Tasker for Android

Earlier this year I got an Android phone (the Droid Incredible), a purchase I’m quite happy with. One thing I really like about the Android platform is it’s open nature. I know that’s become a trite sentiment, but compared to my iPod Touch, there are very few limits on my ability to tinker with the phone. Now that I’m fairly comfortable with the phone and the O/S, tinkering is exactly what has been on my mind!

An application I recently discovered is Tasker. It’s an amazing application that can be used for automating and customizing many of the features of an Android device. In short, you set up rules (called “contexts”) that, when triggered, cause different actions to occur.

Here are a few of the things I’m doing with Tasker:

  • At home, school, work, and church, set the ringer volume appropriately.
  • Turn on wi-fi only when I’m at home.
  • Announce the time every half-hour (when I’ve got the headphones plugged in).
  • When I receive a phone call or email, speak the name of the caller/sender.
  • When my geocaching app is running, don’t let the display time out and shut off.
  • When I plug in my headphones, launch the podcast app.
  • A couple of minutes after I connect to my home network, update and download my RSS feeds and podcasts.
  • If I’m someplace where the ringer needs to be off, ignore the volume buttons and keep quiet.
  • If I can’t find my phone, I can send a special text message to it to cause it to ring as loudly as possible.
  • If I think my phone is stolen, I can send a different text message to it. The phone will then find its location using GPS and reply with a message telling where it’s located, how fast it’s moving and how much battery life is remaining. I can also have it take a picture or record audio.

Initially, I was going to post my scripts here, but I realized there’s not realy any further contribution I can make, other than just casting my vote for this app. The Tasker Wiki has a good set of example profiles that you can use to create your own, and it covers most common topics fairly well.

Tasker is available in the Android Market using the QR code above. It’s only a few bucks, and in my opinion it’s money well spent. Tasker might be a little daunting at first, but once you get past the steep part of the learning curve, there’s a lot of functionality!

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