Xamarin is holding contest to get ideas of how beacons (iBeacons) can be used to context-aware mobile applications.

I have been doing a lot of research on beacons so I thought I’d share some of my ideas.

The Concept: Did I take out the trash?

My city picks up trash and recycling on a weekly basis, on Monday mornings. You need to have your trash bins on the curb by 7:00am because the trucks come rolling through somewhere between 7:01am and 5:00pm, and it’s not a good thing to miss a pickup.

The Problem

Sometimes I work late on Sunday night and sleep in the next morning.  And let me tell you: Nothing will make you move quicker than to hear the roar of the diesel engine as it starts and stops all the while rolling ever closer to your house as you hurry to slip on your pants and get the bins to the curb before they get to you.

The Solution

The solution is actually quite simple and it should work something like this:

1. Stick a beacon on the trash bin.

1a. Note the distance from the trash bin in the garage, to your beside table, where I will assume your phone can be found when you sleep.

2. Create an application that will allow you to send a local notification (iOS) at 6:50am

3. When the application receives the notification, it will wake up and check the location of the beacon.

4. If the location of the beacon is greater than the “resting” location for the trash bin, while in the garage, then do nothing.  However, if the location of the beacon is within the calculated range of the garage, display a notification with sound that will alert you that you need to jump up and get the trash to the curb before the truck comes by.