Microsoft brings powerful mobile automation platform to...Android???

Ready for some serious cognitive dissonance? Good. For those Android users out there who have cast an envious eye at Motorola’s Smart Actions, there is now a more powerful free automation service named on{x} (pronounced “onyx”, like the rock). Using a website and a free app, you can either use their ready-supplied automation “recipes” or if you’re handy with javascript you can roll your own to create some truly powerful automation tasks for your phone.

And who is releasing this innovative Android-only service? Why it’s the little green robot's public enemy number two: Microsoft! Developed by a Microsoft team in Israel, on{x} is being released to the Play Store today. The scripting of actiona is being totally opened up to developers, creating an entire platform for easy-to-use mobile automation. Why Android? Apparently it’s because Android combines enough openness with enough user base to make it the winning guinea pig for Microsoft's new automation toy.

In other words, you can expect that on{x} will show up on Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 alter this year, after shaking out any bugs with the initial Android trial. Still, Android users probably shouldn’t feel bad about being test subjects here, it’s a genuinely exciting platform. Using on{x} you can easily arrange for your phone to remind you to take an umbrella with you on rainy days, play your favorite music in the car (or when you’re out jogging), or send a text message to a spouse to let them know when you leave work.

These examples are possible just with the recipes on the on{x} website. Once the resourceful development community digs their hands into it we’ll probably be treated to some truly staggering scripts. For more information check out the video below, or hit up source link if you want to get started with on{x}.



source: on{x} via The Verge