A key aspect of the power of smartphones is the variety of functions they provide to the user. Data, GPS, Voice, Video, are all found in almost every Android phone on the market. With today's release of on{X} ("on-ex"), Microsoft hopes to exploit this convergence of functionality in a way that is less reliant on the user for input and more aware of its surroundings. By gathering information from the host of sensors available to the operating system, it's quite possible for your phone to determine its location and context and respond accordingly, without intervention by the user.
If the concept sounds familiar, it's because one of Android's classic stand-out applications, Tasker, is built on the same premise. Clearly Microsoft figures that there's room for improvement in this category of device autonomy. Much like Tasker, on{X} hooks into your phone's multiple inputs. Where it differs is rule creation. User-friendliness here seems to be key to the experience. Microsoft wants users of all technical capabilities to use, modify, or create "recipes" for on{X} through simple modifiable phrases, without the need to understand the code behind it.
However, unlike Tasker, it does not appear to be possible to program these rules directly on your phone. Instead, they are created on your PC and then pushed to your phone. A confusing arrangement, considering Microsoft's touting of on{X}'s separation from "the cloud". Perhaps coding on-device will come at a future point, or users may be able do it directly in their phone's browser.
Source: androidpolice.com
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