AUTOMATION: UPDATE! -non iphone related

I got a request from an old friend of mine to explain my automation post, and how to setup the various tasks I have my phone do every night.


One thing that is nice about the iPhone, is that dont have all these options, so there is nothing to "set up"


You could think of it like a woman.  A woman that has a small wardrobe has a very "easy" time selecting what she wants to wear for the day because of her lack of options.   Another type of woman has 10 closets full of clothes and can spend 10 hours deciding what to wear.


However since Android users have CHOICE, they CHOOSE to have 10 closets.   An android user can still have one closet, and never use the other 9.   In other words, an android user has these options, but they HAVE to use them.   iPhone users dont even get the choice....


automatically downloads the latest podcasts I listen to
  This can be done a number of ways.   The easiest way is to download an app.   The one I use is called "podtrapper".   You can set the phone to only download new podcasts when its plugged in, connected to a wifi network.   There are a number of other apps that can do this, this is the one I use


Silences notifications and SMS until 6:00 AM.  Vibrate from 6-7AM, full volume at 7AM.
  There are a number of ways to do this.  This app is the first one I found in the market.  I do it with Tasker (see below)


ADVANCED - If I get two calls from the same person in my contacts within 15 minutes, full volume.
  There is an app for android called TASKER.     The very basic premise for this app is "if - then" statements.  For example, IF i turn around three times THEN turn my GPS on.  IF my phone rings twice at night THEN turn the volume up.    The downside is that tasker has a pretty steep learning curve.   Its more complicated the hypercard, but  way easier than any programming language.    Its pretty similar to excell "if-then" statements.  If you are a medium excel user, tasker is easy.  If excel makes you cringe, go find a good nerd.  Tasker walkthroughs


Turns off my data connection until 6:30.  Turns on once per hour.
  Juice Defender is an app that is available in the Android Market.   It takes total control of pretty much anything that uses battery on your phone.   You can set it to turn off your data connection when your screen is off, and you can set it turn turn off your data connection at night.   You can also set it to turn ON your data connection every once in a while to check for emails.


uploads all my photos from the day to google+ if connected to wifi
  You guessed it, there are a number of apps that can do this as well.   Google plus is by far the easiest to setup, you can have it auto sync on power and wifi.


automatically turns off my GPS until 6:30
  This is an easy profile to setup in tasker.  It is beginner level


automatically turns off Bluetooth until 6:30
  This is an easy profile to setup in tasker.  It is beginner level


Syncs my music/videos folder from my desktop computer
  sugar sync is a free app/service that runs in the background and will sync files to/from your computer.  Kind of like iOS5's new magic "iCloud"


automatically back's up then entire phone to dropbox.
  This is done with mybackuppro and can be scheduled to be done ever night, every other night, etc.  It will backup pictues, txts, apps, app data (if your rooted).  Titanium backup is another app that can do this.