Everyone has a smartphone in their pockets, but maybe only uses it to message family and friends or surf the internet. But smartphones can do far more than that. They’re tiny supercomputers that can fit at the palms of our hands. Today’s average smartphone outpowers computers from 20 years ago by a long shot, and these smartphones can do more than let you watch Netflix.
Here’s a list of abilities you might now know your smartphone has.
Change the Virtual Assistant’s Accent
Most of us are aware that our smartphones house artificial intelligence (AI) that can provide voice-responsive services. We can ask Siri or Alexa what the meaning of a word is, give them the historical figure’s name to find out what they did, or even tell them to call someone for us. But what you might not be aware of is that you can change the default voice to something that you prefer. Most smartphones ship with the standard accent assigned to a location. If you fancy changing it or find that you understand other accents better, you can go ahead and choose from a wide variety of voices. You can select the gender of the voice, whether it’s going to speak casually or formally, and even switch to a regional accent!
Use the Accelerometer and Gyroscope in Different Ways
Smartphones come with little devices called accelerometers and gyroscopes. They’re not very different from those found in cars or airplanes; these accelerometers tell a smartphone its direction, orientation, and location. This is what allows GPS trackers to provide accurate location-based information. But your smartphone can do more than just act as a map, it can serve as a leveling tool to make sure tables, frames, or any surface is a perfectly flat surface. It can even tell you where North is! An accelerometer or a gyroscope’s function might be too niche for some, but it’s still a great tool to have, not to mention many of the apps we regularly use utilize them. This leads us to the next point.
Track Your Physiological Statistics
Because a smartphone is filled with many gadgets and intelligent software, it can do significantly amazing things. Like tracking your physiological statistics, for example! Body monitoring devices like Fitbit or smartwatches are popular nowadays, but you don’t need to wait for one until you can track your blood pressure, heart rate, and more. There are many ways to get this information using your current smartphone. Of course, dedicated monitoring devices are still more accurate and precise, but a smartphone can tell your statistics pretty well, especially when you need suddenly need it.
Monitor Your Finances
Here’s something everyone should know and use: expense trackers! Finances are fast migrating to an online format, and people are coming up with clever ways to become more efficient with managing their money. Professional accountants used to use spreadsheets on laptops or computers. Still, now, there are intuitive and easy-to-use applications that let you log your finances, monitor them, and even make bank transactions for you. If you’re looking to save money, these types of apps might be a good fit for you.
Book Everything in Advance
Years ago, if you wanted to reserve a spot in a popular restaurant, you would need to call days beforehand and make sure you would arrive on time. If not, you would either need to call before your schedule and ask them to reschedule your reservation. In 2021, you don’t need to do any of that. You can book a vacation rental, a first-class restaurant, a hotel, a bar, or whatever it is you need nowadays. There’s an app for every service, so if you need anything that requires booking, check the internet first to see if there’s an app for it. You’ll be surprised by the number of businesses with a digital footprint. Most companies have a presence in online marketplaces, making the process convenient for you.
Donate Computing Power for Research
Yes, you read that right. Since smartphones are essentially computers, you can use their processing power to contribute to Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC). BOINC is a free and open-source system that allows anyone with a processing chip of any sort to provide processing power through the internet. However, since this will constantly use your phone’s CPU, it’s best to use it with old smartphones, something many of us have accumulated over the past few years. The processing power is used by researchers doing complex calculations, making it a highly advantageous use for smartphones.
Smartphones have become more than just phones. They go far beyond tools of communication. Hopefully, you use yours to its fullest potential.