Google patent suggests location-based actions in Android’s future
Google has filed a patent that could raise Android’s IQ by incorporating “smart” actions based on location. The concept is similar to Motorola’s aptly named Smart Actions, though the initial patent application date of September 2011 seems to indicate the two concepts are separate entities. Google’s idea is to use GPS and network information to determine a users location and trigger device profiles that will push relevant apps, alerts, and settings.
Headed to the office? Google’s system could reconfigure WiFi settings, bring work-related emails to the forefront, and alert you to meetings and calendar events scheduled throughout the day. In the car it could toggle your phone’s Bluetooth or launch the music player. The concept would go a long way in making Android a smarter smartphone platform, and this is likely Google’s goal. It also helps to fortify the tech giant’s intellectual property portfolio, a fact that should not be lost in a smartphone industry rife with patent trolls.
[via Engadget]