Those smartphone features like email apps, the calendar app, games, chatting apps, the music player app or the selfie thingy are just too cool!
Well, cool enough to convert an old-school guy like me, right?
Wrong! To me, those don’t put the “smart” on the phone at all.
Let me share with you the real power your mobile phone offers based on my experiences.
Sell Photographs To Create Residual Income That Keeps On Paying Even When You Stop Working.
Working online for years has made me savvy enough to feel the pulse, so to speak, of the web. One of these fields included royalty free stock imagery.
Who would have thought that even a shot of a few blades of grass would serve as an excellent filler for a gardening website or as a cool background for yoga or spa website?
Even if you are not a professional photographer, you can do it. All you need is your imagination and a good smartphone camera.
Fortunately, such cellphone exists now.
You will know more about how I use my cellphone to sell photo in this article: How I Turn My Mobile Phone Camera into a 24/7 Money Making Machine
Above is one of my practice shots at the zoo. The one below is one of the photos I am selling at 123rf.
Manage Your Forex Trading
We all live under the stigma that Forex trading or foreign currency trading is for the elite.
I was one with this view.
Somehow, I too grew up believing that only rich bankers, successful economists and accountants and other wealthy and powerful people have the skills and know-how to delve into it.
I learned that this wasn’t true then and it surely isn’t now.
These days, the vast scope of the Internet and the rapid advancements in mass-produced electronic devices such as handhelds, tabs, and pads, the Forex market has never been more accessible than ever.
As long as I have my smartphone handy at any time and the capital to spare, I’m set.
Related: How Forex Works And Why You Should Start Trading Now
Buy And Sell Stocks
I do not subject myself to the daily organized chaos nor subject my nerves to the highly charged environment of trading.
I do keep on top of things through my mobile phone.
What’s more, I do not have to be controlled by anyone or by time for that matter.
I can effortlessly manage my stock investments while nursing a hot cup of java in my favorite couch.
I bought my first stock with the use of my cellphone, and I share my experience in this article: Bulk Of Your Money Should Be In The Stock Market – Not In The Bank. In it, you will be surprised to know that even house helpers are making it big as stock investors.
Send Money To Anyone
I installed my bank’s app on my smartphone that allows me to send money to another bank account in mere minutes.
There’s no more need for any of my relatives to go way out of his or her way, go to a bank or a money transfer establishments, manually fill up a form, and wait for a teller to process the transfer.
The best way to send money is by staying in the most comfortable seat in the house and letting my fingers do the job.
There are so many things you can do with online banking using your phone.
Related: Online Banking + Smartphone = A Very Cool Life
Use Google Maps to Guide You Anywhere You Go
Practically every traveler knows about Google Maps. If you don’t, simply Google it up to be informed. This has saved many an individual time and money virtually. Take a recent event that happened to me for instance.
I was traveling in a major city looking for a particular address. The problem was that I was not familiar with the city and had to rely on a taxi driver to get me to where I wanted to go.
Due to traffic congestion, my driver decided to forego the main routes and turned into the smaller streets. At this point, I took out my Samsung K zoom and tapped into Google Maps (this was something I should have done beforehand, I know). To make the story short, I ended up directing him where to go to reach my destination. I gave him all the street names and the various turns that had to be made. My driver thought I was a local as he asked me how long I’ve lived in this city. I was non-committal until we reached my target address and, as I was handing him my fare, I silently showed him my smart phone displaying the map. He was duly impressed and laughed at his wrong assumption.
Use Your Camera As A Better Alternative To Pen And Paper
If you don’t have a pen and a note taking ability, I have a very practical solution that I am using and so loving it. I use my camera as an instant photocopying machine.
For example, I saw one classified ads page, and I realized that I like the content. Seeing that it was a broadsheet, it would take me a whole day just to copy its content. Furthermore, I was not in my home to do that either. There was simply not enough time. My solution – take a snapshot of its content. I did not worry about the resolution since my K zoom camera has 20 megapixels and, as such, even the fine print was as clear as day.
On that day, I found the real power of my camera. I use it each time I find myself in a situation where I need to copy content from something and taking notes is impossible.
Here are more ways I use my K zoom camera:
I was in some place and saw a broadsheet newspaper with interesting content. It isn’t mine for the taking nor could I buy it then and there. It would also take me an enormous amount of time to copy everything on it, which is a time I cannot afford to waste. So, I just pulled out my Samsung K zoom and took a snapshot of the” broadsheet. Yes, “whole” broadsheet, that’s no joke.
I live in Roosevelt Park Village where we have a central bulletin board for all the homeowners to see. Whenever I pass by the guard-house, I stop and take a snapshot of the bulletin board right from the driver’s seat so I can check the board at my convenient time. Incidentally, since each shot has the date stamped on it, I can revisit and reread a particular post.
When having my car in for repairs in the auto shop, I take a ‘before’ and ‘after’ shot of it. If I am going to leave it for days or weeks, I need to do this from all possible angles. I can inspect if some new scratches or dents should not be there and hold the shop owner responsible.
If you are a student, you can take a snapshot of your school’s bulletin board. Now I am not saying you throw away your pen and paper, but you don’t need them in this particular case. Also if you’re not up to writing pages upon pages of classroom notes, take a snapshot of your Blackboard and review your teacher’s lesson later. Always ask for permission.
There are still so many uses that will reduce your dependency on the pen and paper. You may not be up for saving the environment but, welcome to the club nevertheless!
Remember that my K zoom got a 20-megapixel camera. I haven’t tried this on a 13 megapixel or 10 or 6 or 5 megapixels. I suggest you try with your existing camera and if the results are not to your satisfaction, consider investing in another one with a higher pixel capacity.
Do Voice Recording For Later Review
Here is something not everyone puts into use. Anyone from lawyers to students alike would greatly benefit from this. What surprises me is that reporters have caught on to it quite early on, but the rest of the public didn’t think much about this feature.
Well, I am in the publishing industry and interviewing key people is important to me. My smartphone has helped me improve my performance at work, and the advantages do not end there at all.
Imagine the following examples:
- With a voice or audio recording, you can check what’s agreed upon in a meeting.
- If you are a student, you can record your teacher during lectures. Some teachers find it offensive to see any cell phones out in the open, so I suggest you try using a small microphone instead. It would be a lot easier though if you’d tell your teacher about your plan to record the lecture beforehand.
- If you are in a seminar, you can record the resource speaker/s.
- How about sending your loved one a special message?
A reminder though that when it comes to legal issues, any audio cannot be considered evidence in court especially if the audio is recorded without prior permission. So for courtesy’s sake, always let other people know that you are recording the conversation.
Conclusion
Experiment and use the other features of your phone when possible. I assume most of you are already doing the cool things that mobile phones are offering, but it doesn’t hurt to mention the most obvious of these for the benefit of those who don’t know.
When I find myself in a place where WI-FI is not available, I use my smartphone to connect to the internet if I need to work on my laptop. There’s no need for a separate WI-FI hub or router for that matter. I find this thing so cool really because being a traveler and a web programmer, I need to connect my laptop to the Internet regularly. More often than not, I find myself in places where the Internet is not available.
Of course, don’t forget that your smartphone is equipped with a calendar, a planner, and an alarm system. Also, consider setting the quick dial feature, if available, which you can use for emergency situations to call the police, firefighters, or ambulance. Although heaven forbids these unfortunate events ever happen, it’s good that this quick dial call is set and ready when the time does come. You never know.
Wow! I just realized I’m still hyped about my phone (and there’s so much more to tell!). I need some relaxing. I’ll just grab my smartphone and play some good old-school Tetris. It’s a nice feeling to know that amidst all the high-tech advancements, I can still escape to good old-fashioned games too with my K Zoom. You just got to love the smartphone, I do.
Photo by Rodion Kutsaev
