Smartphones are getting smarter by the day, slowly becoming an integral part of our daily lives. This Techspirited article looks at some of the most amazing things that you probably didn’t know your smartphone could do.
Smart(phone) Security
The latest security systems available in the market today, offer remote wireless control through your smartphone. You can use your smartphone to handle all the actions of the security system, and watch live streaming videos of your security cameras on your smartphone.
Smartphones these days pack in more of a punch than computers of yesteryears! In fact, some of these devices have specs that could easily put any modern-day computer to shame. While smartphones are powered by heavyweight hardware, what really makes them powerful is the software that runs them-more specifically, the ability of smartphones to run various applications.
These applications can transform your regular smartphone into a very capable multi-utility device. In fact, smartphones have pretty much replaced a lot of gadgets already. With the right app, your smartphone can execute some seemingly impossible tasks. Here are 10 things that you may not have known that your smartphone could do.
Act as a Spirit Level
Right in the middle of your DIY project, and you aren’t sure if the shelf is aligned right? Fear not, just reach out to your smartphone, launch the spirit level app, and use your phone as a spirit level.
Here’s a list of apps for the various mobile platforms to help you get the level just right.
Spirit Level Plus (Android)
Free
Spirit Level Free by IntegraSoft (iOS)
Free
MobileLevel (BlackBerry)
Free
Another Level (Windows Phone)
Free
Start Your Car
It is almost a common-day scenario where you just can’t seem to find your car amongst the scores of cars at the parking lot, and your car remote just won’t help. This is where a dedicated car security system, which can be controlled using your smartphone comes in. You can even find the exact location of your car using the app that comes along. Although you can’t get your car to come to you all by itself, the system can definitely start your car engine for you.
The system currently supports Android, iOS, and BlackBerry devices, and you can find out more about the security system on the company’s website.
Viper SmartStart (Android)
Free
Viper SmartStart (iOS)
Free
Viper SmartStart (BlackBerry)
Free
Measure
How often while gazing at a building or a monument have we wondered just how tall it actually is? Unless, of course you have the time, and the right equipment to go about measuring the structure yourself, a simple app can get the job done for you in no time. The app uses your phone’s camera to help calculate the height, and/or distance of the subject.
Smart Measure (Android)
Free
Easy Measure – Measure with your Camera (iOS)
Free
Visualize Your Home Using Augmented Reality
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could get to see how furniture you saw at the store would look in your house, before you actually bought it? Augmented reality provides the solution. A simple app for your smartphone can help place objects in your bedroom using an augmented reality app.
Chair (Android)
Free
DFS Sofa and Room Planner for iPhone (iOS)
Free
Monitor Your Heart Rate
With the number of heart-related diseases on the rise, people these days have become increasingly conscious about their health. But the fast-paced lives that most of us lead, leaves us with little time to monitor our health. Thankfully, our smartphones have some real handy medical apps to help us out with our dilemma. An especially useful app is the heart rate monitoring app, which can track our heart rate using just our phone’s camera.
Instant Heart Rate (Android)
Free
Instant Heart Rate (iOS)
Free
HeartRate Tester (BlackBerry)
Free
HeartRateCount Lite (Windows Phone)
Free
Use as a Remote
This is perhaps one of the most handy apps for all the couch potatoes out there. With the help of a simple app, and a supported smartphone, you can easily control your TV and your set-top box using just your phone, and an infrared, or Wi-Fi connection with the device.
IR Universal Remote (Android)
Free
XFINITY TV Remote (iOS)
Free
Change the Color of the Lights
Now, you can easily change the color of the light to suit your mood, thanks to this app, which gives you complete control of the lights at your home. The app helps control the smart lighting system from Philips, called Hue. Once you have the light system installed, the dedicated app gives you control over the tone, color, and contrast of the light with your smartphone.
Philips Hue (Android)
Free
Philips Hue (iOS)
Free
Act as a Personal Assistant For You
Your smartphone can now play the perfect assistant. It can set appointments for you, take notes, tell you about the local weather, and help you with any other information that you would like to find out about. You can even get it to do a barrel roll, or crack you up by telling you a joke. Currently, there are only two main mobile assistants-Google Now (Android 4.0+), and Siri (iOS 6+). These come pre-installed with their respective devices.
Act as Your Wallet
Digital wallets are fast replacing hard cash. They are easy to use, secure, and extremely convenient. You can now make purchases without the need to carry any additional cash, or cards, all you need is your trusty smartphone. The two main players in this arena are Google Wallet (currently works only with certain NFC devices), and Apple’s Passbook (comes with iOS 6).
Google Wallet (Android)
Free
Replace Your Wi-Fi Router
This is, by far, the most useful feature of smartphones; the ability to use it as a mobile hotspot. You can tether your mobile phone’s data connection with multiple devices, which can connect to your phone via a secure Wi-Fi connection. This is a very convenient way to let your other devices connect to the Internet on the go. Some OSes have this feature built in.
Mobile HotSpot (Android)
Free
Tether-X Pro (Windows Phone)
4.99 USD
With advancement in technology, smartphones are becoming even smarter, and offer a lot more features. App developers too are keeping pace with these new innovations, and releasing apps to fully exploit these new features. For the consumers, this is possibly the best time to be around!
Disclaimer: The apps mentioned in this article may not be compatible with all devices, and may need an additional hardware/software purchase. All prices mentioned here may differ according to region, and promotional offers.