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Monday, January 3, 2011
Freshman creates iPhone application dedicated to everything about Cal Poly Amanda Sedo amandasedo.md@gmail.com
The new Cal Poly application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, created by aerospace engineering freshman William Sidell, hit the Apple App Store on Oct. 20. The Cal Poly application features Cal Poly sports information, Mustang Daily articles, local maps and lyrics to the Cal Poly fight song, among other tools. Sidell has been developing iPhone applications since the end of last school year and saw a need for the Cal Poly application, so he began working on it on a whim one weekend. After two weekends of work, the Cal Poly Application was created. The most valuable feature to Sidell is the Campus Dining information. The application shows which restaurants are open and closed, as well as the amount of meal dollars allocated for each meal of the day. “For freshmen that could be a pretty useful thing,” said business administration junior Alyson Boehm. The application is a great thing for Cal Poly students who are iPhone users with the ability to download the application, Boehm said. “As a freshman this year, there were various things I thought would be nice to have,” Sidell said. “One of those things was the map.” There are two maps available to
the Cal Poly application user. One is the campus map, which pinpoints buildings and campus landmarks. The other is of San Luis Obispo, which will pinpoint the iPhone’s location in comparison to the rest of the city. So far, the rating for the application is at four out of five stars with
cluding the addition of the hours for each mealtime for those who have dining plans. Another suggestion from Boehm was to add an actual schedule of sporting events for the week as well as a schedule of major-related symposiums. “I also think a link to the career center would be a good addition,” Boehm said. Despite all the things students want for the future update of the application, all seem to be pleased with the things already offered. “I’m actually — William Sidell surprised that he’s a Aerospace engineering freshman freshman,” Boehm said. “The application is such a good thirteen ratings as of Dec. 8, accord- way to bring recognition to a relaing to the iTunes app store. tively small school.” Nathan Mock, a current iPhone Another featured part of the apuser and computer science junior, plication is the soundboard, which thought the application was a great stores voice recordings of different idea but wanted to see a few addi- phrases such as “Go Cal Poly” and tions. “Go Mustangs.” “I would check it out if it had “The idea is to use it at a game, to the (Cal Poly) portal,” Mock said. cheer on the team,” Sidell said. “Also, if PASS was on there and I The application was developed as could register for classes, I would a simpler way to see what is going definitely use it.” on throughout the Cal Poly campus, Sidell is already thinking about Sidell said. He wanted students to ways he can make the application be able to obtain the information better and more convenient for Cal they want in one easy-to-navigate place. Poly students. “I just wanted to do something “I hope to integrate Blackboard someday,” Sidell said. “I want peo- for the Cal Poly community that is ple to be able to click on their class beneficial for the students,” Sidell (on Blackboard) and have it map the said. location.” Sidell is also taking note of other This story was originally published on suggestions students have made, in- Nov. 2, 2010.
“ ” I just wanted to do something for the Cal Poly community that is beneficial for the students.
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