Android Useful Apps

Bryn26 said:
That looks a lot less user friendly than Tasker. I assume it's relatively new based on the tiny download count?
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Ya looks more work to me than tasker, also does it have the same power and potential. I know MS also created some competitor to Tasker, but you also have llama.

Honestly working of some slidy point images, I prefer the text, looks more logical.

Lack of free version will also make it hard for them to sell it, at least with tasker you can get a 7 day free trial and llama has a lite version. I am most certainly not going to pay R35 for some random app that may or may not actually be any good.
 
There is a 10 day evaluation version: http://automagic4android.com/en/evaluation

I messed with it a bit, recreated some of the Tasker profiles I have, and it was pretty easy. First time I used Tasker it was a bit daunting, maybe this was easier to use because I'm already familiar with the basic concepts and such.

Always nice to have some new competition and all.
 
BrokenRSA said:
There is a 10 day evaluation version: http://automagic4android.com/en/evaluation

I messed with it a bit, recreated some of the Tasker profiles I have, and it was pretty easy. First time I used Tasker it was a bit daunting, maybe this was easier to use because I'm already familiar with the basic concepts and such.

Always nice to have some new competition and all.
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SUppose thats also a consideration, a true test and a complete waste of time would be a double blind study getting about 20 or so people who are all already familiar with android but have used neither and provide with a phone and have each of them create a series of tasks and automated profiles and then gauge the winner based on time and user opinion.

FOr me it's also pointless, trial or not I have been using tasker for 2 years and have got some seriously specific profiles on it and know how to use it inside out so to go buy a replacement that may be easier is really just a waste of money, but a good alternative for the beginners.

Probably my most complicated task is the host file updater, I need a specific line in the host file to remap a dyndns address when I am home to a local IP, and I also need to not lose what's already in it. The rest of what I do is mostly phone functions and toggles?

Does this magician integrate with Secure Settings as its the only way to toggle GPS for versions above 2.3.3 and then aeroplane mode from 4.2.2. Which are probably among the most used functions for these automations.
 
It looks like GPS toggles are available if your device is rooted. Airplane mode no need for root it seems,
 
BrokenRSA said:
It looks like GPS toggles are available if your device is rooted. Airplane mode no need for root it seems,
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Even if rooted, takser nor Llama have the ability to do it, secure settings was a built as an integrator to do it. The toggles remain available in both they just don't actually work when run. So the option existing does not mean they will actually work when executed.

Its security features of the OS, 3rd party apps are not allowed to toggle GPS settings after 2.3.3 and aeroplane mode after 4.2.2.
 
I tested quickly, enabling GPS when opening Google Maps, and it worked correctly. I'm running CM10.1 on my Note 2, don't know if that has anything to do with it.
 
BrokenRSA said:
I tested quickly, enabling GPS when opening Google Maps, and it worked correctly. I'm running CM10.1 on my Note 2, don't know if that has anything to do with it.
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I took a quick look myself and see it does, still seems a tad complicated. I find tasker a bit more organized, yes magic man has a search function, but you don't always know the exact name of what you're searching for so it could be a bit frustrating.

Tasker has it nicely categorized, not perfect but at least you know what you looking for so you know the most likely places to look.

I am most certainly not going to change, I have 2 licenses for tasker, when I first got it play would not let my buy so I went direct, but when it went on sale a little while back I just bought a new one as updates are much easier that way and less of a hassle when you change phones. Also the manual license is per device, whereas the play ones are per user with unlimited devices.

I have paranoid android with cm10.1 kernel on my note and the gps and aeroplane modes need secure settings, I guess there must be a reason they took that route as opposed to updating their code, not a developer so cannot speak to any logic or lack thereof in that regards.
 
The app's still relatively new, there's still a lot of improvement they can do, and there's things that Tasker definitely does better, but it's nice to see some other apps in that space, it can only be good for competition!

But yeah, if you already use Tasker, there's not much reason to change at all.
 
I actually uninstalled Tasker. Decided the few tasks I had set up were unimportant to my life and the drain on my phone's resources wasn't worth it. What do you guys use it for that is important to you?
 
Bryn26 said:
I actually uninstalled Tasker. Decided the few tasks I had set up were unimportant to my life and the drain on my phone's resources wasn't worth it. What do you guys use it for that is important to you?
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Tasker is not even on my list of apps that use my battery, its bellow 2%
 
CranialBlaze said:
Tasker is not even on my list of apps that use my battery, its bellow 2%
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Yeah, but it was using between 20 and 50MB of RAM, which I generally only want important stuff like HD Widgets, SwiftKey and Nova Launcher Prime using. It's perfectly manageable, but I didn't see any reason to keep Tasker when I barely receive any benefit from it.
 
Bryn26 said:
Yeah, but it was using between 20 and 50MB of RAM, which I generally only want important stuff like HD Widgets, SwiftKey and Nova Launcher Prime using. It's perfectly manageable, but I didn't see any reason to keep Tasker when I barely receive any benefit from it.
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50, thats a lot, mines using 20 with 3 active profiles. Then again I do have the new improved major updated and completely redesigned version.

I have 8 profiles managing most of the 20 tasks defined. Tasker practically runs my phone for me
 
CranialBlaze said:
50, thats a lot, mines using 20 with 3 active profiles. Then again I do have the new improved major updated and completely redesigned version.

I have 8 profiles managing most of the 20 tasks defined. Tasker practically runs my phone for me
Click to expand...

What sort of tasks do you have? All I could think of was toggling wifi, GPS, data, Bluetooth etc. in response to certain events, turning my phone over to silence, automatic vibrate mode for lectures and checking airtime by shaking the phone. None of these are meaningful to me and save just about no time.

I was using the redesigned Tasker.
 
If you watch memory on an Android phone you doing it wrong.

The OS will cull apps as it needs it, besides if its preloaded it opens up faster.

That is why Task killers are so wrong as they check/remove apps from memory and not based on CPU use %
 
Bryn26 said:
What sort of tasks do you have? All I could think of was toggling wifi, GPS, data, Bluetooth etc. in response to certain events, turning my phone over to silence, automatic vibrate mode for lectures and checking airtime by shaking the phone. None of these are meaningful to me and save just about no time.

I was using the redesigned Tasker.
Click to expand...

Work Profiles I use all the time, changes audio settings and turns my work pc, work server, colleagues pc's and bosses pc on and signs me out of gtalk when I connect to the wifi which happens about 60 - 90 seconds before I actually sit down at my desk.
The general profile which sets it all to my normal settings when I am not at work.
Home profile which turns on my home pc when I get home.
GPS Automation
Headphone settings that adjust the output volume to be more suitable for having things stuck in your ears.
Metting profile which silences the phone when a calendar event is reach where I have set it as busy.
THe host file update for using certain apps on my phone for my local network.

Sleep task
Data off when connected to wifi
Exercise task that opens my workout app and puts the phone into DND.
Teather task setup for working with the tablet which has no sim.

Most of these I use every single day, and for me to get to work every morning, turn down my volume and change it to a more suitable ringtone and msg alert, turn on my pc, sign out of gtalk. While it may only save a few seconds, its just a las to do it manually. ALso the server is in another room and we don't need it running 24/7. All the androids are set to auto turn that one on, whomever arrives first is the one who does it, it just needs to be on when we working.

Rest are all miniscule timesavers, but the tasks are so repetitive it seems silly to do them manually 5 days a week and asl Alpha said, with android memory means very little.
WIth windows more free ram means more speed, with linux more free ram means less optimized and everything is just damn slower. Unix works best at lower free ram levels as its smart enough to cache and suspend apps that are not actively needed and unload them if needed.

The only thing you actually need to care about is CPU usage, apps that abuse that are the problem, but I have had about 100mb free ram on my last 2 phones and my current tablet, it matters little how much they start with, they all end up around the same level.
 
Bryn26 said:
...What do you guys use it for that is important to you?
Click to expand...
I don't have Tasker but I use Llama to do some basic stuff like:
When I get to work, Wifi goes on + sets "work" audio profile. wifi turns off when I leave work.
3G & Wifi turns off at 22:00, turns back on at 5:15.

/looks like my Llama is using 8mb.
 
Quick Llama question, can I use it to transfer files from a folder on the SD card to a shared folder on the network when it becomes available automatically?
 
Cranialblaze, how do you set Tasker to switch on pc's (ie when entering a wifi area)? Wow. That's impressive
 
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