Getting around campus and adapting to college life may be difficult for some people, but for those with smartphone technology, the burden is not as heavy.
Thanks to the development of applications for smartphones, getting around and keeping up with UF has never been easier. Whether one is worried about transportation, academics, sports or social life at UF, there’s an app for that.
When it comes to making your way around campus, a popular app among UF students is TransLoc, an app that tracks the bus system of UF. TransLoc can tell the user the route of the bus, the bus’ current location and how long until the bus reaches each stop.
“I use TransLoc four times a week for when I need to use the bus,” said Nichole Manosh, freshman. “I have a car, but when I go to my friend’s house, the bus is just more convenient.”
The UF Map app is also on hand for smartphone users who just need to know where a certain building is or how to get there. Freshman Yazmeane Watson recommends the UF Map app to any incoming student.
“It was predominately used when I was just getting here,” Watson said. “Unless you have a bunch of family that goes here, you don’t really know where all the buildings are.”
To students with smartphones who are concerned about academics, the UF Mobile app is a good app to download and check frequently. Through UF Mobile, users can access e-Learning, ISIS, academic calendars and even make payments.
When trying to catch up with Gator sports activity, smartphone users can choose from several UF apps to download and follow based on their sports preferences. Gator Sports and Florida Gators are apps that cater to all sports and games the Gators play. Gator Football is an app that specifically deals with only UF football, and Hoops (Florida schedule, roster and RSS reader) is an app that specifically deals with UF basketball.
A social life is another thing to juggle, and apps also lend a helping hand for Gators. The Loop UF is an app developed by Totuit that lists all of the local events on campus and pinpoints the location to the said events on a map.
Jordan Johnson, co-founder and president of Totuit, said the UF student government uploads the events that students find on the app.
Totuit is a smartphone-friendly company developed by UF graduates that blossomed from UF’s Innovation Square. Totuit is held in high regard for its purpose and contributions to college campuses.
“The company uses mobile technology to make college campuses safe,” Johnson said.
Late at night, if transportation is an issue, students can call Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, commonly known as SNAP, to have a van pick them up and drive them to their location. People who have smartphones can just use the popular SNAP app developed by Totuit to summon a van.
“If we gave them an easier way to do it, more students would use SNAP, therefore campus would be safer for everybody,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, Totuit is also making plans to release an app called Campus Shield to UF and 10 other Florida universities by the summer of 2013. This app allows smartphone users to summon help in times of danger with a simple touch.
“It’s going to turn smartphones into mobile blue lights,” Johnson said.
Whether UF smartphone users need an app for a specific purpose or a better state of mind, all they need to do is type “UF” into iTunes or Google Play and see what they can download.
