Are there going to be any GenCon official or unofficial apps for phones/tablets/watches? It would be nice to have access to event schedule, maps, ticketing, etc.
I used an unofficial Android app in the past, but it's no longer available. A Pebble watch app would be awesome as well.
Thanks!
Instead of making a mobile app, their website converts to a "touchy" version if the window size is enough taller than it is wide. (You can see it by opening the main page and resizing your window narrower, or view it on a phone in portrait.)
It works pretty darn well too.
Last time I was there (several years ago), cell-signal was pretty spotty. I'm assuming that's no longer an issue?
My personal experience is that cell reception has improved in the convention center, but it's not perfect and is going to vary wildly by location/network/device/time of day. I don't rely on it. If you have problems and need to pop online you can always head outside or over to one of the close hotels; many of them have free wifi.
If you want event lists and maps available offline on your phone/tablet/laptop, you can always download them beforehand; no need for a separate app. You could also grab a book. (Maps are my main use for the book nowadays, not that I usually need them.)
Yup, the mobile optimization works pretty darn well.
You could also grab the pdf of last year's book, which has maps; not 100% accurate for next year of course. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we actually have a pdf release on the Wednesday of the con this year so we can all download it. :)
marimacc Forum Coordinator
There was an unoffical app last year that worked great.
Not sure if the person is going to do that again.
And here I thought you were using "please do the needful" ironically...
I made the unofficial app for Android the last two years and will be updating it for 2016. An iOS (iPhone) app is also in the works for this year, but no guarantees at this time.
The main benefit to the app is having everything in your phone searchable and available even without an internet connection in the convention center. There are additional cool features like adding events directly to your calendar, opening the official event on the website directly (so you can register), maps and directions of all hotels, rooms, and downtown. Also you can sort by things that are unsortable on the website.
App is still available with 2015 data on the play store right now if you're interested. It will automatically update to the 2016 version in coming months.
By the way marimacc, (I tried to PM you but realized there's no PM function x_x)
If someone at Gencon has ever expressed interest in the app, my company VectorLit Games Limited would be happy to work with them! I should note the app currently has 3,000 installs with an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars for the last 2 years. That's just as a pet fan project.
Just think of the opportunity for live event tie-ins, phone notifications, vendor advertisements, etc on both Android and iOS.. seeing how we all love our swag bags, I think the community would appreciate an official app with even more awesome Gencon stuff!