I have been selected as a Google Developer Expert in Android for 2014

I am proud to announce I have been selected to participate in the Google Developer Experts program.  I join one other Android GDE in the US, and 11 others world-wide. 

I am super happy about this.  It is recognition for my work with the Google Developer Group (GDG) and the Android community at large.  Being a GDE will provide me additional resources, which I am energized to leverage to help the community.

Information about the program from the website: "Google Developer Experts (GDEs) are experts in one or more Google developer technologies. The GDE program recognizes the exemplary work done by these rock stars for the Google Developers worldwide by inviting them to be part of the growing GDE community. GDEs are gurus, mentors and friends; they are developers just like you. Visit the member directory to find an expert in the products you care about. Google Developers Experts speak in local and global events, have a strong online presence and an excellent technical background in their field. These independent developers bring their real-world experience and knowledge working with Google technologies to developer communities worldwide."

My initial impressions of the HTC Magic - for Java developers

I have had the G1 for a bit, and really love it.  I appreciate theopenness of the platform, and find developing apps, extremely easy (especially for the Java set).

I was at Google IO, so I am one of the lucky ones to get the Magic (or Ion, is another name they are calling it).  It seems to be faster than the G1, and definitely has much more memory (300MB vs 100MB on the G1 - this is an extremely important stat, as applications can not be run from the SD card).  The form factor is great.  It is small, and comfortable in the hand (and on the face when talking on it).  Battery life is definitely better on the Magic (it is a larger battery) - important as well, as both my Android devices have poor battery life. I personally require a real keyboard (meaning I still use my G1), but I find the soft keyboard on the Magic responsive (and as good as the one on the iPhone).

Cupcake (v1.5 - the new release of Android currently available of the G1, and the Magic) already has support for Video capture, and Bluetooth streaming, which as of now the iPhone doesn't support (but likely will with the 3.0 release).

iPhone certainly has more polish, and applications (but they had a head start), but I truly believe Android will catch up quick.  I see a day soon, where all your Android devices will work together (someday you will have a tablet or netbook, a device hooked up to your TV, and your phone - that will all be able to share data and applications together).

One last stream of thought, which is especially pertinent for techie Java developers (which is obviously the audience of this group) - The model for developing apps is very well suited for Java developers.  It is Eclipse based, and doesn't require Market access to load on the device (meaning you can develop custom apps easily, and load them on any Android device without requiring approval, or submission to a vendor marketplace).  This makes Android a great platform for "Tinkerers", as you are able to really modify the device to do whatever you want.