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Smart Uses of Smartphones 

February 2017


Where do I get these apps?

  • The apps we will talk about today are those that run on Apple (iOS) and Android devices.

  • This includes both phones and tablets.

  • To get Apple apps, open the App Store and search.

  • To get Android apps, open the Google Play store and search.

  • If, instead, you have a Windows, Blackberry, or other mobile device, they each have their own app stores.


Which app should I use?

  • As of January 2017:

    • The Apple App Store contains about 2.2 million apps.

    • Google Play contains about 2.6 million apps.

  • So, your best bet in choosing apps to meet your needs:

    • Do a search in the appropriate store.

    • See what kind of ratings the app has received (level of positive response as well as number of reviewers).

    • Take cost into consideration (free vs. $0.99 vs $9.99, etc).


Flashlight

  • The current versions of both Apple and Android phones have flashlight functionality built in.

  • The flashlight uses the camera flash LED to provide this functionality.


Visual notification

  • You also can use the LED flash for visual notifications of calls, texts, etc. for occasions when audible or vibratory notifications are not an option.

  • Like the flashlight functionality, this is built into the latest Apple and Android operating systems.


Magnifying glass

  • If you are looking at tiny text, you can use the camera in your smartphone or tablet to act as a magnifier.

  • Just open the camera, zoom in to the level you wish, and point the lens at the object to be magnified.

  • If the thing you are magnifying is dimly lit, combine this technique with the flashlight.

  • You also can use this technique to see something that is in a tight or difficult to reach spot.

    • Just put the phone into the tight, turn on the flashlight if needed, and take a photo.

  • You should wait a few seconds before snapping the photo to let the autofocus do its thing.


Mirror

  • In its native form, your front-facing camera acts as a mirror (i.e., the image is reversed).

    • This is useful for checking how you look.

  • Interestingly, if you take a selfie with this camera, the picture saved is not reversed.


Hand-held memory device

  • The camera in your mobile device has a wide variety of uses:

    • Product tags while shopping for large items.

    • Images of empty product packages instead of taking along the actual packages when shopping.

    • Record device wiring schemes before removing the device.

    • Take a picture of directions, maps, or shopping lists.

    • Keep a copy of the license plate of your rental car with you.

    • Grandkid pics when visiting an amusement park, county fair, etc. in case they get lost.

    • Collect info if you have an auto accident: damage, tag of other cars, etc.

  • Also, there are built-in and other voice recorder apps.

    • Great if you are interviewing someone.

    • Also can be used to record short notes or reminders to yourself.

    • Some make it easy for you to send those audio notes to others.


Restaurant assistance

  • If you enjoy eating out, there are a number of apps that will help you:

    • Calculate tips at various rates.

    • Split a check among the folks at the table.


Business card file

  • Do you have a pile of business cards in the lap drawer of your desk?

  • Do you throw new cards in with them?

  • There are a number of apps that will scan business cards and store them on your device and in the Cloud.

    • Some even do OCR (Optical Character Recognition) so you search the cards for particular text.

    • And, of course, you always can just take a photo of the card.


Home improvement

  • There are apps that will turn your mobile device into a spirit level.

    • This is a good example of skeuomorphism.

    • The level uses the orientation sensors of your device to provide you with angles.

    • You may want to look for an app that permits you to “zero out” the level at any given angle.

  • Another useful family of apps are those that help you measure distances.

    • Many of these involve taking a photo that contains the object to be measured along with a reference object, such as a credit card or coin.

    • The app then can calculate distances using the known size of the reference object.


Settling disagreements

  • If you have ever wanted to settle disputes over the song playing over the restaurant speakers, or the TV shows in which an actor has played … there’s an app for that!

    • SoundHound and Shazam will listen to music around you and provide you with information about the song, including where to purchase it online.

    • The IMDb (Internet Movie Database) will give you all types of information about movies, TV shows, and actors.


Television control

  • You can turn your mobile device into a universal remote control for your TV, DVD player, etc.

  • There also are any number of mirroring or screen casting apps that permit you to cast video content from you device to your TV.

    • This content may be stored on your device or streamed through it.


Musician’s friend

  • If you play musical instruments, your mobile device can be an invaluable part of your equipment.

    • Metronome

    • Tuner

    • Sound meter

    • Slow down music without changing its pitch for practice.


Comparison shopping

  • With a bar code scanner app (such as Barcos or ShopSavvy), you can scan products in a store and then find out what their prices are online and in nearby stores.

  • Using Google Goggles or similar image analysis apps, you can take a picture of that thing-a-ma-jig and (perhaps) find out what it is.

  • More professional photos & video

  • Purchase a tripod and Bluetooth shutter control to improve the quality of your photo and video efforts.


Old smartphone usage

  • Do you have an old smartphone laying around?

    • There are apps (such as IP Webcam) that let you turn that device into a security camera that you can monitor over the Internet.

    • They make excellent dedicated universal remotes.

    • They are MP3 players, so use them when working in the yard on exercising.


Better sound

  •  A no-cost trick that can give you better sound from your smartphone is to put it into an empty coffee mug.

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