With PAX coming up this weekend, us Sci-Guys are getting prepped, just like you!  One thing that is really going to help us during the convention is PAX Assistant, a great free app for Android devices. We got in touch with its creator, Nicholas Swartzendruber, to get the real dirt on this new app.

Sci-Guys: First off thanks for talking with us.

Nicholas Swartzendruber: No problem.

SG: Can you describe your app, its functions, and what benefit a user gets from it?

NS: As many veteran PAX-goers know, the wifi and cellular networks aren’t always reliable. That is why I made PAX Assistant. It brings many of the on-line resources related to PAX into an off-line version for Android phones. The main benefit of using the app is the convenience of having a full schedule and convention maps in one’s pocket. Users can select events they want to attend, and a custom personal schedule is created for them. For those who are lucky enough to establish an Internet connection, there is also simple a built-in twitter client that automatically follows PAX-related feeds.  The real purpose of the app though is to assist attendees with getting the most out of their weekend.

SG: In the App’s credits it says that you just started programming for Android. I know you are a student, what is your programming background?

NS: Yeah, I’m a 20 year old student at the UW Tacoma campus, so I don’t have an incredibly extensive programming background.  During my last two years of high school I opted into program here in Washington state called Running Start. Basically, you skip your last two years of high school and go straight to a Community College. That’s where I enrolled in a couple basic C++/JAVA courses and instantly fell in love with programming. From there on most of my programming has been either for academic purposes or for fun. At the start of this summer I started to tinker with the Android SDK out of the blue. I got hooked on it and started pumping out apps. Besides the
Android programming, the only other “professional” programming I have done is a simple database for Elliot Bay Marina in Seattle. I have an older brother who used to work there, and he told me they were running sailboat races using only pencil and paper. He asked me if I could bring them up-to-date, and so I did. I made a program to catalog all of the boats in the races, run the races and keep records.

SG: Are you going to PAX and if so is this your first PAX?

NS: Of course I am! Unfortunately only for one day though. This will be my second year.

SG: Did something in your previous PAX experience contribute to your desire to produce the app?

NS: Last year I used an app on my iPod touch to keep track of everything and it really came in handy. It just so happened that I finished an Android app and had no idea what to make next. I knew I was going to go to PAX, and I remembered the iPod app I used before, so I decided to see what I could do.

SG: What were you hoping to “get” out of creating the app? On the Offical PAX forums you appeared surprised that people wanted to donate money to you…

NS: I wasn’t really expecting anything when I started making the app. When people said they wanted to donate, I was surprised because I was doing all of this for fun. I never expected to make anything off of it. I continue to work on the app not only because it’s fun, but also because of the extremely positive reaction it’s getting. It motivates me.

SG: Speaking of the reaction, in the  Official PAX Forums the response has been pretty great. There have also been a lot of suggestions, were some of those incorporated into your design?

NS: The app is made up by the forums as much as it is by me. During the initial release I only had two features, one large page with all the events and a very basic twitter feed that only followed @pax_lines. I asked everyone what they wanted and the suggestions came pouring in. Placement of the main logo, separation of events by days, the ability to enable multiple twitter feeds and the list goes on. I would say 90% of the app is based off suggestions. To keep track of it all I wrote everything down on a white-board and went through the ideas one at a time. The great thing about Android is that as soon as I push an update, users can download it and I get instant feedback.

SG: The app is pretty impressive, how many hours did it take you to complete?

NS: Ha ha, that depends. Procrastination hours, or real hours? I get distracted easily, so sometimes that makes programming hard. I’ve spent maybe 60 hours sitting in front of my computer pretending to work. Realistically it’s only taken about half that.

SG: When I was in college the only things I devoted that sort of time to were TV, playing games, and drinking. You haven’t been slacking off on video games, have you? What have you been playing lately?

NS: I do admit, I’ve been playing a little bit of Dragon Age. I only got about 10 hours in when the game first came out and then I stopped, but this time I think I’ll get all the way through. I’ve also recently started playing Magic: The Gathering. I’m not very good yet and I always lose, but I still think it’s fun! I don’t know whether I should be thanking my younger brother for getting me into it, it has kind of turned into an addiction.

SG: Was it hard to find the time to buckle down and work on the app?

NS: Luckily it’s still summer summer for me, so I’ve had a lot of free time. As I mentioned before, this is fun for me.

SG: What are you looking forward to seeing at PAX?

NS: Don’t even need to think about it – the Star Wars panel. I’ve been following Star Wars: The Old Republic ever since it was announced, and I can’t wait for it to be released. I went to their panel last year and I hope to make it in again!

SG: Do you play MMOs now? Or are you just a Star Wars fan, Bioware Fan, or all three?

NS: Currently I’m not playing any MMOs. I don’t like to talk about it, but my first MMO was Star Wars Galaxies. That was always my favorite game until it was completely changed twice. I gave up MMOs for a long time after SOE stabbed all of their players through the heart with a rusty daggers. PRE-CU players know how I feel. It’s kind of funny though, SWG got me into Star Wars. Not at the crazy fanboy level, but I think it’s cool. As for Bioware, who doesn’t like them?

SG: Good point! Do you intend to keep updating your app for future PAX events?

NS: I don’t like to make promises, but unless something catastrophic happens, there will be updates. I built the app ground up knowing that it would come useful later, so all I need to do is swap a couple files holding all of the data and then it’s good to go for next year (or possibly PAX East).

SG: We expect your app will be a big help during PAX. Thanks for creating it, releasing it at no cost, and talking with us about it. And, have a great PAX!

Do yourself a favor, and head over to the Android market to download the PAX Assistant, and be sure to use its donate function to send a couple of bucks to Nicholas.  Hope to see you all at PAX

Download PAX Assistant Using Your Phone

By Sci-Guy-Jim