Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Low maturity
Pros
Distinct and useful trigger factors including location and schedule (similar to an oldie but goodie Locale).Easy to set up.Widget to launch or switch profiles immediately.Could be a life saver!
Cons
Some ROMs have the ability to set up profiles already, so while they will not be as feature-rich as PhoneWeaver, you might have to weigh up the extra features available based on this.
Every so often, just as I’m falling asleep, I’ll get an email or text notification. I’m not going into too much depth about the layout of my bedroom, but my phone usually sits upright, in a charging dock, about 8 inches from my ear. No wonder I have insomnia sometimes! Now, you know late at night when your phone goes off, you just have to check it right? Even if it is just from Twitter telling you that you have a new spam follower, you still have to at least check. Then you remember something else you have to do, and before you know it you’re wide awake and playing with your phone. I’m pretty certain I’m not alone in this, all because of that damn email!
Then, for this review, I got to testing PhoneWeaver. Within a minute or two I had set it so that from 11:30 pm, my phone is silent. No sound, nothing. And boy did I sleep well that night! PhoneWeaver lets you configure profiles based on a number of factors; location (so, if you’re in work and need to keep your phone on silent, you can switch it to vibrate mode, purely triggered by entering work), time (like me you can set it to go quiet when you need quiet time!), schedule (if you’ve got a meeting, you can configure it to go quiet when the meeting starts) and connection (like setting your phone to switch on GPS when you get in your car). You can create all manner of profiles, based on all these factors.
Profiles can change many settings on your phone, not just sound. have the app launch applications- perhaps you could have your Gmail open for when you wake up, or open up Navigation when you connect to your car dock- the choice, and control, is yours. The Trial version gives you 12 days grace, so it’s worth experimenting with the app to get the most out of it.
One thing that has put me off apps like this is the complex nature of setting them up. While PhoneWeaver takes a minute or two in setup (what time do I normally go to bed??), the UI is very straightforward and easy to use, you’re not left scratching your head in confusion. Once created your profiles will kick in exactly when you want them to do.
Now, this isn’t the only app that lets you create profiles, in fact my CM7 ROM has an option to do so (I just hadn’t noticed it until now). This is where I think the complexity of your lifestyle and perhaps your movements come into play. The options available in my CM7 ROM profiling feature are extremely limited and do not begin to approach the functionality of PhoneWeaver. Therefore, you perhaps need to decide whether you need the extra functionality. The beauty of the app is that you can set it up and completely forget about it. If say, a meeting is cancelled, PhoneWeaver allows you to manually change profiles, and includes an easy widget to switch between profiles. It certainly makes your phone feel even smarter!
Watch on Mobile
Depending on a users lifestyle PhoneWeaver can be immensely useful. From getting a good nights sleep, to preventing an important meeting from being interrupted, the app comes into its own with careful settings.
There are lot of options available, and a few different menus to configure, but it remains uncomplicated to use and understandable with straightforward navigation and notifications.
Obviously this app will happily run in the background to ensure the phones profile is right for you at that time and place but, if you have quite a steady routine, you might not need to physically use it yourself once it is set up. But that’s the kind of app it is, preferably quite invisible, doing its job like a loyal artificial intelligence bot.
You have standard menus, lists, drop downs and tabs- it’s not particularly pretty but it’s very easy to understand- which is a big plus.
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