I’m Sam Oakley, and I make apps.
Creating software is my passion. I think mobile is the future, so that’s what I’m doing - developing for the major mobile platforms, creating apps and experiences for Android and iOS, platforms for which I’ve developed a range of software in both a freelance capacity, and now as a full-time mobile developer at 3Squared.
All my development is done especially for the platform I’m targeting - that means Objective-C for iOS, and Java for Android. In previous positions I had a more web-focused role, meaning I have had lots of exposure to HTML, CSS and Javascript. I’ve developed dynamic sites using PHP, Python, Ruby and Java - but while I have extensive experience developing for the web, I’ve decided to focus on mobile applications going forward.
I’m always ready and eager to stretch my abilities and develop new skills to take advantage of the latest technologies.
If you’d like to know more about my projects, you can check out my Github account, my Google Play developer page and my App Store submissions.
Email me at sam@blork.co.uk, or tweet @Sam_Oakley.
Projects
Pinner (iPhone & iPad)
2013
Pinner is a fast, no-nonsense iPhone and iPad app for Pinboard. Pinner syncs your pinboard.in bookmarks to your iPhone or iPad. It’s a universal app available on iPhone and iPad. Optimised for Retina displays, iPad mini, and iPhone 5.
SafeTrip (Cross-platform Mobile Application)
Team Member
2011 - 2012
In 2011 I attended a local hackathon (SV2UK) in which we used open Government data to back mobile applications. In a team of 4 we produced a working prototype based on an original idea of my own which I had previously investigated as part of my dissertation - giving directions to the user which avoid high-risk areas by using the street-level data on crimes. In the 2-day hackathon, we produced a web app usable on all modern smartphones, using HTML5 and JavaScript.
The app was chosen as a regional winner, and our team went on to come in the top 8 nationally, which led to the team visiting No. 10 Downing Street to receive our awards.
Astronomy Picture of the Day (Android)
Sole Developer
2010 - 2012
Using the Astronomy Picture of the Day as provided by NASA, the app allows users to set it as their ‘homescreen’ wallpaper, as well as browse through the collection. On the server side, I used Google App Engine to process the large images provided by NASA and to output JSON representations of the information associated with each. The app is currently available in the Play Store.
Subsequent updates to this app to made use of the new features of Android 4.0, including a new interface designed specially for tablets.
Experience
3Squared
Mobile Developer
2011 - current
I began as a contractor working with an existing iPhone & Web development team to produce high-quality Android applications for 3Squared’s clients.
I loved working with the team so much that I came aboard full time after graduating, working across Android and iOS - the only developer with both skill sets - producing great phone and tablet apps.
368 Ltd.
Android Application Developer
2011
I worked as part of a 5-man team on an Android tablet app for the newspaper and magazine market. The app included in-app billing, content synchronisation with remote servers, custom views and lots of user-interface polish.
G Media
Android Application Developer
2011
Developed a white-label Android internet radio app based an existing iPhone application, but totally native to Android and taking full advantage of the platform. With a tight deadline, the app was delivered on time in under 2 months.
The released apps are available on the Android Market, published by GMedia as well as their clients. More information is available from G Media’s website.
Websell Masters
Web Developer
2008–2011
Worked to produce high quality websites, mainly focusing on the tourism industry. My role was full design and development of the sites. This included a custom e-commerce site developed using object-oriented PHP and MySQL. Other major projects I was involved with include assisting with the development of a recruitment site, and a large tourism focused directory.
In this role I also took on the responsibility of training new employees in best practices and the use of our systems.
Education & University Projects
University of Sheffield
Software Engineering (M.Eng)
2007–2012
Graduated July 2012 with a First-class Masters Degree in Engineering (with Honours).
ELTC Room Booking System
Genesys Solutions
2011 - 2012
Genesys Solutions is a student-run software development group at The University of Sheffield. Working in a medium-sized group, we were tasked with producing a software system for a real client.
In doing so I gained exposure to Ruby & Rails along with more experience with Software Development techniques such as Test and Behavior Driven Development.
Two Approaches to Semantic Textual Similarity
Darwin Research Project
2011 - Current
The philosophy of the Darwin project is to give students at fourth year and Masters level some insight into the research process by applying scientific research methodology to a small group research project.
My final year research project aimed to produce a system which could quantifiably inform us how similar two short sentences are, resulting in a similarity score. This was done by using existing approaches (such as N-gram overlap) extended using one of several novel techniques developed by my team and I.
Mining & Integrating a Large Amount of Information from the Web
Undergraduate Dissertation
2010 - 2011
The dissertation completed as part of my degree course involved creating several ‘mashups’ using data about the local area. The mashups were both innovative and useful. The data was gathered from the semantic web of data, as well as from my own mining and scraping of web content.
Sheffield Raising & Giving Society (Website)
Developer
2010
As part of my degree course, I, along with the 4 other members of the team, designed and created a new website for the RAG society. To do this, we used PHP combined with the CodeIgniter framework.
I also developed an Android app to interface with the website, downloading the details of events and presenting them in a format better suited to a mobile device. In competition with 3 other groups, our system was chosen as the winner.