InMobi has sent me all over the world - South Africa, San Francisco, Romania, Barcelona, Bangalore, Cologne, and Bath!

It has been an amazing adventure, working with some incredibly talented people. I've been challenged and stretched, I've presented in front of hundreds of people, launched the first RCS-e enabled adverts, started up blogs, wikis, and forums, and - most importantly - helped developers make money from their apps.

It's been a very busy year-and-a-bit! So now it's time for a change! Come August, I'll be beavering away in O2's The Lab. I've been consistently impressed with the way Telefónica has been innovating - and the presentations from their geeks at events have been phenomenal.

I'll be working on new and interesting products which take advantage of Telefónica's network. No, I can't help you if your iPhone is broken.

No doubt it will be strange moving from a start-up to a behemoth. And it will be odd driving round the M25 rather than suffering South West Trains every day. But I'm looking forward to a brand new set of challenges, meeting new colleagues, working with old friends, and a chance to get my hands dirty!

As ever, this blog remains personal - but please adjust your bias filters appropriately.

Four cities, three countries, two weeks, one massive continent. Africa.

I'm flying down with InMobi, my employers (this blog post is personal and doesn't reflect company policy etc). We'll be visiting all the local mobile developers and researchers and seeing how we can help them. I'll be posting work related stuff on the official InMobi blog - but I'll be posting on shkspr.mobi any personal thoughts, reflections, and fears.

FEAR!

Yes, I have the fear. I'm fairly well travelled, but I've never been to Africa. I'm excited, full of wanderlust, and a tiny bit terrified! Perhaps, gentle reader, you can help put my mind to rest over some of the concerns I have.

Vegetarian Food

Even in Western Europe and the USA, I can't always be guaranteed of getting a vegetarian meal in a restaurant. What's the situation like in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria for vegetarians? I've been advised not to eat salads because they're often washed in tap water - should I just surrender my principles and eat a bit of meat while I'm out there?

Mobile Technology

All the countries I'm visiting have good GSM coverage - that's partly why I'm going! I'll be taking along my Android phone, and probably a backup device. But what about roaming costs? Should I buy a local SIM while I'm out there - or will I get better rates with Truphone or Maxroam? I'm only going to be a few days in each country - are there any pan-African solutions? Solar chargers and emergency batteries are also a good idea - any tips on which ones are good?

Health

I've just received all the vaccines I'll need, plus anti-maleria tablets. Any recommendations for lotions, potions, or pills to prevent getting sick while I'm out there?

Anything Else?

Like I said, this will be my first time in Africa. Are there any other bits of advice you can give this nervous traveller?

Last night, InMobi attended cdi’s Apps For Good in London. What a wonderful event!

Teams of school-children presenting their ideas for apps that could change their world.

But this wasn’t just kids showing off drawings of theoretical apps, the Apps For Good course that runs in these schools get participants thinking about problem definition, market research, business cases, and – crucially – building apps. Using Google’s Android App Inventor, the students were able to create working prototypes of their applications.

It’s great to see young people building amazing apps which have the power to influence the world around them. We were particularly impressed with how professionally the apps were presented and how confidently they answered questions from the “Dragons’ Den”. There’s a podcast of the event available.

Too often apps are seen as frivolous distractions from the real world. The pupils had developed apps which tackled bullying in schools, a fun way to look at personal finance, and a translation app to help Bengali speaking parents understand what’s going on at their child’s school.

Huge thanks to the pupils from Central Foundation Girls’ School and http://www.high-trees.org/ for being so committed and developing such wonderful apps. You can also read more about the event at Tom Curtis’s blog.

We’ve decided to join the Apps For Good “Expert Community” to see what help and support InMobi can offer these young developers. If you’re interested in helping, you can

• Fill in the expert signup form
• Join the LinkedIn group
• Follow AppsForGood on twitter

So, what apps are you developing that are going to change the world?