Mobile Evolution: Thinking Beyond The App

Obviously Mobile's a hot topic, but how much do we actually understand compared to what we think we understand? Have we ever asked how the radio frequency spectrum is allocated to mobile networks? Why are mobile contacts so expensive in Canada? Is it simply because we're a big country with a small population? Does this all matter? Do we care how something works as long as it works? When exploring the mobile extension of your business, is it always right to start with an iPhone app? How do you prioritize features as you reduce screen size? And are there tools out there that can make this journey easier?

So many questions to cover in just one evening with only three speakers. Lucky for you we've got three of the brightest sparks from Toronto.

Kitty Shum

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We first met Kitty at a Ladies Learning Code workshop, where she blew us away with her presentation skills and depth of knowledge. Kitty is a leader with extensive experience building innovative world-class products, including evangelizing certain platforms to jump-starting new mobile projects. In her current role as a Product Manager at the mighty Xtreme Labs, Kitty specializes in mobile product strategy. Prior to joining Xtreme Labs, Kitty has led the delivery of many large-scale products at various high-profile technology companies including Expedia, Afilias, Amazon and RIM. She also climbs, paints, globetrots (she's just back from Peru) and with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, there is apparently very little this woman can't do.

https://twitter.com/#!/kitty_shum

Thomas Purves

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All the way from San Francisco and ours for one night only... Thomas Purves is a technology designer, self-proclaimed futurist and infamously outspoken Canadian telecommunications nerd. For the past two decades, Tom has been at the forefront of digital innovation in Canada’s online and ecommerce industries. Tom contributed to the development and design of the first online banking services in Canada, email money transfers in Canada, various online startups and more recently forays into next generation mobile commerce and cloud-based wallets. Historically, Tom has also been a fixture and familiar event organizer within Toronto's technology and startup community, and frequent speaker on issues of innovation, competitiveness and mobile policy. Tom is also the past editor of the WirelessNorth.ca, formerly Canada's only independent, and snarkiest blog that provided blow-by-blow coverage of Canada's last spectrum auction in 2008. Now that Canada is, at last, opening precious airwaves to the auction block, Tom is worried for you and ready to tell you all about it. Plus he's great with dolphins.
https://twitter.com/#!/tpurves

Matthew Fabb

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We love Matthew. He's one of the most down-to-earth, unassuming, salt-of-the-earth kinda guys you'll ever meet and yet you'd expect more ego. He's a guru on interactive technologies, a well-known speaker on front-end development AND has one of finest collections of geek t-shirts in Toronto. He carries over a decade of web and interactive design experience, including .Net and PHP programming, front-end development in Flash, Flex and HTML. Most recently, his adventures in Mobile have led him to investigate app development with PhoneGap, jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch 2 and now we're going to leave it to him to explain what these tools are and how they can help us. A regular presenter at FITC Toronto, Matthew is a genuine dev community star and we're delighted that in spite of a very hectic schedule, he’s made time for us.
https://twitter.com/#!/matthewfabb

Hors D'oeuvres will be catered by local award-winning chef Laura Thipphawong of Alligator Pear Catering http://www.alligatorpear.ca/wp/, and refreshments will be served.