While I was on my vacation, I had time to reflect upon various ways I could make my schedule a little easier to manage. As the saying goes, there is a time and place for everything. Unfortunately, your own timing may be a little off. Even with the uber powerful BlackBerry smartphone available to us, our sometimes busy lives may cause some hiccups in our schedules. There have been times when I get home from work exhausted and collapse on the couch, only to have to get up seconds later because I forgot to do something. I look towards my BlackBerry and say "Can't you just do it for me?"
I set my sights on BB:Robot Scheduler for a solution. Since the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I can honestly say that pretty much anything with robot in its name immediately caught my attention. BB:Robot Scheduler seemed to be a pretty simple application but, like Transformers, there's more than meets the eye. You can use the application to create schedules for almost everything you do with your BlackBerry. With audio recordings, sharing GPS locations, messages, calls, etc, ready to be scheduled, you can take a breather and focus on your next vacation plans. Read on for more.
About BB:Robot Scheduler
BB:Robot Scheduler is currently only available for the Bold, Curve 8900, Tour and Storm. We are looking at version 1.1.4 of the application, which will require 116.1kb of space. The application is brought to you by ComputerInBed (hmm, interesting name), the same name behind the Java-based Large Log Viewer (not for the BlackBerry smartphone).
Although fairly straight forward, the application takes a little time to master. The main menu will list all of the schedulers that you have created. From the main menu you can view, edit or delete said schedulers. Now before we destroy, we must create. BB:Robot Scheduler does a great job of simplifying the creation process. The first screen requires you to create a name for the scheduler, as well as to choose a start time and whether you want the scheduler to recur or not. For the start time, you can have the scheduler start immediately, choose a start date/time or set a delay (in minutes and/or seconds). If you want the scheduler to repeat you can choose how many seconds, minutes, hours or days to do so.
create a scheduler
choose an action or actions
After you have filled in the required information, and save the scheduler, you will then be prompted to choose an action for the scheduler to take. Here is a list of the actions you can take:
Send Email - Fill in the To, Subject and Message field.
Send SMS - Fill in the To and Message Field.
Email Position -Fill in the To and Message Field. The app will also add a link to Google Maps and BlackBerry Maps.
Play Audio - Allows you to browse through your media and select a file.
Record Audio - Choose where to store your recorded audio file and whether to show the recording screen or not. You can also set the recording duration (in minutes and seconds).
Fake Incoming Call - redirects you to your contact list. Choose a contact, then choose which number. Then decide to change the incoming call number to something else, as well as the caller name. The application also lets you choose a specific ringtone, vibration and ringtone duration to use.
Make a Phone Call - choose a contact, name and number like you would with the Fake Incoming Call feature. Also enter in the initialization/ringtone duration (measured in seconds). You can even decide the call duration (minutes and seconds)!
Show popup message - displays a message of your creation and for the duration of your choosing. You can also decide if a vibration and/or tone should accompany the popup as well (select a tone and volume level). This is a great popup reminder feature!
Play Tone - Choose between a ring, a "bipbip" or a custom tone and have it play for a specified time.
Vibrate - have your BlackBerry vibrate for a period of time
Launch Browser - Enter in the URL you wish to open
Launch Application - Launch a vast number of native application modules and third party apps.
Lock - Lock the keyboard.
Power Off
Flashing LED - decide between a Blink or solid LED as well as the duration of the action
Clean the Memory
Take/Email Screenshot - Choose where to store the screenshot, whether to email the screenshot or not, which contact to email and which email to send from.
Radio On/Off - No matter which BlackBerry you use, the app will ask you to choose between GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G, CDMA, IDEN and WLAN.
Soft Reset - note that this cannot be initialized when your BlackBerry is locked or holstered.
control your radio
compose an email for future use
Hi back
manage playback volume
That's a lot of actions to take isn't it? With that much power in your hands, you can imagine the possibilities and advantages. Each scheduler can handle several simultaneous actions, allowing you to streamline your schedule list. You can always go back and add, edit, delete or activate actions. BB:Robot Scheduler offers additional controls for audio playback and recording, including volume control (playback only) and a stop button. The options available to you may seem a little overwhelming, but they are actually quite easy to handle. The application is ideal for those who know that something has to be done, but may forget to do it. This will act as both a reminder and a task aid, as the action takes the first step for you. The only trouble I had with BB:Robot Scheduler had to do with the Tone add-on. The application is supposed to allow you to test a tone before setting it. After pressing "Test", not a sound was heard. Other than that, it was pretty solid.
Conclusion
BB:Robot Scheduler is a personal assistant that is both precise and consistent. Hopefully, by harnessing it correctly, it will help you keep you day on track. This goes far beyond the simple alert reminder, it almost turns your BlackBerry into a DIY device. Who needs you anymore? Well, maybe it'll keep you around to buy the latest accessories. Sadly, there is no trial available. BB:Robot Scheduler is normally available for $6.00, but if you act before July 17th you can pick it up for only $3! For more information, and to pick up a copy of BB:Robot Scheduler, click here.
Pros
- Assign numerous actions for you daily to-do's
- Actions are easily created and manageable
Cons
- Cannot preview tones
