Seeking app: Check pulse, send message in emergency - General Questions and Answers

I'm looking for a wearable-gizmo plus app system which can accomplish a specific task: when worn, automatically check the wearer's pulse every so often (eg, at least once per hour); and if no pulse is detected, send an alert message (eg, via SMS).
A battery life of at least 24 hours seems another minimal requirement. I'm open to watches that contain Android phones, watches that connect to Android phones, watches imported from China, apps that do even more than what I describe, finding someone willing to write such an app, and more. Funds for hardware are somewhat limited, so if this could be accomplished with a $20 gizmo instead of a $200 one, that would be nice.
Do you know of anything like what I'm looking for?
Thank you for your time.

Related

Cell Profiler 1.0 Official Release (location based profiles)

'Cell Profiler' announcement by Pocket OOZ
(2th May 2004)
'Cell Profiler' is a location based profile manager for all HTC phones running Windows Mobile 2003 Phone Edition (XDA/XDA2/MDA/MDA2/I-MATE/QTEK).
'Cell Profiler' - a unique software for Windows Mobile 2003 Phone Edition
that allows you to trigger events based on your current location.
It's been designed to run all the time in the background of your PDA - even when the device is turned off.
That's the reason why it has been written in pure ansi C - no MFC, no Visual Basic.
'Cell Profiler' utilizes special data which GSM networks provide to determine the PDAs current location.
This service is free, except the small fee you have to pay for the 'Cell Profiler' software itself.
'Cell Profiler' can automatically mute your device upon entering your office
or it could display notes that you've took during the weekend as soon as you
enter the campus area.
But there is much more power in this application,
'Cell Profiler' can automatically wake you up once your train arrives at it's
destination or it changes your today theme when you come home.
There are much more events that you can assosicate to a cell which will can
be triggered upon entering it:
-Change Device Volume
-Change Phone Volume
-Send a SMS to a Pocket Outlook contact
( tell someone that you are now at your destination,
tell your wife that you are coming home,
useful for theft protection,
and much more... )
-Start an executable file ( exe )
-Start an audio file ( mp3, wma, ogg, wav, midi )
-Change your current today theme ( tsk files )
-Display a picture ( jpeg, bmp )
-Open a Pocket Word document ( psw )
-Open a Pocket Excel document ( pxl )
-Open a note file ( pwi )
-Open standard text file ( txt )
It is also possible to log a whole trip, every cell from start to end with the login time of each cell. You can save such a route to load it at a later time
or send it to another 'Cell Profiler' user via Infrared or Bluetooth.
Sometimes there are multiple cells for an area like a big office,
to prevent the user from having 5 profiles for the same area,
he can group these 5 cells to a group and assign the same profile to all cells.
But using groups doesn't limit the user to the same profile for each cell in a group - it's optional.
'Cell Profiler' can also show you detailed information about the cell you are
currently logged into ( like signal strength in DBM ). The windows contents
will be expanded with further versions as we do more research on what type of
information can be recieved from the network for free.
It is also possible to export or import selected groups and their cell ids.
Exporting or importing will only export the cell's name and id - no profile is
beeing exported or imported.
'Cell Profiler' offers you to automatically send the exported data via
Infrared or Bluetooth.
This future for this feature is to 'share' information about the GSM cells with other users using the internet to create a hugh online database, which
'Cell Profiler' again could contact to tell you where you are at using a GPRS online connection.
'Cell Profiler' by 'Pocket OOZ' will be released on 5th May 2004.
It will be avaiable as fullversion or trial download at
www.pocketland.de and www.handago.com.
The registration for the fullversion costs 20EURO/25$ including free updates for all
future versions of 'Cell Profiler'.
There is also a competition that will end at 5th may. The person that designs the best homepage and writes a good readme.txt file will get the fullversion for free. Informations at [email protected]
The links to the product download pages will appear at 5th may at http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104515
contact: [email protected]
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Links for download/buy will appear in this thread.
EDIT: If you want to try a PRE-RELEASE, DEMO - it has just been released check the end of the thread or download it right here!
Re: Cell Profiler 1.0 Official Release (location based profi
dutty said:
The registration for the full version costs 20? including free updates for all future versions of 'Cell Profiler'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little bit pricy for this application - no matter if "?" means EUR or USD.
I think I will stay with PocketZenPhone http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=6162&highlight= and change my profiles manually.
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Click to collapse
yes, for a profile manager it would be a little bit much. but this application can do much more, just read the press release
and you will get all updates for free...
but maybe i will lower the price until the release, depends on the feedback i get now.
dutty said:
yes, for a profile manager it would be a little bit much. but this application can do much more, just read the press release
and you will get all updates for free...
but maybe i will lower the price until the release, depends on the feedback i get now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I absolutely agree, it's more than a simple profile manager, but there remains the fact that if you do not really need all the advanced options on a regular basis, it's too expensive.
For me a range between 2,50 EUR and 5 EUR (regarding upcoming updates) would be O.K. That's an amount of money that is easily spent, even without consideration.
I think you should consider that in most cases manual selection of the phone profile is more useful than an automatic setting. Especially if it is based on a not really exact position sensing.
At the moment, your tool afaik lacks manual override and a convenient manual change of the settings. How about adding an CP on/off-Button and a few profiles selectable via tray-icon?
I agree with Slartibartfass. I think I would continue to use Pocket Zen Phone even if I had the 'Cell Profiler' on my XDAII. Given how much time is invested into Pocket Zen Phone its too hard for 'Cell Profiler' to catch it on the profile management arena anyways.
It was interesting to note that dutty seems to be doing the same. I am sure I spotted the 4 buttoned interfance of jgui's Phone Seriously on dutty's Today screen.
exactly. you can use both applications and they will not conflict with each other!
i'll add an CP on/off button which you can use to enable or disable CP usage no problem - that's why the release is delayed to the 5th.
keep in mind that you do not have to use CP for volume changes you can also send SMS to your girlfriend on your way home, you can play music when your train arrives in it's destination time.. maybe Cell "PROFILER" was the wrong name, everybody thinks of volume profiles and only volume profiles when they hear the word "PROFILE"
EDIT: btw, and I do think that 5$ is far to low for such an application. a lot of time has been spent on it and i'm a student with no money..
keep in mind that you do not have to use CP for volume changes you can also send SMS to your girlfriend on your way home, you can play music when your train arrives in it's destination time..
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Click to collapse
Nice try. But I don't think that there are many users outside who really need those features. Of course there are lots of people who might like to try that - but are those really willing to spend 20 to 25 bucks ??
EDIT: btw, and I do think that 5$ is far to low for such an application. a lot of time has been spent on it and i'm a student with no money..
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Click to collapse
I think that would be an appropriate price. A price I would be willing to pay for a software that is more some sort of proof of concept than a sofware I would really use on daily basis.
Let me illustrate my point of view:
It's O.K. for me to pay 9$ for vBirthday 3.2, because I like the option to have birthdays shown on the tody screen without having appointments in my calendar. But I wouldn't pay 25$, I would rather ignore birthdays or have a few appointments in my agenda.
Maybe my threshold of pain is slightly lower than that of others (must be like that, there seem to be many people buying ringtones and logos for 3€ each).
If the trial-release is crippleware like the demo I think most people will install - have a short look, uninstall and forget your software seeing the price tag.
But if it only costs a few bucks, maybe they invest the amount and try the real thing, no matter if they really use the application later or not. I think it is easier convincing 20 peple paying 5$ than 5 people paying 20$.
If you really want to make money with that product, you should try to develop a complete application, for example some sort of "kid's mobile" which automatically phones mummy when Bob is leaving the homezone...
well, okay. i asked most people and they said 20? would be a good price, i asked people i don't know in person they only knew waht the programm will be able to do.
If the trial-release is crippleware like the demo I think most people will install - have a short look, uninstall and forget your software seeing the price tag.
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Click to collapse
please don't mix up things. the thing you call demo was a proof of concept beta release.
considering that birthday is an out-of-the-box feature and that you're ready to spend 9$ on a software that does nothing but what already exist, I don't really see what's the issue with paying a litlle extra for a soft that can do *really* much than what exists in standard.
unless you consider of course that you can do the same by a simple configuration of your device.
I'm not skilled enough on the PPC development to estimate the exact development effort for this tool, but it should be in the range of a zillion more than for a birthday software.
my 2 cents
If the trial-release is crippleware like the demo I think most people will install - have a short look, uninstall and forget your software seeing the price tag.
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please don't mix up things. the thing you call demo was a proof of concept beta release.[/quote]
It said "DEMO" on my screen.
And it only allowed editing only one cell, setting the volume on all other cells to 100%, which isn't really useable even as a trial, especially if your phone continues to switch between two cells at your house.
Btw. - pretty heavy restrictions for a "proof of concept beta release"??
tde said:
considering that birthday is an out-of-the-box feature and that you're ready to spend 9$ on a software that does nothing but what already exist, I don't really see what's the issue with paying a litle extra for a soft that can do *really* much than what exists in standard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Offtopic] For me knowing birthdays without having them in my PPC and Lotus-Notes-Agenda ist something really useful, which can't be done with the standard-application. I also use Pocket Informant, because the calender is a bit better than the integratedone (month-view with mini-text).
The main difference to Phone Profiler is, that for me the tools mentioned above really simplify the everyday-handling while PP is nice to have, but more the kind of goodie like a nice ringtone.
I'm not skilled enough on the PPC development to estimate the exact development effort for this tool, but it should be in the range of a zillion more than for a birthday software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what? Nobody forced "dutty" to develop this tool and not a calender-plugin.
well it was a beta demo.. yes maybe it said demo because it is build using the same compiler defines as the demo (if youknow little about coding)
i just wanted to show the world that it is possible to do what minigps is doing for symbianos because everybody said it was impossible.
btw, people are paying 25$ for minigps and it's ok. and cell profiler can do much more,and a today plugin like zenphone or jgui phone seriously is planned. i think that 20$ is ok.
oh and, i all my co-workers and friend who use cell profiler think it's one of the best applications and they say that's how phone edition should be. so it's an everyday application, plus i use it to wake me up in the train or tell me friends when i'm arriving at mcdonalds or the cinema.
ofcourse if you don't want to pay 20$ you don't have to
debate about value...
Just my .02 worth...
There's a debate about whether the application is worth $20-25.
In basic terms, value is based on the perception of the individuals who use it. While it may be worth $25 to one person, it may only be worth $5 to another.
Dutty has to identify a price that will target both individuals. Too high, few will purchase it, too low and he will make little money off of it.
And, if a competitor designs an application with the same features and just as reliable, well competition will deal with the pricing.
As such, let competition roar on.
JS
Slartibartfass said:
If you really want to make money with that product, you should try to develop a complete application, for example some sort of "kid's mobile" which automatically phones mummy when Bob is leaving the homezone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Offtopic, but how many kids do you know are leaving the homezone with an PPC Phone Edition device?
wiredup... I think you are spot on!
"Dutty has to identify a price that will target both individuals. Too high, few will purchase it, too low and he will make little money off of it.
And, if a competitor designs an application with the same features and just as reliable, well competition will deal with the pricing.
As such, let competition roar on. "
zendrui vs jgui... I rest my case. Not saying dutty should go donationware but ultimately market makes or breaks products not the developers contrary to popular belief.
Lets leave dutty be for now so he meets his 5th May commitment and avoids joining the ever increasing list of pocket pc vaporware hall of fame.
PS. Pre-announcing products and starting a price debate really takes guts. Apple barely survives each time (ref ipod min debacle etc...). Well done dutty but do please show us you can deliver too.
Cheers
true
Excellant program, go ahead and keep updating your nice software... It is the first of its kind for PPC and it is very important for some tracking companies to have one like this... Good luck...
Navigation using cells
There is a group of enthusiasts maintaining a list of GSM cells (BTS) in our country.
The list also contains coordinates of each cell (resolved by GPS).
So could you modify your applicaton to calculate the position from few closest cells?
Because if you know your distance (calculated from time advance - signal delay) from closest cells (at least 3) and if you also know coordinates of those cells, you can calculate your position.
Each GSM phone knows the closest (active) cell, and the distance from it. It also monitors few (usually 6) other cells and distance from them - because of handover.
The best solution would be to write a "GPS" driver - driver which will retrieve the list of closest cells (and distances) from radiostack and also the database of cells (silmle XLS with cellID and coords). This driver will calculate the position and will be compatible with other GPS drivers - so it would be able to communicate with all map applications (but with not that good precision).
There is also a service called "T-Mobile Locator" which does it all - but it costs money and is not compatible with PocketPC. You can obtain your coordinates (or coordinates of other phone - if you know its LocationPIN). And if you have installed the map software (provided by TMO), you can see phone's position on the map. But only on desktop PC.

[Q] google voice alternative

moderators, if there is a better place to put this, please move accordingly.
situation:
my employer will pickup $95 of my cellphone bill if i get a smartphone for work - so that i can check emails while traveling to job sites, meetings, etc. i travel about once every other week now. they will put me on the company account when i am traveling every week. so this might only be a 2 year stop-gap till they are paying for all of my phone and this isnt an issue at all. at that point, i can port my GV number to ATT and the company account.
i currently have a dumb or "feature phone" and cant justify spending the monthly data rate to get a smart phone for personal usage, but if my business pick-ups most of the tab, it is worth it. personally, i make less than 200 minutes of calls and 200 texts (mostly to my wife who is on the same plan, that is all negated as part of the "shared"
if i stay on my current family's plan and convert it to a family data share plan (ATT), that actually saves me about $15 a month on my phone bill
downside - i have an out of area phone number and my office wants me to have an in-area phone number for business
in short, what is the best, long term way to have 2 numbers call/receive on a cellphone, without having to pay extra, or minimal, for the convenience of being able to call from the different numbers. if the telecom carriers would just drop their stupid tax limitation for having different tax / area codes on the same account, i wouldn't have this issue. realistically - if everyone in the USA had free nation wide calling via cellphone, land-line, etc - we would all just have 10 digit numbers and this wouldn't be a problem b/c we wouldn't need all of these hacks and tweaks for porting numbers, move voice over sip/voip, use 3rd party programs that use txt over data rather than it just all being easy and cheap / rant over.
GV number
it appears i am receive / call from an in-area number - i already setup a number and tried a iphone and it works great.
not concerned that it uses minutes b/c family share plan has unlimited minutes (i keep searching for google voice alternatives and i either come up with VoIP / SIP options to avoid using minutes and use data OR business plans that use voice, but charge for minutes)
my concerns / reason for looking for other options / alternatives
1. every year google says that US calling is free for the next year. and their rates page shows the same.
since i will be using default GV iphone/android app that will use minutes rather than VoIP to make the calls, will that ever be a concern of mine (e.g. if google makes a call $0.01 a minute in the future, i don't want to have to find another option really quick b/c it does not suite my needs anymore)
2. GV closing - everyone was "up-in-arms" about reader closing this year. most of us have moved to other programs / clients that allow us to continue reading news
3. GV says that you shouldnt use it for business b/c they don't have enterprise support. the company i work for is far from an enterprise, but i still have some an uneasy feeling that if google doesn't like GV anymore and drop it, im scrambling to find something fast and dont want to do that. e.g. is this the best long term solution?
option 2: long time listener to leo laporte / twit and they are advertising ring central.
looked at their features and not only will it cost more than i am saving, but also, it has tons more features that what i need.
other options? someone on the GV forums called GV a "call management service" and i have searched for alternatives and most of the business oriented services seem to want to offer more features than i need and to change for it. most of the personal alternatives are an attempt to reduce voice minutes, but use data.
a lot of our contractor clients have project managers and job-site supers have completely random area codes and call from other named business's when they call us, so it might not even be an issue. trying to do all my research before i go back to my boss and give him some options and see if having an in-area number is required or just something that they would want.
thanks for the help and advise.

Smartwatch2 development

I am eager to start developing for the Smartwatch2, although developer.sonymobile.com is useful for obtaining the api's, I was wondering is there are any other keen Smartwatch2 developers who are willing to post guides and tutorials to help the the less experienced developers who want to support the Smartwatch2.
Look forward to hearing from the community.
jon_lee9900 said:
I am eager to start developing for the Smartwatch2, although developer.sonymobile.com is useful for obtaining the api's, I was wondering is there are any other keen Smartwatch2 developers who are willing to post guides and tutorials to help the the less experienced developers who want to support the Smartwatch2.
Look forward to hearing from the community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just bought a sw2 today (my wife has hidden it away for 11 days) and from all accounts some of the apps already available are substandard, in particular one review said that most of the notifications are useless as you can't do anything useful with the phone once you've got the notification.
I'm a n00b dev and only just completed a HelloWorld app on my asylum kitkat N7000, so I'm keen to learn.
I expect I'll be trying to dev some stuff for the SW2 too.
:laugh:
depends on what your definition of 'useful' is
to me my (smart)watch isn't a replacement of my phone, just an extension
if i get a facebook/twitter (from selective people) notification or whatsapp message, i can see in a glance on my watch if they're important and if they need an answer
same goes for phonecalls, a small vibration, a glance at my watch and i can decide to reject it right there (with or without sms auto response), or reach for my phone and answer it
there are over 200 apps now on the play stpre and i must admit most of them are quite useless, i'm not gonna play games, surf the web or draw pictures on my watch, to me that's just silly
regarding replying to messages, don't forget this watch isn't running android, that means you need an app that displays a keyboard on the watch, register keystrokes and process them on your phone, i have no idea if that is even possible...
JarlSX said:
.....to me my (smart)watch isn't a replacement of my phone, just an extension...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been a useful post. Thank you.
Can you read the facebook post like you can an email or txt that's just come through?
Some of the guys I work with (university undergrads) use facebook as a collaboration tool, so would be useful.
JarlSX said:
depends on what your definition of 'useful' is
to me my (smart)watch isn't a replacement of my phone, just an extension
if i get a facebook/twitter (from selective people) notification or whatsapp message, i can see in a glance on my watch if they're important and if they need an answer
same goes for phonecalls, a small vibration, a glance at my watch and i can decide to reject it right there (with or without sms auto response), or reach for my phone and answer it
there are over 200 apps now on the play stpre and i must admit most of them are quite useless, i'm not gonna play games, surf the web or draw pictures on my watch, to me that's just silly
regarding replying to messages, don't forget this watch isn't running android, that means you need an app that displays a keyboard on the watch, register keystrokes and process them on your phone, i have no idea if that is even possible...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree there are some very useful apps, the email, Gmail and text apps are very useful. I can just see much more potential. For instance a music control app which would work with 3rd party apps such as PlayerPro (my long term preferred music app) or navigation extension.
I was hoping that SW development would be a good way to get started in app development, is it more sense mile to develop for smartwatch given the resources provided by Sony?
There just seems to be a big lack of development chatter on the smartwatch here.

10 apps to reinvent yourself in 2016

Clear your head
Headspace
Mindfulness, the act of focusing on awareness, both in your mental and physical state, is becoming an increasingly popular way of managing stress, attention issues and overall well-being.
The free version of Headspace offers up 10 mediation sessions. All it asks of you is 10 minutes a day and listening to a calm, British voice guiding you through the process of finding your inner Chi. There are also unguided sessions. After you polish off those, you can purchase individual meditations (one off or Series) from the apps library of hundreds of self-soothing options. (iOS,Android)
Elevate Brain Training
Your body and mind feel good, but what about neural plasticity? Are you as smart as you used to be or want to be? Probably not (especially if you had to reread the last two sentences more than once). Elevate Brain Training works on memory, comprehension, math and concise writing. It actually starts by testing you on all these metrics, which can be quite daunting, especially when it comes up with a rating for you on all those factors. Once it has a benchmark, the training begins with 35 brain games (free version). You can get more training by paying $4.99 for the pro version. (iOS, Android)
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
There are the lucky few who wake up without an alarm clock. Then there’s the rest of us, buzzer hitters, alarm ignorers and overall sleep-walkers. We need something different to get us out of bed. Sleep Cycle Alarm clock tries to work with your own sleep rhythms to help you wake up more easily.
The app uses your iPhone’s microphone to listen to your sleeping (you keep the phone by the bed, as you always do) and then, based on when you set the alarm, it will wake you up during your lightest sleep phase, which should help you feel more rested than if you’re jolted awake by an alarm during your deepest sleep. Don’t worry about waking up late — if you set the app for 9 a.m., it'll start watching for a good time at 8:30 a.m. (iOS, Android)
Protect yourself
GT Recovery for Android
Accidentally deleted messages or contacts on your Android devices? Or lost photos from the SD card on your Android device? No need to worry now! GT Recovery for Android is capable of recovering messages, contacts, photos, video, audio and documents on/from an Android phone or tablet. Due to the ease-to-use interface, it's ideal for everyone. Scan, preview and recover. Simple clicks bring you what you want.
Directly scan and recover SMS, contacts, photos, video and more
• Recover photos, video, audio and documents from SD cards inside Android devices to a computer.
• Retrieve deleted contacts, including names, numbers, Email & addresses.
LastPass and 1Password
Isn’t it finally time to dispose of all those little slips of paper with your passwords for every service you use?
Apps and services like 1Password and LastPass take the password guesswork and management out of your hands. You simply remember one very strong master password and they’ll generate strong passwords for you, store them and retrieve them and even input them automatically (on the web and Android, at least). They’re mostly free, though the mobile and business options will cost you.
Better yet, if you can’t remember a long password, the latest versions of these apps will let you log in with your finger — as long as your phone has a fingerprint reader. 1Password: (iOS,Android, Windows) LastPass: (iOS, Android, Windows)
Organize your life
Coach.me
Perhaps you’d have more luck getting things done in 2016 is you had a little help. That’s Coach.me’s perspective. It lets you enter goals big and small, track your own progress and then use the app to hire coaches (they have over 5,000), starting at $14.99, to help you achieve goals. Once you sign up, you’ll get a steady stream of emails from your own coach pointing you to a ton of different goals and coaching options. (iOS, Android)
Google Photos
You have photos, Google has answers — perhaps the answer. Last summer, Google introduced Google Photos with unlimited cloud-based storage. All you have to do is install it on your mobile devices and let the app collect and store all of your photos (there’a also a desktop uploader to collect photos from your PC or Mac). The "Assistant" will suggest movies and collages from your photo collection, and it'll also notify you when contacts share an awesome photo or album.
The free version will store a high-quality copy of every picture. If you want the original resolution, though, you can only store up to your amount of allotted Google Drive space (you can always buy more storage). Even if you just go for the free option, think of the peace of mind that comes with knowing that all your priceless photos are stored safely in the cloud. (iOS, Android)
Put your financial house in order
Mint
Even before Intuit bought Mint, it was one of the best personal-finance services on the web. As an app and with the backing of Intuit, it’s even better; one-stop shopping for all your financial accounts, reports and budgetary matters.
Just pour all your account info into the app and you’ll instantly get a world-view of your spending habits, including cash flow, monthly budget, bill reminders and a spending breakdown. You can use that knowledge to make meaningful financial changes for the rest of 2016. (iOS, Android)
Acorns
You know how when you pump gas you work extra hard to make the final bill round up to the nearest dollar? Stop doing that. In fact, for the rest of 2016, let the spare change bills come and then invest the rest. That’s the snappy idea behind Acorns. You give the app access to your main bank account and then every time you make a purchase — for, say, $1.25 — Acorns will take the remaining 75 cents and invest them in the stock portfolio of your choice.
The app tracks your investment performance, tells you about your latest round-up amounts, the overall size of your account and lets you deposit and withdraw funds at will. Just think, 2016 will be the year you save and, perhaps, make money without even really trying. (iOS, Android)
Work smarter
Asana
You can grouse and gripe about office productivity and communication, or you can do something about them.
Asana is a powerful project and team-management tool that helps you watch over projects big and small from start to finish. It’s easy to assign tasks and make sure everyone knows what’s due today, tomorrow and next week. You’ll also see when stuff is past due. (iOS, Android)
cool, thanks for the list.
Skalofrio12 said:
cool, thanks for the list.
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Click to collapse

Thoughts on Doze and its effect on safety applications

I wanted to start this thread to discuss Doze and its impact on reliability, primarily on safety applications.
I'd like to start with a general statement: the days of our devices being merely telephones are long behind us. We still call them cell phones, but as we - especially here - know, our devices are so much more. They truly are wearable computers. They're our music, our cameras, our navigators, our communicators, our personal databases.. and for some of us, safety equipment. And they must be reliable.
Now, battery life is important. No question about that. But.. and I'm trying to put this delicately.. Doze was forced upon us with no option to globally disable, and even "whitelisting" applications doesn't fully release them from the confines of the new battery management policy. For some of us, Doze has made our devices less reliable.
The application category I'd like to call attention to first is marine anchor alarms. For those who don't boat, anchor alarms monitor a vessel's position with the GPS. If the anchor drags a certain distance (and the boat moves more than it should), an alarm is issued to alert the crew to the danger. It is entirely possible to drift (particularly when anchored in current) without triggering the significant motion sensors, limiting even whitelisted apps to 15-minute GPS polls. A lot can happen in 15 minutes.
Obviously using a portable device as your sole means of anchor drag detection is not a wise idea. Yet, many people with smaller boats do it, because that's all they have. Some of us with larger vessels do it as well, with a secondary system as a backup (since anchor alert applications make it much easier to define the anchor scope and exclusion zones precisely). This is all very much beside the point.
This category of application can no longer function reliably on Android! As of Android 6.0, anchor alerts can no longer monitor the GPS position reliably 24 hours per day unless:
1. The device is plugged in (and the power supply hasn't failed), or,
2. The application uses media input/output (a battery-wasting hack).
Unlikely as it may be, it is possible that someone will lose their small vessel this summer because their device failed to notify them that they'd slipped off the anchor, even if they knew enough to whitelist the app!
This is a pretty serious regression, and there are others. AIS (Automatic Identification System) and radar warning apps that communicate directly with ship systems via IP are no longer reliable. Tasker can no longer respond to local events with a granularity better than 15 minutes. Sleep monitoring applications are broken as well. And this is after you've manually whitelisted these applications!
I don't want this thread to sound like a rant. Doze is a fantastic addition to Android. But I would like to get the conversation started so that more people recognize that it imposes a fairly significant cost for some people.. especially those of us with extended batteries who feel virtually no benefit.
I was hoping people could respond with:
1. Other categories of applications, or individual applications that are no longer reliable on Android 6+ (particularly those related to safety),
2. A "me too" if you want the ability in custom or official roms to a) completely/situationally disable Doze without root, or b) properly whitelist applications, and,
3. Whether or not you've personally experienced critical notification delays, missed alarms, or other negative effects you attribute to Doze.
If anyone does need to disable Doze in the meantime, there is a straightforward (not well documented) way to do it if you are rooted:
Code:
dumpsys deviceidle disable
The change is non-persistent.

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