Hackathon Sponsored by Brother International Corporation Drives Innovation in Mobile Application Development

Top award at the March 23-24 Event in Irvine, California given to voice command label printing app

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The Brother Mobile App Hackathon, designed to spur innovation in application development for mobile printing and labeling solutions, attracted a sell-out crowd

WESTMINSTER, Colo.--()--A recent Hackathon designed to spur innovation in application development for mobile printing and labeling solutions attracted a sell-out crowd of more than 100 designers and developers from across the country. Sponsored by Brother International Corporation, its subsidiary Brother Mobile Solutions, and Orange County SoCal iOS developers group, the Hackathon challenged participants to create prototypes for new apps that seamlessly integrate with the Brother QL label printer, Brother RuggedJet® mobile label and receipt printer, and the PocketJet® full-page mobile printer.

“Hackathons are a popular new forum for team collaboration and new-age creativity applied to software development,” said Nick D’Alessio, senior manager of business development for Brother Mobile Solutions. “Our goal for the Hackathon was to challenge highly talented application designers to ‘think outside of the box’ and raise the bar on innovative ideas for new solutions that add value in the business-to-business and consumer marketplaces.”

Linus Lee, founder of SoCal’s largest developers group and organizer of this event said: “The Hackathon turned out to be a rewarding, yet challenging forum for some of the best and brightest new thinkers in the DevOps industry to collaborate and compete. Not only did many sharp ideas emerge, but participating team leaders also received a free Brother QL label printer as they competed for cash awards ranging from $200 to $2,000.”

The Hackathon was designed to be more than a classroom-like exercise. Mr. Lee added, “It was a day-and-a half software development ‘experience’ – complete with a bit of education on development best practices, a discussion on the importance of patents and intellectual property interspliced with live music, and of course plenty of time for brainstorming, networking and socializing.”

On-Scene: Creative Apps and Legendary Hackathon Champions

The top award at the Brother Mobile App Hackathon went to a consumer-friendly app integrating the Google Home smart speaker and a Brother QL label printer to enable users to print names on labels simply by using voice commands.

The second-place app proposed using brain waves to monitor students during study and practice test sessions, then printing out targeted exercises designed to remedy areas in need of improvement. Coming in third was a school-focused app allowing teachers to print student homework assignment reminders on labels when needed, in addition to printing student recognition labels.

Also of note was an honorable mention for an event-based app that prints a QR code containing emergency contact information and other details on an attendee’s entry ID badge.

“The Brother Mobile App Hackathon was fantastic because we were challenged to address real-world issues using some of today’s hottest consumer and business printing technologies,” said Sarah Han, a well-known SoCal web designer, part of one of the two internationally recognized hackathon champion teams. “We didn’t place in the competition, but that speaks to the fierce and rising level of competition in these tech events.”

For more information, see the blog post: https://www.brothermobilesolutions.com/2018/04/09/driving-innovation-in-mobile-app-development/

About Brother International Corporation

Brother is a leading provider of office equipment technology and document management solutions, including award-winning color and black and white multifunctional printers, scanners, label printers and device-based cloud and mobile technologies. The Brother P-touch line of features label and ribbon printers that feature laminated and specialty tapes along with printable ribbons. Brother printers are recognized as the best in the industry, and consistently earn product and industry accolades including PC Magazine’s 2017 Readers’ Choice and Business Choice awards for reliability and overall customer satisfaction. Brother International Corporation’s At Your Side philosophy demonstrates a dedication to product quality, customer service and dynamic partnerships. Established in 1954 and headquartered in Bridgewater, N.J., Brother markets business, home office and industrial products, along with home appliances. For more information, visit www.brother-usa.com.

About Brother Mobile Solutions

Brother Mobile Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brother International Corporation, provides innovative mobile printing and industrial labeling solutions to field workforces and mobile enterprises. Brother International Corporation and its subsidiaries employ over 1,100 people in the Americas. For more information about Brother Mobile Solutions and its products, call (800) 543-6144, or visit www.brothermobilesolutions.com.

Contacts

Brother International Corporation
Ally Norton
allyson.norton@brother.com
908.252.3034
or
Brother Mobile Solutions
Mary Howard
mary.howard@brother.com
303-464-6707

Release Summary

Hackathon Sponsored by Brother International Corporation Drives Innovation in Mobile Application Development

Contacts

Brother International Corporation
Ally Norton
allyson.norton@brother.com
908.252.3034
or
Brother Mobile Solutions
Mary Howard
mary.howard@brother.com
303-464-6707