UK Announces UKMobile App

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2010) − The University of Kentucky has launched a free mobile phone application which allows individuals to browse campus news, access campus maps, check sports scores, view UK videos from YouTube and more.

“We live in an information-rich world," said Vince Kellen, chief information officer for UK. "With this application, the University of Kentucky is in a good position to deliver timely information directly to students and employees via their mobile devices.”

The UKMobile download is available on the Apple App Store. It is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The application is also available on the mobile web at m.uky.edu. The first version of UKMobile includes:

-- Directory: Find contact information for members of the university community.

-- Maps: View UK campus maps with labeled buildings, then zoom and pan across the map using the device’s “you are here” touch interface.

-- Library: Search the library catalog for book availability by title, author or keywords.

-- Safety: Locate numbers for the UK Police Department or find a safe ride around campus.

-- News: Read top news stories from UKNow by browsing categories such as campus news, student life, research, employee news, UK HealthCare, and the President’s Blog, or browse by the most recent articles.

-- Athletics: Follow UK sports with news, schedules, and updated scores from UKAthlethics.com.

-- Images: View interesting UK photographs from 1885 to the present.

-- Videos: View the most popular content from UK’s YouTube channel.

-- iTunesU: Research, watch, and learn from recorded classes, lectures, and other videos—all in the palm of your hand.

-- Courses: Search for course offerings by semester, and then verify course location, professor, date and time.

According to recent surveys on campuses across the country, more and more students on campus carry smartphones. To address this growing need, UK Information Technology (UKIT) will continue to add features to UKMobile throughout the year.

“This is UK’s first attempt to provide everyone with traditional UK information through mobility,” said Doyle Friskney, Associate Vice President of UKIT and a UK 101 instructor. “The UKIT objective is to provide ubiquitous access via multiple technology platforms.”

Future enhancements to UKMobile will include availability in Blackberry and Android versions as well as the development of additional application features. UKMobile was developed in partnership with Blackboard Mobile.

For assistance with downloading or using UKMobile, visit wiki.uky.edu/UKMobile.