Smart phones will soon be able to automatically switch to silent when you walk into class, thanks to a new app designed by Carleton student James Don-Carolis.
The app, called Elevate, automatically changes a phone’s settings based on time and location, Don-Carolis said.
This means phones can be silenced during lectures, or an unprofessional lock screen or ringtone can be changed before work, he said.
“It kind of lets you seamlessly transition from one location to the next,” Don-Carolis said.
To use the free app, he said users program in the boundaries of locations and times they want it to observe. If the phone is not within the boundaries at the set times, the app will have no effect.
Don-Carolis is doing his master’s in biology at Carleton. He said apps like his offer smart phone users a new way to interact with their technology.
“I think people are looking for something new out of smart phones right now,” he said. “Especially for university students, younger people, personalization is such a big thing. They like to have pictures of themselves on their phone, and their friends, et cetera, but they don’t want to be embarrassed by it when they go into work.”
Don-Carolis said the concept for Elevate came to him while he was on a medical leave from his degree and “looking for something to do.”
“It just kind of dawned on me,” he said.
From there, Don-Carolis said he teamed up with University of Ottawa computer science student Hanna Farah.
Their company, Elevate Apps, won Carleton’s local round of the Wes Nicol Entrepreneurial Competition, a contest open to young entrepreneurs from any faculty within the university, Don-Carolis said.
The company also receives support from Carleton’s Lead To Win program, which provides resources like funding and mentorship to Carleton students, faculty, and alumni with ideas for business opportunities.
Tony Bailetti, a Carleton professor who runs the program, said in order to be taken on by Lead To Win, Don-Carolis had to prove to a review board that Elevate Apps would create six jobs and generate $1 million every year three years from now, among other considerations.
“We expect to see great things from him,” Bailetti said.
Don-Carolis said Elevate will be available for Android phones on the Google Play app store as of April 10.
