James Gatt
Student Developer, AOSP Engineer
L-Iklin, Malta
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James Gatt is a B. Sc. Computer Engineering graduate at the University of Malta. James works as an AOSP and a device engineer, founder of PixelBuilds custom ROM distribution.
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How My Android App Learned to Talk to Plants
Smart farming is no longer a futuristic idea, it’s happening now!
With the rise of IoT technology, microcontrollers and embedded devices are transforming ambitious ideas into working projects. This talk presents an IoT-enabled greenhouse system that collects environmental sensor data and turns it into real-time insights, all visualised through an Android app.
Maintaining optimal conditions for crop growth is no easy task, but by tracking key variables like soil moisture, pH, and CO₂, we lay the foundation for automation and precision farming. It’s a robust, remotely accessible system built with off-the-shelf components, a practical case study of modular Android dashboards for real-world environments.
This session will cover:
• How the system’s hardware and sensors are architected.
• The network setup and API server, routed via Cloudflare Tunnel.
• GitHub as a public data store for JSON snapshots.
• The Android app architecture for live dashboards and graphs.
• Key design decisions: caching, API fallback, and mobile UI.
• How you can build a similar system at home.
And voilà, no plant is left dehydrated!
Code AOSP: No time to EOL (die)
Agent James Gatt is enjoying a tranquil life after departing from his daily driver, the Google Pixel 2 XL which lost regular Android updates after October 2020 on Android 11.
However, his peace is short-lived as James comes across an old friend of his, AOSP.
AOSP is on a mission to rescue legacy devices (including his Pixel 2 XL) from the captivity of EOL and needs agent Gatt to help!
The mission of bringing up newer firmware for older hardware sounds like a difficult one, but will James manage to bring new life to unsupported devices and put an end to EOL?
During this treacherous adventure with agent Gatt, we follow the:
• Dangers of unlocking the bootloader.
• Discovery of open source code!
• Handling of deprecations…
• Encounter of custom ROMs!
all with the intention of keeping the Android community safe and up to date!
Do you think agent Gatt is up to the task to recover his long lost Google Pixel 2 XL?
Android is open source, what does that mean for us?
Were you aware that the average consumer opts to buy a new device every 2 years?
Consequently, most Android device OEMs prefer to cut Android support after 2 years, alongside the end of app support coming with newer API levels.
What if I tell you that we, as Android developers, can decrease the vast e-waste caused from such frequent device upgrades.
With the ever-growing community of AOSP enthusiasts, it’s not unreasonable to promote flashing unofficial firmware on your phone now, or further down in your device’s lifecycle. I have learnt from my experience that thanks to this development, there exist many benefits of what’s to come from the Android Open Source Project. Encountering different situations under different phones and OEMs, made me believe that our devices can last longer than we imagine, to cater for a safer and a more useful experience.
So, where do we start?
droidcon London 2025 Sessionize Event Upcoming
droidcon Berlin 2025 Sessionize Event Upcoming
Android Makers by droidcon 2024 Sessionize Event
DevFest on Campus 2023
Code AOSP: No time to EOL (die)
Agent James Gatt is enjoying a tranquil life after departing from his daily driver, the Google Pixel 2 XL which lost regular Android updates after October 2020 on Android 11.
However, his peace is short-lived as James comes across an old friend of his, AOSP.
AOSP is on a mission to rescue legacy devices (including his Pixel 2 XL) from the captivity of EOL and needs agent Gatt to help!
The mission of bringing up newer firmware for older hardware sounds like a difficult one, but will James manage to bring new life to unsupported devices and put an end to EOL?
During this treacherous adventure with agent Gatt, we follow the:
• Dangers of unlocking the bootloader.
• Discovery of open source code!
• Handling of deprecations…
• Encounter of custom ROMs!
all with the intention of keeping the Android community safe and up to date!
Do you think agent Gatt is up to the task to recover his long lost Google Pixel 2 XL?
Android Worldwide October 2023 Sessionize Event
Google I/O Extended Malta 2023
Building your own Android-Powered device.
Embedded devices and AOSP allow us to explore new possibilities.
droidcon Berlin 2023 Sessionize Event
DevFest 2022 Malta
Have you ever wondered how Android is built?
The idea behind the Android Open Source Project is to enable developers to make use of the Android environment. Android being open source, lets us do so much more with the Android platform! Custom ROM developments help us unlock, customise and improve our device experience to the next level.By the end of this talk, you will understand how to get started with Android’s open source nature, whilst doing your part to minimise the ever-growing e-waste problem we are facing today!
Android Worldwide October 2022 Sessionize Event
droidcon Berlin 2022 Sessionize Event
Google I/O Extended Malta 2022
Android is open source, what does that mean for us?
Let's explore all about Android's open source nature
James Gatt
Student Developer, AOSP Engineer
L-Iklin, Malta
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