Turn that old smartphone into a camera for the kids. Pixl Toys sells the Pixlplay Camera, which houses a phone inside a protective case that resembles a classic camera. Together with the companion app, your child can take and edit photos right on the device. You don't need a wireless network for the camera to work and any images can be transmitted via Wi-Fi or a wired connection.

Pixl says the device fits most standard-size smartphones including the iPhone 4/5/6/7/8/X and many Android phones as large as the Galaxy S8, but won't work with iPhone Plus or XL size phones. Of course, you could just hand your kid the phone and let them snap pics without the Pixlplay, but you might want a add a case or screen protector first.

Smart devices like the Echo Spot and the Lenovo Smart Clock can help you manage the time, but not everyone wants a microphone in their bedroom. Instead, turn that old smartphone's big display into an alarm clock that (hopefully) won't spy on you. Just download an alarm clock app via Wi-Fi, place your phone on a stand, and you're good to go. If you tend to hit snooze in the morning, it's easy to grab the phone off its stand and keep it with you as you catch some more sleep.

You could spend hundreds on a tethered VR headset for some serious virtual reality gaming. But if you have a Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, Note 8, S8, S8+, S7, S7 edge, Note 5, S6 edge+, S6, S6 edge, A8 Star, A8, or A8+, nab a smartphone-powered Samsung Gear VR for less than $100. Download the Oculus app on your old phone, insert it into the Gear VR, and get ready for some virtual fun.

For other phones, check out the low-tech Google Cardboard, which is available for phones from 4 to 7 inches.

If you love books and comics, but don't want to purchase an eReader, use your phone. Download the Amazon Kindle app on iOS or Android, and sync up your purchases, Prime Reading, or even free e-books. On iOS, you'll have to purchase e-books on the Amazon website first (since Amazon doesn't want to give Apple a 30 percent cut of in-app book purchases), but when you log into the iOS app and refresh, your books will be there. Or read via Apple Books. Comics fans, meanwhile, can tap into Comixology; here are some of our favorite digital comic books.

As long your old smartphone still turns on, it's probably just about as powerful and capable as your late-90s desktop. So, why not "donate" some of those unused resources to a good cause? Currently just for Android, you can download the BOINC app (Google Play), which was developed by the University of Berkeley to harnesses your device's unused computing power for crowdsourced science.

You can help SETI@Home search for alien signals, use computational power for health and sustainability research with IBM's World Community Grid, assist Asteroids@home in trying to avoid the planet getting hit by an asteroid, and other such projects. Choose which project you want to help, hook it up to your local Wi-Fi, and help our species progress into the future!

US law requires that all phones be able to call 911, even without a SIM card or connected data plan. That means no matter how old your phone is, as long as it has power, it will be able to connect with emergency services. Even in conditions where there would normally be limited service, the call should be able to go through.

While you will probably have have your phone on you at all times, it can't hurt to have a backup device just in case. For instance, you could keep an inactive phone in the car in case there's an emergency. You can also give the decommissioned device to an older relative who might not have a mobile device, but could use an easy way to contact emergency services just in case.

source : pcmag