Give your mobile a break from the mundane and put it to work to make your life easier. There are so many more things your terrific telephone can do you for aside from mandatory calls, texts and browsing the web.
- Shopping can be a chore, trawling through clothes and traipsing round shops. With Valentine’s Day approaching and original gift ideas in short supply, why not snap potential presents with your camera phone and squirrel them away for a stress-free selection of perfect prezzies?
- Personal want lists are a great way of shopping, especially in a recession. Take a photo of the item you love and give it a few days to see if you’re still infatuated, helping you save money, cut out the endless returns queue and check your latest fashion find fits with the rest of your wardrobe. You can even store info on your memory card and pop it into your PC, transferring data using a USB reader to keep images for reference, building a computerised clothing collection.
- Get a second opinion on that all important party dress or fashion-forward top by sending a picture message to your shopping buddy for an ‘honest’ opinion.
- Snap pictures of ISBN book codes and look them up at home to find the best price. You can even use an app to read some barcodes which direct you to shop websites. Alternatively comparison shop before or while you’re out, saving info on your memory card so you’ll always know you’re getting a bargain.
Venturing outside the mall, keep friends and family up-to-date on your holiday using picture messages as a modern alternative to postcards. Why not stick a roomy memory card in your phone to preserve images while keeping your phone’s internal memory free to handle other important functions?- Take a picture of your luggage before boarding a plane. It could come in really handy if you become separated from your bags…the same applies with unruly pets and adventurous children!
- If you find yourself in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, take a picture of the licence plate of a cab and driver details inside and send to a friend as a security measure.
- Break down those language barriers! Take some pictures of travel staples and favourite foods so you can use pictures to communicate if the local lingo evades you. You can always photograph your hotel and name, especially if it’s tricky to pronounce so if you get lost you can show people on the street who will hopefully point you in the right direction!
- Back at the grind, use your mobile when networking for work or meeting people at a party to avoid those awkward forgotten name moments next time. When getting their digits ask for a photo too as a handy memory jog.
If you can’t be bothered to type your to-do list into your phone, take a photo of your list and use it as your phone’s wallpaper for the day- failure is not an option!- Planning a party or wedding? Take photos of venues, outfits and accessories to build up a cool theme and make shopping and organising everything a cinch so all you have to worry about is the guest list.
- Locating your car in a multi-storey can be surprisingly baffling. Use a car-finding application and take a picture of the meter’s expiry time. You can even set an alarm on your mobile so you don’t get caught out.
- Get fit with motivational phone wallpaper- a picture of some sumptuous strawberries, Rhianna’s abs or Beyonce’s legs could keep you focused!
- Secretly chronicle your weight loss success by taking a picture of yourself every week, save them on your phone’s memory card and play them back as an encouraging slideshow. You might want to set a password.
- Check out the heaps of apps to get you running. Geocaching is an increasingly popular craze where you can use your mobile’s GPS to locate hidden ‘treasure’. Check out our recently published guide!
Make a mobile photo ‘scavenger hunt’ of your own for friends and family. Give them a list of close-up mystery objects to find and photograph for a reward.- Seize your 15 minutes of fame and become a photojournalist by sending pictures to news websites. Try Yahoo or Reuters for starters. Why not add a macro lens filter to your camera-phone for extra photographic fun?
- They say a picture is worth a thousand words so why not keep a photo journal, take a picture every day and save the results on your card for a unique memento of the months ahead. Feeling wordy? Try a mobile blog to record your daily thoughts.
- With so many smart phones toting stylus pens, get scribbling and create your own artistic masterpiece. Perfect paintings can easily be uploaded to social networking sites or shared with friends. Even pop art legend David Hockney’s having a go.
For the ultimate in entertainment let your mobile phone cook your dinner. Well, a YouTube phenomenon showed phones popping popcorn. But rumours of explosions and hoaxes may stop this becoming an on-the-go snack… shame!
Any more ideas? We’d love to hear them.
Loading ...