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Disney Apps Multiply

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By TED JACKOVICS

tjackovics@tampatrib.com

Published: June 26, 2009

An iPhone app called Wait Watchers, which can help Disney and Universal theme park visitors cut their wait times, is being rolled out with a display that shows how long it will take to get on a ride.

The app, which costs 99 cents on the online iTunes App Store, makes it easier for users to decide which attraction to ride next, creator Brent Pope said. Users can view and post wait times on a message board list of all the parks' attractions.

Pope plans to attend the Orlando theme parks to enter wait times himself this summer. The more users, the better the information, he reasons.

Pope said he built in safeguards against the potential for malicious users to post bogus wait times, such as automatic GPS validation. He will disable the app of any users who show a pattern of inaccurate updates.

The Wait Watchers Magic Kingdom edition has been on sale since June 9.

The app joins a variety of software dedicated to visiting Disney parks that allows visitors to plan dining, entertainment or track down information about attractions. For iPhone users, apps have ballooned in popularity, allowing their phones to perform tasks way beyond basic functions. Other cell phone companies are beginning to offer their own stores, but none is as large or popular as Apple's.

Versions of Pope's software for Disney's other non-water parks, the two Universal parks in Orlando and the Disney and Universal parks in California, will be available today.

In a separate operation, Disney announced a partnership with Verizon Wireless last year to provide information, including real-time attraction availability, on Verizon cell phones. Guests without Verizon service can get showtimes and dining locations.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

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