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Create smart connections to accessories using Sony’s new Smart Connect app [video]

Yesterday, Sony announced the Smart Connect app, which improves the way your smartphone connects and controls accessories or other devices. Smart Connect (which replaces LiveWare™ Manager) will be available on Google Play starting in mid September, but we thought we would give you developers an introduction to the user experience in advance.  Just like the LiveWare™ manager, Smart Connect lets you set up actions to perform when your Android™ smartphone connects to an accessory or another device. In addition, Smart Connect also lets you condition Events depending on what time it is, which opens possibilities for a new, smooth experience. Read on for more details!

Compared to the LiveWare™ Manager, there are also several new actions to choose from when you as a user define your Events. For example, you can now choose to post a message to your Facebook Timeline, have incoming text messages read to you or turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot functionality.

Smart Connect

Screenshot showing an example of the dialogue that will appear first time a device or accessory is connected after installing Smart Connect. In the image, a charger has been connected at night time.

Customise your experience depending on device and time
You can define your own experiences by creating Events in Smart Connect. This means you can set up your smartphone to trigger an Event when connecting a special accessory (or another device) at a special time, with up to 10 actions per Event. So, for example, if you create a new Event called “Music & Office” in Smart Connect, you can set the WALKMAN™ player to start between 7:00 – 9:00 together with your headset while you are commuting to work. Then between office hours, connecting the same headset can trigger the conference call app to start.

There are a great variety of actions to choose from when you define your experiences. For example, you could start an application, adjust the sound volume, post to your Facebook timeline, and turn the wireless connectivity on or off.

Actions in Smart Connect

Screenshot showing examples of actions in Smart Connect.

Besides creating your own Events, as a user you can also choose to use predefined Events, enabling smooth user experiences in everyday life. Smart Connect comes with a number of predefined Events for accessories such as Xperia™ SmartTags, headphones, chargers, and headsets.

Events in Smart Connect

Screenshot showing examples of Events in Smart Connect.

App developers, use Smart Connect to increase the visibility of your app
From Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Smart Connect will also be the app to configure settings and extensions for Sony Smart Accessories™ like the SmartWatch and Smart Wireless Headset pro. In addition, Smart Connect will help users find new apps for their Smart Accessories™. This means that as an app developer, you can gain visibility for your app by making an extension for one of our Smart Accessories™. Check out the Sony Add-on SDK for more information. Smart Connect replaces the LiveWare manager from Android 4.0 and onwards.

Download Smart Connect from Google Play from mid September
Our coming smartphones starting with the Xperia V will have Smart Connect pre-installed. But we also support earlier Xperia™ smartphones, as well as Android smartphones of other brands. The devices need to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwhich) or above. In those cases, you simply download the app from Google Play. Note that some services and features are market dependent.

So would you like to try Smart Connect? What actions would you use it for? Drop us a comment below and let us know. Smart Connect will be available on Google Play starting mid September, so remember to check it out!

More information

Comments 26

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  1. By Joseph Unrau

    #1

    Can I configure smartconnect to update apps in the playstore when the charger is connected?

  2. By Karen Arkley

    #2

    I’m pretty fed up with Smart Connect on my Experia P… updated to Android 4.0.4, and Smart Connect now thinks headphones are plugged in all the time when they’re not. This switches the speaker off and I can’t hear incoming calls, people on the other end of the phone etc, rendering the phone pretty much useless. Plus I get messages popping up constantly telling me that accessory buttons are not available (not surprising really, considering they’re not plugged in!). I’ll send it back under warranty if I have to, but would rather fix it myself if possible. I’ve tried all the usual solutions, plugging/unplugging headphones, restoring phone, etc, but nothing has worked so far. Sony support was useless to the point where I wondered if they actually read the email I sent, and while searching around on my own I stumbled across this site… can you suggest anything?

    • By Anna Aleryd

      #3

      Hi Karen,

      Sorry to hear you’re having problems with Smart Connect on your Xperia™ P. Have you tried asking your question over at our support forum?

      Good luck!

      Br,
      Anna from Developer World

  4. By Samuel Arriaga

    #5

    Is anybody listening there from Sony??

    I feel VERY dissapointed with the new Smart Connect Software.

    I have notice several other problems:

    - You can only launch one action of each kind, so for ex you can not launch 2 applications with one action..

    - If you combine Smart Tag activation with Time is doesent matter if you use or not the smar tag, the action starts and stops at the time you set .. why do I need the smar tag so??

    I bought the original Smart Tags 4 pack for a vey high price, now I have the New NT2. I have recommended to a friend Xperia S, now he has it he is also very dissapointed with Smart Connect…

    Do we have to use third party software to use our SONY smart tags with our SONY phones??

  5. By Ciara O'Rourke

    #6

    Also how do you tell which smart tag is active?

  6. By Ciara O'Rourke

    #7

    Is it posible to enabe smartags when the screen is locked.
    its very annoying to have to open my cover and unlock the screen to activate a smart tag.

    Alao how do you activate the “Art the End” setting?
    i.e. from my car, to my desk it is in car mode. i.e. reading text messages aloud ect.
    It would be very usefull if swipe 1=on swipe2=off

  7. By Samuel Arriaga

    #8

    Hi,

    I have Xperia P and I have updated to Smart Connect.

    1.I see there are several Actionsthat were before on “Smart Tags Xperia” (the one with widgets that there are NOT now on the new Samrt Connect: For example, before I coouls stablish a concret alarm for every Samrt tags now I can only open the Alarm application.

    2. No Widget to see on my “desktop” which Smart tag Im using (before was very nice using Sony Smart Tag I could even see the color)

    3. Now it is possible to set a time when the Smart tag is Active, from XX:XX time to XX:XX time, but there is possibility of saying: I want the action of the smar tags works for XX minutes…
    When I read the manual of the smart tags it says that it is posible, but I only see as an option to set time “from-to”. Is this a bug??

    Thanks

    Samuel

  8. By Gene Guarin

    #9

    Hi,

    I wanted to make a suggestion to the app but you didn’t have an email link on the Google Play Store. Anyway, I wanted to suggest that you include a day setting to the time bound actions. I have an office action the activates from 9:00AM to 5:30PM, and it would be great if it would only active from Mondays to Fridays. I’m sure other people who have different work schedules would also appreciate this sort of functionality. Another function that would be great is the ability to detect calendar events and set actions for particular types of event (eg set ring mode to silent when a meeting starts and go back to previous settings when meeting finishes).

    Not related to Smartconnect app, but would greatly appreciate better integration between the walkman app and music unlimited app.

    Keep up the good work on this app and your other projects.

    Thanks.

    • By Anna Aleryd

      #10

      Hi,

      Thank you for your nice comment! I have forwarded your suggestions to the developers behind Smart Connect.

      Br,
      Anna from Developer World

    • By Gene Guarin

      #11

      I just wanted to add the time setting screen could look a lot better than it is now.

    • By Susana Castillo

      #13

      same problem with my xperia S :(
      switching GPS is the reason I got the smart tags and it doesn’t work

    • By Zsolt Barcsay

      #14

      I have the same problem on my Xperia S (with ICS). Where’s the GPS setting possibility? (It’s definitely NOT there.) One of the main features that the app is advertised with….

      Another bug: no matter what Smart Tag I read and what volume settings I set in the new SmartConnect app, all three volume settings are set to the max. VERY annoying. I’ve tried to reinstall, I’ve tried to delete all app related data and reconfigure the settings, nothing works. Every time I read a tag, all three volume settings go to max.

      • By Anna Aleryd

        #15

        Hi,

        Smart Connect functionality may vary depending on which Smartphone you are using. For example, the action to turn on or off GPS may not be possible for some models. Smart Connect will only show actions that are available for your Smartphone.

        Regarding the volume setting, I recommend that you head over to our support forum at http://talk.sonymobile.com/community/support and submit your question there.

        Br,
        Anna from Developer World

        • By Soju Alexander

          #16

          Hi Anna,

          When you say “the action to turn on or off GPS may not be possible for some models. Smart Connect will only show actions that are available for your Smartphone”, I believe you are referring to phones that do not have GPS receiver. I’m using Xperia Sola which has integrated GPS receiver, with the option to turn on and off GPS from the ‘Location and Services’ Settings, but yet such an option to turn on/off GPS is not available in Smart Connect actions! I hope it’s a bug that will get fixed soon.

          Thanks,
          Soju

        • By Jeff Kim

          #17

          Hmm. I think smartconnect works well but smartwatch does not work well with galaxynote 10.1.
          I have used smartwatch for 8 months and recently I changed my phone form galaxyS(ginger bread) to Galaxynote10.1(ICS). The weird thing is that the widgets of the smartwatch work perfectly. but the programs does not work. When I get a call, the smartwatch watch react but show the blank display. when I touch the phone book app, It truns only black screen and when I drag with my 2 fingers, it turns back to the first screen. B the widgets show the message, e-mail and other notofications. I ‘m not sure it is the fault of the apps or the smartconnect. But I just hope that I can see the name of the caller with my smartwatch when I get the call

  10. By Leroy Prins

    #18

    Nice now I can make develope new extensions :P

    • By Anna Aleryd

      #20

      Hi Steven,

      Yes, Smart Connect will support LiveView™. Thank you for asking!

      Br,
      anna from Developer World

      • By Steven Brady

        #21

        Great. I have three LiveViews, so you should consider letting me beta test. ;)

  12. By Anna Aleryd

    #22

    Hi Pacosal,

    Thank you for commenting, great to hear that you’ve made so many SmartWatch extensions. :-)

    I understand your concern. I’ve talked to the developers behind the new Smart Connect, and can assure you that extensive testing has been done both internally and externally. Besides, the APIs for extension developers have not been changed from the LiveWare™ manager. However, for future releases we will consider the idea of having beta testing done by dedicated developers and users.

    Br,
    anna from Developer World

  13. By Paco Salazar

    #23

    And, btw, how about let the smartwatch users select a default clock for their smartwatch, others than sony clocks.

    Keep the good Work Sony!

  14. By Paco Salazar

    #24

    Hi, I agree the previous comment. I’ve developed 7 extensions for smartwatch and I want to be sure the new app is good for my extensions.

    pacosal

  15. By Michael Diener

    #25

    Would be great to have extension developers test Smart Connect before it is launched to the public.

    • By Anna Aleryd

      #26

      Hi,

      Thank you for commenting! There will be no beta testing for developers of Smart Connect this time, but we will consider your idea for future releases.

      Br,
      anna from Developer World

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