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PhoneWeaver

PhoneWeaver - Be quiet and turn out the lights...

by Jay O. on Jan 9, 2011 11:52:00 PM — read 2,889 times

TAGS: Android Market, Apps,

Tested version: 1.2.1
Latest version: 2.3.1
Requires Android: from 2.0

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Summary

Profile managers: Android’s little helpers. If you immediately have flashbacks to flunking exams, getting the evil eye from the person sitting next to you at a conference, or dead batteries you know how important they can be. If you don’t have one yet you’re really missing out because a good profile manager guarantees saving time and energy (both yours and your phone’s). It’s so much more than just dimming the display or muting the sound.


PhoneWeaver’s origins are in WindowsMobile and it has recently become available for Android. Let’s find out if the new kid in town can measure up to stars such as Locale in today’s review.
 

Features & Use

Section rating:

Test device: HTC Desire
Version: Android 2.2


The energy controls widget is nice and all, but in the long run it takes too much time to always find the correct settings. Some settings can’t even be accessed via the widgets on the homescreen; you can only find them by combing through what seem like infinite settings menus.


PhoneWeaver lets you create a profile for every possible scenario. Not only can the volume of incoming call alerts be influenced, the actual ring tones, the display brightness, and much more can also be altered. Profiles can be activated according to location, time, connection, or events listed in your calendar.
The app comes with pre-established profiles which can be altered or deleted. Creating your own profile is simple: give it a title and make the appropriate settings.


The manual type allows you to set a time-out; once this is reached the profile becomes invalid. If you’re looking to connect profiles to a time then obviously the time option is the one for you. It’s ideal for settings related to volume of incoming calls, W-Lan connection during the night, and anything else that might disturb your nightly slumber. The location option (place and radius) will work for you when you’re at the office. Once you step foot in the office your Android phone will be silent as a graveyard. The calendar/agenda option can also be useful. Select a calendar using keywords and it will be used as a trigger for a corresponding profile. For instance: if PhoneWeaver finds the keyword “meeting” in your business calendar it will automatically turn the volume down or off. The connection option is also interesting. The app recognizes a connection to another device, but unfortunately it can’t figure out which W-Lan connection you’re in or which Bluetooth device you’ve hooked up with. It does however recognize connections to headsets and docking stations.


That’s all well and good, but what other choices can you make? First of all you can decide if an already existing profile can overwrite another. You can also change the sound profile via the Sound tab. Choices range from vibration to mute. Ring tones can also be set, you pick the volume level for ring tones and alarms, as well as notifications for SMS.


You’ll find all settings related to battery life under the Communications tab, so that you can program profiles to switch certain things off when you don’t need them. You can alter the display luminosity and display time-out under Other.


Cool feature: it’s possible that an app is automatically started when a certain trigger is active.


Things can quickly become messy when you start amassing too many profiles which is why PhoneWeaver comes with the Auto option: this option recognizes which profile should become active in given situations.


Advantages


• Quick and easy profile management
• Shortcuts on the homescreen
• Easy configuration and controls


Drawbacks


• No additional Plug-ins
• Does not recognize W-Lan-Routers or Bluetooth devices


Bottom line:
PhoneWeaver can definitely be useful and with the right configurations can even help stretch out your battery life. Unlike its competition – Locale – it doesn’t support plug-ins, which is unfortunate… but this is also definitely the cheaper app. It’s up to you to see what is essential and how much you’re willing to spend.
 

Screen & Controls

Section rating:

PhoneWeaver’s design is basic and doesn’t distract from the app’s essential functions. The profile icons are pretty neat and appear in the status bar so that you can see which profile is currently active.


Controls are child’s play. In order to configure a profile you have to go via the menu button. By pressing on the profile for a while you can access a lock function as well as a time-out.

 

Speed & Stability

Section rating:

PhoneWeaver ran very well throughout the testing phase; there were no crashes.

Price/Performance Ratio

Section rating:

PhoneWeaver can be downloaded for € 3,00/$ 3,95 in the App Center or Android Market.

Comparable Apps

Locale

EasyProfiles (Pro)

EasyProfiles (Trial)

Tasker

Modus Operandi

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Reviews of this app in other languages

Review "PhoneWeaver" from Dec 30, 2010 (German)

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SBSH Software en

Israel

SBSH Software LTD is a private company based in Tel Aviv.

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The ultimate profile manager! Define smart profiles that are activated manually or (...)

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Market Comments

Nick, Nichol, Apr 11, 2012
Meh I've had better apps. Was looking for one that would just function on location automatically and this one does it, but poorly. Not enough explanation on what some options actually do. Plus there is no notification volume change. I like to turn off the sound on my txts and stuff, but no on the phone. Not an option. I'm switching back to Quick Profiles even though that is all manual.
Aleksey, Apr 5, 2012
I like it :-) Nice app. Just one thing I didn't find. How to switch on/off data transfer thru 3G? I found option for enabling/disabling WiFi only.
Susan, Mar 23, 2012
Very Cool App Droid X, works great. Works like a programmable thermostat. Turns phone features on and off depending on circumstances. Even turns on my autoanswer ONLY when Bluetooth is on, which was what I was looking for, and I never have to worry about missing a call because I forgot to turn up the ringer when I got home. Took a little tweaking, I would have given it a 5 if it had a dashboard to review features, but maybe that's asking a bit much.
Andrew, Mar 13, 2012
Not bad. Better than most.
Arthur, Mar 10, 2012
Almost... Love the app, but my Galaxy S2 hangs randomly abt 2x per week until I turned off all profile changes except manual ones. No hangs in 3 weeks since I did that. May try to reenable time of day profiles again and leave connection and location profiles off. Still like it even with just manual profiles.
Tim, Mar 8, 2012
Excellent Was looking for someway to set sound profiles on my Droid4. This did everything I needed and more. Being able to set a profile to change on bluetooth connection is great! Worth it.
Michael, Mar 5, 2012
Love this app!
Anthony, Feb 8, 2012
Update didn't transfer on updated phone I updated my operatibg system and all my other Alps transferred seamlessly but this one didn't. The paid version wouldn't install without paying for it and I ended up stuck with the out of date trial version and unable yo change the settings. My only option was to buy it again. Very unimpressed.
Garrett, Feb 6, 2012
Keeps rebooting Prime & Nexus By far one of my favorite apps but, it keeps rebooting my Asus Prime and my Galaxy Nexus. Not sure if really supports ICS. Want to rate 5 stars.
Mark, Feb 2, 2012
Keeps getting even better
Michael, Feb 1, 2012
Mike Took a little while to figure out how to use this app properly. BUT now that I've sorted it all out, this is an impressive app for sure.
Simon, Jan 26, 2012
No vibrate on DHD Good app except that vibration on my HTC Desire HD has completely stopped altogether.
MobileRob, Jan 24, 2012
Better than Motorola Smart Actions Great product. Works well at changing profiles based on calendar. Change based on connections, location, battery level. Even change wallpaper. Great product.
Penny, Jan 14, 2012
Love it! I never have to remember to put my phone on silent when I go to work anymore. Still refining my settings but I love this application. Once its set up no more mucking about with settings.
Derek, Jan 8, 2012
I have always used this app on older phones and purchased it again on Android but it's performance has been disappointing often not changing profiles
OnceAMatrixMan, Dec 29, 2011
A must have for me Everything you could ask for is already built-in
John, Dec 20, 2011
JohnM Great app, fast support
James, Dec 18, 2011
Phenomenal profiles app! Very polished. I'm running PhoneWeaver on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.2). PhoneWeaver has been flawless. The developers really got it right: the full functionality without being overly complicated. It also has 1x1 and 4x1 widgets for quick profile selection. The user interface is very elegant and a pleasure to use. The documentation is also excellent and very well written. I highly recommend the app.
Ocyber, Dec 17, 2011
Works Great on Rezound Works and gives me the ability i wanted to auto change profiles for work, sleep and play
Simon, Dec 16, 2011
Great app, allows me to control and limit power, ie turning off features at night to save power.
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