Basically smatrix works from devices with Android 8, but we recommend you to use a device with at least Android 10. smatrix requires at least the following hardware for smooth and reliable operation: smartphone or tablet with Android 6, 2GB RAM and 500MB free system memory (when using a language). For optimal perfomance we recommend Android 10 or higher, 4GB RAM and 1GB free system memory.
Any device that meets the hardware requirements and your own specific requirements (price, battery life, outdoor use etc.).
Typical smartphones and tablets that our customers use are:
smatrix has no influence on the GPS localisation/location detection of your device or third-party software. It is not possible to navigate to individual test plots using GPS, as the accuracy is not sufficient to do so.
smatrix for Android allows you to determine your current location using GPS localisation and store it in the 'Location' info field.
The selection of headsets that are suitable for both, use with speech recognition software and use in rough work environments is very small. We therefore recommend the following features:
We recommend using a cable headset, as the voice audio quality of Bluetooth headsets is subject to large fluctuations - depending on the combination of headset and device and the respective codecs.
In theory, most Android 8.0 and higher devices support Bluetooth codecs with a sufficiently high sampling rate and sampling depth. In practice, however, not every headset device combination selects the best codec for a Bluetooth connection. The resulting loss of data can lead to the fact that the voice audio quality is not sufficient for smatrix.
Therefore, test whether your individual combination of Bluetooth headset and smartphone/tablet is sufficient for smatrix. For recommendations on currently available smartphone/headset combinations, please feel free to contact us via chat or support(at)smatrix.systems.
The selection of headsets that are suitable for both, use with speech recognition software and use in rough work environments is very small. We recommend using a cable headset, as the voice audio quality of Bluetooth headsets is subject to large fluctuations - depending on the combination of headset and device and the respective codecs.
For recommendations on currently available smartphone / headset combinations, please feel free to contact us via chat or support(at)smatrix.systems.
There are only a few headsets that are suitable for use with voice recognition software as well as for use in rough working environments. Therefore, we recommend wearing the headset under a waterproof hood when it is raining and using a windscreen (e.g., made of foam) when it is windy. It should be a headset used where microphone is equipped with a sufficient noise cancellation. If necessary, the headset drivers should be kept up to date.
The most important difference is that smatrix for Windows works directly in Excel while smatrix for Android uses its own data table, that can be exported as an Excel or CSV file after completion of the assessment/data input.
You can find a detailed comparison of both versions here: Feature comparison Android vs. Windows.
ATTENTION: A deleted trial cannot be restored. Make sure that important data has been exported and stored elsewhere before deleting!
Open the trial and click on the three-dot button in the upper right corner. Then click on 'Export and send'. Select the format (Excel or CSV) and then the app you want to use the file with, e.g. 'Bluetooth' to send the file via Bluetooth to another device or an email app to send the file as an email attachment.
CSV export does not export contents of the info fields to the CSV file, as this would mess up the format.
The "JSON" export format is used to export the trial structure. Here hierarchy levels, value ranges and characteristics can be exported and imported again on another device. Data entered in the table will NOT be exported.
ATTENTION: Should you click on 'Always' after selecting an app, you will not be able to select another app at first when exporting a score. This option must be changed in the Android system settings; search for 'Default apps' and activate the option 'Ask before setting default app'.
In the section 'Trial Info', additional information, GPS data or the date can be added to each trial. To do this, open the 'Edit' menu and click on 'Trial Info'. By clicking on the button 'Trial Info' you can select info fields from the info field catalog or create new, individual fields. After you have added the desired fields, you can fill each individual field with information.
The standard field 'Location' will use your device's GPS location. The two standard fields 'Time' and 'Date' will access your device's clock and calendar.
ATTENTION: Trial info fields will not be exported as CSV, since that would mess up the CSV format.
The order of traits and hierarchy levels may be edited in the 'Edit trial' menu. Simply use the double-arrow button on the left side of the screen to drag a trait or a hierarchy level upwards or downwards to the desired position.
ATTENTION: If you change the order of the hierarchy levels, the structure of the trial also changes (e.g. from 10 plots with 5 plants each to 5 plants with 10 plots each).
Subsampling is activated by clicking and opening the "Subsamples" tab when editing the trial. Subsequently, a number of samples per test unit can be defined there for each individual trait (see also here Manual smatrix agroscience for Android ➝ 10.5 Subsamples).
When subsampling is activated, the progress between cells changes. Please refer to the examples in the manual. (Manual smatrix agroscience for Android ➝ 11.6.3 Progress).
The following voice commands are available additionally when using subsampling:
Yes, is “Position feedback off" there is a subsampling countdown which announces after every ten subsamples how many subsamples remain for the current trial unit (e.g. plot). It also announces the fifth-to-last and last samples and confirms when all subsamples have been performed for the current trial unit.
You can choose between “Collect together” and “collect individually”. The manual refers to examples (Manual smatrix agroscience for Android ➝ 12.6.3 Progress).
smatrix is available in many different languages:
With a subscription of smatrix you get access to all these languages.
Yes, with the voice command "Correction <new value>" the last entered value is replaced by the <new value> (e.g. "Correction 50" replaces the last entered value with 50).
If you use the voice command "Correction" without a new value, the cell where you last entered a value is selected. This value is not deleted but can be overwritten by entering a new value.
Another option is the "Undo" command. This will undo the last operation that modified values. This also works after commands that write multiple values at once, such as "five times unavailable". All five values entered would be reset to their previous value. With "Redo" you restore the same state as before the "Undo" command.
Yes, the option "Position on/off" allows a read out of the trial unit and the trait of the selected cell each time you move cells (by automatic progress or direct speech command).
In addition, you can make smatrix read out the trial unit and the trait of the currently selected cell at any time using the speech command "Where am I?".
If the speech recognition is not working as smoothly as expected please check:
Yes, with smatrix for Android 2.0 you can import trial structures that have been created on other end devices. The import of ARM rating shells and from other trial management solutions is currently under development and will be published with the next releases.
To transfer trial structures from a smartphone / tablet to another device proceed as follows:
A detailed description can be found in our manual in chapter 9.