December 2014

December 2014 was a period of transition from me. Here are some of the things I did this month.

Ilocos Trip (December 2-3)

We went to Ilocos for the Google Philippines and Philippine Science High School event. I was there with Wayne, Reymart, and Googlers Gail,Chelle, Phillip, and Phil. The first day is for teachers and the second day is for students. Our technical talks were in the afternoon of the second day so we were able to do a quick side trip to Vigan (and eat authentic Vigan empanada) in the morning. In the afternoon, we discussed Chrome Dev Tools (Reymart), Community Mapping (Wayne), and Android (me). I wasn't able to take much pictures. Below is the Google+ story of our trip.

FEU-Makati Talk (December 15)

I was invited to do a talk in FEU-Makati on December 15, 2014. My talk was about Google Developer Technologies. Below is the slides I used during the talk:

Google OFW Event (December 16)

During Blas Ople's Christmas Party for OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), I helped man the Google Philippines booth. I was in the Google+ booth initially but manned the Hangouts booth most of the time.

Lucky's Wedding (December 20)

It was my first time to attend a wedding and it was Lucky Larga and Jo Anonuevo's church wedding in Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral Cubao.

Celine and I in the church before the wedding of Lucky and Jo

GDays/GCommunities Party (December 20)

After the wedding (and changing clothes), Celine and I went to GDays and the G Communities Christmas Party. We had dinner, Pinoy Henyo games, exchange gifts, and some raffles.

Android Studio 1.0

Originally announced as a preview during Google I/O 2013, Android Studio, the official IDE for Android apps development, is finally on version 1.0. For the list of new features, you can check the announcement in the Android Developers blog and the Android Studio Overview.

If you haven't tried the previous versions of Android Studio can be, you should start using it now! Android Studio can be downloaded at http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html. If you are migrating from Eclipse IDE, read the migration guide.

Also, please spend a few minutes to fill up the Android Studio 1.0 Developer Survey here.

Android Development: Creating Emulators

If you do not have an Android device or you want to test your app to a specific device/configuration, you can create an Emulator using the Android Virtual Device (AVD) Manager.

To open the AVD Manager:

• In Eclipse: select Window > Android Virtual Device Manager or click the AVD Manager icon in the toolbar.
• In Android Studio, select Tools > Android > AVD Manager or click the AVD Manager icon in the toolbar.
• If you have other IDEs or you're not using one: Navigate to <sdk-directory>/tools and execute android avd.

To create an Android Emulator:

• Open the AVD Manager
• Click the Create button.
• Fill up the name, and select the device, target, CPU/ABI, and skin. You can also add hardware functionalities, like keyboard, camera and SD card.
• Click the OK button to create the emulator

Alternatively, you can use Genymotion Emulator. Genymotion is a faster Android emulator. The free version is more than enough for an Android developer. I am using Genymotion now most of the time.

Android Development: Getting Started

Starting Android apps development is easy. You just need to follow the steps below to setup your development machines:

1. Download JDK 6 if you do not have it yet.

Your computers must have Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 6 and not JRE or Java Runtime Environment. JDK can be downloaded at the Oracle website.

2. Download the Android SDK

Download the Android SDK at http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html. The Android SDK includes the core SDK tools you need for developing Android apps.

3. Download an IDE of your choice.

You can use Eclipse, ADT Bundle, or Android Studio

Eclipse
If you are using Eclipse IDE (Eclipse 3.7.2 or later is required) and you want to use it for Android development, you can install the ADT plugin.

Android Studio
Based on IntelliJ Community Edition, Android Studio, is the new IDE for Android development. You can download Android Studio at http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing/studio.html.

ADT Bundle

ADT Bundle includes Eclipse with built-in ADT (Android Developer Tools) plugin, Android SDK tools, Android platform tools, and the latest platform and system image. Download the ADT bundle at http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html. Extract the adt-bundle-.zip file into your preferred location. Navigate to the eclipse directory and launch Eclipse.

4. Download the SDK packages

To continue with Android development, you need to add SDK packages using the SDK Manager.

Open the SDK manager

• From Eclipse (ADT Bundle or Eclipse with ADT plugin), select Window > Android SDK Manager or click SDK Manager in the toolbar
• From Android Studio, select Tools > Android > SDK Manager or click SDK Manager in the toolbar
• On Windows, double-click the SDK Manager.exe file at the root of the Android SDK directory.
• On Mac or Linux, open a terminal and navigate to <sdk-directory>/tools directory, then execute android sdk

Download the following packages:

• Tools
  • Android SDK Tools
  Android SDK Platform-tools
  • Android SDK Build-tools (latest version)
• The latest Android folder (Android 5.0 as of the time of writing)
  • SDK Platform
  • ARM EABI v7a System Image or Intel x86 Atom System Image (For creating an emulator)
  • Samples for SDK (optional)
  • Documentation (optional)
• Extras
  • Android Support Repository
  • Android Support Library
  • Google Repository
  • Google Play services

To install the packages, select the corresponding checkboxes then click the Install x packages… button.

Thirteenth Month Apps

Want to know how much 13th-month pay you will be getting this year? We've made an app for you! Try the Thirteenth Month app at http://13thmonth.sweldongpinoy.com or download the Android app on Gogle Play Store.

http://13thmonth.sweldongpinoy.com on the web

Thirteenth Month Android App 1.0 Input Screen

Try the apps and let us know your comments and suggestions so we can improve them.

GDG DevFest Philippines 2014

It's DevFest season once again! DevFests are community-organized events that provide an opportunity for developers to learn about Google technologies and developer products.

We at GDG Philippines organized GDG DevFest Philippines 2014 last October 24. It was held at Henry Sy. Sr. Hall at De La Salle University, Manila. This year, GDG DevFest Philippines was bigger and we had some new features, especially the Code Labs and the Sandbox.

Sandbox

We had booths for GDG Philippines and our sponsors. In the GDG Philippines booths, we demonstrated and asked the participants to try the Android Wear smart watches (LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live, and Moto 360), Cardboard, Chromecast. Most of the time, I was here.

Code Labs

We also organized hands-on code labs aside from the technical talks. We had four tracks for code labs with two technologies each track: Android, Polymer, AngularJS, Google App Engine, Design Thinking and Paper Prototyping, Google Maps API, Appscript, and Game Development with HTML5.

Technical Talks

We had two tracks for the talks. The one in the plenary included Material Design, Game Design, Designing for Mobile, and Ingress. The other track included Google Analytics, Google Compute Engine, and Android. There was supposed to be another track but the other speakers are not available.

Google for Entrepreneurs Week

This year's Google for Entrepreneurs (GFE) Week event in Manila was also held during GDG DevFest Philippines 2014. GFE Week is an annual, global celebration of innovators and entrepreneurs. There was a panel of experts and entrepreneurs who will talked about different Google tools for supporting businesses, followed by a Q&A, and networking session. It was held during the afternoon.

The Aftermath

We had more than 472 attendees for GDG DevFest Philippines. This was the highest number of attendees so far for a GDG DevFest Philippines event. There were more than 25% female attendees this year too.

Photos, slides, and more details about the event can be found in the Events Website and in the Google+ Events Page. Thanks again to our speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees!

CDO-Camiguin-CDO Weekend

Celine was in Cagayan de Oro for two weeks (October 6-16) for their Google Apps for Education trainings. I went there during the weekend (October 10-12). Her training partner Monique's boyfriend (Chech) also went there during that weekend.

I arrived late in the afternoon at Laguindingan Airport and rode a shuttle to CDO. This was cheaper than the taxi (200 peso fixed price) and would be driving us straight to hotels. After meeting with Celine and resting for a few minutes, we went out to eat. We had dinner at Butcher's Best Barbeque and desserts at Something Sweet by Ann.

Desserts at Something Sweet by Ann

The next day (October 11, Saturday), the four of us went to Camiguin Island for the whole-day trip. We took a bus from Agora Terminal to Port of Balingoan. There, we rode a ferry to Port Of Benoni in Camiguin.

After eating breakfast, our first stop was at the Katibawasan Falls. Near the entrance, we tried the kiping. It is made of sweet potatoes and sprinkled with latik. After the falls, we went to Ardent Hot Springs where we get to swim. We had a not so good lunch at Terrasse International Ristorante. We also went to Walkway to the Old Volcano, Sunken Cemetery, and Guiob Church Ruins. We then went to Soda Swimming Pool and Sto. Niño Cold Spring Resort. In Sto. Niño Cold Spring Resort, we got to try an instant fish foot spa in the pool. We got back to CDO in the evening. Celine and I went to Penong's Barbeque and Seafoods for dinner.

Kiping

On Sunday (October 12), Celine and I went to St. Agustine Cathedral for the morning mass. We visited the Gaston Park, MacArthur Memorial Marker, and Capitol Grounds. Paul Labis toured us to Ultra Winds Mountain Resort Zipline & Restaurant for a high-altitude lunch. The three of us then went to Gardens Of Malasag before going back to the hotel. We got our things and Paul gave Chech and me a ride to the airport.

McArthur Memorial Marker

It was a very short trip! I wish I could stay longer.

Android Lollipop and new Nexus Devices

Android L is now here! And it is named Android Lollipop. Along with this news is the announcement of a new Nexus phone (Motorola Nexus 6), a new Nexus tablet (HTC Nexus 9), and the first Android TV device (Asus Nexus Player).

Additional details about the Android Lollipop and the new Nexus devices are available in the official announcement.

Android Wear Videos Playlist

I have been watching these videos about Android Wear and wearables, including the DevBytes released during the launch of the Developer Preview, the I/O Bytes about Android Wear, and the Wearables sessions during Google I/O 2014. These videos are in different playlists and locations. Thus, I decided to create a YouTube playlist for these Android Wear videos. The Android Wear playlist is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPHUBdjMycTr_e1szOvkBWEUMDN2tybWX.

Android Wear Playlist

Android Workshops

After Google I/O, we at GDG Philippines have been busy with our events. We've had the Post-I/O Meetup (July 7), Chromecast/Google Cast Meetup (July 23), Polymer Workshop (July 30) and Android Wear Workshop (August 2). GDG Philippines also visited different schools (FEU, ADMU, and NU) for our GDG Campus Roadshow events. Aside from talks about different Google technologies, we usually have Android, Google App Engine, or Google Maps API workshops for our Campus Roadshows.

In Ateneo de Manila University (July 26), we had workshops in Google App Engine and Android. This was co-organized with a Google Student Ambassador from Ateneo (Cristine Chen). I facilitated the morning Android workshop.

The participants in the Android workshop at Ateneo

During the GDG Campus Roadshow in National University, we had talks about Google Chrome, Google Apps, and Motivational/IT Careers. In the afternoon, we had workshops in Google App Engine, HTML5 Game Development, and Android. I facilitated the half-day Android workshop.

Android workshop at NU

We also organized our first Android Wear event, an Android Wear Workshop last August 2. It was a whole-day event held in De La Salle University. Tomorrow, we'll be back in DLSU for the GDG-GSA Campus Roadshow, with Google App Engine workshop in the morning and an afternoon Android Workshop.

Android Wear Workshop

Conducting workshops, even if it's just a half-day event, is tiring but knowing that you have taught the participants something and inspired them takes away all the tiredness. If you are interested in attending events of GDG Philippines, add us in your Google+ circles for updates. You can also invite GDG Philippines in your schools by filling up our Event Request Form and we'll get back to you.

Getting Started with Android Wear

The official SDK for Android Wear has been announced together with Android Wear during Google I/O 2014. If you want to start developing for Android Wear, you would need to download Android Studio 0.8+. You would also need to download the following packages using your SDK Manager:

• Android 4.4W (API 20) > SDK Platform
• Android 4.4W (API 20) > Android Wear ARM System Image
• Android 4.4W (API 20) > Android Wear Intel System Image

Additionally, you can download the packages for Samples and Sources.

If you do not have an Android Wear device yet, you can create an emulator. To create one, go to the AVD Manager and click the Create... button. Fill it up with the name and the following details:

• Device - Android Wear Round or Android Wear Square device types;
• Target - Android 4.4W - API Level 20
• CPU/ABI - Android Wear ARM (armeabi-v7a)
• Keyboard - Select Hardware keyboard present
• Skin - AndroidWearRound or AndroidWearSquare
• Snapshot - Not selected
• Use Host GPU - Selected

Creating an Android Wear Emulator

Click OK. You can now start this emulator.

To create a new Android Wear Project, follow the following steps:

1. Open Android Studio
2. Click New Project in the Welcome Screen (or File > New Project if you already have an open project).
3. Fill up the project name and package name, then click the Next button.
4. Check Phone and Tablet and select the Minimum SDK.
5. Check Wear and select API 20: Android 4.4 (KitKat Wear) as the minimum SDK
6. Click the Next button.
7. In the Add activity to Mobile window, select Blank Activity then click the Next button. You can change the activity name, layout name, and title.
8. In the Add activity to Wear window, select Blank Activity then click the Next button. You can change the activity name, and the layout names.
9. Click the Finish button.

Run the mobile module to run it in your phone or tablet device (or emulator). To run and view the wearable app, run the wear module and choose your emulator. You will see something like the one below:

Hello Square World

Android Wear

During Google I/O 2014's keynote, Android Wear was officially announced. Android Wear extends the Android platform to wearables.

To use an Android Wear smart watch, it must be paired to a phone or tablet running Android 4.3 and up and has Bluetooth. The Android Wear app must be installed and used to pair the handheld device to an Android wear device (or an Android Wear emulator).

There were three smartwatches announced: the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live, which are already available for purchase and the upcoming Moto 360, which will be released in the coming weeks. Both the LG and Samsung watches have square faces while the Moto 360 has a round design.

Android Wear shows your Google Now cards and notifications from the apps installed in your handheld device. There are also apps that has integration to or run directly on the wearable. You can also use the Ok Google voice command to search, reply via voice, or do actions on the wearables (like Take a Note, Send a text, Navigate, and many more. It can also count your number of steps and get your heart rate (the Gear Live has this sensor while the G Watch does not).

Android L Developer Preview

One of the things announced during Google I/O 2014 was the Android L Developer Preview. It is an early access of the upcoming new version of Android, which is targeted for developers who want to make their apps ready when it launches soon.

The new features of the Android L Developer Preview include Material Design, the new default runtime ART (Android Runtime) to replace Dalvik, Enhanced Notifications, Project Volta (battery and energy efficiency), and a lot of new APIs.

To try Android L Developer Preview, go to http://developer.android.com/preview/setup-sdk.html. For now, only Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 2013 edition has available system images.

If you encounter bugs or have some feedback, you can summit it in the issue tracker at https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/. You can also join the Android L Developer Preview Google+ community.

Takbo.ph RunFest 2014

It's been a while since the last time I ran. My last run was in July last year during Takbo.ph RunFest 2013. After more than a year, I decided to run for this year's RunFest.

Takbo.ph RunFest 2014 was held in July 13 at Bonifacio Global City. Once again, I ran in the 10k category. I didn't have any training for this. It was great that I was able to finish it in 1:16:13 and get a finisher's medal.

This was also the first time I used Runtastic Android app and my LG G Watch in tracking my run. My record for this was 10.78 km in 1:18:01.

My run at Takbo.ph RunFest 2014

I am hoping I can do more runs in the remaining months of 2014.

Trip to the United States

I went to the United States from June 21 to July 1 to attend the GDG Organizer Summit (June 23-24) and Google I/O 2014 (June 25-26). I was blessed to be granted a US VISA this time to go there.

We left Manila on June 21 and arrived in San Francisco on the same night. We stayed in Hyatt Regency San Francisco for the night. Our body was still under jet lag because we woke up at around four in the morning. We decided to walk outside and wait for the sunrise. We had breakfast then went back to SF International Airport for our shuttle for the summit hotel.

The GDG summit was held in Googleplex, Mountain View, California. The first day of the summit was in the Olympic Tech Talk of Quad 3 Building while on the second day, we were at the Main Campus. On the first day, we had various talks while on the second day was mostly unconferences. We also went to the Google Store to buy some stuff and to the Android statues to take pictures.

After the summit has ended, we went to Moscone West to register and get our badges and schwags. We checked in to Holiday Inn Civic Center afterwards. While most of the women went to the Women Techmakers Manila, we went to Intel's Official Unofficial Google I/O Pre-Party. We got the chance to receive an Acer Iconia Tab 8 there.

The next day is the first day of I/O. We woke up very early and lined up outside for the Keynote. It feels great to be able to watch the keynote live. After that, we joined the sessions, workshops, and 'box talks. In the evening after Day 1, we went to the After Hours in Yerba Buena Gardens. After the second day, we had a GDG farewell dinner at Google San Francisco office.

On June 27, we joined the GDG/GBG SEA tour. We went to the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, and Muir Woods National Monument. We also had wine tasting at Cline Cellars. We also dropped by the Conservatory of Flowers before going back to the hotel. Afterwards, we went to Ross to buy luggages and other stuff. We also went around to buy TSA locks and other different stuff. We rode a Cable car to Fisherman's Wharf and had dinner there.

On June 28, we went to Oakland International Airport for our flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. We will be there just for the night before going to Los Angeles, California. We stayed there in Blair House Suites. It was so hot in Vegas. The temperature was 40 degrees celcius! We decided to rest and sleep first. At around eight in the evening, we walked to Peppermill to have dinner and then we went to the different places there and took pictures.

The next day, we woke up really late. We went to Greyhound Bus Station for our six-hour travel to LA. Celine's Tita Vicky and Tito Deo picked me up from the station and we met with Celine's Tita Dioly, Tita Che, and cousin Stacy for dinner. They are very hospitable and they even toured me around the next day.

Wayne, Chelle, and I met in the Los Angles International Airport for our flight back to Manila on July 1. In the Starbucks near our boarding gate, I was able to use the $5 card I got during I/O and just paid a cent for a Double Chocolate Cookie and an Oatmeal Raisin Cran cookie.

Here is the Google+ story of my short trip to the United States:

My travel to the US is very short. I wish I can go back there again soon, and hopefully with Celine too.

Google I/O 2014

After so many years, I was finally able to attend Google I/O. Google I/O 2014 was held from June 25-26, 2014 at Moscone West in San Francisco, California.

It feels great watching the keynote live. If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch the Google I/O 2014 Keynote video below:

There were a lot of announcements during the keynote: Material Design, Android L Developer Preview, Android Wear, Android Auto, Android TV, Google Fit, Google Play Services 5.0, and many more. They also announced the launch of LG G Watch and Samung Gear Live on July 7 and the upcoming release of Moto 360 in the next months. At the end of the keynote, every attendee was given a Cardboard.

After the keynote, many sessions and workshops are happening at the same time. It was so hard to choose where to go. I attended mostly the 'Box Talks and roam around in the Sandbox (Design/Develop/Distribute) areas because these won't be recorded. I'll just watch the other sessions from the I/O website.

It was a truly great experience to be a part of Google I/O. I learned a lot of things and met new friends. I'm feeling inspired and looking forward to building new stuff based from what I learned in I/O.

GDG Organizer Summit 2014

We attended the GDG Organizer Summit from June 23 to 24, 2014 in Googleplex, Mountain View, California. It was attended by around 350 GDG community managers from all over the world who are attending Google I/O 2014.

The first day of the summit was held in the Olympic Tech Talk of Quad 3 Building. There were a few talks in the morning. After lunch, we had a Google [x] talk, an a conversation with Howard Reingold. We then had the lightning talks. My proposed lightning talk was selected and I was one of those who did a lightning talk. I talked about Collaboration with other communities. I was so nervous during the 5-minute talk.

Photo taken by Reymart

Google talks and GDG Women Diversity Stories from the different GDG Women communities were next in the programme. We then closed the program, had dinner/after-party, and exchanged schwags with one another.

The second day of the summit was held in the Main Campus. We had a group photo before proceeding with two rounds of unconferences. We also had a meeting with the managers from South East Asia. Then, we went to the Google Store to buy some shirts and other stuff. In the afternoon, we had a Google Glass Design Sprint. After the closing talks, we all went to Moscone West to register for Google I/O and get our badges.

Google I/O 2014 Live Blog

Google I/O 2014 is going to be on June 25-26 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Google I/O is Google's annual developer conference, where they share the latest products and technologies. If you won't be able to go to San Francisco to attend I/O, you can watch the sessions live from the website or you can attend one of the I/O Extended events. In the Philippines, the Google Developer Groups are organizing I/O Extended events in Manila, Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Nueva Ecija, and Zamboanga.

The event schedule can be found at https://www.google.com/events/io/schedule. You can also download the official Android app on Google Play Store.

I/O Bytes 2014

Google Developers is releasing over 100 I/O Bytes, which are short videos (less than 10 minutes) "help developers like you dive in and experience I/O anywhere, anytime. " They've been adding new videos everyday. The I/O Bytes 2014 YouTube playlist is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOU2XLYxmsIIwGK7v7jg3gQvIAWJzdat_.

Google I/O 2014

Google I/O 2014 is going to be on June 25-26 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Google I/O is Google's annual developer conference, where they share the latest products and technologies. The theme this year is Design, Develop, and Distribute. There will be breakout sessions, workshops and code labs, app reviews and 'Box talks. I am looking forward to attending Google I/O, especially the sessions, workshops and 'box talks about Android and Wearables. Android Wear's official SDK and the 1.0 of Android Studio will probably be announced there.

If you won't be able to attend Google I/O, you can watch it live on the Google I/O website or attend an I/O Extended event near you. In the Philippines, the Google Developer Groups are organizing I/O Extended events in Manila, Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Nueva Ecija, and Zamboanga.

The event schedule can be found at https://www.google.com/events/io/schedule. You can also download the official Android app on Google Play Store.

Saturday in Angeles, Pampanga

Carissa Coles, community manager of GBG Angeles, invited GDG Philippines for a developer meetup in Angeles City, Pampanga on June 7.

Wayne and I left around ten in the morning and arrived in Dau Mabalacat Bus Terminal. It rained very hard so we had to wait a few minutes before going to Angeles. We rode a jeep and alighted near Jenra Mall. We walked to Historic Camalig Restaurant for lunch. Our orders Marco's 3-way Tinapa-flavor pizza and Pacencia a Kapampangan mom's sweet recipe pasta for me. The pasta was a bit too sweet.

Marco's 3-way Tinapa-flavor pizza

Pacencia a Kapampangan mom's sweet recipe pasta

After lunch, we went to SJH Building in Holy Angel University for the event. I talked about Google Developer Groups (GDGs) and GDG Philippines. Lars Norlander, a GSA from Angeles University Foundation also gave a talk about the Google Student Ambassador (GSA) Program and his experience in the GSA South East Asia Summit last May. Wayne talked about Google Maps, Google Maps APIs, and Google Map Maker. The participants then had hands-on mapping before the event ended.

The attendees of the GDGPH-GBG Angeles Developer Meetup

Carissa, Wayne, and I walked to Holy Rosary Parish Church and a few more steps until we rode a jeep to Marquee Mall. We went Apag Marangle to eat but Carissa and her husband left already. We tried their tilapia and chili frog. After dinner, we decided to have some halo halo at Kabigting's.

Chili Frogs

Kabigting's Halo-Halo, the pride of Arayat

They said that the last bus in Marquee Mall bound to Manila is available only until seven in the evening. Because it is already past that time when we finished eating, we opted to ride another jeep back to Dau Terminal. Before riding a bus, we looked around for pasalubong and could not find stores selling them, except for one. We bought some and rode the bus and went back.

Android Wear Developer Preview

Last month, Google announced Android Wear, Android's platform for wearable devices, and the Android Wear Developer Preview. This preview is not intended for production use because it will no longer be supported after the official SDK is released, which will probably be announced in Google I/O 2014 happening on June 25-26.

To get started with the Android Wear Developer Preview, you must first signup at http://developer.android.com/wear/preview/signup.html. You can then download the Android Wear Support Library and sample codes, and you will be given access to the Android Wear Preview app on Google Play.

Download the Android Wear ARM EABI v7a System Image using the Android SDK Manager. It is available under Android 4.4.2. When creating a smart watch emulator, you can choose between AndroidWearSquare or AndroidWearRound depending on the display you want. The target should be Android 4.4.2 and the CPU/ABI should be Android Wear ARM (armeabi-v7a).

If you already have installed the Android Wear Preview app, open it and check the notification access in the settings. To connect the Android Wear emulator to the app, go to your command line terminal, navigate to your Android SDK's platform-tools directory and execute adb -d forward tcp:5601 tcp:5601.

The Android Wear support library must also be added to your Android project. You can try this with the sample codes included in the download

For more information, you can check out the Android Wear website, join the Android Wear Developers Google+ community at http://g.co/androidweardev, or watch the Android Wear DevBytes playlist:

South Korea Vacation

From March 21 to 24 of this year, Celine, Mama Chelle, Mitch, Wayne, Jerome, and I went to South Korea for a very short vacation. This blog post summarizes the highlights of our trip. I plan to blog more about the specific days and the places we visited, soon.

We arrived there evening of March 21, took the train and went to Namsan Guest House to check-in. We had dinner in a nearby barbecue restaurant. On our third day, we went to Nami Island for a day trip and took a lot of photos. In the evening, we went to Gangnam and meet some of the Google Developer Group (GDG) managers from South Korea. We had dinner at a Samgyupsal place nearby. After dinner, we also bought some food to bring to friends in the Philippines.

With the GDG managers from South Korea [Photo from Nuri]

On our last day (March 24), we went back to Gangnam, visited the Google Seoul office and had lunch/meeting with the Google Developer Relations Manager Soonson Kwon, and prepared our stuff to go to the airport.

It's a pretty short trip but we enjoyed our stay there. We visited different palaces, temples and other historical/cultural places there. There are still a lot that we haven't visited though. I wish we could go back there in the near future.

5th ICT Youth Convention

+Celine and I went back to Ozamiz City on February 27, 2014 for the 5th ICT Youth Convention organized by La Salle University-Ozamiz. The convention was a three-day event (26-28) but we were only there for the second day.

We were picked up from the airport and went to the hotel to pick up Ralph, who will be doing a design workshop in the morning. We had breakfast first and went to the hall. I talked about Google Developer Tools and Technologies and then Ria Lu of Komikasi followed with her talk about the four types of gamers.

We had lunch at Mooon Cafe and we ate baby back ribs. After eating, we went back to LSU. I went to the laboratory for the Android workshop and the rest went to the afternoon talks, where the first speaker is Celine, with her talk about Google's programs for student. Around fifteen students and teachers attended the Android workshop. My laptop charger broke down before I even start my talk. The laboratory technicians were able to do a temporary fix for it but the power went down. I had to talk for a few minutes without slides. When the power went back, I continued with my slides and the workshop. The power went out again when almost all students are nearly done with their work. Unfortunately, I found out that all the computers are in deep freeze so all of their work are now gone. I gave them a copy of the finished code and continued with the talk.

After the talk, Celine and I were asked to judge the entries in the Flash Contest and Digital Art Contest from Day 1. We went back to the main hall to watch a bit of the ongoing Philnits quiz bee. We then check in at Royal Garden Hotel and rested for a bit. We were picked up around seven in the evening for the Socials Night at Beatriz Hotel. Most of the students are in formal attire while we were in jeans and shirts. There were performances by teachers and students. We left earlier because we have an early flight the next day. We missed their beauty pageant contest.

It was great to be back in Ozamiz! Thanks to Miss +Leslyn and +Jerome for inviting us.

North to South Weekend

In January 18, we went to Nueva Ecija with Wayne, Celine, Mama Chelle, Amit, Josh, Jona and I went to Nueva Ecija for the first event of GDG Philipines, Nueva Ecija Technologies @ Work: Student Developers Day. It was organized by AIE Gapan and was held at SM Cinema 2 of Waltermart Gapan.

We had talks about Innovations @ Google, Google Apps for Education, Google Maps and Map Maker, Game Development, and HTML5. I also did a talk about the basics of Android apps development. After the event, we dropped by the AIE Gapan Campus and had a quick tour there. We then went to Luz Kitchenette for dinner before going back home.

Photo from Reymart

The next day, Celine, Mama Chelle, Amit, Josh, Jona and I travelled to Tagaytay. It was pretty cold up there and the wind was blowing hard. We went to People's Park in the Sky and then to Starbucks. Our last stop there was in Rowena's to buy food for pasalubong. We went back to Manila to go to the National Museum before Amit's flight.

The entrance fee to the National Museum is free that day because it was a Sunday. There were some parts that are being renovated but we did manage to see a lot of things. It was my first time to visit there and it was a great experience. We then went to Intramuros and had lunch at Coco Bango Cafe. Afterwards, we went to the San Agustin Church. There was a wedding ongoing then. We also went inside the museum. We then went to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 for Amit's flight.

We attended the mass in Mary Mother of Hope Chapel at Landmark Makati. After, we met up with friends to watch movie at Glorietta. Then, we had dinner at Max's Glorietta. It was a pretty long weekend. And the year is just starting… We'll have a lot of busy weekends soon.