Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iBeacon technology can now be used to encourage punctuality in the classroom and streamline the process of taking attendance, due to the release of the “BeHere” app. This app, created by Beelieve Creative Developer, transforms the teacher’s iPad into a makeshift but effective iBeacon. The students’ mobile devices must also have BeHere installed, but once the app is in place, it automatically transmits their arrival to the teacher’s iPad when they come within range.
The system works to smooth taking attendance from both the teacher’s and the students’ perspectives. A tedious procedure is turned into a fully automated one which is accomplished silently, instantly, and accurately simply by the act of the students walking in the door. Of course, it is a perfect solution, as, for example, it involves the assumption that all students have a low energy Bluetooth equipped Apple (AAPL) mobile device on their persons.
However, it fulfills one of the primary functions of technology, that of eliminating unnecessary, mindless tasks and freeing up the user for other activities. In this case, BeHere stands to enable a few extra minutes of teaching or discussion, and lets the minds of those involved focus on the classroom and the information being imparted, rather than what amounts to bureaucratic maintenance procedures.
The BeHere app is available for free, and is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and even the iPod touch. The app requires iOS 7 or better to operate. It was developed by Beelieve, a Brazilian firm that creates solutions for mobile platforms. It is also a good example of how quickly the iBeacon concept is catching on and being used in innovative ways. Even if many of these ways are relatively minor “tweaks,” they reveal the potential for saving time and unnecessary effort by automating certain tasks via the iBeacon functionality.
iBeacons are already appearing in such diverse environments as museums, sports arenas, festivals, and retail stores. The BeHere app suggests that they may also become useful for employees clocking in (and out), for registering the arrival and departure of packages or pallets from shipping departments, and possibly even for accelerated check-in at airports.
The fact that third party merchants are getting in on the business of making apps and new functionalities for Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) beacon technology shows that its potential is only starting to be unlocked, and that many new possibilities are likely to be explored in the near future to save time, money, and frustration by streamlining the smaller tasks of life.
