On Holiday, Attending the Google Android Curriculum Workshop

School’s out for break. I braved heavy snow to get to Hangzhou to attend Google’s Android curriculum workshop.

I finally experienced the much-hyped Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed rail. From Hongqiao station to Hangzhou took just 45 minutes. But getting out of Hangzhou train station was another matter entirely. One teacher waited 2 hours for a taxi at the station. I didn’t wait at the station — I went outside to hail one, but there was not a single taxi to be found. After a few detours, walking 5 km in the snow, taking 5 bus stops, and a 2 km taxi ride, I finally reached the hotel, taking 2 hours total. What time did the HSR actually save?

Google gathered representatives from several universities across China that offer Android courses to discuss big plans for the new year. There might be some major moves in the second half of the year, but I probably can’t talk about them yet.

I can really feel how incredibly hot Android is in China. Everyone is singing its praises. Countless companies, big and small, are recruiting Android talent. Universities are following closely — one school has Google TV, Google Pad, and Google Phone all covered, and they even claim they’ll buy an Android-based Roewe 350 car. That’s just crazy. Maybe one day an airplane will run Android, and we can buy a private jet to do Android development — though if the program crashes, would the plane crash too?

Next semester, Tongji’s Android course will also be launching. Stay tuned. By June, we’ll buy another batch of Android phones, so every student in the course can have one.

Course website: http://android.hezongjian.com