Akshay Agarwal is the Mobile Chair for SIGGRAPH 2017. Here, he shares his thoughts on the role of mobile at the 2017 conference, which will place 30 July–3 August 2017 in Los Angeles, CA.
SIGGRAPH: Tell us a little about yourself.
Akshay Agarwal (AA): I have been involved with SIGGRAPH on and off for the last 8-10 years. I am currently employed at Google on the Android team.
SIGGRAPH: What is Appy Hour and what are your top tips for anyone interested in submitting to the program?
AA: The SIGGRAPH Appy Hour program focuses on mobile. It is my belief that happy and “appy” get along well. By definition, Appy Hour is a techno-social soiree where mobile app developers, selected from various content submissions, get to showcase their apps and interact with attendees in a casual environment. The program is a great way to gain visibility, but also receive feedback on an app. It provides a strong platform for independent and/or student developers to get exposure for their apps.
When submitting content for Appy Hour, I recommend:
- Creative Content: Think about whether something is unique and showcases something advanced when it comes to graphics capability on mobile.
- Image and Video Editing Capability: Can a user create or edit interesting image/video content with this app?
- Virtual Reality (VR): Can this app be used in VR mode when the phone is inserted into a VR headset?
- Something new: Does this app showcase a new application program interface (APIs) or new technology in mobile?
Whether you are sure your project is ready or not, I welcome all to submit content and our team will help you by providing feedback and suggesting improvements, if any.
SIGGRAPH: Describe your vision for the mobile focus area at SIGGRAPH 2017.
AA: Mobile technology touches every part of SIGGRAPH — courses, education, games, real-time graphics, VR — and, as a program chair, my responsibility is to ensure that mobile-related content is represented across every aspect of SIGGRAPH. Advancements in mobile (including its capabilities in graphics, gaming, and photography) have exponentially increased, thus allowing mobile to be a primary technology for most of our attendees. People no longer use mobile just to consume content, but also to create content. Given this and other trends, my focus for 2017 is three-fold. First, to ensure that mobile is covered significantly across all SIGGRAPH 2017 content; second, to work with other program chairs to create basic courses tailored to students that will allow them to learn how to create apps; and, third, to continue to focus on apps and technology that demonstrate mobile content creation.
SIGGRAPH: What makes you most excited about recent trends in mobile development?
AA: As mobile phones become mainstream and a primary device for a lot of users, they continue to advance in every aspect, whether it is the ability to view very high-definition content, capture amazing photos or videos which previously required high-end equipment, or use mobile as a VR device. A mobile phone is a multi-faceted instrument that transforms itself to the situation at hand, and it is the unlimited possibility of its capabilities that excites me most.
Find out more about the SIGGRAPH 2017 Appy Hour program! Submissions will be accepted through 14 February 2017.
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