FRC Info iPad App: Feedback Please!

FIRST General Forum
#1

Hi Fellow FRCers,

We have published an iPad app called FRC Info that brings together what we thought were the most important documents to read to get up to speed on FRC for new mentors and students alike. It also makes it easy to pull up rules, hardware docs, etc. during build season.

The choice of documents was based purely on what I thought was most useful, but Iā€™d LOVE to have input from the whole community. The FRC website is a bit spaghetti like with links to external websites (with a lot of ā€œ404sā€), etc. and thatā€™s why we did the app: to get the info all in one place.

The app itself can be auto-updated with new documents from the web at any time (and weā€™ll use this for the 2012 game info in January). Iā€™ve already found some additional docs on C++ programming I will add, but Iā€™ll add whatever the community deems useful. The app can handle the following formats: PDF, HTML, PPT, Word, MP4/MOV video and JPEG/PNG.

To get the app, go to the app store and search for ā€œFRC Infoā€. Itā€™s free (of course!)

The URL is: itunes.apple.com/us/app/frc-info/id476623932?mt=8. (Itā€™s not a link because this web board software does not work right with itunes links :mad: ).

Thanks!

Mitch Kahn
Mentor for Team 256

#2

Would it be possible for an Android app of this to be created (hopefully in time for Kickoff)?

#3

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frc-info/id476623932?mt=8
Looks like the link works just fine. (For me anyway. :))

#4

Weird, that did work. When I tried it the ellipsis caused a failureā€¦

#5

Sorry, but probably not. The framework we developed for these kinds of apps is iOS only right now. :frowning: If we see more demand for Android tablets, weā€™ll port it.

#6

Will this be updated for the 2012 season?

#7

Hi, Mitch,

Love this app. Itā€™s not only a good consolidation of sometimes hard-to-find docs currently spread out over FIRST, NI, et al ā€“ but it saves a lot of printing, hole-punching, etc to have notebooks at competitions and other wi-fi-challenged venues.

My quick take is that, tho Android users would benefit, it would be a pain in the rear for you. Iā€™d rather you spend your gratis energies (thank you!) on the best docs rather than the widest dispersion.

A good compromise might be something like a public Dropbox or iMatch account to consolidate docs where people can get to them and/or load them onto their non-Apple pads, readers, and phones.

Keep up the good work, please sir!

Bit, 279

#8