Among several preset "profiles" that mobile phones have, is the "outdoor" profile, which increases the volume for when you're on the (noisy) street. Switching between profiles is relatively easy, but people are forgetful.

So, for profiles to be useful, GPS-enabled phones could sense whether you're in a building or not and switch between profiles automatically.
-- xipetotec, Oct 04 2007

Except that such a phone would go quiet when I climb on the roof of a building (a GPS not necessarily detecting my elevation), I like the idea. On the other hand, perhaps if I'm climbing on the roof of a building, quiet mode is warranted...
-- awesomest, Oct 05 2007


//Could this instead be done through direct measurement of ambient noise levels when the user isn't speaking?//

Shhhhhhhhh! Is that someone's phone? <silence abounds in large clods> ... <Ringing gets quieter> ... Okay, make a noise, I can't hear the phone else.
-- vincevincevince, Oct 06 2007


[danielo]GPS can be used in two ways: either detect your position or, if you _can't_ detect your position, assume that you're in a building. Once on the roof, the satellites become visible again => you're outside.

[boysparks]This is for both speaker and ringer volumes, and perhaps the microphone sensitivity as well -- by switching "profiles" you actually change all those settings at once. Measuring noise can serve as a backup method, but it has its own problems: e.g. the user may block the noise-measuring microphone.
-- xipetotec, Oct 08 2007



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