It’s not called a smartphone just for feels. It has earned this sobriquet because that piece of technology you have in your hands, tucked in your pocket or purse can connect you with people and events around the world, and do much more!
That much more is the focus of this article. Tuck in, and prepare to have your socks blown off by the magnificent things you didn’t know your smartphone could do – these fantastic features are in italics.
1. Ambient Light Sensor
A smartphone’s ambient light sensor measures light levels in the environment and adjusts the screen’s brightness to save battery power.
Specialist apps use this sensor to give you a light metre reading, which could be useful for photographers trying to identify perfect lighting conditions.
2. Proximity Sensor
Proximity sensors are commonly found in touchscreen smartphones to detect how close they are to neighbouring objects. When you hold the phone close to your face during a call, the sensor disables the touchscreen to avoid any accidental taps by your ear or cheek.
Some apps make this sensor even more useful. They allow you to unlock the screen, turn on music or control other functions with a simple wave against the sensor. Other apps even use the proximity sensor to count your push ups as you exercise!
3. GPS Receiver
Many people rely on their smartphones to work out where they are. The GPS chip inside a phone detects radio signals from multiple satellites orbiting the Earth to calculate its precise position.
As well as finding your position on a map, some apps use your smartphone’s GPS receiver to tag the location of your photos, so you can remember exactly where you took them. Other apps can remember where you parked your car and guide you back to it later.
4. Gyroscope
Many newer smartphones include a gyroscope that uses Earth’s gravity to measure the phone’s orientation.
App makers have used the gyroscope to create augmented reality experiences, an example is superimposing landmarks on your camera view.
5. Barometer
Newer smartphones include a barometer that detects the surrounding air pressure.
Some apps use this pressure reading to calculate your altitude, since the higher you go, the thinner the air. Hikers might find this useful if they want to track the elevation they have climbed.
Barometer readings can also predict the weather, as a drop in air pressure often signals an imminent storm. If readings are gathered from enough smartphones in a local area, this might help weather forecasters make more accurate predictions.
6. Accelerometer
Accelerometers are found in many smartphones on the market. They detect vibrations generated when the phone is moved, sensing every shake or wobble to measure the phone’s tilt.
Apps that use the accelerometer to give vibration readings could be useful, for example, to see how smooth a car is on a test drive. Used as a seismometer, it could measure tremors in the ground and even provide early warnings of earthquakes if enough people collect and report this data.
7. Microphone
All phones have an in-built microphone to transmit your voice during calls.
Many apps make use of this microphone for speech recognition functions, such as allowing you to send a text message by speaking rather than typing – useful whilst driving. Others use the microphone to sample parts of a song to identify its name. There are even apps that use the microphone to detect noises you make as you sleep and start a recording – revealing to you once and for all if you are a snorer or sleep talker.
8. Magnetometer
Most smartphones have an in-built sensor that detects the Earth’s magnetic field and can find the Magnetic North like a compass. This, when combined with the GPS receiver, helps to tell you where you are on a map and which direction you are facing.
As well as pinpointing your whereabouts, some apps turn your smartphone’s magnetometer into a metal detector. They respond to magnetic metals such as nickel, iron and steel, and could be useful in finding metal wiring behind a wall or even lost objects behind a sofa.
So, do you see how you can be doing much more than social media and voice calls on your smartphones? Be smarter, make use of your smartphone in even smarter ways!
Source: BBCiWonder
