Enhance your mobile phone - Brilliant APP! - Tasker

[ZesPak]

So, I've been playing with Tasker recently, and the thing is brilliant!

Basically it's an app that lets you do things to your phone based on events. These events could be certain times, locations (based on GPS or cell phone tower!), wifi, bluetooth,...

For example, when I've got one of the three cell towers that I can receive at home, my phone turns wifi on. If it doesn't have these cell towers, it turns wifi off.
If connected to my bluetooth (motorcycle)helmet, it locks the screen in portrait (autorotate off), and starts spotify.
Wifi turns on at the office, phone goes into silent and "vibrate".

Amazing, especially how the connection with the cell towers work. Just half a mile before I get home, wifi goes on.

Anyway, it's €4.49 but well worth the cash if you ask me, if just for the value of seeing it work .

Tasker:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net....

A nice video tutorial by a vlogger:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC6522F29DCF...

Anybody had a play yet?

Edited by ZesPak on Tuesday 25th September 09:22

[alex.tvr]

If your phone has NFC, look into NFC tags - equally amazing what you'll be able to do then.

And have a look here for how to automate stuff. https://ifttt.com/wtf

[Mark.]

If you use Android Llama is worth a try, does pretty much the same thing but is free so probably not as many features.

Works well for me, once in mast range wifi goes on and Bluetooth off, and vice versa when I leave the house, also turns itself to silent over night. Probably lots more that I'm too thick to figure out too.

[ZesPak]

alex.tvr said:

If your phone has NFC, look into NFC tags - equally amazing what you'll be able to do then.

And have a look here for how to automate stuff. https://ifttt.com/wtf

Sadly, I have a non-NFC S2. But I can achieve almost anything like this. Maybe a NFC tag for the bedroom would be nice though

[ZesPak]

Mark. said:

If you use Android Llama is worth a try, does pretty much the same thing but is free so probably not as many features.

Works well for me, once in mast range wifi goes on and Bluetooth off, and vice versa when I leave the house, also turns itself to silent over night. Probably lots more that I'm too thick to figure out too.

Thanks for the tip for future use . I already bought Tasker as it's by far the most common known though...

[plasticpig]

Somewhat wary of an APP that looks like it requires every security permission going.

[Tycho]

The app needs the permissions as it can automate pretty much everything on your phone. It really is brilliant, I have it switching ringer off at night and loading apps when in the car dock etc. Well worth it imo.

[rxtx]

I've been using Tasker for ages, only one worth paying for IMO. It's a very well known and mature piece of software so I have no qualms about giving it permissions.

[V8mate]

rxtx said:

I've been using Tasker for ages, only one worth paying for IMO. It's a very well known and mature piece of software so I have no qualms about giving it permissions.

Just watch out for when the company gets quietly bought up one of the giants or a marketing house.

[Mark.]

ZesPak said:

Thanks for the tip for future use . I already bought Tasker as it's by far the most common known though...

Actually re-reading my post it comes across as oh I do that for free - so apologies.

[plasticpig]

rxtx said:

I've been using Tasker for ages, only one worth paying for IMO. It's a very well known and mature piece of software so I have no qualms about giving it permissions.

I can write my own apps so I don't need to give another the permissions. I have a little app that captures SMS messages and if it's from a contact in a particular group then the SMS gets forwarded as an email; for example.

[durbster]

Installed Tasker at the weekend. It's brilliant

I love gestures and think they are a hugely underrated interface generally, but particularly with phones that tend to be packed full of sensors.

I've got mine set up so if I lift the phone and hold it up in front of me, it automatically launches the camera app. It works brilliantly

Not sure how much the battery is affected by all this yet so I'll keep an eye on that but I love it so far.

I've done the basic stuff like turning off wifi and data at night but after messing about sending text messages and getting the phone to say, "ooh," when I plug it into charge, I ran out of ideas.

What else are people doing with Tasker (and alternatives)?

[ZesPak]

durbster said:

What else are people doing with Tasker (and alternatives)?

The one I use when my phone connects to the bluetooth kit in my motorcycle helmet:

1. Disable screen rotation: I use the phone as a gps a lot, and always forget this, on a bike it means the screen'll be rotating like crazy every corner, If I don't mount the phone, it's in my pocket, so it doesn't even matter.
2. Disable auto-brighness: necessary for the next step to work
3. Brightness at full: I put the phone in a mount when I use it on the bike, and that sometimes obstructs the brightness sensor so the brightness gets low, problem solved like this.
4. Media volume full: Same here, never have to think of it again. I can adjust the helmet volume at the helmet, but not the phone volume.
5. Launch winamp: speaks for itself, it doesn't auto-play, but I have a play button on the helmet as well.
6. Activate "driving mode", means it'll read out who calls me (TTS) instead of just "ringing".

Of course, it reverses all these settings on disconnect.
I have a similar setup for my wife's car bluetooth.

Now I'm contemplating on something, I'm going to install two new automated garages. One big for the bikes and a car, and a smaller one for one car. With tasker I could do this:
If I'm connected to the bluetooth of a car/bike, and meanwhile the phone comes in range of my WiFi, I could auto-open the appropriate gate .
I'm a tech minded person, but the thought that I could do that with a mere £400 phone and set it up myself is utter magic to me .

[Fletch79]

ZesPak said:

I put the phone in a mount when I use it on the bike, and that sometimes obstructs the brightness sensor so the brightness gets low, problem solved like this.

What mount do you use on the bike?

[ZesPak]

Fletch79 said:

What mount do you use on the bike?

Ram mount:

http://vfr1200f.blogspot.be/2012/08/ram-mount-for-...