iPhone App Released - FRC Tracker

[Tom Saxton]

If you use an iPhone or iPod Touch, then I'd like to tell you about a free application that I released today.

For the last few weeks, I've been working on an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that has a database of all the FIRST events and teams that allows you to look up info about the regional events, the teams and the matches played.

In addition to the built-in database, it also uses the frcfms Twitter feed to get info about ongoing matches as they happen.

Version 1.0 was just approved by Apple and made available on the iTunes App Store.

Here's a web page that describes the application:

http://www.idleloop.com/frctracker/

And here's a link to the app store where you can download it.

http://tinyurl.com/c96zgh

Unfortunately, there appears to be a bug in the version that's now available. When you have it check the Twitter feed for new matches, it's supposed to stop when it catches up to the last match played on March 20th. Instead, it tries to download the entire backlog of messages and then fails when it hits the end of the Twitter archive.

So, the first time you update you'll definitely want to let it run until it hits a failure around "page 22". Even though you get an error message, it is now fully up to date.

Sadly, it will do the same thing the next time you update. And, there's no graceful way to stop the update, you have to just quit the app. So, for subsequent updates, just let it go for a page or two (depending on how many matches have been played in the six or so active regionals since you last updated), then quit the app.

The good news is that this problem only affects the behavior of the app when getting the live Twitter updates. If you don't care about tracking the current matches as they happen, then the app will still be useful for scouting other teams, seeing what other regionals they attended, and how they did there.

I already have a newer version with a bunch of enhancements, which I will submit after the Seattle regional is over. It probably won't be available for the week six regionals, but I expect that it will be in great shape with more information about all of the teams and regionals before Atlanta.