AndroidCentral.com Announces Support for Android App Course at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

INVERNESS, FL--(Marketwire - March 4, 2009) - AndroidCentral.com, a leading blog and community for Google Android enthusiasts and a member of the Smartphone Experts family of online communities, today announced support for a new course being offered this spring by the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Spearheaded by Mark L. Chang, the assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at this private undergraduate engineering college located in Needham, Massachusetts, the "Mobile Application Development" course will guide students through the process of researching and developing commercially viable Android applications. More information is available at http://mobdev.olin.edu.

"Olin College has a solid reputation in the engineering community and is known for its youth, small size, and project-based curriculum," said Dieter Bohn, editor-in-chief for the Smartphone Experts community sites. "We welcome the opportunity to team with Olin to see what kinds of innovative applications they can think up and deliver that will advance the user experience of those selecting Android-based smartphones."

"We appreciate this financial endorsement from Android Central and Smartphone Experts," said Olin College of Engineering assistant professor, Mark Chang. "Our goal is to challenge our students with projects that are relevant to the real world. With the Google Android platform in need of applications, this can end up being a win-win for the students and users of this innovative new platform."

According to Chang, the course will be run like a small startup company, with a significant focus in both engineering and entrepreneurship. All students will be expected to contribute on technical, design, and business tasks. Extending beyond the technical, the course will be co-taught by one of Olin's business and entrepreneurship professors, Stephen Schiffman, and professor of computer science and engineering, Lynn Andrea Stein.

A portion of AndroidCentral.com's contribution will be used by Olin to obtain G1 development phones from Google. Financial terms were not disclosed.

About Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering:

The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is a private undergraduate engineering college located in the Boston suburb of Needham, Massachusetts, adjacent to the Babson College campus. In August 2008, US News and World Report listed Olin among the 10 best undergraduate engineering institutions in the country. More information can be found at www.olin.edu.

About Smartphone Experts

Founded in 2002, Smartphone Experts is a leading online retailer and manufacturer of smartphone accessories, powering a growing network of e-commerce stores that offer a wide selection of products, rapid fulfillment, and knowledgeable expert support. The company also operates several smartphone-centric online communities that provide everything from editorially independent news and reviews to discussion forums. Recently rated the fastest-growing retailer in the annual Inc 500 listing (ranking 37th overall), the company's online properties include TreoCentral, Android Central, CrackBerry.com NokiaExperts.com, PreCentral.net, The iPhone Blog, and WMExperts. More information is available at www.smartphoneexperts.com.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information: For more information, contact: Annie Gladue Jedemi Communications for Smartphone Experts 415-302-8990 Dieter Bohn 888-599-8998 x122