Arjun S. Bharadwaj, who loves to play the keyboard in his free time and who secured the 67^thRank in Karnataka CET, 2007, has been nominated in the App2Fame contest for his app @routes which gets a user the bus routes in Bangalore city by simply texting [@routes from, destination]

We requested him an interview and he obliged….read on…

• Your Apps on txtWeb:
  • Name the apps you have on txtWeb currently?

@routes, @eatout, @sud

• Which one is the most popular among users?

@routes

• Which app are you most proud of having developed and why?

Definitely @routes because if helps thousands of commuters who travel in BMTC daily but many won’t be knowing which bus will be plying from one place to other and also sometimes people might be new to a place and might miss the stop to get down at. The app @routes aims to solve this problem.

• What was your motivation in developing these apps on txtWeb?

I’ve been travelling in bus since 9^thStandard and was facing the problems mentioned above. There were few sites which provided the ability to search the bus routes but it was never available to a common man or a daily wage worker. When txtWeb gave an opportunity to develop apps on SMS platform I & my friend, Bharath B S decided that our idea should reach everyone to make their travel easier & efficient.

• Your experience with txtWeb:

• What has been your learning while developing apps on txtWeb?

Building Apps on txtWeb platform was an enjoyable task. What I’ve learnt is that users prefer a simple but informative & useful app. If more features are put by reducing the usability then users will be overwhelmed & actually might not use it. But a simple interface with relevant info would increase the number of hits.

• Which programming language, tools, resources and technology do you use to develop apps on txtWeb?

I am a hard core fan of Java and would definitely continue to develop apps in that platform.

• As a developer, why would you recommend txtWeb platform to other developers(eg: technical aspects, testing environment, txtWeb key features, wider reach of apps etc...)?

Mainly because this would enable the developers to reach a larger set of audience for their app and also because it is easy to develop with lot of tutorials and threads in forums available in txtweb.com  

• Other Platforms:

• Which are the other platforms you have developed apps on?

I’ve developed on Android, Windows Phone 7 platform.

• How has your experience been on txtWeb vis-a-vis other platforms?

The apps which I’ve developed on Android or Windows Phone 7 platform were not internet based apps. The app in txtWeb was my first app using the internet and bringing the results to a mobile platform via SMS. It has been a great experience developing apps on txtWeb platform.

• Which websites, forums do you often visit to keep learn new skills or keep you updated? Which other tools and resources would you recommend to developers?

For java developers I would recommend http://roseindia.net. To be updated in technology I would recommend http://digg.com/news/technology. http://stackoverflow.comhas the best forum for developers.

• Who is your role model? What are your personal aspirations?

My Role Model is Steve Jobs. My personal aspiration is to develop a product/software which would revolutionary in its design, user experience and robustness.

• Profile:
  • Educational

BE in Computer Science at Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering – CGPA (9.00)

67^thRank in Karnataka CET-2007

• Professional

System Software Engineer at SuccessFactors-IDC, Bangalore

Software Engineering Intern(Dev) at SuccessFactors-IDC, Bangalore

Intern Developer at IBM-India Software Labs

• Hobbies

Programming, Blogging, Keyboard