You probably have one or two of them at home right now. Ever since you got that new model they look so useless and inferior in every way, not to mention that they lost all of their market value. So what do you do with your old phone?
We were asking the same question and, as it turns out, there are some really amazing ideas that can be found on the internet. So let’s look at…
What to do with your Old Phone?
1. Kid Friendly Device
Let us start off with the most common question that yours, or someone else’s kids, will ask you as soon as you pull out your phone or tablet – do you have any games? Well, if you are a kid person make sure that you get as many games as you can on that device to be ready for these types of situations.
2. Turn it into a security camera
IP Webcam can be a very useful app to use your phone as a security camera at home. If you leave the house and want to watch over the kids there is no better and inexpensive way than this one.
3. Help Scientific Research
It came as a surprise to me as well but your old phone can be used for scientific research. BOINC is the app you will need to download to do this. BOINC harnesses the unused computing power of your Android device and runs jobs for scientific research projects. You can choose from projects in several areas of science, including Yoyo@Home, World Community Grid, PrimeGrid, Enigma@Home, OProject@Home, theSkyNet POGS, Asteroids@Home, and Einstein@Home.
4. Turn It Into a Gaming Device
If it’s not that old it can probably run some PSP games, or maybe all of them. Emulators are a real thing now and you can get emulators for almost any console on your app market. For example this one will let you run old games from SNES, GBA, PlayStation One and many more…
If you want to enhance the experience even more and make a handheld console out of your old phone then just head over to Amazon and order a controller of your choice.
5. Donate It
If none of the ideas above inspired you then it is probably best to do a noble thing and donate your phone to those who actually need it. Here are a few options to consider:
- Verizon runs a service called Hopeline that refurbishes old and used phones and donates them to victims of domestic violence. Your phone can be donated in a Verizon Wireless store or by looking for more solutions on the Hopeline website.
- Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non profit organization that sends old phones with free international calling service to soldiers serving for US overseas. You can see all donation options by visiting this link.
- Rainforest connection is also a non profit organization that serves a great cause. Rainforest Connection (RFCx) transforms recycled cell-phones into autonomous, solar-powered listening devices that can monitor and pinpoint chainsaw activity at great distance. This changes the game by providing the world’s first real-time logging detection system, pinpointing deforestation activity as it occurs, and providing the data openly, freely, and immediately to anyone around the world.
If you want to know more about it and see how you can donate be sure to check out their official website.
And there you have it. As you can see, your old phone isn’t as useless as you thought it was. In fact, it can have many purposes, from gaming to preventing the cutting of rainforests. How cool is that? If you have more ideas that we can add please leave them in the comments below!
