Before we get into the meat of this post (Tasker) I'd like to share some 3X Systems related news. From here on you can get answers to questions and quick support via the hash tag #3xsystems on Twitter. You'll get a response from either @3XSystems or myself @Ryan_Koch. And if that isn't enough, we have also created a subreddit on Reddit you can use to discuss any issues or questions you have, which can be found here: http://www.reddit.com/r/3xsystems.
So I imagine if you are an Android user that likes to tinker around a bit you may be aware of an application called Tasker. If you aren't aware Tasker is an application that allows you to create automated tasks based on profiles you create. The limits to this application are limited only by your imagination and skill set. While it's been around for a while I wanted to prod at yet further awareness of it (because it's simply amazing) and share a couple of the recipes I'm using.
Recipe #1 : Arriving at work
When I arrive at work Tasker picks up via network location that I'm within a KM of the building. I've set the radius this large because net location is rather bad with accuracy and I don't want to destroy my battery by leaving GPS turned on all the time. The simple view of the profile shows the location variable which is 'Work' and a task called 'Wifi On'. The wifi task does two different things for my benefit. The first of these is that it turns on wifi (one less thing to do once at the desk) and the second thing it does is launch the application AirDroid, which is a pretty cool application that can manage your phone from a web browser (assuming you are on the same wifi network). When I leave the acceptable radius the task exists and runs the exit task called 'wifi off' which in this case turns wifi off and kills the AirDroid application.
Recipe #2: Meeting Mode
This recipe puts the phone into a 'Meeting Mode' when you press a custom shortcut key, and then brings the phone out of said mode when a separate shortcut key is pressed. The Meeting Mode automatically rejects phone calls and sends a notification SMS to the caller, and silences the ringer and notification sound. In this screen capture the coffee cup is the meeting starting, and the space ship is exiting the meeting. When you press the meeting start short cut Tasker sets a variable called %Meeting to 1. Which leads to the a profile that is activated when %Meeting matches '1'. There is then a corresponding task called 'Meeting Mode'. All this task does is set the ringer and notification mode to level 0 or muted more or less.
The profile is then paired with another that automatically sends all calls to voicemail, and sends an SMS message to the caller proclaiming that I was in a meeting. The profile uses a similar logic to know when to kick off but it differs with the entrance of the call event.This happens by setting a task to make use of the SendSMS function in tasker and using the %CNUM variable to pull the 'last called number (in).'
Recipe #3: Custom Alarm
This one is a favorite of mine as it wakes me up in a way I don't detest too much. The customer alarm uses both a time and day context on the profile in order to define when it goes off. In my case I have it set up for weekday mornings. You can set it up to only run for a specified amount of time, and since I'm some what kind to the half asleep version of me I set it to run for 3 minutes. The profile runs a task called 'morning' which does the following:
1. Sets the system volume all the way up
2. Sets the media volume all the way up
3. Uses the text to speech engine to say "Good Morning Ryan, I.T. Like a champion today"
4. Use the music application to start playing the song of my choice
5. Load the music application so I can stop the song if I so choose
I definitely suggest giving this application a look, as it only costs $6.49 and is more than worth it. Between the various amount of playing around one can do, and the convenience of automating some tasks it is just simple hard to justify passing up.
So I imagine if you are an Android user that likes to tinker around a bit you may be aware of an application called Tasker. If you aren't aware Tasker is an application that allows you to create automated tasks based on profiles you create. The limits to this application are limited only by your imagination and skill set. While it's been around for a while I wanted to prod at yet further awareness of it (because it's simply amazing) and share a couple of the recipes I'm using.
Recipe #1 : Arriving at work
Recipe #2: Meeting Mode
This recipe puts the phone into a 'Meeting Mode' when you press a custom shortcut key, and then brings the phone out of said mode when a separate shortcut key is pressed. The Meeting Mode automatically rejects phone calls and sends a notification SMS to the caller, and silences the ringer and notification sound. In this screen capture the coffee cup is the meeting starting, and the space ship is exiting the meeting. When you press the meeting start short cut Tasker sets a variable called %Meeting to 1. Which leads to the a profile that is activated when %Meeting matches '1'. There is then a corresponding task called 'Meeting Mode'. All this task does is set the ringer and notification mode to level 0 or muted more or less. The profile is then paired with another that automatically sends all calls to voicemail, and sends an SMS message to the caller proclaiming that I was in a meeting. The profile uses a similar logic to know when to kick off but it differs with the entrance of the call event.This happens by setting a task to make use of the SendSMS function in tasker and using the %CNUM variable to pull the 'last called number (in).'
Recipe #3: Custom Alarm
1. Sets the system volume all the way up
2. Sets the media volume all the way up
3. Uses the text to speech engine to say "Good Morning Ryan, I.T. Like a champion today"
4. Use the music application to start playing the song of my choice
5. Load the music application so I can stop the song if I so choose
I definitely suggest giving this application a look, as it only costs $6.49 and is more than worth it. Between the various amount of playing around one can do, and the convenience of automating some tasks it is just simple hard to justify passing up.
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