Monday 10 July 2017

Sunday 12 March 2017

Sound Lookout App - Privacy Policy


I am Mahesh Nanavate, an Android hobby developer. I can be reached via email ID soundlookout@gmail.com.
The app ephemerally stores the ambient sound recorded by the mic while the app is up and running and the "Start Listening" button has been clicked in the Listener,Kid's Toy or Prankster mode. Only the amplitude of the ambient sound is compared with the previously recorded sound to detect change in sound level. The recorded sound is stored at the following path in the mobile device: /data/user/0/com.maheshnanavate.alertme/files
Sound Lookout app does not store any other personal information.
The recorded sound lies on the device itself only until the time the app is up and running.It is not transferred anywhere else. Also the file gets deleted once the app is closed. The file is accessible only to the Sound Lookout app on the device since it is meant only for the internal consumption of the app. No other app can access it. The file is not visible through a file explorer too.
The purpose of storing the sound is to detect the change in ambient sound level amplitude being more than the value set in the settings screen as configured against the parameter: ”How loud a sound to be detected”.

The Permission to make a call is required to call the number set within the "Telephone number to be called" setting in the Listener mode of the App.

Any queries related to the app’s usage can be mailed onto the email id soundlookout@gmail.com.


Saturday 31 October 2015

Where all can you use the Sound Lookout android app?



I have following use cases in my mind for the app:
1. Be alerted that the door bell has rung while you are listening to music on your headphone in your bedroom.
2. Need to keep small kids engaged ? See how excited they are when they see that clapping near one phone makes another phone play music! You can do this with the app on one phone alone too with the Kids' Toy mode starting version 1.8 of the app.
3. Be alerted to a crying baby sleeping in a room further away while you are watching TV in the living room.
4. Want to scare your friends by sudden music? Checkout the Prankster mode of the app.
I got to know another use case from one of my office colleagues after he read the description of the app on play store.
5. Use is it as a call bell ! a bedridden person can just clap to alert his caretaker who is away in another room.

It would be nice to know your ideas about use-cases for an app capable of making another WiFi connected device play music or make a phone call to any number upon hearing a configurable level of sound! Looking forward to your comments!

The following video will help you get started with using the app:

Monday 26 October 2015

Welcome to Sound Lookout App , a Me-2-Me app !

Wouldn't you like to put the Wi Fi enabled smartphones that you are not using anymore to some use ?

I decided to build the sound lookout app one fine day, when I missed hearing the door bell while sleeping in the bedroom that is seven steps up  from the living room in a duplex flat.  I thought of putting one of my un-used Wi Fi enabled smartphones to use and enable it to talk to another one via Wi Fi and make it play music once it hears the door bell. So one would be Listener which is listening to the door bell and another would be Alerter , which would lie beside me on the bed so that I am awakened by it when it plays the music. That is why I think it is a Me-2-Me app!

The sound lookout app will have to be installed on two Wi Fi enabled smart phones, one will act as Listener and another as Alerter. In the settings screen for the Listener, the IP address of the Alerter will have to be set. Most home Wi Fi routers have the capability to set static IP address corresponding to a specific Wi Fi MAC address. The tech savvy folks can  update their Wi Fi router settings to  assign a permanent IP address to their Alerter  smartphone.

Couple of links pointing to how to set permanent DHCP IP Address for certain Wi Fi enabled devices.

TP Link Wireless router
http://www.tp-link.us/faq-182.html

Huawei Wireless Router (Used by Airtel 4G in India)
https://www.emt.ee/files/eshop/files/Huawei%20E5172%20kasutusjuhend%20ENG.pdf


The sound level that has to be detected can be changed as per circumstances. You can increase or decrease the default value seen in the settings screen under "How loud a sound to be detected" as per your desire. Suppose with the default value, in the Listener mode, the sound is not detected after you click "start listening", then you can lower the value, restart the app and check if the sound is detected after that. You can follow this process accordingly until you are happy with it.


Uses of the app
1. To know a door-bell has rung while you are away in your bedroom sleeping or listening to music with headphones on.
2. To know that a baby sleeping in further away room, has started crying which otherwise would not be possible to know. This typically would be the case when the baby is sleeping in a room upstairs in a duplex flat while you are in the living room watching TV.
3. To keep a little kid entertained by showing that a music starts playing on another phone once the kid claps near a phone.  Be ready for endless requests of "again" from the kid !