By: Themba Nyovane – 08 September 2023

Recently, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT)’s Centre for the Academic Development (CAD) in collaboration with Google Developer’s Groups (GDG) Vaal hosted an educational programme – the Google I/O Extended 2023.

The event afforded valuable insights and opportunities for students, particularly those studying Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science. The event showcased the latest technology applications and mobile development, as well as Google’s latest developer solutions, products, and technologies that help to work smarter and simplify development workflow and aligns well with the rapidly evolving landscape of technology.

“Computers are increasing in our world, and so is mobile application development. This process involves writing software for small, wireless computing devices, such as smartphones and other hand-held devices. In today’s world, mobile applications are often developed specifically to take advantage of the unique features of a particular mobile device. For instance, a gaming app might be written to take advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer, or a mobile health app might be written to take advantage of a smartwatch’s temperature sensor” said Tashinga Pemhiwa a mobile and web developer.

Pemhiwa also said mobile application development has become a crucial field, given the widespread use of smartphones and the increasing demand for mobile applications across various industries and academic institutions.

Furthermore, he shed some light on the significance of technology transition shifting from Java application system to Jet Pack Compose model. Jet Pack Compose is Android’s recommended modern toolkit for building native User Interface (UI). It simplifies and accelerates UI development on Android. Quickly bring app to life with less code, powerful tools, and intuitive Kotlin APIs. “Building across devices using Jetpack Compose allows you to build beautiful apps across devices, on phones, tablets, foldables, ChromeOS and Wear OS” he said, adding that the exposure of Jet Pack Compose technologies will greatly benefit students by preparing them for real-world challenges and enhancing their skill sets.

Mike Tshimanga, a mentor, and Managing Director at Paytoll encouraged students to be part of their colloquial initiatives which will assist with better skills to this rapidly moving technology. He also mentioned that this will enable students to work smarter and simplify their development workflows in their journey of learning, while also increasing efficiency and productivity, allowing them to focus more on creating innovative solutions.