We were starting to worry about the second Android Developers Challenge(ADC2). Many developers were expecting to see the submission site for ADC2 to open at the beginning of August, but weeks passed with no official update. Several people were wondering if the contest might get delayed, but this week we finally saw Google announce the site was open.
The timeline for the remainder of the event is as follows:
- August 31: submission site closes
- September: ADC2 client/scoring app goes up on Market; users begin reviewing apps
- October (estimated): first-round judging ends
- November (estimated): final judging ends, winners announced
The next round of action begins when Google releases an official judging app to the Market which allows users to download and score apps.
After the public questions arose about the submission site, we contacted Google to see if the rest of the schedule was still on track. In response to the availability of the judging app, a Google spokesperson responded with the following:
“For availability of the judging app, we are targeting mid-September, but the date depends on how many submissions we have to process.”
This is in line with the original schedule and should hopefully calm the concern over meeting deadlines. Once the judging app is available in the Market, users will be able to score entries based on the following criteria.
- Originality of Concept: Does the application introduce a great new idea; for example, a new angle on social applications?
- Effective Use of the Android Platform: Does the application take advantage of Android’s unique and compelling features, such as built-in location-based services, accelerometer, and always-on networking?
- Polish and Appeal: Is the application easy to use and aesthetically appealing?
- Indispensability: Is the application compelling and essential, such as a game the user just can’t put down or a utility she can’t live without?
During the first round, the community scores will be used to determine the top 20 applications in each of the 10 categories. These 200 apps will then qualify for the second round of judging that will be done by the community and an expert panel of judges chosen by Google. The community judges scores will comprise 40% of the final score, with the remaining 60% determined by the expert judges.
From what I have been reading, there does not appear to be much buzz for ADC2, even though Google is offering close to $2 million in prizes. I would have expected to see more apps appear in the Market during August so developers could gather feedback from users and fix any bugs. After the August 31st deadline, developers will not be able to submit new versions of their apps for Judging.
Hopefully, we will be surprised when we finally see the full list of apps that got submitted.
Public voting for ADC2 begins this September.
