Location-aware Macbook Settings • Andrew J. Freyer

Tuesday


Airport Location for Mac OS X 10.6



Airport Location - Smarter Location Profiles for Mac OSX 10.6

NOTE: Upgrading from version 0.5 to 0.6 will require re-recording both snapshots and locations.

(0.60028 - alpha)

(0.50891 - beta)

or

(0.60027 - alpha)





Airport Location remembers your laptop's settings and open applications based on your physical location. It can tell where you are based on what wireless access points are around you. The more wireless access points around you, the more accurate Airport Location is. If you're not using wireless at your location, that's fine - it'll just look to see what ethernet connection you have.

Whenever you go to a new location you'll be asked to name that location. Then, it takes a "Snapshot" of important settings and open applications.

Or, you can set a customized series of actions to record in each snapshot:


Airport Location can set the chat status of major chat applications: Skype, iChat, Adium:



Or, airport location can run a script (AppleScript, shell script or Automator Workflow) when you get to a new location:

Next time you fire up the laptop in that location, your saved settings are restored and your applications are opened.



You can also assign "Group Snapshots." Just like it sounds, a "Group Snapshot" will restore settings the same way for mulitple locations (e.g. "Class" or "Library" or "On Campus").




A Snapshot can be updated at any time from 
the Airport Location menu, located in the 
menu bar, or you can set Airport Location to ask which snapshot to apply:

Airport Location keeps up-to-date on where you are using Growl.


Airport Location is similar to other location-aware programs such as:
The big difference between programs all of these applications and Airport Location is that Airport Location doesn't require you to manually customize each individual setting.

Set the volume like you would normally, set the desktop like you would normally, set the brightness, the printer, bluetooth power, all exactly like you otherwise would. No messing with individual settings.

Airport Location can show you an approximate map of where you are!

Airport Location can also intelligently guess a new location's name base on your iCal Calendars. If there is an unknown location, but there is a known iCal event occurring or starting soon on a selected calendar, the location can be automatically named for you.


If you want, you can set a group too! Just put the group name in the "Notes" section of the iCal event:


You're at a NEW LOCATION

But already have a meeting scheduled in iCal:


Airport Location can read your calendars, and find events that are are happening NOW (or starting soon) and name unknown locations AUTOMATICALLY...


Airport Location's new windows are the end results from modifying some fantastic code by Matt Gemmell.



Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.6 (might work on 10.5 versions, but I haven't tested that)
Mac Laptop with Airport





Recent Tweets:

"Do you miss Location Manager? You'll want this ultra-clever substitute, for Snow Leopard" @mattgemmell

"Did I mention how awesome AirportLocation.app is!? location based preferences, done right. Couldn't live without it now!" - @leesbian

"Airport Location (airportlocation.blogspot.com) is the handiest application I've got on my macbook right now. Definitely a keeper." - @preciousroy

"location profiles - done right!" - @Randy_Lowe

"been searching for this forever" - @kmelve

"You should definitely checkout this app" - @boastr_net


please email any questions, suggestions, bugs, etc. to

airportlocation at gmail dot com


Andrew J. Freyer, 2010



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