Back in 2007 when the iPhone emerged as the new standard for smartphones, the idea of repurposing an old one would have seemed strange. Now, most of us have upgraded at least once and probably have an old device or two lying around. If you need a project this weekend, make yours useful again.
For Your Home
One of the most obvious uses for an old smartphone is, well, to use it as a phone. While it probably doesn't have service any more, there's likely no reason you can't download a VOIP app like Skype and use it as a home-based handset. You could even use it as a webcam if you'd prefer. If that's not your thing, there are plenty of less obvious uses. For example, you can turn your phone into a smart thermostat. This is a more complex hack, but one of the cooler ones.
A less-exciting option is to turn your smartphone into a remote. Just about every set top box with a network connection offers a smartphone app to control it, whether you've got an old Android or iPhone. If your old smartphone has an infrared transmitter, you can search its app store for a universal remote app and control just about anything. Although also not terribly exciting, your old smartphone makes for a great alarm clock (here are our app suggestions for Android and iPhone). Because there are so many apps to choose from, you can pick one that suits your needs or just has a really cool theme.
For Your Car
You can do a lot with a phone in your car, even if it's not really a phone anymore. Just because it doesn't have service doesn't mean it can't make calls. An old phone works just fine as an emergency phone. If your car's in range of your home's Wi-Fi, you can sync music to your phone automatically. Just use iTunes Wi-Fi sync for iPhones and Doubletwist for Android.
On the Go
My favorite use of an old smartphone (or tablet, for that matter) is to create a portable gaming device. A jailbroken iDevice works fine, but Android offers so many fantastic options in the retro gaming department. While there may be more practical solutions, a retro gaming device is probably the most fun.
If you're a photographer (professional or otherwise), you can turn your old smartphone into a powerful camera remote. If your camera has a Live View mode, you might even be able to see what your camera sees directly from your app of choice (there are a few to pick). Even if photography is just a hobby, this can be a lot of fun and you can take some interesting pictures you'd might otherwise be unable to get.
Need some suggestions for tablets instead of smartphones? Read this, and have a great weekend!
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