Most of us would throw the old things after using them. Especially we may not know that our old smartphones have valuable things in them that can still be very useful. The only problem is that we don't really know how to use it. There are some interesting Youtube videos that explain how we can convert our old gadgets to some interesting need-based tools. Below are some of the things we can do with our old smartphones.
A small web server
Most smartphones are Linux based as it is Android. If we can root the device, we would be able to install our own operating system. There are also applications available that can help us do this even without rooting. Most of the time the smartphone is connected to the internet. This can be used as a small web server at home to host some interesting applications that can help with home automations.
CCTV
Most smartphones come with a powerful camera. If we are not using the smartphone or if it gets old, we forget the fact that it has other powerful equipment that can still be used when dismantled. Some people might throw their smartphones because of a display issue but other components would still be intact. In that case, the camera alone can be utilized and can be used as a CCTV at home. I know it involves some work but there are videos available on Youtube that can help us build a CCTV out of a mobile camera.
Camcorder
This is similar to the above CCTV example. The old phones might misbehave but their camera can still be used as a camcorder and make it record only photos and videos. Even if the display is having a problem, we can even make use of an external display and just use the features of the camera to take photos and capture videos.
Remote for your home appliances
Some phones come with an inbuilt infrared port. People don't even know that their phones have an infrared port and that they can be used to act as a remote for home appliances. My AC remote stopped working long back and I was lazy to purchase a new battery or find out why it stopped working. I started using my mobile phone as a remote to control my AC at home. The same can be done for multiple other devices too like TV, Set-top box, etc whichever uses a remote.
Sound recorder
This can be a good tool for reporters and people who record sounds frequently. The news reporters need not purchase an additional sound recording device. There used to be a time when it was required but these days the recording feature on our mobile phone itself is very good.
Media player
I still remember the days I used to be a crazy fan of Walkman from Sony. It used to have the perfect sound quality. Later many mobile phone companies started bringing the same quantity. I used to have a Sony phone and it has some great sound quality.
Mining device
In today's world blockchain technology is growing rapidly and mining is still one of the hottest topics. People use their mobile devices for mining. Though mining bigger coins is not a thing, there are always coins available that can be mined through our mobile phones. Old mobile devices can be used for such mining activities.
Device powering scientific research
There are options where we can support scientific research with the help of our excess computational power. I used to be a big fan of such things and it makes me feel that I'm helping the scientific community by sharing my computational power for their research. There are organizations where you can do such things.
Portable recording studio (Connecting guitar or other musical devices)
There are devices that come with MIDI support. Especially this is available on Apple phones. I'm not sure what other devices come with inbuilt MIDI support. Musicians can make use of this and use this as a portable recording studio if they want to compose something. I know someone who does quick composing from his mobile device.
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Posted with STEMGeeks
