A new version of the DrexelOne mobile application for Android, along with push notification updates to the Apple iOS and Windows Phone applications, will be released sometime next week, according to Ken Blackney, associate vice president for core technology infrastructure and co-producer of the app.
“[The new version] will bring the Android app up to parity with the iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone apps as far as student and employee functions,” Blackney wrote in an email.
The Office of Information Resources and Technology has been releasing preview apps once a week since the beginning of the year, leading up to the release of the Android 2.0 application next week.
“The Android app is all new and is a full and native app,” Blackney wrote in an email. “[It] was delayed because the programmer for that platform kept getting pulled for other University projects.”
Blackney explained that the app would include all the functionality of the Apple iOS app, excluding the faculty photo class list, which will be released before the start of spring term. The update will also include the addition of the university events calendar. Drexel Android users will need to specifically install the new app, not just update their existing version.
“The security features of the push notification required a change that prevents us from releasing the new app as just a new version of the old app,” Blackney explained. “The old 1.1 app will be removed from the store when the 2.0 becomes available, but that won’t in any way uninstall it from phones that already have version 1.1.”
First released Jan. 2, 2011, the application itself functions on a variety of smartphone platforms, and a different programmer designed each phone-specific app.
The Windows app update, which will be released alongside the Android app next week, “adds the events calendar, adviser info, full-featured versions of Candid Campus and Candid Question and the ability to pin specific pages to the phone’s start screen as Live Tiles,” Blackney wrote.
DrexelOne Mobile for iOS will be the third update to be released next week, adding push notifications as well.
“Students who enable push will get instant notifications when grades are posted or changed and when holds are placed on their records,” Blackney explained. “This will be a real time saver, as students will no longer need to keep checking in to see when grades are available.”
Students can simply update their existing Windows and iOS apps to gain access to the new features. All three apps now also have links from which students can give IRT feedback such as reporting bugs and making suggestions.
“IRT is actively looking for students to help develop additional functions for DrexelOne, including better GPS tracking for shuttle buses,” Blackney wrote, noting that they can send their feedback to [email protected].
IRT has also recently launched other updates to the web version of DrexelOne, including Webmail updates, the password reset service and photo class list updates. Drexel Webmail was also recently upgraded to be compatible with Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 10 and Google Chrome.