Atooma: Teaching Android how to Complete Tasks

Automation apps for Android are all over Google Play Store, and while the large bunch of them are not so great, some titles manage to produce a spark, enough to keep them installed. Atooma, the one we are about to present today, takes the game to the next level, by integrating a wide range of features and tools that will allow users to create helpful tasks, as long as there is a drop of imagination left.

Besides advanced functionality and room for plenty more, Atooma brings a user-friendly menu from where owners can define and tweak tasks with ease. Even though the application is still in an early testing phase, with some features still missing from the rooster, there are almost no bugs encountered and the whole process goes as smooth as possible.

Atooma – Automating Androids in style

 

Like all Android automation applications, Atooma can create certain rules and make your device react according to different factors and triggers. For instance, users can teach their smartphone to automatically turn on the Wi-Fi when they are at home, simply by defining a couple of rules and by pressing around three buttons. The complexity of this kind of rules can be extended with a long reach, and for those with a nice sense of invention, wonderful things may be born.

Even more, when you feel out of ideas or you simply wish to check what rules others created on their devices, Atooma allows people to share conditions and tasks, so each and every one of them can be found under the “Wall” section, of the app’s main menu.
When it comes to features, Atooma relies on two important factors for creating rules, and fulfilling tasks. Triggers are the first part, and they define when a certain action will should be performed. In most cases, this can be a specific location, the arrival of an important call and so on. The other part considers Actions, and this describes how would you like the phone to react when a trigger is activated. While most apps in this segment are short of options, here’s is the full list:

Triggers	Actions
Stand by	Dropbox actions
New action on Instagram	Data Network
Shaking movement	Launching applications
Ambient Light sensor activity	Send SMS
Detecting headphones	Upload / post on Facebook
Wi-Fi	Twitter activity
Dropbox actions	Launch Google Maps
Installing / removing applications	Navigate to a specific location
Time	Send email
Receiving SMS	Silent Mode status
Receiving Google Mail	Tweak display brightness
Facebook updates	Tweak the Wi-Fi
Facebook Birthday	Set Bluetooth state
New Tweet	Set a notification toast
Camera activity	Activate Text-to-Speech
GPS sensor activation	Set ringer volume
Location awarness	Call someone
Bluetooth state	Set voice volume
Internet state
Battery level
Silent Mode status
Airplane Mode
Call – related

Missing touches

On the other hand, we must admit that Atooma has still a lot of work to get done. Although developers say that improvements on location, NFC and a couple of new features will be added shortly, there are still elements which would look wonderful on such a concept. For instance, it would be nice if messages could be sent using 3rd party applications, like Google Talk and Skype, instead of the regular SMS for which you have to pay.
Moreover, there is a shortage when it comes to days of the week, and users cannot set actions for particular days, which would rather be a helpful treat. Also, some agree that reading messages out loud would be awesome, especially for those behind a wheel. As we said, it has a great potential, but there’s plenty of room to grow.

How to create a Task with Atooma

Now that you know the good, the bad and the ugly, here’s how to set up an easy task with Atooma. For the point of this exercise, we will set out a trigger to activate the Wi-Fi once we are at home. To do these, follow the instructions below:

1. Enter the app’s main menu and tap on New Atooma.
2. Choose the Mobile red circle.
   
3. To let the phone track our position, tap the Location icon and set is as a trigger. To navigate around choices, use the thumb to drag the spinning-wheel.
4. Now tap on Enter Area, to let the application know that we want this rule activated when we arrive at home.
5. Search for the desired location or simply tap Current Location, if you are already at home. When found, press OK in the upper-right corner and then once more, in the bottom section.
6. Now press the DO button, in order to pick a task.
7. Once more, hit the Mobile section and then choose the Wi-Fi circle.
8. Tap on On and then on the equal sign.
9. Name the newly created task and the tag your Atooma according with the desired category (we chosen location for ours).
10. Click on Save and you will be returned to the main menu.
11. To activate the task, simply tap its name and then go for the big check sign. At the end, this is how things should look like: