University of North Carolina Wilmington undergraduate students Ricardo Valea and Phillip Whisen­hunt have created the university’s first iPhone application.

Posted in October, the UNCW Mobile application is one of the first university applications to be available on iTunes.

This free iPhone application provides users with information about upcoming campus activities, university news, events and UNCW YouTube videos. The application is available via the Apple itunes store and can be downloaded directly to the phone by searching for “UNCW Mobile.” 

Valea and Whisenhunt are not the only students developing applications for UNCW. Graduate student Camilo Alvarez will be launching an application designed for incoming students and visitors who are unable to attend formal campus tours. The application, iTour, uses Google maps to show proximity from university buildings and other points of interest to the individual’s location on campus. 

Valea and Whisenhunt have joined with Alvarez to form a software development company, BoomCo, focused on iPhone application development. According to Valea, their company has three applications in the iTunes store and two under review. Apple must  approve every version of an application before it is made available via their iTunes store. 

Review criteria include technical requirements and content ratings. 

Because it allows unrestricted access to the Internet and YouTube through the application, the UNCW Mobile application was rated for seventeen years or older. 

While none of the built-in content is in any way geared towards adults, Apple software policy requires this rating. “Your application has to be rated. This is Apple’s doing, not mine,” Valea said.

According to a press release from UNCW, “The iPhone initiatives reflect UNCW’s commitment to providing the university with access to the most innovative technology and information in conjunction with the UNCW Information Technology Systems Division and Apple’s University Developer Program, which promotes free iPhone programming resources to campuses.” 

Valea and Whisenhunt will be graduating this year and plan to continue building applications with BoomCo.

“The plan is to stay in Wilmington and attend graduate school,” Valea said.

The company is currently looking for ways to expand the current application for UNCW and to offer the software to other universities.