers. In this week’s developer interview, we are talking to Shashwat Pradhan of Emberify.
Name: Shashwat Pradhan
Developer Name: Emberify
Country: India
Website: Official website
Social Media Profile/Page: Google+
How many people on your team? 4
Apps
Instant: Phone Habit Tracker
About your company?
Emberify is a startup working on consumer based analytic and utility apps. Using contextual information, Emberify aims to create a more relevant mobile experience for their users.
What level of experience do you have with coding and development?
I have been developing apps for three years now. Started of with Android, also developed apps for iOS, BlackBerry 10, Windows Phone.
What languages do you know? How and where did you learn them?
C, C++, some Java, Objective-C. I learnt most of them myself. Learnt C++ in college during my Computer Engineering course.
What level of experience do you have with design?
Have been learning design at session worldwide at BlackBerry Live, Apple’s WWDC & the Material Design Website is the ultimate place. We just launched a Material Design app Instant which we are very proud of.
What apps have you made?
We have made multiple apps. For android we worked on developing the Dash Radio app. Our own product Instant was recently launched. We also have some BlackBerry and iOS apps.
How do you monetize your apps?
Mostly they are paid to give users a smooth transaction experience and a good user experience.
Do you consider yourself successful?
I’m not sure how to answer this one — I don’t really have a measurement parameter for this. But yes, I am glad that our apps at Emberify help people in various fields to be productive and impact their lives in some way. Instant definitely has helped people keep a check on their device usage which we get great feedback for.
How difficult is it to make money as a developer?
With crowded app stores, I admit it isn’t easy. But with an innovative use case apps can definitely make money.
What can Android do to improve?
Android needs to reduce fragmentation in all ways. Even the code between Eclipse and Android Studio has documentation scarcity.
Why did you choose Android? Do you develop for other platforms? What are the differences between them?
Android is the most popular OS, especially in India. Yes we develop for BlackBerry and iOS as well. There are more users on Android but apps are expected to be free on this platform. Also there is lots of fragmentation in Android devices but Android has the best APIs available for developers.
What are your thoughts on iOS and Windows 8?
iOS is a great platform in terms of developer profitability and refined developer tools, that being said its very restricted in terms of APIs. Windows 8 again is very fragmented and the app store there isn’t very popular.
What do you think of the Android design guidelines?
The new Material Design guidelines are great, love the new visual language. One of my favourite design paradigms.
What are your favorite apps?
My favourite apps are:
- Uber
- Instant
What has been your experience been like working with Gooogle?
Its been great! I have some mentors and friends in Google. They are always very helpful with ideating and giving me great insights. Overall Google is a great company to work with.
What does the future of development look like?
It’s interesting to say the least. By the end of 2015 I can see wearables picking up acting as app extensions from mobile. Also by beginning 2016 I see IoTs growing and becoming more significant.
What tips do you have for aspiring developers?
Look at innovative and new app ideas and uses. Android has unlimited opportunities with so many APIs and so many new dimensions. Do reach out to me for any help or mentoring. I do work with mentoring some developers whenever I can. Also we do write about developer and technology trends on the Emberify Blog.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Some nice pictures I got at various Google HQs.
Google Mountain View:
Meeting number 2 for the day. #HQHop #MountainView
A photo posted by Shashwat Pradhan (@shashwat_12345) on Aug 14, 2014 at 1:01pm PDT
Flamingos attacking a T-rex at the Google HQ… Has an interesting story behind it #FlamingosStrikeBack
A photo posted by Shashwat Pradhan (@shashwat_12345) on Jun 5, 2014 at 9:35am PDT
#HQHop stop 2. Meeting at Googleplex. #Yummy #Android
A photo posted by Shashwat Pradhan (@shashwat_12345) on Jun 4, 2014 at 3:02pm PDT
Google New York:
Nerd Graffiti #GoogleNY #Glass
A photo posted by Shashwat Pradhan (@shashwat_12345) on Aug 8, 2014 at 1:43pm PDT
Google SFO:
Spent some time with the Google Glass today, people in SFO really hate ppl wearing them around. #Glasshole
A photo posted by Shashwat Pradhan (@shashwat_12345) on Jun 7, 2014 at 6:55pm PDT
Developer interview wrap up
We want to thank Shashwat for chatting with us in this week’s developer interview! If you’re a developer and this looks like something you’d like to do, check out our Meet the Devs form! We look forward to hearing from you!
