When was the last time you thought about just how amazing your smartphone is? It's an instantaneous worldwide communication system, a media player, digital camera, video and audio recorder, game system, business platform and so much more. And it fits in your pocket.
If you described it to someone from 1700, they'd think it was magic. In 1900, they'd say you were mad. Even your younger self from 2000 would be amazed. Now you carry one around like it's no big deal.
Well, it's time to bring back some of the wonder. I've rounded up seven amazing things you didn't know your smartphone could do.
Rewind the past. "Did I hear that right?" We've all had moments where we're sure we misheard something someone said. Or someone said something hilarious and we wish we had a recording.
Well, now you can pull audio from the past. Heard for iPhone is always recording using your smartphone's microphone. At any time, you can save audio from up to 5 minutes in the past.
Wake up easier. Technology can be a solution for sleep difficulties. Give Sleep Time for iPhone and Android a shot.
You start by placing it on your mattress before you go to bed. The phone's accelerometer detects your movements during the night and figures out your sleep pattern. The app's alarm gently wakes you up during the lightest part of your sleep cycle, bypassing that groggy feeling that makes you want to hit the snooze button.
Make you aware of your surroundings. Listening to music or watching a movie on your smartphone can make your morning walk or a bus ride fly by. The downside is that many earphones block out the surrounding noise.
Awareness for Android and iPhone fixes that problem. It uses your smartphone's microphone to keep track of noise around you. Any sounds louder than regular background noise gets sent to your headphones.
Help you measure up. You don't have to reach for a ruler or tape measure. Android users can fire up Advanced Ruler Pro, and iPhone users can grab Visual Measure.
Just take a picture of an object or room and then follow the directions. The app can figure out the dimensions for you. From a chair to a mansion, you can measure virtually anything.
Give you heart. Smartphones and tablets are on their way to becoming indispensable medical gadgets. Instant Heart Rate for iPhone and Android uses the phone's camera to figure out your heart rate. It detects the light passing through your finger and how it changes as your heart beats.
Help you prove your metal. Don't have a metal detector? Don't need one. Metal detector apps for Android and iPhone have you covered.
Smartphones contain a compass for navigation. It's not difficult to tweak it to detect nearby metal objects.
Prevent a lapse in attention. Your smartphone can make time-lapse movies no problem. Just grab TimeLapse for iPhone or Lapse It for Android. You can set how frequently the camera snaps a picture. Then the app will put the images together in a movie file. You just need to tap a button.
Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about consumer electronics, computers and the Internet. Listen to her show from 1-4 p.m. each Sunday on KRMG am740 or fm102.3. To read more of her columns or sign up for her newsletters, go to
tulsaworld.com/komando
Original Print Headline: Smartphone is modern-day magic
Tech
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