It wasn't until this past October when I finally got a smartphone. I chose the Samsung Galaxy S3. Since that purchase I've barely spent any money on actual apps. In fact, I've only bought two. The first was Swiftkey ($3.99 Play Store), the awesome keyboard app that knows how I speak better than I do, and the second was Tasker ($2.99 Play Store). I immediately started using Swiftkey but Tasker sat in the background for a while, until I had time to really work with it.This weekend I had the time. And I have to say, this app is amazing. There are so many possibilities with this app. When I show off my phone and all of its features, this is my go-to app. I'm amazed by it every time I discover something new. I think to myself "this is the future".
I found Tasker after explaining Near Field Communication (NFC) to one of my friends thinking of purchasing the new Galaxy S4. I was doing some research and came across the app in a few articles. It peaked my interest and I looked into it a bit more. I found a ton of stuff about it on reddit. People were doing awesome things with it.
One post really interested me. This guy had automated his phone to levels I had never known possible. He's a motorcyclist that doesn't like to be bothered on his rides, so he created a series of tasks to help him out. First, he used an NFC tag on his bike as a switch to enable and disable these functions.
NFC tags are essentially tiny chips that can store little bits of data that trigger certain functions on your phone.
The tags can be used in a variety of ways, including sharing apps between phones and purchasing products in stores. It's much like RFID, only it has a shorter range of 4 inches, so it's more difficult to eavesdrop on.After he scans his NFC tag his phone goes silent so he is not bothered on rides. It then prompts him to choose whether he wants to listen to music or an audiobook during the ride, via customized on-screen menu. If a person from his "Favorites" contacts him, they receive an automatic SMS informing them he's on his motorcycle. If they send him 911, his phone will literally speak to him, notifying him there is an emergency. If one of these favorites texts him "Where are you?" his phone will use GPS to locate him, determine his speed, and relay that information to them. When his ride ends, he simply scans the NFC tag again and all his settings return to their defaults.
This reddit user was kind enough to share how he did all this so I tried it myself and got it working. I'm loving it and it barely even touches on all the functions this app can do.
I found some other functions of this app and NFC on reddit:
- EvoBrah explains how to use NFC to force yourself out of the bed in the morning with alarms that require an NFC tag to deactivate.
- Samsung used it in a marketing campaign to promote the S3. They gave away a free song every week!
- User Bodieh wants to keep an NFC tag in his wallet that will trigger a fake phone call, so that he can escape conversations (this is very easy to do).
- Reddit user Terswin would place multiple tags around the house with each set to play a different playlist on the phone (also very easy!).
- TheRealBigLou has an amazing home theater setup that is completely automated by NFC. This is just mind-boggling.
- It can also be used to notify you of your bank account balance.
- GmoneyKricket is using Tasker to accomplish a variety of different things.
This post is beginning to look like one big ad for Android and Tasker. But I really just wanted to share the capabilities of these systems. I get excited about this kind of stuff and I hope it interests you as well. If it does and you'd like to know more about how to get NFC tags, how to use them, or what else I'm using them for post a comment and let me know!
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