Yuhnke Commentary: New Microsoft app provides glimpse into future of smartphones
Posted: 06/09/2012
Last Updated: 14 hours and 56 minutes ago
By: Kirk Yuhnke, ABC15 Mornings By: Kirk Yuhnke, ABC15 Mornings
PHOENIX - App after app after app after app. There are literally hundreds of thousands of them for iPhone and Android.
Sorting through them to find the “good” ones can be nearly impossible. It’s very rare that a new app pops up that makes me say, “WOW!” This week, that happened and it came from the most unexpected company to do it.
Microsoft released an Android app (which is odd considering Microsoft has it's own mobile operating system) called on{x} . It’s one of a few apps ( Motorola Smart Actions , Llama , Tasker , etc) that I think points to the future of smartphones. On{x} automates your life. It’s a programmable app that can invoke actions based on certain triggers.
The powerful thing is that these triggers can be your location, the time of day, the weather forecast or what you’re doing. For example, you can program it to automatically send your spouse a text message when you leave work. You could also program it to remind you to take an umbrella to work if the forecast for that day calls for rain or to automatically load up your music app whenever you start driving. The possibilities are endless since on{x} allows YOU to code an event for it. Microsoft includes some example “recipes” for users to try out. Check out the list to get an idea of the kind of stuff it can do.
The reason I wanted to write about this app is because I think it’s an example of what’s next. It’s an example of the type of things that will soon be integrated into our smartphones and allow them to actually be smart. Right now, our smartphones only do things that we tell them to do. What if it used basic logic to do things based on certain conditions, location and actions? Our smartphones become devices that actually think for us. I don’t need to see the forecast every single day but I do want to know if it’s going to be abnormally cold, hot or rainy. With an app like on{x} you could program your phone to help decide when you need to know about the day’s forecast. You could program your alarm to go off early if traffic is bad on your route to work. How cool? No more morning scramble when you realize the Loop 202 is a mess.
On{x} isn’t the only app that does this nor is it the perfect solution but if you want a peek into the future of smartphones, check it out.
Microsoft on{x} is free and available right now on Android.
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Yuhnke Commentary: New Microsoft app gives glimpse into future of smartphones
