Alex Carson
#1 Digitize Any Document
If you don’t have a scanner, you won’t be able to digitize receipts and forms. Fortunately, there is an app called CamScanner. When you download the app, you can take a picture of any document. The app will automatically convert the document to a high-quality JPG file or a PDF file. This lets you scan your documents from anywhere.
#2 Measure Height and Distance
Most people don’t carry around a tape measure, therefore, if they want to measure something they might not be able to if they don’t have their toolbox. There are also some people who don’t even know how to read a tape measure. Fortunately, your Smartphone can do it for you. If you have an Android phone, you can download Smart Measure Pro. If you have an iPhone, you can download Dot Measure. These apps use the phone’s camera to measure height and distance of a targeted area using trigonometry.
#3 Digitize Old Negatives
If you have a box of old photo negatives, you shouldn’t throw them away. There is an app for your Smartphone that allows you to digitize your old negatives so that you can store them on your phone or upload them to your computer. If you want to add color to your negatives or correct the current color, you can download HELMUT File Scanner. This app uses a unique algorithm to correct the color, restoring your negatives, saving them forever.
#4 Mail a Postcard
When people take vacations, they like to send postcards to their loved ones back home. Unfortunately, it can be a hassle to go out and buy the postcard, get postage, and send it home. There is an app called MyPostcard that takes the work out of sending the postcard. The app allows you to choose a postcard, personalize it with a photo, and send it from your phone to all of your friends and family members back home.
#5 DIY Projector
If you want to watch movies on your cell phone but you wish the screen were larger, there is a way that you can do it. All you will need is a shoe box and a few common office supplies. There are various tutorials online that will allow you to turn your phone into a projector using the screen of your phone. You can put the image on the wall, allowing the whole family to watch the movie with you.
#6 Detect Metal
People love to go to the beach or the park with a metal detector to see if they can find anything of value. Most Smartphones have a built-in magnetic sensor. If you combine this with an app called Metal Detector, you won’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a true metal detector. The app allows you to measure the magnetic field levels in the area. If you walk around with your phone while the app is running, you will be able to see if there is an increased magnetic field in the area.
#7 Monitor Your Heart Rate
There are plenty of gadgets on the market today that allow you to monitor your heart rate. If you have a Smartphone, you can monitor your heart rate without the need for any external hardware. If you download an app called Instant Heart Rate. To use the app, you would place your fingertip on the front of your phone’s camera lens for 10 seconds. The app will give you a real-time chart that shows the pace and rhythm of your heartbeat. It will also record your results so that it shows your average heart rate, your highest rate, and your lowest rate.
#8 Reverse Search Images and Photographs
Most people know that you can search an image on the web to learn more about it. There is an app for your Smartphone called Google Goggles that lets you take a photo of something and then your phone will automatically search for the captured object, giving you all of the information that you need. For example, if you are at a museum and you want a detailed account of the history of the artwork, you can take a photo of the artwork and the phone will search the web for the information that you are looking for.
#9 Translate Foreign Languages
If you are a frequent traveler, Google Translate can help. It allows your phone to translate a sign from one language to another. You would simply take a photo of the words that you need to have translated. The app will automatically translate the words. The app supports most major languages including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, French, and German. It is great if you are traveling to a foreign country and you don’t speak the language.
#10 Project a Map on Your Windshield
If you are constantly looking down a the map on your phone, it can be distracting and cause an accident. There is an app called HUDWAY that will keep this from happening. The app will project a GPS-enabled map onto your windshield and you won’t need any additional equipment to use the app.
#11 Control the Lighting In Your Home
If you have a Smartphone and the special light bulbs that go along with it, you won’t need to install expensive dimmers in your lights. You can use the app on your phone to set timers on your light, make them brighter or dimmer, and you can even change the color of the light.
#12 Safety While Traveling Alone
Of all the things you didn’t know your Smartphone could do, this is the best. Most people know that you can track a person’s location using your cell phone. What you may not know is that there is an app that you can use to stay safe if you are alone. The app is called bSafe. It lets you audibly send a message for help to the emergency contracts that you choose. You will also be able to send your exact location along with audio and video of what is going on.
