22 May 10 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Old Smartphone
Now that you have a shiny, brand new, cutting edge smartphone, don’t throw away or banish your old smartphone to the drawer just yet. To continue using your old smartphone, you don’t need a voice plan, data plan or even a SIM card, so instead, give it a second lease on life.
To squeeze even more value out of your old smartphone, check out these tips:
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USB Storage and Mass Transfer
Portability has almost become a necessity these days. With this in mind, wouldn’t it be great to have a portable storage device that also lets you review information on the go? Instead iof spending money on a new flash drive, look no further than your old smartphone for portable storage.
Many previous smartphones supported microSD cards (except for the iPhone) or had large in-built storage. Additionally, most provide removable-drive-like capabilities when plugged into a USB port, however iPhone users will need a third-party utility such as iPhone Explorer to tap the on-board memory.
You’d be crazy NOT to take advantage of this to transport large files, back up important documents or store all of your media, freeing up your current smartphone for the important things, and saving you money on purchasing a flash drive.
Touchscreen Remote Control
Being able to control your media from wherever you are in the house is a great party trick.
Turn your smartphone into a remote control for your media by downloading these apps:
iPhone
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- Remote by Apple (Free): Allows you to control iTunes from your iPhone.
- iClickr PowerPoint Remote Lite (Free): Allows you to launch and control a PowerPoint presentation from your iPhone
- VLC Remote (Free): Use your iPhone to control the popular media player VLC.
- Off Remote- Free (Free): Allows you to remotely switch your computer off, put it in standby, log off, lock it or restart it.
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Android
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- Gmote 2.0 (free): This app allows to you to remotely control multiple programs on your computer. These programs include media players and it also allows you to stream music from your computer to your phone, PowerPoint, image slideshows and launch websites from your phone.
- Remote Droid (free): Turns your phone into a wireless keyboard & mouse, using your own wireless network.
- Remote Mouse (free): This app transforms your phone into a wireless keyboard and mouse for your computer (compatible with both Windows and OS).
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Desk + Alarm Clock
Coupled with a docking station, your old phone could become a fancy, dedicated bedside alarm clock and audio player.
There are plenty of apps out there for both OS and Android, which will turn your phone into a stunning alarm clock.
Host & Control a Media Server
Grab a microSD card and host your entire music library on your phone to turn it into an entertainment hub. Using an app like Twonky for Android or AirPlay for iOS to bea music, photos, and videos stored on your phone or computer or from websites to DLNA-certified devices, such as Samsung and Sony Tv’s, Microsoft Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and to an Apple TV box via wi-fi.
Stand Alone GPS
Nowadays, the GPS functionality on smartphones are just as good as stand alone GPS devices. So why not make use of that instead of buying a brand new GPS?
Along with saving you money, it will also save the battery on your new smartphone, saving it for the important things such as Angry Birds.
You won’t have to keep your data plan, as there are quite a few GPS apps out there that will store the maps locally:
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- TomTom for iPhone (while it’s quite expensive at $60 for the app, it is still cheaper than purchasing a new GPS)
- CoPilot Live Australia & NZ for Android and iPhone ($20).
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All you need is a windshield mount and your GPS is good to go!
Emergency Phone
This is one of the most practical uses for any old phone. It is a Federal law for phones to have the ability to call 000 even without a SIM card, so you can rest assured that your old phone will be able to get you out of trouble (providing that it has been charged). By keeping your old phone in your car or somewhere else convenient, you will always have access to emergency services.
E-Reader
If you’ve had an eye on the Kindle or Nook, save yourself some money and use your old smartphone. All you will need is an e-reader app such as Amazon’s Kindle app for iPhone and Android and you’re good to go! While the screen may not be as large as a dedicated e-reader, an advantage the smartphone holds is that it is backlit, so you can read in the dark. Your old smartphone is also pocket size, so it’s perfect for long trips or the commute to work.
Skype Phone
While your old smartphone wouldn’t have an active data plan, it will still be able to connect to wi-fi. So, why not use your old phone to save on your voice bill and dedicate your old smartphone for VoIP services such as Skype (iOS and Android). You can text or call other Skype users for free or even buy some Skype credit to call landlines and mobiles anywhere in the world.
Other VoIP services you can use are Fring or Truphone.
Truphone app is available for Android, Blackberry and iOS. It supports unlimited free calls to other Truphone users and it also supports calls to landline or mobile phone.
Webcam/ Surveillance Camera
If you find yourself in need of a webcam for your computer, or a surveillance camera to monitor how well behaved your pet is alone at home, your old smartphone has the answer. There’s plenty apps out there that you can use to turn your smartphone into a webcam or surveillance camera.
A few apps we found for Android and Iphone are:
Android
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iPhone
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- iCam ($5.49)
- iWebCamera ($5.49)
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Donate it to a Charity
If none of the above appeal to you, you could always donate it to those who would make use of it. You can send your old phones to us here at Phonenomena and we’ll pass them along to:
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- MobileMuster
- Canteen (in conjunction with The Sony Foundation) via the You Can campaign
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If you are interested, you can send your old phones to:
Phonenomena Phone Recyling
14-16 Suakin Street,
Level 1, Suite 103
Pymble
2073
NSW
It’s easy as pie, so there’s no excuse for leaving it to collect dust in a drawer!
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