As we are getting ready for the next edition, we thought of introducing the team and of giving you some more reasons to attend the 4th edition of MobOS. MobOS stands for the Mobile Operating Systems Community and the associated annual event, aimed at sharing technical knowledge, at bringing an international perspective and at giving you the chance to network with minds alike.
In less than 4 years, MobOS grew steadily, becoming, at the moment, the biggest conference on mobile technologies in Romania. Started in 2013, it now has a team of 4 individuals connected by the passion for technology and mobile. Let us get to know them and see what it's in it for you - the passionate mobile developer curious for more and looking forward to meeting people like yourself.
1. What is MobOS? Tell us a few words about it.
Bogdan Iusco: MobOS is one of the biggest mobile conferences in Romania. Its' purpose is to facilitate knowledge sharing between mobile developers.
Andreea Parvu: MobOS is an educational project - its' purpose is to improve and share knowledge in the IT community. MobOS is also a networking opportunity - to get to know domain experts, a community that facilitates improvements/ sharing of good case practices. It also aims at bringing innovation to the local community.
Andrei Craciun: I am not sure what it is, because it is not only a conference, it's way more than that ... It's something done from the heart, for the mobile community in Cluj.
Teodora Chetan: For me, MobOS is a contribution to the community - we do our best to bring famous and brilliant international speakers to Romania, by giving the national community the chance to meet them, learn from them and feel that they're part of a bigger picture. It's a community of learning and sharing, and we hope to continue to grow in the future the way we've grown in the past.
Who are you and why have you decided to be part of the MobOS team?
Andrei Craciun: I'm one of the technical advisors ... Why? It's about sharing, and giving, and receiving...
Bogdan Iusco: I'm part of the technical team at MobOS. I have decided to be part of it because I wanted to help mobile developers connect and share ideas.
Andreea Parvu: I am one of the co-founders. I guide myself by the following life quote:
"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." (Steve Jobs). In my opinion, change is needed, and we all need to be proactive and bring initiatives that help changing the world - that is one reason why I invest 20% of my time in volunteering and I believe MobOS is a small initiative that is contributing to changing the world.
Teodora Chetan: Marketer at heart, MobOS was the perfect chance to start something from scratch, bring it to life and make it grow. It wasn't just something. It was an event that catered for a community, by offering the community a chance to be inspired, to network and to learn. Thinking about the 3 editions so far, I remember great speakers, beautiful participants and an awesome team with whom we have built so many memories. I am so looking forward to the next chapter - with a stronger team, many lessons learned and huge ambitions. See you there!
What are the mobile technology trends that you consider will shape its future?
Teodora Chetan: I see mobile developing greatly in all sectors - paying using our fingerprints, drones helping out with insurances, devices more and more developed to help our health, augmented reality to support our purchase decisions, IoT devices in smart homes etc. Mobile is already present in our life, and it will become a more and more integrated part of our everyday activities no matter what we do.
Andrei Craciun: I think for some time now mobile technologies are in the middle of a war between 2 visions: the executive view and the professional view, and there are parties targeting both these views… on the one hand, there are trends that promise quick and easy solutions, while, on the other hand, there are trends that target hardcore professionals that promise improvement through real work. As a personal point of view, I hope the professional view will win but, as an "old" observer, I think this war will be around for some time and the only thing that will make sure we do not lose it, is responsibility and respect for everything mobile development means.
Bogdan Iusco: I see artificial intelligence, augmented and/or virtual reality as the main things that will change the future of mobile.
Andreea Parvu: I see IoT and digital applications as the main trends for mobile technologies.
Why is the mobile community important for Cluj and for Romania?
Andreea Parvu: Until now, the community mainly had an impact on people development, but I see a need to share good case practices, and we need a framework that facilitates this. MobOS represents just that, along with bringing domain experts in Cluj, famous speakers who had a major contribution in mobile development and who can share their knowledge for us to learn.
Bogdan Iusco: Mobile represents a big chunk of the IT business, not only in Cluj, but worldwide. I expect it to grow in the following years, so having a community focused on growing the mobile knowledge will speed up the process.
Teodora Chetan: We started in Cluj because the team lives here and we love this vibrant city, with a great development potential for the technical sector. Our hopes are that MobOS will attract more and more participants from all over the country. Being such a big trend for the future, mobile technologies should attract talented and curious people from all over the country and region. Only by becoming a stronger community, we can make a difference and be a real voice that can drive real change.
Andrei Craciun: There are more than 1 billion smart portable devices connected at this moment. Most of these people use applications created in Cluj and the only engine behind this level of delivering is a strong community.
What are the things you are most keen to achieve by growing MobOS, the conference and the community?
Bogdan Iusco: Having a really connected and active mobile community would be one of the best things that I would like to see as result of the conference.
Andreea Parvu: I would like to see innovation and, at the same time, to build a strong community of subject matter experts at local level. We want to promote ourselves at international/ national level.
Andrei Craciun: I would love to see MobOS events, the annual conference especially. We want the conference to become a reference point in the world's mobility calendar. The same way we expect Google I/O to see the latest Google technologies, we would like the MobOS yearly conference to be the hub for the latest best practices on mobile development.
Teodora Chetan: By growing this community - and to me that means a community that is made of experts, connected and driving change - one day, in the very near future, I hope to see mobile inventions that were created within the community. I see the Romanian mobile community as a voice that drives change and puts Romania on the world's map via its genius. Moreover, in all this process, MobOS should be the catalyst that drives this - helping the community learn, share and be connected in order to be really strong.
What surprises can you share from what you're preparing for MobOS 2017?
Andrei Craciun: Cool speakers, nice location, awesome topics... you know ... the usual …
Bogdan Iusco: It's no surprise that we are committed to improving the agenda year after year. Stay tuned, we're going to reveal some of the speakers soon!
Andreea Parvu: We're preparing awesome speakers, very well known in the community, prizes and awards, and chances to speak with your favorite speakers individually!
Teodora Chetan: We're gonna have even greater speakers and cooler gadgets as giveaways. But mostly, we'll have the passionate mobile developers there - you shouldn't miss the chance to get to know them!
See you at MobOS 2017, on 16-17 February!!!
by Mircea Vădan
by Iulia Bicu
