About the Hackathon

Who Should Attend?
The Brother Mobile App Hackathon is designed to encourage developers, designers, business professionals, and students to submit mobile apps or prototypes that integrate with a Brother QL Label Printer, or a Brother RuggedJet printer/labeler. Each team will receive a brand new QL-820NWB printer and supplies. A team can have up to 5 people. Individual participants are also welcome. Team can keep the printer as long as the team members participate in the competition. Judged by key influencers within the industry, the Contest seeks to identify talented individuals and teams from across the U.S. The prizes will be awarded to the best entries submitted.

What Should We Do?
Anyone with any idea that can challenge coders and graphics designers should sign up and present the idea. An iOS or Android coder can spend as little as 30 minutes to download the SDK and have the printer working within minutes. The graphics designer will design the output that the coder can print. The team will design a great user experience. Together you will try to complete the mobile app as much as possible using any one of the Brother's printers. There are lots of things you can do. You can validate your ideas, find talented people from Southern California, and enjoy a great event. The best part is that you can start now or start on March 23rd. But why wait? Grab a free ticket and we will match you with coders and designers. Please visit FAQ below for download SDK instruction, sample code tutorials for Objective-C and Swift, and reading the optional reference guide.

How to Register?
Sign up takes less than a minute, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

What are the Prizes?
There are a total of 5 prizes provided by Brother: 1. Platinum Award ($2000), 2. Gold Award ($1000), 3. Silver Award ($500), 4. Two - Honorable Mention Awards ($200 Amazon Gift Card). The event organizer - SoCal iOS, will also present many special awards, including but not limited to: 1. Best UI Design Award, 2. Best User Experience Award, 3. Best Use of the Technology Award, 4. Best Student Submission Award, 5. Best Video Presentation Award, and 6. Fan Favorite Award.

Contact Us

Agenda

Our two-day hackathon will be jam-packed with fun activities and coding workshops! At the first night of the event, each team will be given a 3-minute introduction. Individual can pitch an app idea and invite attendees to form a new team. Teams will get together to prepare the presentation. On Saturday, teams will complete the apps or prototypes. Each team will shoot a 3-minute video, and upload it to Youtube. There will be several panel discussions, including stations to assist participants with coding, design, and video production. Winners will be announced at 6PM, with award ceremony and a raffle of many great prizes.

  • 6.00 PM

    Onsite Registration and Sign In

  • 6.15 PM

    Dinner with Burnt Truck and Jazz Trio from Happiness Band

  • 7.00 PM

    Welcome and Introduction

  • 7.30 PM

    Team Pitch

  • 9.00 PM

    Team Collaboration

  • 10.00 AM

    Sign In and Light Breakfast

  • 10.15 AM

    Bob Brady on QL lineup and integration tools

  • 10.30 AM

    Team Collaboration

  • 11.15 AM

    Berard McLaughlin on BSI integration for MFC/Printers

  • 12.30 PM

    Lunch

  • 12.45 PM

    Nick D’Alessio on Product and programs

  • 2.00 PM

    Ice Cream Time, YouTube Submission Opens

  • 4:30 PM

    Submission Deadline

  • 5.00 PM

    Live Presentation (YouTube and Leader Presentation 3 minutes)

  • 6.15 PM

    Winner Announcement, Q&A, Award Ceremony

  • 6.30 PM

    Food Truck Lime Truck, Celebration and Raffle

Judges & Speakers

Bob Brady

Product Manager, Brother International Corp. QL line-up and Integration Tools. Judge

Berard McLaughlin

Application Development Manager, Brother International Corp. BSI integration for Brother's MFC/Printers. Judge

Ranjan Kumar

Director, Application Architecture, Information Technology, Brother International Corp. Judge

Rob Roy

Senior Software Engineer, Brother Mobile Solutions Inc. Judge

Nick Dalessio

Senior Business Development Manager, Brother Mobile Solutions Inc. Product and Programs

Register

Register

terms and conditions

Our Sponsor

Brother is a leading provider of office equipment technology and document management solutions, including award-winning color and black and white multifunctional printers, scanners, label printers and device-based cloud and mobile technologies. The Brother P-touch line of features label and ribbon printers that feature laminated and specialty tapes along with printable ribbons. Brother printers are recognized as the best in the industry, and consistently earn product and industry accolades including PC Magazine’s 2017 Readers’ Choice and Business Choice awards for reliability and overall customer satisfaction. Brother International Corporation’s At Your Side philosophy demonstrates a dedication to product quality, customer service and dynamic partnerships. Established in 1954 and headquartered in Bridgewater, N.J., Brother markets business, home office and industrial products, along with home appliances. For more information, visit www.brother-usa.com.


Brother Mobile Solutions is a division of the multinational Brother Group of companies, and is headquartered in Westminster, CO. We offer a wide range of mobile printing and mobile/desktop labeling solutions to improve performance and efficiency across multiple industries. With custom engineering, cutting-edge technology, and expert support, Brother Mobile Solutions delivers the latest thermal printing technology and trusted, reliable designs to suit virtually any market need, helping equip businesses with superior printing mobility for the modern world. For more information, visit www.BrotherMobileSolutions.com.

FAQ

Hackathon Frequently Asked Questions

We will update this FAQ for all questions submitted to us. Feel free to use the contact information here, or via the meetup messaging.

Is it just a printer that prints labels?

This is the most frequently asked questions. The QL printers print on a variety of labels and films. It also prints on non-sticky heavy-weight paper, such as tickets, coupons, etc. The RJ and PJ printers print on thermal papers from 2" to full letter or legal sizes. They all require no ink. They are professional grade printers designed to last for a long time and will work under some extreme environments. We want you to explore their endless possibilities.

Where can I download the SDKs?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SDK. When filling out information, please enter "Hack-a-thon" under Company Name, "Participant" under Title, and enter "UNKNOWN" if unknown. Proceed to download the SDK after the registration.

Are there any code samples?

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE OBJECTIVE-C SAMPLE CODE TUTORIAL. It should take you no more than 30 minutes to have your sample code running and have your first image being printed. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SWIFT SAMPLE CODE TUTORIAL. Please see last page to learn how to switch from RJ printer to QL printer with one simple change. The Swift code has less features than the Objective-C sample code. It is designed to get you started in minutes. You can add additional features and controls that are included in the Objective-C example.

Can I participate as an individual without teammates?

Yes of course. Coders who wish to work alone can participate as an individual. We also welcome industry executives who wish to challenge coders and designers with any problems they wish to solve.

Where can I get some app ideas on how to use these printers?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REFEREENCE GUIDE. SoCal iOS organizers have put together this reference guide for everyone. It contains lots of information on the verticals and the horizontals. Verticals include all U.S. 20 sectors, from Agriculture to Public Administration. It also includes product information, success stories, links to Brother's websites, and example scenarios. Please read it at your own discretion.

What are the available Brother printers?

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE AVAILABLE BROTHER'S PRINTERS. If you sign up before March 18th, you are guaranteed to receive a Brother QL-820NWB printer and supplies. You can pick an alternate printer if your app requires it. If your app requires more than one printer, please contact the organizer.

Where can I get support for questions on the SDKs?

Please email SDKSupport@brother.com

Do I need to buy anything?

No purchase is necessary. We will provide a QL-820NWB label printer for each registered team. You may keep the equipment if you successfully complete the hackathon.

Is there a "theme" for this hackathon?

The theme is "Mobile App Printing Innovations." Do you know that there are 1000 plus industries in the U.S.? Every one of them can be an opportunity and a niche market. Be creative, be courageous, and please spend a few minutes read the hackathon rules.

What are the judging criteria? How can we be assured with the fairness of the judging?

The judging criteria are clearly defined inside the hackathon rules. All judges are from Brother International Corp., None Brother's employees or family members are eligible to participate in the competition.

How easy is to sign up the hackathon?

Super easy! Sign up takes less than a minute, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Does the SDK support Android apps?

Yes it sure does. We welcome Android developers to participate in this hackathon. There are lots of information on Brother's website for Android developers. If you wish to help other Android developers, please reach out to us and we will set up a hotline for you.

Where and when can we pick up the printer and supplies to test my app?

Come and pick up at any of our events on February 24th, February 27th, March 3rd, March 10th, and March 18th. The events are all located in Irvine, California. The hackathon is located at 5151 California Avenue, Suite 100, Irvine California. VISIT SoCal iOS to sign up. You can also contact the organizer by tapping at CONTACT US above. We will be happy to ship or deliver to you in person. We will also arrange more pickup dates and locations soon.

Can we really keep the printer? What is the catch?

Yes, you certainly can. There is no catch. Obviously you must attend the hackathon and compete.

I need a partner to complete my app idea, how do I find one?

You can participate as an individual. You can find your coding and design partners from your network of people. There are lots of iOS and Android meetup groups in Southern California. Optionally, you can attend any of SoCal iOS events and meet potential iOS developers and UX/UI designers. You may also pitch your idea Friday night, on March 23rd, the first day of the hackathon event. You can invite coders and designers to join you. However, you have only less than 20 hours to compete. Feel free to contact us if you need to find a UX or UI designer as we are partnering with local UX/UI meetup groups. There are many talented people who would love to team up with you.

Our Partner