Surf Report: 5 great uses for your old smartphone, tablet

There's one apparent issue with our interest with gadgets: obsolescence.

Just when we start to get used to our new purchase – be it a intelligent cellphone, product, laptop computer or tv – it seems there's a better one around the area. To complicate things, you might look for the more recent and more shiny technical toy expenses even less than the one you purchased.

Still, many of us can't avoid an update. Instead of getting rid of your mature products, however, consider passing it down to someone (or an organization) that will appreciate it. Or maybe offer it. Or business it in.

Or, why not hold onto it yourself and discover another use for it?

Wait, what?

Perhaps you have not thought of some extra uses for your ageing technical. We've provided a few recommendations, below, particularly linked with an old cellphone or product you're no longer using.

If you have any recommendations of your own, be sure to keep them in the Feedback area.

Surveillance camera

If you have a extra intelligent cellphone or product, you can use it as a 100 % free Internet-enabled house home protection techniques electronic camera.

Just set up one of the 100 % free applications that use your unit's electronic camera – such as Existence (iOS, Android), Manything (iOS) or Significant Eye (Android) – and keep it linked in, switched on and indicated towards something you want to keep an eye on. Now, from you main cellphone or product, you can see what your mature system recognizes, or set up movement signals so you'll be informed if any activity is recognized.

Some of these applications will history video for you, as well, to the cellphone or product itself or a reasoning remedy. Many of these applications also allow for two-way speech interaction in situation pet fans want to communicate with their dog or cat while at perform, perhaps.

Universal remote

Why invest 100's of dollars on a touchscreen display display worldwide distant when you've got a completely excellent intelligent cellphone or product that can do the trick?

Some pills -- along with a couple of New samsung and Sony designs models -- have an IR (infrared) blaster to management your house entertainment out of the box. Even if yours doesn't, many new Smart TVs, Internet-connected Blu-ray gamers and press boxes/sticks assistance distant applications for your iOS or Android os system. As long as you have Wi-Fi, you're excellent to go.

Examples of outstanding worldwide distant applications that don't require an IR blaster: Roomie Remote (iOS; $9.99) and Easy Universal TV Remote by Big Fish (Android; free). That said, be sure to check the list of suitable TVs on the apps' specific sites.

You can also use your old product or intelligent cellphone to management other gadgets in your house, such as your intelligent temperature, lighting, multi-room speakers, and more.

Back-up drive

Instead of purchasing an difficult generate, consider cleaning your old cellphone or product fresh, linking it to your PC or Mac via its USB slot and pulling and losing your essential pictures, video clips, songs or records onto it.

Now you can keep this back-up in a secure house -- just in situation you need it later on. (It's not suggested to keep a back-up in the same space as your computer just in situation of flame or overflow.)

Sure, you might only get 16-, 32- or 64-gigabytes of storage with a extra cellphone or product – in comparison to a few terabytes with an difficult generate – but it might just be enough. Plus, it's still an perfect way to secure your essential information without having to invest any more money.

Alarm clock

Smartphones and pills are also great as high-tech travel alert alarm clocks.

Simply obtain one of the many alert applications, brace up your system on your bedroom night-table and keep it there as your main alert. There are many countless numbers to choose from.

Not only can you set the alert and modify the typeface dimension, design and shade, but you can also have customized information proven on the display, such as conditions. Along with various alert appears to be to awaken you up, these applications are also perfect for enjoying loading songs, such as a large number of channels from around the world. Or why not awaken to your preferred song?

Many applications can also play removing "white noise" appears to be to lull you to rest, as well as podcasts, audio books and stereo performs.

Tip: Just be sure to convert off app notices and texting signals, so your rest won't be disturbed.

Digital picture frame

While devoted electronic mirrors have all but gone the way of the dodo fowl, you can convert an old product into one for your desk at perform, reverse top or even installed to a walls in your corridor.

Most product operating-system, like iOS and Android os, have incorporated picture collection applications that can pattern through all of your pictures (and videos) every few a few moments, moments or hours. You can shop your remembrances on the cellphone or tablet's storage space or if you're online, weblink to one of the many 100 % free picture services you can update on the fly.

Android customers might opt for the 100 % free Dayframe app, while iPad entrepreneurs should consider Digital Photo Structure from Young Bit Apps, both of which take pictures from public nourishes, too, such as Facebook or myspace, Instagram, Tweets, and others.
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