Any iOS app that interacts with the user’s surroundings in some way is sure to garner appreciation. Cycloramic and Wave&Pose are two fine examples of apps that deal with photography in a novel way that is both entertaining and useful. Cycloramic has been one of the most popular apps among users of iPhone 5. It lets you capture panoramas without having to exert any effort at all, as all you have to do is place the device on a flat surface, and let the app work its magic using certain vibration patterns. Though Cycloramic has a camera of its own, and many people are partial to the stock Camera app’s panorama mode, or prefer another third-party app for this purpose. Thanks to a new Cydia tweak, users can now capture hands-free panoramas with any app they want. Autopano for Notification Center makes an iPhone 5 vibrate just like Cycloramic, but it lets you use these vibrations with any panorama app of your choice.
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Check5 Is A Folder Monitor, Batch File Renamer & Attribute Changer All In One
At times, we come across applications that offer a bunch of features in one small package that otherwise require installing multiple applications. Check5 is one such app for Windows that puts several related options on the table. It can monitor user-specified folders in real time and automatically notify you when any changes are made to the files in those folders, or to those folders themselves, by using event logs. It also houses a built-in batch file renamer and a file attributes changer, both of which work like a charm. The application enables you to monitor multiple folders at the same time.
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Set Your PC To Auto-Shutdown Or Run A Certain Program When It Is Idle
We have covered applications like AllOff, DownOff and ProcOff that are designed to monitor different aspects of running processes such as file downloads, CPU priority etc., and automatically perform certain actions when user-specified conditions are met. For example, if you’re downloading a file and you want your system to automatically power off once the download completes, you can simply use DownOff for the purpose. Similarly, ProcOff essentially monitors system processes and can be used to turn off your PC when a process stops executing. Today, we have another such desktop app for Windows labeled Watch 4 Idle. Well, you might have already guessed half of what the application really does by its name - monitor your system's idle time and take actions based on it. It’s a feature-laden app that can execute a horde of different actions like shutdown, restart or log off, or run a program when your system has been idle for a defined interval of time. Details to follow after the jump.
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Define Multiple Sound Profiles In Windows For Different Times Of Day
We’ve covered apps that let you manage networks, and then we've also reviewed some that allow you to manage your daily tasks. But how about an app that could let you manage, or more precisely, automate your speaker’s volume? Speaker Admin is a Windows app that does exactly that, allowing its users to automate their volume level according to the time of the day. You can basically specify time slots during which you want the volume to stay at a certain level. You can also entirely shush it down at night by selecting the mute option. If you’re among those of us who usually leave their speakers at full volume but don’t want to hear complains from their family, roommates or neighbors regarding their distasteful music choice, Speark Admin can come very handy. Further details after the jump.
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Auto-Change Mac Screen Resolution When Switching Power Sources
OS X changes the screen brightness when your MacBook is running on battery power but sadly, there isn’t much else you can trigger when the system detects it is no longer plugged into a power outlet. While the aforementioned feature is useful, an ordinary user can’t do anything with it. Now imagine you’re using a Retina MacBook and would like to reduce your screen’s resolution when it’s running on battery power. One way to do it is manually changing it. Though if you would prefer to automate the process, you will need to make a little effort and be prepared for a little setup procedure. We’re going to show you how to change your screen’s resolution using an AppleScript and ControlPlane - a free Mac App that allows you to create contexts for running apps or scripts. This method works in Mountain Lion but may or may not work on older OS X versions.
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Auto-Open Files, Apps Or Scripts On Mac When A Calendar Event Is Due
One of the things I love about well-built reminder apps - like the stock Reminder app in iOS - is that alerts can be triggered not just by time but by location as well. While the Reminder app in iOS has only limited choices as to what can trigger an alert, there are other apps available that give you a richer choice. As far as triggers are concerned, you will find apps supporting quite a variety of them, but alerts are a different story, and are often limited in type; you’ll get an audio alert, or a notification on your screen but there seemingly isn't much else that can be done. The stock Calendar app in OS X is pretty smart when it comes to alerts; not only does it give you audio alerts and on-screen notifications, but it will also allow you to open a particular file when an event is due. Read on to see how it works.
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Have Your PC Automatically Restore To A Defined State After Reboot
People usually treat public PCs quite recklessly. Apart from use them for exchanging emails, transferring files, browsing websites, ogling at their social media profiles and streaming YouTube content, many also carelessly install crapware over them and mess up many settings. This not only leaves various traces of their activities and unknown software on the that PC that eventually bogs down its performance, but can also cause issues for other users of the machines. Since the usage of computers placed at public locations is high, it can be quite tedious to maintain them on regular basis. When it comes to such situations, Reboot Restore Rx can be a terrific solution. What this application does is automatically restoring the computer to a custom predefined baseline so that whenever a PC is rebooted, it reverts any changes made to the system during the previous session. This gives users complete control over PCs located at schools, internet cafes, hotels, kiosks etc., while making the task of maintaining them much easier for their administrators. Read More
Intelligent Ringer Dynamically Tweaks Android Ring Volume Based On Ambient Noise
So you’re driving, listening to your favorite tracks and have just reached your destination. You pick up the phone and realize you have a bunch of unattended calls, consequently realizing the phone was on silent and the vibrator buzz was just not loud enough in all that music. This has happened to me a lot, and there are plenty of other moments it skips one's mind to turn of the silent mode, or even turn it on – which can be embarrassing at times. Enter Intelligent Ringer - the app that adjusts your phone’s ring volume based on the ambient noise level, and uses the proximity sensor to detect a pocketed phone to enable the maximum ring volume. The app is a breeze to set up as well, and you wont get lost in a heap of complicated settings. Read on after the jump to see how well the app fares and what more it has to offer. Read More
Simple Watcher Monitors Local & Network Folders; Runs Apps Or Sends Emails When Changes Occur
Whenever you are working on the computer, Windows is constantly creating, changing and deleting files in the background. Keeping track of all these file changes is impossible to do manually because of the sheer number of different files and their locations involved. Other than Windows' functions, our own activities in several applications also result in a lot of files getting created and modified. If you want to recall the files that were deleted or moved from a particular folder, having a log with details of all such activity can be a blessing. Previously, we have covered folder monitoring applications such as Folder Monitor that lets you monitor local folders and sends visual and vocal notifications whenever activity is detected inside them. Simple Watcher is an even better folder monitoring application that allows you to monitor local as well as network folders for file creation, changes, modifications and deletions. The app can display visual and vocal notifications, send out an email, copy files to another folder, execute a program or a batch file and a lot more whenever such an event occurs.
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Silence For Android Gets Holo UI, Calendar Events, Power Toggles & More
Silence – the handy event-based sound profile automation app for Android – has received a pretty impressive update in the Play Store today. Besides sporting a shiny new Holo UI, the app now allows you to play around with several other volume and power toggles, so that you can use it to completely automate your Android device’s behavior as per your requirements. Already capable of automatically switching back and forth between user-selected sound levels during and after certain events, Silence can now toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile data as well. The app’s integration with Google Calendar now allows you to import events from your personal calendar, so that you can easily define your device’s volume and power settings during your events. That’s not all – there is also support for recurring events till a particular date, and you can now set a specific volume level for each sound toggle instead of silencing it completely. Details to follow.
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ProcOff Triggers PC Shutdown On Inactivity Of Specific Processes
ProcOff is a process monitoring application for Windows that lets you automatically power off your computer when there is no activity in the specified processes. The tool is developed by JSutils - the makers of other similar tools that we have covered in the past, including AllOff and DownOff. ProcOff can monitor up to three processes at the same time, and auto initiates PC shutdown, restart, log off or hibernate process when there is no activity by the processes in a given amount of time. Although it’s very lightweight and comprises of a simple interface, there are wide array of configuration options that you can set according to your preferences, including delay time for auto-activation of monitoring, delay interval between idle activity of processes and the power off process, and an option to cancel shutdown activation manually.
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Schedule ‘Do Not Disturb’ In OS X Mountain Lion With Automator
"Do Not Disturb" is a feature in Mountain Lion borrowed from iOS 6 to mute notifications from Notification Center. Unlike iOS, OS X does not allow you to schedule when the feature will be enabled or disabled. It needs to be toggled manually when required. It is programmed to enable itself at midnight each day, and there is no way to stop it from doing so. Though if you are interested in scheduling the Do Not Disturb feature by date and time of your choice, you can do so with the help of a simple AppleScript and Calendar. You will need to create Automator workflows for enabling and disabling Notification Center. The process is detailed below.
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Quicksand For OS X Auto Syncs Recent Files To A Local Folder Or The Cloud
Dropbox, iCloud, and Google Drive all let you sync files across different devices, but they leave it up to you to manually choose the files to sync by adding them to the service's folder, or uploading it directly. If you usually work with files in another folders and remove to move them to the synced folder, you’re left without options in case you need to access them later from another device. Quicksand is a free Mac app currently in beta that takes over the task of moving your files to the correct folder. It detects which files were recently accessed on your Mac and syncs them to any folder that you specify. This could be your Dropbox or Google Drive folder too, effectively syncing recent files to the cloud. Additionally, you can specify any folder that the app will watch and sync over your preferred cloud service. You can choose to sync or exclude particular file types.
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Auto Trigger Multiple Actions On Your iPhone When It’s Plugged In
Activator has claimed its position among the very best Cydia tweaks available due to its sheer usefulness. Any tweak that is even remotely related to gesture control is either Activator-based, or improves upon some functionality provided by it. PowerActions is another tweak of this kind. Activator already enables you to define certain actions whenever you connect your iDevice to a power source. PowerActions does the same, but goes one step further and lets you define multiple actions for this single trigger. It also offers some additional actions that are not to be found in Activator such as displaying a customized alert, starting music playback, toggle some of the most frequently used system settings, or mute/unmute your device each time you put it on charging.
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Shutter Allows Local & Remote PC Automation With Event-Based Tasks
Automating your everyday computer tasks can offer a lot of convenience by taking some burden off your shoulders. You don’t have to be around your PC all the time to execute certain computer tasks such as having it turned off after a specified amount of time, or trigger auto-restart upon a stable overclocking stress test. Most of the tools that come equipped with such scheduling primarily offer shutdown or restart-related options. Shutter is a small app for Windows that goes beyond that, by allowing you to specify certain computer events and then have custom actions triggered accordingly when those conditions are met. For instance, you can choose to turn the monitor off when a particular window is closed or CPU usage decreases to a certain limit, or you may simply set a wake up alarm - the possibilities are numerous.
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Sorter Runs Rule-Based File Actions On OS X Without Automater Or AppleScript
Advanced Mac users can use AppleScripts to get a lot of things done. These simple scripts can be written to execute actions on files; files and apps can be opened or closed in response to another action, and processes can be started or ended. Not everyone can be good at writing scripts however and for the not-so advanced users, there are apps that help you automate functions like this. Sorter is a free app available in the Mac App Store that allows you to monitor folders for files and enter rules for executing actions like deleting or moving them, redirecting them to an Automator workflow, or running a script on them automatically. The app is useful for ordinary as well as power users. The rules you create with Sorter are executed manually or based on certain triggers, and there isn't any way to set the app to run them periodically, which might make it less useful for power users. However, this doesn't diminish its usability for the rest of us.
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Atooma: Create, Import & Share Rules For Automating Tasks On Android
The concept of rule-based task automation on Android is making advancements by leaps and bounds. Through the previously-reviewed On{X} app, Microsoft introduced the Android world to an innovative way to automatically trigger tasks/actions on your device as per user-defined rules (referred to as a recipes). Although filled with limitless possibilities, the tool’s working have been criticized by users, since it doesn’t allow you to generate new rules from your device. Enter Atooma, a neatly designed, Holo-themed task automation tool that utilizes IFTTT (If This Then That) on Android in a very effective manner. Currently in beta, the app presents its users with a simple-to-use interface that lets them create and import rules in a variety of ways. Using various tools on offer, you can select the ‘if’ condition for a rule (called Atooma), and then decide the appropriate ‘do’ action to perform, should the condition be fulfilled. As with most task automation tools, Atooma brings into play your device’s various sensors, apps, social networks, cloud storages, local media, system features, power toggles and whatnot to automate everyday tasks.
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Task Robot Is An Easy Task Automation Tool For Windows 8
Every once in a while, we come across a software that looks quite cheesy, but offers some features that we simply cannot resist giving it a try. Task automation and user assistance tools often lie among those applications (you probably have heard about Siri, right?). If you’re already using Windows 8, then you might want to take a look at Task Robot. The app can be downloaded for free from Windows Store and fully supports Windows 8’s Modern UI. Task Robot lets you set a list of tasks for the Wall-E like robot, so you don’t have to worry about some routine tasks, such as sending emails, looking for an app on Windows Store, perform mathematical calculations and so on. It’s a great multitasking app that leaves you with less the effort and more productivity. Although, it does not look different from what we have already seen in many similar offerings, the app is still fun to fiddle with. Read More
RoboTask: An Effective Task Automation Tool For Windows
By automating system operations, one can save a significant amount of time in order to achieve efficiency and optimum task management. RoboTask is a useful application that equips you with a feature-rich task automation environment loaded with useful hotkeys for essential functions. It can automate a wide range of tasks sequentially whether be it simple execution or manipulation of system variables. It eliminates the need for batch file execution, offering you an easy way to run multiple applications scripts and commands in a required sequence. You can now ensure data integrity by automating backup operations as well as peak system performance by configuring automatic execution of useful tools like the disk defragmenter, data backup etc. Similarly, you can choose to run the tasks when the system is idle. In short, RoboTask monitors both the user needs and the system activity to optimize utilization at each end.
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Enjoy Rule-Based Wi-Fi Connectivity On Android With Better Wifi On/Off
Android users conscious about their devices’ rather limited battery life constantly keep searching for reliable and convenient means to minimize use of resources that drain the battery the most. As we have discussed on so many previous occasions, one of the most effective ways of ensuring that your device’s battery doesn’t drain all that quickly is to keep a close check on Wi-Fi usage. There are quite a few handy solutions in this regard that can be employed to make sure that the Wi-Fi radio on your Android doesn’t remain unnecessarily and/or consistently activated. Previously-reviewed Sentry, that brought with it three-way automated Wi-Fi toggling on Android, is arguably one of the most hassle-free solutions that we have come across so far. However, an XDA member, chamonix, has been busy prepping his very own solution that can, at best, be cited as an enhanced version of the aforementioned Sentry. Currently in beta, Better Wifi On/Off brings forth a comparatively extended pool of conditions that will determine when to enable Wi-Fi connection on your Android, and when not to. Like Sentry, Better Wifi On/Off is Holo-themed, involves minimal configurations, and has the capacity to automatically enable your Android’s Wi-Fi on boot, upon screen unlock, and in case where an active internet connection is detected. That, however, constitutes only half of the app’s features. To explore the complete list of rules, continue reading past the break.
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