Egomotion, maker of the popular Android apps Trigger and Agent, has released another app to simplify your mobile activities. Whereas Trigger is designed to automate daily tasks, and Agent provides a portfolio of context sensitive functions, Status automates location-based updates to a chosen group of friends.
While the core functionality of Status is mundane, that’s essentially the point, as it attempts to make what we normally do via Facebook and Twitter frictionless and more valuable. Status ostensibly functions as a location broadcaster, but provides additional contextual hooks (e.g., calendar access, recognizing Bluetooth profiles or Wi-Fi networks) to add more relevant data to friends (e.g., in a meeting, driving, at home).
Adding the additional context extends Status’ onboarding process, demonstrating the amount of work required to make something ‘frictionless’, but the app handles it in an intelligent way. For example, during the notification setup, Status walks users through a quick quiz to discover not only which friends the user would like to keep tabs on, but importantly when they’d like to know about what they’re doing.
All of this added context will only make Status more terrifying to privacy advocates, but the app never shares any information without explicit permission, and users can go off the grid at any time if they prefer to watch than share.
Social apps live and die on user base, but in targeting the most important people in your life, the app becomes useful with only a handful of friends (I signed up the MobileSyrup team today and can confirm that they are in fact not at work). Status should also benefit from being multi-platform with profiles based upon phone number.
Those interested in giving the app a whirl can find Android and iOS download links below.
[source]App Store / Play Store[/source]
