Appy together

8 September 2011 Last updated at 16:26 GMT By Darren Waters BBC Wales News The conference aims to put businesses in touch with each other The mobile phone has become an indispensable tool for many of us.

More than 90% of people in Wales own one, and more than a third of us have a so-called smartphone.

Hoping to capitalise on a market now worth around £10bn a year, mobile developers from around the UK are gathering at Aberystwyth University for a conference to share expertise around building applications, or apps, for these devices.

These programmes for the latest generation of mobile gadgets - such as the iPhone, iPad or Google Android devices - can do everything from mobile banking, games, maps and social networking to booking cinema tickets, making video calls and cookery recipes.

"The biggest change in the last few years is that these smartphones really do put a computer in your pocket for the first time. That's how powerful they have become," said Prof Christopher Price, from the computer science department at Aberystwyth.

Modern mobile phones combine a number of technologies that transform them from mere telephones to conduits to the world's largest repository of information - the web.

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These devices are transformative putting information at our fingertips at all times, wherever we are”

End Quote Professor Christopher Price Aberyswyth Univertsity From GPS to gyroscopes, high-definition cameras and powerful processors, the modern smartphone is one of the most sophisticated pieces of technology ever created.

The computer science department at Aberystwyth is also using the conference to further enhance its reputation in the mobile world; it has developed a number of mobile apps, including a basic Welsh tutorial program, and a more sophisticated Welsh for adult learners app in conjunction with the Welsh Joint Education Council.

Prof Price said he organised the conference after feeling that the relatively small community of app developers in the UK would benefit from sharing knowledge on getting the most from apps and mobile devices.

He added: "In the Third World these phones are helping communities leap straight into the digital age, jumping over the use of desktops. Even in the UK, these devices are transformative putting information at our fingertips at all times, wherever we are."

Popular apps

He believes the industry is poised to grow to be worth more than £100bn in a matter of a few years, and that the UK, and developers in Wales, are poised to take advantage of that explosion.

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It really no longer matters whether you are in San Francisco or in the south Wales valleys”

End Quote Huw Davies Software Alliance Wales Craig Lockwood, from digital agency Huw David Design, based in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: "Whether you are working for a big agency in one of the bigger cities or a small independent developer working at home in your bedroom, you've got a platform where you can distribute these apps globally."

Huw David has designed an app for the Cardiff design trail, as part of the city's design festival.

It lets users tag and share photos of interesting things around Cardiff and beyond - from architecture to graffiti - and share them with other users.

Speaking at the conference was Dave Addey, well-known within developer circles for his popular UK train times app.

He started as a sole developer with an idea for an application and took a demo to National Rail, who commissioned him to build and release it.

It is now one of the most popular apps in the UK and lets users plan rail journeys wherever they are in the country.

"The great thing about mobile app development is that all it needs is a great idea, and commitment to get the app made," he said.

Huw Davies, from Software Alliance Wales, which helped organise the conference, said: "We're looking to put businesses in touch with each other, to share ideas and information so they can take advantage of this revolution.

"It really no longer matters whether you are in San Francisco or in the south Wales valleys."

In the mobile world, it would seem that all roads lead to Aberystwyth University, at least for the next few days.

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Callalily and Kiss Jane Playing Sweet Music Together

Check out how two different bands formed a unique chemistry in the latest episode of “Volume Up!”

In my previous Volume Up article, we checked out the music video for Callalily‘s “Liwanag” and Kiss Jane‘s “Lagi” to have an idea on what the two songs will sound like when mashed together. We also took a peek on their rehearsals to see if the two bands get along well.

Based from the last episode of Volume Up on MYX (you can watch the previous episodes here), Callalily and Kiss Jane had a blast in working for the mash-up of their hits “Liwanag” and “Lagi.” As we all know, it’s important for two artists to jive and click during the rehearsals in order to mash-up their songs properly and the two bands did just that.

Excited to hear the mash-up? It’s quite intriguing what would be the product of two songs joined together, right? And what would be the sound of Kean Cipriano‘s take on Kiss Jane‘s “Lagi” and Jacq‘s take on Callalily‘s “Liwanag”?

You can have an idea if you watch the following episodes of Volume Up:

Episode 8

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Episode 9

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

On the said episodes, Callalily and Kiss Jane also shared the lessons that they’ve learned during their mash-up session. And with the chemistry that they’ve formed, Kean Cipriano said that if Callalily would be given a chance to work with Kiss Jane again, he is hoping to have a duet number with the band’s lead singer Jacq. And perhaps it might develop into “playing sweet music together” which is another story, I must say.

So without further ado, here is the highly-anticipated mash-up of Callalily and Kiss Jane for the Coca-Cola Music Studio Volume Up! (CLICK HERE to watch the video)

Don’t miss an episode of Volume Up, The Coca-Cola Music Studio, which airs 5:30 to 6:00pm every Sunday on MYX, with replays on Tuesday at 7:30 to 8:00pm. You can also check out previous Volume Up episodes anytime you want via the official website of the Coca-Cola Music Studio: http://musicstudio.coca-cola.com.ph.

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Navy SEAL’s widow: ‘We were blessed to be together’

In June, Aaron Vaughn and his wife cherished their all-too-brief time together when the Navy SEAL was home for the birth of their daughter.

On Tuesday, Vaughn will return home for the final time. He was part of a group of 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, who were killed by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan on Saturday. It is the highest single-day amount of U.S. casualties in Afghanistan, the most since 16 soldiers were killed on June 28, 2005.

Vaughn’s wife, Kimberly, and his parents, Billy and Karen, spoke with TODAY’s Matt Lauer on Monday, remembering a husband and son who loved God, his country and his family. Kimberly was particularly grateful for the short time they had together in June for the birth of their daughter, Chamberlyn.

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“It was wonderful,’’ she told Lauer after expressing her condolences to the families of the other fallen soldiers. “As much as these men are gone away from their families over hundreds of days of the year, [it’s important] that we make the most of our time together, and we were blessed to be together for the birth of our children. Aaron was an amazing father, and I’m proud that I will get to carry on his legacy through our children.’’

Childhood dream
The 30-year-old, who was based in Virginia Beach, Va., leaves behind two children, Chamberlyn and 2-year-old son Reagan, both of whom he was able to witness being born while home from overseas. The member of the secretive and elite SEAL Team Six was also remembered as a deeply religious man who loved the United States.

“I’m most proud of Aaron’s humility and nobility, but more than anything I’m most proud of the way he loved God and how important his faith was to him,’’ his mother said. “Everything he did was secret, and it just feels really strange right now, that only in his death can we celebrate who he was in his life. It’s a very difficult concept to understand, but Aaron would want everybody to know most is that he loved America. He believed America could be great again, and he fought for the America he grew up in.’’

Video: Mom of fallen SEAL: 'I'm so proud of my son' (on this page)

From the time he was a child, Vaughn had his sights set on becoming a Navy SEAL and serving his country.

“After 9/11, Aaron told me and his mother he wanted to be a SEAL, and he said he wanted to ever since he was a little boy,’’ his father said. “He felt, and so did the other members of his team, that the very existence of our republic is at stake, and because of that, Aaron was willing to give his life.’’

‘National treasures’
Vaughn boarded a Chinook helicopter Saturday as part of a 30-man contingent of reinforcements called in during a firefight with the Taliban about 60 miles southwest of Kabul. After the reinforcements had turned the tide of the battle, a Taliban fighter fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the helicopter from about 150 yards away, sending it crashing into a valley by a river bank. The Chinook burst into flames, according to witnesses.

Video: 30 killed in deadliest day for US in Afghanistan (on this page)

Twenty-two of the casualties were members of the elite SEAL Team Six, a 300-member fighting force that was responsible for the killing of Osama bin Laden. None of the SEAL Team Six members who were directly involved in bin Laden’s death were killed in the Chinook. Eight Taliban fighters were killed and four escaped, according to an estimate by Taliban leaders.

The remains of the soldiers are expected to arrive at Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday for the traditional transfer ceremony before they will be brought to their respective homes for the final time.

“These men are national treasures,’’ former Navy SEAL Ryan McCombie told NBC News. “They’re irreplaceable. You don’t find them everywhere, so this was a tragedy for the entire country.’’

“Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan,’’ President Obama said in a statement.

While the Vaughns have lost their son, they remain believers in the mission of the United States and know that there was nothing else Aaron would rather have done with his life.

Navy SEAL’s widow: ‘We were blessed to be together’ Kimberly Vaughn, wife of Navy SEAL Aaron Vaughn — one of 30 Americans killed Saturday in a clash with the Taliban in Afghanistan — said Monday that she was grateful that her late husband was home for the births of their two children.

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“We’re a very patriotic family,’’ Karen Vaughn said. “We believe that America will be on its feet again and a country that the rest of the world looks to as a leader. We’re just really sad about this huge loss. We’re really sad that our son is gone, but we know that he would have done it all again.’’

As for Kimberly, she is left with two children too young to fully understand the profound loss, but she will tell them the story of their heroic father.

“They will take away his love for Christ,’’ Kimberly said tearfully about her children. “They will take away his strength and his love for this country. And they will know what an amazing man he [was].’’

© 2011 MSNBC Interactive.  Reprints

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