PhoneGap Blog

We’re stoked to start highlighting amazing people in the PhoneGap community. Our popularity and success is due to our hardworking community and we want to give back! This post is the first in a series that will focus on contributors to the open source project, Apache Cordova, and businesses/individuals developing with PhoneGap.

Our first highlight is a developer named James Hickmott, based in Melbourne, Australia.

Where are you currently employed?

I am currently running my own business Paperclip IT which has been in business for 4 years now. The main focus has been website development, with the recent addition of PhoneGap apps and iPhone Repairs.

How long have you worked with PhoneGap/Cordova?

I have been working with PhoneGap/Cordova for the past 12-18 months. Initially I was developing in-house apps but have recently developed, and in the process of developing, a few public apps.

What platforms do you focus on?

The main platform that I have focused on has been iOS. I recently have expanded to Android and BlackBerry as well. I also have plans to support Windows Phone in the next 6 months.

What’s your specialty?

My speciality at the moment is probably PHP coding as I have been doing a lot of custom Wordpress plugins lately, but I think that before long my speciality will become PhoneGap apps due to the number I have been developing as of late.

List some of the cool things you have made related to PhoneGap.

One app that I have recently released is OBR Reader. This application registers a custom file type that is generated via an electronic document management system called Objective ECM. These custom file types are retrieved from the system by using objective reference files to obtain the documents inside the system. PhoneGap can be used to register the custom file types so that they can then be opened on any iOS device and a user can view the actual documents without the need of a laptop.

Another app has been the Beautiful Possibilities Skin Care app which allows skin care consultants to manage their client database electronically. Doing it this way also allows hardware integration to the devices so the client photos can be taken and stored with their file.

Tell us about yourself?

I am currently engaged, with a wedding date set for November, living in Melbourne with my fiancée. If i am not on my computer coding a website or a mobile app, I am probably relaxing on the couch or out with some friends.

I have been involved in IT since I could walk. I can’t remember not having a computer at home. I have always enjoyed using computers and in high school started to enjoy programming. Initially, to try and earn some money from computers, I started fixing friends computers and also supplying computer parts but I didn’t really enjoy that as much as I did programming. This lead me to website programming. In the beginnning, I was using ASP, since it was an easy transition from vbScript. Not too long after I discovered PHP and wished I had sooner since I found you had the ability to do a lot more in less time.

Then 18 months ago, I needed to develop an in-house contact list that could be accessed via an iOS device. I had previously done a similar one for BlackBerry using Java, but this time I didn’t really want to learn Objective C and that is when I came across PhoneGap. Since using PhoneGap, I have looked at a couple of the other existing tools on the web, but none of them have really impressed me as much.

How has the PG developer directory benefited you?

Within the first 3 weeks of listing myself on the PhoneGap developer directory, I received two phone calls from potential clients. One of the two I managed to secure and I’m in the process of building an app for them at the moment. This person though has also introduced me to two other potential clients which I should be able to secure upon successful completion of the current project.

Fun question: What’s your claim to fame?

As a teenager that is an easy one. I was known as the guy from the fish and chip shop. I had a part time job in high school where I probably worked too much. Whenever I would got out with friends to a party, I could guarantee that even if I didn’t know anyone there, someone knew me from the fish and chip shop. I have managed to grow out of that one now. My fiancée would probably say that I am known for having all of the answers. I don’t always know the answer to something but I will go and find the answer, which is how I really got into mobile apps. I had the need, didn’t know how, so I found out and did it!