Smartphones are one of the most powerful devices. Your smartphone can do much more than tell you the price of Charter Spectrum cable. It can perform incredible feats, some of which you may already know. That said, here are some of the hidden superpowers of your smartphone’s camera.
Acts as a Memory Aid
The days of using notepads to jot down codes, passwords, and announcements are long gone. Smartphones have replaced physical notepads. Just think about it, when was the last time you used your notebook to write down the date sheet for your annuals? You can take pictures of important notices and announcements using your phone’s camera.
Snapping a photo is easier and faster as compared to writing down all the details on your notepad. The best part, you can access these photos any time. Smartphone cameras have made it easy for us to memorize crucial information. The moment you enter your favorite restaurant, you don’t need to look around to know the Wi-Fi password. Just check your phone’s gallery.
Similarly, you can take photos of the content of the boxes you want to take to your new house. If you’re on vacation, snap pictures of your park or ski pass. Also, your smartphone’s camera will come in handy when you want to take photos of a list of emergency contacts at your hotel. Saving everything important is now easier – thanks to the smartphone camera.
Works as a Security Camera
Your smartphone’s camera is much more than just a regular camera. It is a watchdog. That means it can act as a security camera to watch over your kids, pets, and even your property. However, you need to have additional devices to film the video feed and tune into it. If you have an old device that can perform the first task then it’d be great to use it.
Several apps let you tap into the video feed. One such app is Manything. You can download it from both the Play Store and Apple Store. The app comes with multiple features like motion detection. For $2 to $20 per month, you can subscribe to the app. The premium version comes with cloud storage and additional features.
In case you have newborns or toddlers in your house, you can use Dormi or Cloud Baby Monitor. Dormi is exclusive to Android whereas Cloud Baby Monitor is designed for iOS users. Dormi is one of the best baby monitoring apps for Android users. It can work across multiple devices. It comes with a volume amplification feature that sends alerts upon detecting cries.
Cloud Baby Monitor, on the other hand, lets you access live video feeds from multiple devices. It also comes with a motion detector feature. What’s more, you can send audio messages to your kids. You can subscribe to the app for $5. Meanwhile, Dormi comes in different price tiers. The price goes up to $17.
Lets You Access Websites
We aren’t talking about the built-in web browsers on your smartphone. What we meant to say is that your smartphone camera can scan QR codes. These are the squares filled with random-looking tiles. Think of QR codes as shortcuts restaurants and apps provide to users so that they can use their app and access other features.
Items and apps such as menus, posters, stationery, and WhatsApp come with QR codes. To scan a QR code, simply position your phone’s back camera towards the code. Your smartphone camera will detect and scan the code, allowing you to reach the website. Many providers provide QR codes to give special discounts to buyers.
Provides Information
Did you know that Google has developed a technology that lets you receive information about anything? Yes, you read that right. With Google Lens, you can snap photos of anything and learn about the object. To use the functionality, you have to use Google Photos. Google Lens is a visual search tool that can provide information for almost anything.
Google Pixel users can access the feature using Google Assistant. To use Google Lens on Google Pixel, tap the Assistant button followed by the Google Lens button. Point your camera at the object you want to snap. Tap the screen and the software will provide you with information about the object. It’s an extremely useful tool to use at historical sites.
Scans Documents
There was a time when people had to visit stationery shops to get their items scanned and digitized. Thanks to the smartphone, you can scan and digitize documents anytime and anywhere. Perhaps the biggest benefit of using smartphone cameras is that you can scan documents remotely. From bank statements to cards, your phone camera scans the documents with greater efficiency.
Translates Texts
You can use your phone’s camera to translate foreign texts. This functionality comes in handy when you’re at an Italian restaurant or trying to find the meaning of a word that’s not native to your language. That’s awesome, isn’t it?