Nokia to train local app developers on new Android phones

AMMAN — Nokia on Tuesday will train scores of Jordanian app developers on how to create Android applications and publish them through its app store, according to Osama Shoeib, developer outreach manager at Nokia for the Middle East and North Africa.

Fifty to sixty Jordanian app developers specialised in creating apps on the Android operating system will take part in the training, which is conducted in cooperation with the Jordan Gaming Lab, he said.

“The training seeks to educate app developers on how they can… reach a large number of mobile users worldwide,” Shoeib told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of a press conference on Monday to announce the launch of the Nokia X+ phone in Jordan, which runs a special Nokia X software platform based on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

“As Nokia launched a series of devices running on a new operating system, we are keen on ensuring that Jordanian app developers know how to develop apps for this operating system and upgrade the apps they already designed to fit it,” he said.

The Nokia X+ and XL phones are the first Android smartphones released by the Finland-based company. Previous devices ran on Windows Phone and Symbian operating systems.

Nokia and the Jordan Gaming Lab will hold training courses for app developers in Jordan twice a month until the end of this year, Shoeib said.

“We have a distinguished cooperation with Jordanian app developers at present and we believe there is room for further cooperation. We are keen on keeping app developers in Jordan up to date with the latest in the industry,” he added.

According to estimates by the Arab Advisers Group, smartphone penetration in Jordan stands at around 60 per cent, and some 65 per cent of smartphones holders in the Kingdom use mobile applications.

The latest Telecommunications Regulatory Commission figures show that mobile penetration reached 156 per cent at the end of 2013 with 10.3 million mobile subscriptions.