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Samsung is working on an app that uses the Earth’s magnetic field to detect your smart phone or tablet’s exact location, in order to automatically launch specific apps.
If you want to switch from watching a video on your tablet to watching it on the big screen, for example, you could pop your Samsung Galaxy S 2 on to your TV stand and it would fire up the DLNA app to start streaming automatically.
Similarly, you could set up your back-up and restore to run when you place your phone on your bedside table for the night.
The app uses magnetic mojo to glean such an accurate outline of its location, which is too precise to use GPS. Instead, the app maps the geomagnetic fields distorted by indoor magnetic objects. By charting the pattern of the Earth’s magnetic field as it warps around your gadgets and goodies, such as your telly or fridge, the app can tell the difference between your desk at home and your desk at work.
Once you’ve set up the zones where you want the app to work, and what you want your phone to do once it’s there, you’re good to go.
We saw the app in action, and it was very accurate. It was able to switch on video streaming when placed on a table near a TV, but didn’t misfire when it was used within centimetres nearby.
Samsung tells us the app will be up and running by the end of the year.
We’re so lazy we can barely be bothered to feebly flap our fingers against the screens of our smart phones and tablets. So we’re happy Samsung is working on an app that will launch apps automatically depending on where we are in the house.
But we’re not sure how worthwhile this app will be if you’re not quite so slothful. Can you think of some examples of why it’s a must-have? Let us know in the comments.
