Linux Journal has an article on a few ways to re-purpose an old smartphone or tablet that you're no longer using (because, let's admit it, smartphone software is advancing faster than smartphone hardware). Of course, if none of these appeal to you, you could always donate your phone to charity, where it may have a second life getting internet access to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford an internet-enabled device; or simply recycle it. So, fellow Soylentils: What's your favorite thing to do with a no-longer-wanted smartphone?
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What to Do with our Old Smartphones? A Few Ideas...
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(Score: 2) by lhsi on Thursday October 02 2014, @10:55AM
I have an old smartphone that I've been wondering what to do with. Media Centre was mentioned as one of the options, and my plan was similar; use it as a dedicated remote for the Chromecast. I might have a closer look at some of the other options.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Subsentient on Thursday October 02 2014, @07:38PM
You could just mail it to me. I'd find something to do with it, provided the damn thing isn't boot locked.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 4, Funny) by jimshatt on Thursday October 02 2014, @11:03AM
You mean the guy doesn't know actual baby monitors do exist? Ehr, okay...
Myself, I always like going into my kid's room, waking her up to ask if she's still okay and then leave saying "Okay, carry on then."
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @01:37PM
> I always like going into my kid's room, waking her up to ask if she's still okay
Must have been a slow kid. Ours wakes us up to let us know.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Marand on Thursday October 02 2014, @12:19PM
Aside from the obvious "use it as a media player" stuff, tablets and smartphones can make good thin-client type devices. Some ideas/examples:
• Use any of the various remote control apps like the "VLC remote" ones to control a media player of choice. Works well with mpd to control and listen to music over your network
• Make the device an extension of the desktop, such as with Roccat Power-grid [google.com]. If you don't like existing options, you rig your own with a webserver, some html, and some back-end scripts (just don't use bash)
• Install something like Valence [google.com] to use the device as an input device (two, actually: keyboard and mouse)
• On the remote input idea, if your device has pressure support, gfxtablet [google.com] supposedly lets you use it on the PC like you would a normal graphics tablet.
• vnc and ssh clients are good for monitoring headless systems without using screen space on your monitors
---
Last, but probably my favourite: use it as an extra touchscreen display. This one's a bit weird to set up but works well. The rest of this comment will be spent explaining the setup I used.
1. Set up a remote desktop that isn't just mirroring the contents of your normal desktop. Not sure how difficult this is in Windows, but in Linux it's as easy as running vncserver, or Xvfb (X11 virtual framebuffer server) + x11vnc, and a window manager for the session.
2. Connect to the vnc (or whatever) session with the tablet via a vnc viewer. Now you have a separate desktop session that you can view and interact with on your tablet. If that's all you want, and you don't care about using your keyboard and mouse on the tablet's "display", then you can stop here. If you want to make it better, though . . .
3. Start a synergy [synergy-foss.org]* server on your desktop. It's basically a software keyboard/mouse switch, so you use the keyboard and mouse of one desktop across multiple machines. Or in this case multiple desktops on the same machine.
4. Run the synergy client inside the vnc session and connect to the server on the same system.
[ Or, in TL;DR form: vncserver, synergy client inside vnc, connect the client to synergy server running on main desktop, connect tablet's vnc viewer to the vnc server. ]
Once it's done, the tablet acts like an extra display attached to the system. Slide the mouse off the edge of your monitor and it appears on the tablet, type into programs running in the vnc session via your normal keyboard, even copy/paste across the two. Main limitation is you can't drag windows from one to the other.
This is probably a terrible explanation to an overengineered mess of a solution, but I'll try to answer any questions about it if needed to clarify anything.
* Synergy is probably in your distro's repository, and if not the site has nightly builds still freely available for different platforms.
(Score: 2) by TK on Thursday October 02 2014, @06:52PM
FYI to those interested, "VLC Remote" is $5 for iphone, $3 for android.
I'm downloading "Remote for VLC (Fork)", which has good reviews and seems to do the same things, but is free. Will come back with details.
The fleas have smaller fleas, upon their backs to bite them, and those fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 03 2014, @12:10AM
I can't wait to find out how you spent all that extra money...
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday October 02 2014, @07:14PM
Actually I don't find the cell-phone sized screen to be useful for any of those things, other than the Cromecast remote.
While traveling, I've tried to use a smartphone as an ssh terminal and it was beyond frustrating to get anything done.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Marand on Friday October 03 2014, @04:48AM
It depends largely on screen size. The summary mentioned tablets as well as smartphones, so I listed some ideas for both. I'll agree that the extended-display idea isn't likely to be useful on a smartphone, but it works fine for a tablet. The rest can work with either.
Note, however, that I mentioned monitoring a machine via ssh and vnc clients. Even a tiny smartphone screen can be useful for limited amounts of persistent information, such as system load, memory use, network utilisation, etc. Lot of ways to do it, too.
Viewing info like that isn't usually the problem on a smartphone, it's the input part that sucks. Though if you use synergy+vnc you could actually improve that, too. Use it primarily as a basic monitoring tool, mount it somewhere out of the way, and use synergy to interact with it when needed, maybe.
Something else I thought of in line with the monitoring concept: a smartphone could make a good dedicated feed for something like an IRC channel, twitter feed, etc.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by aclarke on Thursday October 02 2014, @12:48PM
This one seems pretty obvious, but it's worth mentioning. I keep an old iPhone 3G around as a a travel phone. It's unlocked, so I can throw a SIM in for wherever I happen to be. It's also jailbroken, so I can use it for tethering. This makes it a very useful device to keep around.
Other options:
- Tracking/emergency device for kids. I don't want my kids to have electronic devices at this age, but if they were older I'd consider throwing one in their backpack when they go to school. They could use the school's wifi for calling and text messages, or alternatively I could add $10/month to my phone plan and use it as a GPS tracking device if I wanted to. Just have to remember to charge it. I should also mention that if I was going to use it as a tracking device, my kids would know about it.
- Camera for kids. My kids love to be able to use the old iPhone for taking photos. It lets them practice their photography skills without me worrying about them damaging one of our newer devices.
My iPhone 4 is about to become surplus, so I'll probably pass on the iPhone 3, and keep my now-unlocked 4 as my travel phone. Since it's faster and has better cameras, I can use it for something like a home security device, dashcam, or something else when I don't need it for travelling.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @12:48PM
You can mount it in your car and use it as a live OBD-II reader. I use Torque lite but there is also an open source app in F-droid that is in development.
(Score: 2) by mojo chan on Friday October 03 2014, @07:29AM
I've been thinking about this but it would need a custom Android ROM that boots quickly and handles shut-down automatically when the engine turns off. I haven't really looked that far into it yet. Any ideas?
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 5, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 02 2014, @01:14PM
I'm working on an app for the homeless, running on donated smartphones. One of the biggest heartaches of homelessness is the isolation, so simply having a way to connect with others like anyone else would be welcome. The app will also provide location-based information on all the services the homeless need: food, shelter, work opportunities, health care, counseling, etc. There will be tips for homeless adults, and for teens and families, along with messaging to help them reach out to each other with real-time information. There will also be entry points for companies and organizations that have food, clothing, or other items to give away and get them to the people who can use them.
The phones can get connectivity through public and open wifi, and there are plenty of those here in NYC.
There is utility in the app for recent graduates, too, though they're not the target audience, because it will help people with little or no money get by.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @01:48PM
an app for the homeless
BeardBook?
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:01PM
I think you're missing something -- most homeless people don't even have Obamaphones, let alone smartphones. Most homeless folks have little besides the clothes on their backs. Homeless people can't afford the monthly phone bills and aren't going to carry a phone they can't use as a phone.
Hell, few poor people with homes have smartphones. Bravo for thinking about the homeless, they all certainly need lots of help, but I doubt it will work.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:06PM
Have you done a comprehensive study on the behaviours and possessions of the urban homeless?
You might be surprised as to the technology some have available to them.
(Score: 1) by pnkwarhall on Thursday October 02 2014, @04:38PM
Mod this up.
Homeless come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Considering you can get a low-end smartphone for $20 these days and that free internet access is widely available in the city, I'd say that an app for homeless people would probably see wide usage (if it was locally-oriented enough).
Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
(Score: 3, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 02 2014, @05:29PM
No, not missing anything at all. The idea is to solicit donated smartphones w/ their chargers, put the app on them, and hand them out to people at homeless shelters. They only need to charge them at public spaces w/ outlets like libraries and Sony Plaza, which some already do, and hop on the free wifi. they can skype from a lot of the phones, too. as long as you have connectivity you don't have to have a phone contract to talk to people.
Of course there will be people who will turn their noses up at smartphones. That's fine. Others will be grateful to get back some more power over their lives.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by gman003 on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:06PM
I recently upgraded my ancient, decrepit Droid. I had a nice charger stand for it, so I had been using it as an alarm clock. My new phone doesn't have a similar charger, so it doesn't work as well for that. So I just kept the old one for that, since it already has all my music loaded and all my alarms programmed.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:08PM
So long as the phone has wifi and a browser (if it didn't, it wouldn't be a real smartphone, would it?) it can serve as backup Internet access wherever there is a hotspot, no need for it to have any active cell phone service.
Otherwise, I'd take my chances on bricking the thing to see if I can jailbreak it, and maybe install a different OS on it. Before I bought it, I tried for a model likely to be supported by an alternate OS like Sailfish or Firefox.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Alfred on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:16PM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by resignator on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:55PM
1. Resale...there is actually still a market for older phones like the Galaxy s2-s3, Motorola droid(s), iphone 4, etc. I cant tell you how many phones I sell to people that completely broke or lost their phone that dont want to pay for a brand new one. Drop your iphone 4 in the lake? No worries, I have five in stock right now.
2. Recycle and donate the proceeds to charity. Just offering a place for recycling isnt enough for the majority to go through the trouble. I get the added bonus of meeting a future customer and tossing them a business card. Now, when their friend smashes their screen they know where to send them
3. Reuse. Got a galaxy S2 with a bad logic board? There are still plenty of parts that are usable. Charge port, cameras, speaker, mic, volume and power buttons, etc.
I used phones as my example above but this is the procedure we use for all old electronics. Laptops, PCs, tablets, phones, stereos, amps, etc. can avoid the landfill in multiple ways.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by skater on Thursday October 02 2014, @02:59PM
We're using our old smartphones as video/still cameras for an upcoming gameroom show that we help run. I have two smartphones and a standalone camera; one of the three will do live streaming, while the other two will collect stills to do a time-lapse after it's over. We have no idea what we're going to do with the two phones after the show, though. There will be a show next year, too, but do we really want to keep them around just for that?
(Score: 2) by Lazarus on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:18PM
I wouldn't think people would need assistance in finding uses for their old smart phones. I have one as a Spotify player in my bathroom, one to play NetFlix and YouTube to the Chromecast in my bedroom, and one in the car to run Torque Pro.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by KilroySmith on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:46PM
As the Subject says, my old Nexus S is running a GPS Speedometer app in the boat, showing me speed in 2" tall letters. Works perfect, and the day it slides off the dash into the murky deeps is the day I open the drawer in the kitchen that has an array of my wife's old phones with cracked displays, and put one of those on the boat.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @04:55PM
I think my idea of an old smartphone is a little older than most here. I have old treos that dont have wifi nor gps. they do have a keyboard though but running a remote desktop on such a tiny screen is a leap into sillyness.
(Score: 3, Informative) by present_arms on Thursday October 02 2014, @05:52PM
are running debian arm version, LG is obviously faster, and they both dual boot into their phone OS's again if needed :)
http://trinity.mypclinuxos.com/
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Leebert on Thursday October 02 2014, @06:00PM
I admit no such thing. If you ask me, as an iOS user it's been regressing for a while now.
Regardless, why would I want to do anything with an old smartphone except use it as a doorstop? If I replace it, that means it's broken.
Damn kids throwing away perfectly functional phones because they're not shiny enough, and yet we ban reusable plastic bags at the supermarket.
(Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Thursday October 02 2014, @06:35PM
But I had an idea to use old phones as additional 3g routers/access points (not just tethering/hotspot). Surely Ubuntu phone could facilitate this?
As for software advancing faster than hardware (whatever that means) my Galaxy S2 with cyanogenmod doesn't feel slow at all, in fact I'd say it goes like the clappers. What are we up to now, Galaxy s5?
(Score: 1) by Nail_Biter on Thursday October 02 2014, @07:07PM
I use my old Android 2.3 era smartphone as a mouse and keyboard for my Media Center via VNC. I've limited it to LAN only access. It's rare that I need it but it has come in handy. It also serves as a remote for custom key combos I use with the video player. This has saved me from buying an overpriced Logitech like remote. Again, it's rare that I use these keys.
The biggest problem is remembering to charge it or power it off after use. More than once I've reached for it only to find the battery is dead. Battery life isn't what it use to be. It's also my backup phone should my main one fall in the toilet.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by kaszz on Thursday October 02 2014, @08:24PM
A computer called "smartphone" that contains a ARMv6 CPU at 400 - 2000 MHz, RAM size of 128 - 2000 MB and some flash storage size of 256 - 64 000 MB. Most devices in this computer platform category also has an integrated touch screen, camera >2 MP, accelerometer, USB, radio WiFi/BT/GSM/HDSPA, speakers and microphone. I'm sure it can be used for something! ;-)
As the devices are cheap. They can be bricked and soldered into without much thought. Replicant [wikipedia.org] is perhaps an OS option?
The catch with "smartphones" is that:
* All internal electronics is on the microscopic scale when you try to attach something
* The CPU has the "code signing" enforcement enabled that forces you to jailbreak and also forces you to leave some remaining code on the internal flash to make it boot at all.
* It lacks any cheap and decent wired networking.
* All those radio interfaces will suck your used battery dry and expose you to various over-the-air hacking.
Any good suggestions for how to thwart the code signing without being implicitly forced to leave part of the original boot code on the flash memory?
And is there any option for decent RS-485 or Ethernet networking on the cheap? any internal solder pads?
Can one steamroll the "USB" micro port as a networking interface somehow? If one can transmit and receive frames without the USB PHY/MAC interpretating them it might work. But is there an possibility in the hardware to allow for this?
(USB hubs is a flawed solution)
(Score: 2) by Geotti on Thursday October 02 2014, @10:42PM
After my bike was stolen from the basement, an old iPhone got repurposed to serve as an IP-Cam to shoot a picture of the idiot that tries it next time as well as notify me, so I can go grab my <insert heavy blunt object here> and meet him on the way out. Automatic door locks are on the way too. Some might call this (Smart) Basement 2.0.