on{X}

Microsoft has created an Android app (yeah, an Android app, not Windows Phone 7). This app and the companion website can be used for automation and programming of your Android device. Once you have the app installed and you log into the website, which is achieved using Facebook authentication, you can start to create Rules for your device.

To get you started their are some Recipes for basic Rules which you can apply to your phone. These are logical processes based on input data from the state of your phone/tablet. For example:

• Text my wife: "I'm on my way" when I leave work.
• Launch the Calendar when I arrive at work.
• Text my wife "my phone's battery is dying" when my phone's battery goes below 15%

As you can see the input can be a location (using geo-fencing by monitoring the phones 3G cell, WiFi hotspots and GPS location). Or the input can be a time, or device state, such as low battery. The on{X} team have created an API which can assign a state to the phone based on the accelerometer movements and the GPS location. It's called Mode of Transport and is used to determine whether you are still, walking, running or driving. You can use this data to automatically open the music app when you start walking, or remember where you parked when you go from driving to walking.

To fully use this app to your own design you need to use some code. But if you aren't a coder and don't feel the need to learn there are loads of prebuilt recipes from the community for you to try.

For more details and to start creating your own Rules head to www.onx.ms. If you have any suggestions of rules feel free to leave a comment below or on the Facebook Page.