on {X}: Android application from Microsoft

Imagine that you can program your Android to write to your wife when you leave work. Now imagine how your Android reminds you to grab an umbrella in the morning if it is going to rain on that day.

Actually, it is a reality. According to TechCrunch, Microsoft today introduced the beta on {X} (pronounced "he-ex") - a website and Android applications that provide users with enhanced control over their Android phones using remote programming (yes, yes, Microsoft ). Semi-guys can use ready-made recipes, whereas ultra-magicians can create their scripts with the JavaScript API.

There is a logical question, why did Microsoft suddenly release a product for Android? The answer lies in the developers on {X} - this is the Israeli Information Platform and Experiences (IPE) team, which mainly deals with geo-zoning, real-time location sharing, approximation detection and recommendation systems in Bing, as well as new approaches to interfaces for a combination of web services and applications.

Project manager Shira Weinberg explained that the less strict security model of the Android platform was well suited for the initial deployment of technology. In general, one should expect the appearance of on {X} in both Windows 8 and Windows Phone, which require a more serious implementation of the technology.
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All users need to do is download the Android application and set up rules on the on {X} site. The rules are called “recipes,” and 11 templates are ready to use. Among them are such as "Turn on the music when I go" and "Remind me to visit the gym, if I have not been there for 3 days." Each recipe can be easily edited before being enabled on the user's device. You can watch the video below to see how it works.

Users who understand the JavaScript API can create their own rules, consisting of "triggers" (triggers) and "actions" (actions). For example: “Remind me to buy milk when I leave the house” (trigger — leave the house, action — remind me). Examples of triggers include changing location, receiving SMS, incoming call, timer, low battery, etc. A trigger called “mode of transport” allows the device to detect whether the user is driving or running. Among the actions: send SMS, send a letter, show a reminder, start the application.