8 More New Uses for Your Old Smartphone - millernuals1966

If you'Ra searching for a new GPS navigator or a touchscreen remote control, a good place to find one is at the bottom of your desk draftsman. Previous smartphones, long forgotten after beingness buried under a pile of debris, still pack some punch with a decent processor, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth–and the devices can persist apps that metamorphose them into a new complete car.

My colleague Rick Broida looked final year at eight interoperable and fun uses for an cold smartphone–uses including an emergency Oregon Wi-Fi phone, a gaming political machine, a portable bad drive, and an e-lecturer, among others–just here's a view eight other ideas to give your sometime call up a new lease on life.

Stand-Alone GPS Navigator

Global Positioning System use can drain your assault and battery before you strain your finish, so spare yourself the hassle of plugging your new phone in and out every meter it rings and use your old device instead. You don't need to keep open your data contract for the old phone; rather, just download a GPS app that stores the maps locally–like TomTom for iPhone ($60, a cost much to a lesser extent than a new GPS sailing master) or CoPilot for Humanoid, iPhone, and Windows Phone 7 devices (sporty $20). A nonproprietary windshield climb goes for around $10 on eBay, and now you North Korean won't miss the next ric when a phone foretell comes through.

Touchscreen Distant Control

Downloadable apps can turn that old smartphone into a handy remote for your computer, media player, or Television receiver. If you have a Google Tv set device, the Google TV remote app has a mousepad, arrows, and a range of buttons, while the Remote app for iPhones lets you control your Apple TV, and the keyboard comes especially handy when you deman to type. To ascertain your TV, cable box, stereo, or Blu-irradiatio player, the Griffin Pharos ($70) is an infrared frequency blaster that turns your smartphone into universal remote by translating actions from your phone to Atomic number 77 signals that other devices tin understand.

Touchpad and Keyboard Extension

The iPhone's glassful reveal can piddle one wax-coated trackpad to mastery your computer via Wi-Fi, with apps like TouchPad ($5). You send away also stretch forth your keyboard functions with companions so much as NumPad ($4); while for Humanoid, RemoteDroid acts as a touchscreen pussyfoot control with onscreen mouse buttons. Each pick bequeath also call for you to download a isolable unlikely app on your information processing system, and RemoteDroid is compatible with PCs and Macs.

Jailbreak and Experiment

Since your old phone is now probably out of warranty, you don't stimulate to care well-nig tinkering with it any longer. Be brave and experiment with jailbreaking your iPhone and try cool apps that you sack't find out in the App Store. If you're on Humanoid, you can give it a try at installing a new Read-only memory (modified versions of Android), whether it's a new version of the OS, Oregon a ROM that adds revolutionary features; or perhaps you just want to speed things up a bit by removing the manufacturer and bearer bloatware that comes preinstalled. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you buttocks as wel install Android on an old iPhone.

Puffed Desk and Alarm

If your new phone keeps you busy enough non to play with your old one, you can display that old smartphone every bit a fancy nightstand clock. All you need is a simple stand for your phone, whether you buy combined like the Moviepeg or you pee-pee your have stand. You might even find on eBay some tawdry original manufacturers' docks for your particular smartphone brand, or depart crazy with a fledged nostalgia dock. At one time you've found your dearie dock, you just need to pick a clock app of your choice from the rafts of aweigh and paid options in the App Store and Google Play.

Host and Control a Media Server

Set out your old smartphone back in the game as your home entertainment hub. With microSD card storage prices releas fallen, you rear end host your entire music library happening your phone and utilisation an app like Twonky for Humanoid to beam euphony, photos, and videos stored on your phone surgery computer Oregon from websites to a bunch of DLNA-certified devices, including Samsung and Sony TVs, Microsoft Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3. You can still use older iPhones to AirPlay content to an Apple TV box via Wi-Fi.

Dedicated Music Player

Retire your car CD changer and pull in your old smartphone. Sate IT sprouted with your favorite playlists and stick it in the glove box, so you'll have constant access to your songs. This whole kit and caboodle particularly if your railway car has a USB port, so the phone girdle emotional and you don't wealthy person to take it out sporadically to recharge it. Be wary, though, of the security risks in leaving valuables in the car, even if they are non in sight.

Electronic messaging Device

Not many current Mechanical man phones accompany a physical keyboard, so if you still savor the QWERTY clicks, consignment up your old telephone with your IM and e-mail apps and pick up your messages over Wi-Fi. Any iPhone that can equal updated to iOS 5 seat also post unimprisoned messages to whatsoever other iOS device via iMessage without the need of a letter carrier contract or extra apps–especially useful if you have poor cellular reception in your home. If your older speech sound doesn't have a figurehead-facing tv camera, apps like Skype and Tango still work for TV calls, just the opposite person leave see only images from the back camera at your end.