Over the Air

{{Infobox recurring event

| name = Over the Air

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| image = File:Over the air conference.jpg

| caption = People watching the keynote in the Great Hall at Imperial College in 2009

| status = active

| genre = Hackathon

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| frequency = Annually

| venue =

| location = Imperial College London, Kensington, London, United Kingdom, Bletchley Park, St John the Baptist, Hoxton

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| years_active = 2008–2016

| first = 4–{{Start date|2008|04|05|df=y}}

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| last = 25–{{End date|2016|11|26|df=y}}

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| website = {{URL|overtheair.org}}

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}}

Over the Air was an annual mobile technology-focused overnight hack day event held in London from 2008 to 2016.{{Cite journal|last=Kiss |first=Jemima |date=3 April 2008 |title=Mobile developers gather for London festival |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/apr/03/digitalmedia.mobilephones |journal=The Guardian}} The two-day event would include practical and educational talks and a hacking competition.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ-maSNfzgA |title=What is Over The Air |publisher=YouTube |date=2010-09-01 |accessdate=2011-10-05}} Sponsors of the event have included the BBC, Bluevia,{{cite web|url=http://blog.bluevia.com/tag/over-the-air/ |title=Over the Air |publisher=Blog.bluevia.com |date=2011-09-22 |accessdate=2011-10-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402234352/http://blog.bluevia.com/tag/over-the-air/ |archivedate=2 April 2012 }} Nokia,{{cite web|url=http://overtheair.org/blog/tag/nokia/ |title=nokia « Over the Air |publisher=Overtheair.org |date=2008-04-14 |accessdate=2011-10-05}} PayPal,{{cite web|url=http://www.ewanspence.com/blog/category/conferences/2010-conferences/over-the-air-2010-conferences-conferences/ |title=Over the Air : All New Musings |publisher=Ewanspence.com |date=2010-10-21 |accessdate=2011-10-05}} and Vodafone.{{cite web|url=http://overtheair.org/blog/2011/08/27/vodafone-are-a-sponsor-of-ota11/ |title=Vodafone are a Sponsor of OTA11 « Over the Air |publisher=Overtheair.org |date= |accessdate=2011-10-05}} Some of the ideas developed at Over the Air have been turned into commercial services.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/09/16/hackers-get-hired-at-blet_n_966246.html |title=Hackers Get Hired At Bletchley Park |publisher=Huffingtonpost.co.uk |date=2011-09-16 |accessdate=2011-10-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926233338/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/09/16/hackers-get-hired-at-blet_n_966246.html |archivedate=26 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}

History

File:Over the air beanbags.jpg

Over the Air developed from previous hack day events in 2007 and 2008.

From 2008 to 2010, the event was held at Imperial College in South Kensington.{{cite web|last=Smith |first=Colin |date=10 April 2008 |title=Over the Air: Imperial College hosts a leading technology festival |url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_10-4-2008-9-9-19 |publisher=Imperial College London}}{{cite web|author=Matthew Postgate |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/bbcinternet/2008/04/over_the_air_mobile_going_main_1.html |title=Over The Air: Mobile Going Mainstream |publisher=BBC |date=10 April 2008 |accessdate=2011-10-05}}{{cite news|last=Spence |first=Ewan |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8332665.stm |title=How to hack a handset |publisher=BBC |date=2009-10-30 |accessdate=2011-10-05}}{{cite news|url=http://thefonecast.com/Home/tabid/61/ArticleID/3248/ArtMID/538/Default.aspx |title=Over The Air 2010 – one man's summary for the wider mobile industry |newspaper=thefonecast.com |date= |accessdate=2011-10-05}} The 2011 version of Over the Air was part of the 2011 London Mobile Week.{{cite web|author=LondonMobileWeek |url=http://londonmobileweek.com/ |title=Mobile Content for Everybody |publisher=LondonMobileWeek |date= |accessdate=2011-10-05}}{{cite web|author=BlueVia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/appsblog/2011/sep/22/london-mobile-week-blue-via |title=London to become the mobile centre of the world – for a week |work=the Guardian |date=2011-09-22 |accessdate=2011-10-05}} From 2011 to 2013, it was held at Bletchley Park. There was no Over the Air event in 2014.

In 2015, the event was held at St John the Baptist, Hoxton; on 25 and 26 September. It featured one of the first workshop sessions {{cite web|author=|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2015/09/28/bbc-micro-bit-over-the-air-2015/ |title=Young Hackers explore the BBC Micro:bit |work=Forbes |date=2015-09-28}} for the Micro Bit; along with the usual hackathon and lightning talks. The 8th (and final) event was also St. John's, on 25 and 26 November 2016.