Android as a pager?

[brotheryam]

I'm thinking of ditching my pager and having my alerting software notify me by text message. It seems that the default SMS app just makes a single ring and then quits. What I need though is an obnoxious sound that repeats until I respond (in case I get paged while sleeping). Is anyone using their phone as a pager and how are you configuring it? Is there something that modifies SMS notifications?

Thanks in advance

[Shootingblue]

try sms popup. they have some great notification settings

[extorian]

I thought SMS Popup was a good app too until I found it often resulted in SMSs having no notification at all, and it would appear to stop other notifications or disable vibrate for everything until the phone was reset. There are quite a few threads that mention this. This one for example: http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f10/um-why-doesnt-my-text-messages-vibrate-when-i-recieve-them-15640/

I'd go for Missed Call. It's a brilliant app. I've never had a problem with it once, and nor has my partner.

It allows you to configure notifications for SMS messages, calls, missed calls, bluetooth, and calendar events.

For example, you could tell it to play a specific sound, every 2 minutes, and flash your LED bright red (or whatever colour you want) continuously until you acknowledge the SMS message. Sounds like exactly what you need.

[x52x58]

What kinda of alerting software are you using? I use Scadalarm for monitoring a SCADA system. Using SMS Popup to do the alert works very well to keep me informed, you can set reminder alerts if not responded.

[extorian]

Missed Call can do all of that too. The only advantage SMS Popup has over Missed Call is it displays a huge popup message on the screen. You can see this information without the app as you'll see the new message icon on the notification bar.

Missed Call has all of the advanced notification settings as SMS Popop does, plus it'll do similar things, if you want, for a bunch of other things too.

I've never seen anyone say they've had genuine problems with Missed Call, but there are a few threads that mention problems with SMS Popup (see my post above for an example).

[extorian]

Another thought... Missed Call allows you to use custom vibrate patterns by specifying a string of numbers. SMS Popup might do this too - I can't remember. I'm trying to promote the feature not the app this time

So, for example, you could have it vibrate for X milliseconds, pause for Y, etc. You can pretty much make any vibrate pattern/time as you like.

[cal3thousand]

DGAlert Classic all the way!

[itsmejdn]

Another thought... Missed Call allows you to use custom vibrate patterns by specifying a string of numbers. SMS Popup might do this too - I can't remember. I'm trying to promote the feature not the app this time

So, for example, you could have it vibrate for X milliseconds, pause for Y, etc. You can pretty much make any vibrate pattern/time as you like.

I just downloaded Missed Call and its an awesome app. Im really diggin the custom LED and custom speed of the LED blinks as well. I still get my sound and sms icon like my old one.

[extorian]

I'm not sure what you mean by you're still getting your sound and SMS icon like, your old one. But, note that you will get the notification from your Messaging application AND the notification from Missed Call, unless you turn off the notifications in the Messaging application (Messaging -> Menu button -> Settings -> Uncheck the Notifications box).

You will still get a notification about receiving an SMS message in the notification bar at the top of the phone's screen, and you'll have to click on that notification to stop getting the notifications if you're running Missed Call.

If you want custom sounds for any application that uses sounds on the G1, you want to download Rings Extended. This doesn't appear in your applications after installing it, but it does appear whenever you go to select a sound for something in any other application (e.g. Missed Call). When you do that the phone will ask if you want to choose one of the Android default sounds (as normal), or run Rings Extended, which will allow you to choose any sound (normal, hidden, or MP3s on your SD card) anywhere on your phone or sd card.

[fastmob]

Pleae checkout SMS Alert. They have exactly what you are looking for - http://fastmob.net/sms-alert.html