![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I discovered GeoZen a few days ago, and it looks nice.
GeoZen works as an app you install on your smartphone. Android only so far it appears, but it's still in beta anyway. They'll probably release a version for That Other Phone at a later date.
It lets you define so-called zones via google maps. You can then set additional conditions and actions that are performed upon entering that zone, or exiting it.
You can also define global zones: Those let you define conditions that don't depend on a certain location.
Examples of actions to perform include enabling or disabling WiFi, Bluetooth, and Airplane Mode, increasing or decreasing the ringer volume (including muting your phone), launching an app, checking into foursquare, or sending messages.
Personally, I've set various zones which log me into foursquare. I've also set it up to mute my phone while I'm at school, and to turn on WiFi when I'm at home or at work (also turning it off when I leave). I'm also using a global zone to enable Bluetooth whenever I put the phone in the car dock.
There's some caveats though:
First of all, using it properly means leaving your GPS locator turned on at all times. The app allows you to select other means of locating (network primarily), but that's a lot less accurate and defeats the purpose of it.
Consequently you have a certain drain on battery life. You can change the locator interval, but in my case the battery is well dead at the end of the day.
Of course, there's also the issue of privacy. With the app determining your current location via GPS every few minutes, it's theoretically possible to create a very precise movement profile. Their privacy statement points out that they don't do that, but it's rather difficult to verify, especially since the app accesses the net too.
Lastly, when installing you have to agree to let it access and send messages. As I understand it, it wants access in order to use text to speech to read messages to you (which is an action you can set up). You can also set it to send a message, so it needs rights to do that too.
All in all, if you can get over those privacy / security issues, it looks very promising. The beta status means that there are probably more features to come (for example, checking into venues via Facebook doesn't seem to be an option yet).
It's available in the Android Market.
GeoZen works as an app you install on your smartphone. Android only so far it appears, but it's still in beta anyway. They'll probably release a version for That Other Phone at a later date.
It lets you define so-called zones via google maps. You can then set additional conditions and actions that are performed upon entering that zone, or exiting it.
You can also define global zones: Those let you define conditions that don't depend on a certain location.
Examples of actions to perform include enabling or disabling WiFi, Bluetooth, and Airplane Mode, increasing or decreasing the ringer volume (including muting your phone), launching an app, checking into foursquare, or sending messages.
Personally, I've set various zones which log me into foursquare. I've also set it up to mute my phone while I'm at school, and to turn on WiFi when I'm at home or at work (also turning it off when I leave). I'm also using a global zone to enable Bluetooth whenever I put the phone in the car dock.
There's some caveats though:
First of all, using it properly means leaving your GPS locator turned on at all times. The app allows you to select other means of locating (network primarily), but that's a lot less accurate and defeats the purpose of it.
Consequently you have a certain drain on battery life. You can change the locator interval, but in my case the battery is well dead at the end of the day.
Of course, there's also the issue of privacy. With the app determining your current location via GPS every few minutes, it's theoretically possible to create a very precise movement profile. Their privacy statement points out that they don't do that, but it's rather difficult to verify, especially since the app accesses the net too.
Lastly, when installing you have to agree to let it access and send messages. As I understand it, it wants access in order to use text to speech to read messages to you (which is an action you can set up). You can also set it to send a message, so it needs rights to do that too.
All in all, if you can get over those privacy / security issues, it looks very promising. The beta status means that there are probably more features to come (for example, checking into venues via Facebook doesn't seem to be an option yet).
It's available in the Android Market.
