The mobile landscape and Apple’s iOS are evolving at the speed of light.

One of the best ways to keep up with this ever changing ecosystem is the VTM iOS Developer Conference where you can attend talks by domain experts and meet many fellow developers.  It’s a great way to keep your skills sharp and find inspiration.

A couple of us attended the conference over the last weekend in Boston (Nov 12-13).  We enjoyed listening to an interesting variety of both technical and philosophical discussions about new features in iOS5, development strategies, and the future of mobile.

This year marked Jeff’s third time speaking at a VTM conference. He gave a talk about how to enrich the user experience of mobile apps by not limiting it to the two dimensional interface of the touchscreen.  Jeff discussed how to use the many sensors available on smartphones (e.g. gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, etc.) as complimentary inputs.

Staying true to the premise of his talk, Jeff built a sample app for the audience step-by-step with a brand new UI for “time travel”.  His app set the “time” by physically moving the device just like the arms of an analog clock.  (check out his slides here) 

Another highlight for me was the closing address, “Beyond the Gold Rush”, by Brent Simmons.  He talked about the past, present, and future of mobile.  Brent predicted that the next 5 years will be even more magical and revolutionary. 

He challenged the audience to realize this future by “solving the hard problems” because the mainstream users have now embraced mobile devices and are ready to go way beyond the fart and flashlight apps.

We accept the challenge.  Let’s get to it!

Overall the VTM conference was a great way to spend a beautiful New England weekend with comrades.