a useful app for when you can't hear your cellphone in the shop

Dan Noren

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after missing more than a few calls from the wife :blah: to pick her up at the y, and my dad taking the calls on the house phone, he said that i should have some sort of flashing light added to my somewhat smartphone. i was reading other news items the other day when i saw this article for 5 really good apps. one of them turned out to be one called "flash notification 2". it uses the phone's camera flash, and lights up the screen with the border of your choice of colors (i picked red). when you have an incoming call or message it will start flashing and flashing the red border as well as ringing and vibrating. for me this is useful, as when using the table saw, planer, along with the dust collector and hearing protection, it is downright impossible to hear the phone when it rings, and hard to see an incoming call even with the thing sitting on the bench with the screen up.
 
Sounds like a useful app, will have to give it a try, though I usually have my phone in my pocket. Even the vibration doesn't usually get my attention at that. I've just gotten into the habit of checking it often. I'm betting someone makes a bluetooth or other device though to simulate the shop alerts.
 
Oh boy I am becoming a big dis liker of this smart phone cell phone world. I have a bad enough time with clients at present and their addiction to having the phone on in the meeting and interrupting a meeting. Now i picture the table with these phones all flashing at different times like a light show. :(
 
I actually think it is a bad idea for someone working with the types of tools we work with in the shop. when I am using a table saw a router or any other such tool the last thing I want if to have some bright flashing light going off to distract me. This looks like an accident waiting to happen.
 
you got that right don, normally i would be using it while i would be using the planer. very noisy beast, with an almost equally noisy dust collector running, and hearing protection with radio going. i usually leave the phone on the bench so i can take a peek at it to see if she has called. not much danger there, unless i missed another call.

darren, not quite to that borg state yet with the thing hanging off of my ear, besides, would be hard to fit hearing protection over something like that.

don, you're just a ray of sunshine.
 
Depends on your version of iPhone but mine requires no add-on app for this. Under Settings, General, Accessibility, Hearing, you just turn on LED Flash for Alerts.
 
darren, not quite to that borg state yet with the thing hanging off of my ear, besides, would be hard to fit hearing protection over something like that.

Well I was thinking a wall mounted version, though my Howard Leight muffs I keep in the shop also has a bluetooth dongle attached with a 6" cable for listing to music on the mower, I hear notifications from my phone when I'm wearing them mowing could do the same in the shop.
 
Blue tooth can be used for a lot more than just headsets. I've got a little bluetooth remote I can use as a camera release for my phone.

I was thinking it would be cool to have a bluetooth activated revolving alert light to let you know when you get a call.
 
Thanks......I think.......for that information. Leesee......I go to the shop to escape the world. When doing that I deliberately leave the phone elsewhere. It takes messages I can respond to later. That app is not for me. ;) Thanks anyway.
 
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