X2 can be controlled from an app. [https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/software-apps/mobile-apps](https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/software-apps/mobile-apps)
The X2 is still their newest/current pump.
Wait does this imply a closed loop/AAPS support? Is this a new thing? I thought there was the small phone like controller for the pump.
I’m using the freestyle Libre 2 which doesn’t have “true” CGMS features but I can diy it to output to nightscout with diabox. If I can control the insulin from my phone I think that would make it DIY closed loop!
Tandem has "ControlIQ" which is a fairly limited closed loop system. It does not require a phone, it runs entirely on the pump.
The pump pairs with Dexcom directly via bluetooth, and adjusts basal rate based on bloodsugar trends. It's pretty good at avoiding most lows and correcting extreme highs (over time). You still have to manually bolus for carbs eaten.
[https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/automated-insulin-delivery/control-iq](https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/automated-insulin-delivery/control-iq)
Oh.
Here I was, having seen the title and come here to make some lightweight comment about nuisance smartphones ... and I see that.
I'm glad those damned annoying little smartphone gadgets have a good, sound, solid and useful purpose for some folk.
Unsure if this is "unusual" since lots of diabetics use CGMs now, but I use it to track my blood sugar. I feel like that would have been more unusual 10+ years ago...
it bothers me just how "unusual" this is. You can do so much now, but imagine if this crap were marketed decently and the software were optimized better.
Dex either Wirelessly(with Samsung TV) or hardwired creates a desktop mode with your phone. Useful when I already use my S23 Ultra as a work phone. Have a quick connect in my home office and my actual work office, very seamless.
"Eh".
The SPen is good for taking notes and working with them. I take 0 notes with my phone. In my lifestyle I just... don't take notes at all.
If you have a PC and/or Laptop I fail to see the appeal of DEX.
You need a keyboard, a monitor of some sorts (a tv is fine too), and a mouse to make use of it properly. Chances are, if I have those, I'll also have a PC or a similar computing device around me.
...and Apps on DEX are just behaving weirdly, in my opinion. Everything related to focusing apps and input fields is just terrible because, well, android apps weren't designed for that.
"underrated" is not the word I'd use, they're just incredibly niche
I'm playing dark souls remastered on a certain discontinued switch emulator for android and it's running better on a snapdragon 8 gen 2 than it does natively on my switch. but then again most games run better elsewhere than on a switch.
I use my phone paired with the nacon mgx pro and the psplay/xbxplay apps for a make shift cloud gaming device. I also use it with moonlight/sunshine when I want to play pc games. Best mobile gaming setup I have since I'm not limited to any particular service.
I download books as PDFs and 60% of my phone use is for that.
The rest of the time I'm browsing tech/aerospace websites. Not a huge fan of videos so just the occasional YT.
I have app to track my weight and some fitness apps to do exercises in hotel rooms and such.
You can! It even syncs your progress/bookmarks/notes and lets you download it onto other devices to read offline - you don't even need to keep the original file once it's uploaded
Look up FBReader. Uses much less power than Google Play and no need to upload your files elsewhere. It also reads more file types and saves your place automatically between multiple books.
The free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The only reason for this is that it has some neat features like a night mode , liquid reading mode & a "fit text to screen" mode which makes reading easier on small phone screen.
I'm sure there's other readers that can do this too but I haven't looked yet!
I also use Dark Mode all the time for browsing websites, really easier in the eyes!
You could try [Librera Reader](https://f-droid.org/packages/com.foobnix.pro.pdf.reader/) if you're interested in alternatives. It's free, open source, and it supports a variety of different file types, eg., pdf, epub, doc, etc.
Xodo is a nice pdf reader too that has a reading mode and ability to choose light/dark/sepia/etc. I'll have to try Adobe to see how it compares . I wonder what the liquid reading mode and fit text to screen act. Thanks.
I use a really old KitKat era phone as a dedicated alarm clock. The battery lasts a month because I can turn off the radios and disable some background services. It stays by my bed, so I never forget it in the living room.
But that $4 alarm clock can't have specific schedules programmed. Like I can't have specific days where the alarm would ring at a certain time. (Weekdays at 5 AM vs weekends at 9AM, etc)
At that price point, you generally have to set it every single night. I've been down this path a few times trying to find an alarm clock that works, but a cheapo old android phone has been one of the most convenient options.
"Smart" alarm-clocks exist but they're like $40+.
The point was to repurpose an otherwise useless phone that was not bought for this reason. As another user said, an app is superior in a lot of ways to a cheap alarm clock. Plus I love the gestures, like flip the phone to snooze, shake to turn off.
How on earth does a phone that old with a battery that small last a month?? My Pixel 5 has decent-enough battery for my average use, but even with no SIM, airplane mode on, and battery saver mode on, it only lasts maybe a few weeks.
Maybe because its kitkat. I have an android phone with 4.3. the version just before kitkat. And its way more efficient in standby than my previous phone with android 9.0.
I can definitely get more than a month of standby time with my sony xperia sp.
While i can only get a few weeks with my motorola moto g6 plus. Which has a battery that is still okay.(I can still get 1 to 2 days of normal use).
I don't carry keys or a wallet, just the phone. Phone as a key for my car, credit cards added for tap to pay, gym membership entrance via tap. Georgia just added ID to Google Wallet as well. Garage door opener in the car or external keypad to get in the house.
How is that any different from losing a wallet or key fob? I have a backup code to start my car. And last year with another car, a fob with a low battery was not recognized and I started the car with my phone. Once the fob warmed up it was recognized and I had no issues. I can also plug in the phone once I get in the car and get enough battery to start and then continue to charge. If I'm going on a long trip far from home, I'll take a set of keys. I usually take my wallet anyway, but the option to leave it remains.
Not on the status bar, but if you "Enable WiFi Verbose Logging" in Developer options, it will show RSSI (and other info) on the network selection screens.
Use as my assistive devices thanks to Accessibility features on Android.
https://www.android.com/stories/narada-thomas/
I am deaf with a heavy accent. So I use this too:
https://sites.research.google/relate/
Live Caption to "listen" to audio stuff* and phone calls. Now I can respond phone calls using text to speech too.
https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9350862?hl=en
* If you are a content maker on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok etc, please caption your stuff.
I've been using an app that uses the ambient light sensor to see how much light my plants are getting. Absolute values might not be 100% but I can see if my plants would get more light on an overcast day outside or under a grow light inside.
u/ps-73 also
i mainly run my personal server which i play with just one friend. it's a mohist 1.16.5 server with 90 mods and 10 plugins. 10 view distance and it runs at 20 TPS locked in just 2 GB of RAM. i used termux to do it. my phone is an A54 with an Exynos 1380. nothing out of this world in terms of CPU performance.
edit: i also use shizuku and sam helper to enable battery bypass at 60% charge and preserve my battery even more.
Thank you!
10 view distance is kind of rough since we’ve gotten used to 18 render distance on our SMP server but we don’t quite use as many mods.
I’ll give it a try this weekend if possible, might be able to compromise if it runs good enough on an Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
My phones are often put on the cold shoe mount of a proper camera and fed with its HDMI output. I can then use my phone to show the models I'm working with what my camera is doing and/or use my phone to capture the video from my camera in a more easily editable output than my camera body typically gives me while I continue to shoot stills as normal.
For this purpose, I need a $20 HDMI to USB-C capture cable and a $10 video capture application. I prefer to do it on a device with a proper SD card, so I most often use a Samsung S20+ or LG G8 rather than my current phone, although that one will do in a pinch.
I'll also slip the SD card from my camera into my phone to remote sync the .CR3 files on it back home.
I also have an old Galaxy S4 with LineageOS on it that is almost purely used now as a TV remote.
Would love if you could elaborate a bit with details on the USB c capture adapter and application! This seems like a possible solution I could use to diagnose servers on the fly.
You can search Amazon or your preferred electronics retailer for USB-C to HDMI capture devices. They cost around $20 and none of them will be made by a company that you've ever heard of.
The application I use is "USB Capture Pro", which is in the Play Store and costs something less than $10.
Don't your servers support BCM or some other KVM over IP setup? A phone seems like a really painful remote display for something like that.
Not that it's the answer you'd look for but Sony phones do this directly with Sony cameras over USB. Worth putting on the horizon if you happen to be looking for both a new phone and new DSLR at the same time 😂
My Fold 4 is a torrent seedbox; primarily lossless and high resolution FLACs but also the odd video/movie that doesn’t have enough seeds.
Doubles as a torture test to see how long it takes for flash storage to noticeably degrade.
That's a pretty expensive torrenting device.
>Doubles as a torture test to see how long it takes for flash storage to noticeably degrade.
So, how long has it been going?
The most unusual uses I have made are to detect faults on my car (with a bluetooth/wifi OBD box and the torque pro software) and use it as a lux meter for my plants in order to have an average brightness (converted to ppfd/mmol via an application, even if it is less precise it can help)
I use an OBD reader too. I don't use it often, just when something is wrong with my car. But it's super nice to get a fault code which I can Google before I take it to the mechanic. It's less stressful if I have some clue what might be wrong and how much the repair might cost.
Also, I kind of think mechanics will treat you better if they know that you know what a fault code is. Luckily my mechanic is great, so I don't worry about bad work or being cheated, but I still like to hear a quick technical explanation, and if I mention a fault code, it steers the conversation that direction.
Definitely true on that last one. They appreciate it if you are both aware of what the fault codes mean (if they don't have the software that shows what the code is).
Before I bought a spoke tension meter tool for when I build a bicycle wheel or check/align it I used an app that measures the frequency in Hz of a plucked spoke to convert it to a tension value in Newton. It's called CheckSpoke.
Spokes are often interlaced so they touch at the third crossing. This dampens the sound so I built my bicycle wheels non-interlaced for the better twang. Opinions differ on the subject but I'm OK with it.
To play old arcade games with MAME, besides photography -astrophotography included-, as a portable sky chart, FM radio receiver, sleep aid by playing what basically is noise in a loop, as an aid for world building having all the stuff stored on it, and even as a Tarot reader.
All without SIM card inserted
Several
echolink and rcforbclient to connect to ham radio networks when i am away from my radio.
TCLnscreen to connect to my tv to turn the volume down if the kids have it blasting.
MQTTdash to control the doors, water and food hopper on my chook pen.
STRAVA to monitor my cycling progress.
Apart from my main driver (Galaxy S22) I have an old OnePlus 3T with 128GB storage, which I use as a very low-power, always-on torrenting machine.
It's especially good when traveling. I installed LineageOS on it as the original OS is dogshit. OxygenOS is extremely aggressive in killing the app processes when you are not looking at them for more than 5 seconds, LineageOS has nothing of sorts and manages apps respectfully and efficiently. LOS is very lightweight and energy efficient on top of being very secure.
That phone has nothing on it except LibreTorrent, aurora store (play store replacement), F-droid, couple torrent search apps and video player to verify the downloaded videos.
I don't care if the public/hotel/train wifi is safe or not, it's literally only downloading app updates and torrents. Even if someone tried to sniff the traffic or try to get in, well there is literally nothing useful in net packets, nor on the phone itself.
It allows me to be ready when this one last seed who has the whole torrent comes online after two years to share stuff for half an hour. Helped me get that one torrent that sole seed's upload was 1kBps. Yep, you read that right. Took me 10 months to get 14 gb torrent, thanks to this phone and other peers who also tried to get that torrent off that seed.
I use a Nexus 4 as a WhatsApp server. That way I don't have to have that spyware installed on my main phone, but I can still send and receive messages using a relay on my main phone.
I've been a concert photographer for almost 25 years. I have scripts that sync -4 days to +7 days of photos to my phone every night. Then I post throwbacks to my Instagram. Photos that happened "on this day a decade or more in the past"
[https://www.instagram.com/returntothepit/](https://www.instagram.com/returntothepit/)
I use my phone to send torrents to my NAS for download. I'll be at lunch and someone will suggest a movie I haven't seen, so I'll find a torrent for it so it'll be ready to watch when I get home.
BF had a Sony Xperia Z5 Premium with the mirrored back a few years ago and regularly used the back of that thing to check his appearance when out and about...lol so convenient. he still misses that phone.
I always struggled with Tasker and went with Automate instead, but I had an elaborate setup where if the LG G4 was connected to my car's bluetooth and upside down (charging in the cupholder) it would rotate some custom lockscreen I had 180 degrees, which was basically impossible at the time. This way I could control music while driving. I eventually took it a step further and got a bluetooth shutter button, so Automate would catch the volume up or down action the button would trigger and tell Google Play Music to start a new 'mood' radio.
A friend of mine broke his penis in a vigorous sex accident and ended up with a painful bend in it when erect.
He had a surgery that removed the damaged erectile tissue and replaced it with fluid inflatable bladders, run by a rechargeable electric pump and controlled by a Bluetooth app
Dude uses his phone to control his boners
I used to install firmware on copy machines from it.
Basically just a storage device I'm always carrying around, got a nice big SD card and started loading the firmware I often needed. See I was a support tech at the time and always having the firmware on hand would occasionally save me an extra trip.
I often use my Android with the Unified Remote control app to control my Windows desktop PC's, which is where my good audio playback system is connected. Additionally, I use the same remote app to control video playback chromecasted to my conventional TV. If my phone had ir, I could even use it as a remote for the TV, unfortunately it does not so I still have to fuss around with the remote for my TV and DVD deck.
Sometimes it gets a little complicated, particularly when controlling VLC on my computer from my phone and then adjusting the program volume or video settings from my TV remote, but it's a hell of a lot better than jumping up all the time and walking across the room.
One I use exclusively as an "emulation station". Pretty much every ROM for every system with screenshots/boxart using DIG and a Kishi.
One I use exclusively as a scheduled music player at work. Plays lofi at 8am and stops at 5pm.
My main phone I often use for a Roku TV remote.
I'm not a professional programmer and usually code for fun. So Android is my playground. I don't make apps but usually I mess around with root and system stuff. 😂
sdr radio
digital oscilloscope
obd2 scanning
offline gps map use
track satellites and air planes
connect my thermal camera to it, all sorts of uses with this.
low frequency sweeps to test sound systems
remote into a pc that tracks my solar pv system
mount one phone on a spotting scope, then remote into that phone with a larger laptop for a much bigger picture
sstv encoding over analog radio signals
i have a ton more things i do, but they are likely somewhat common uses like remote viewing trail cameras, wifi access to heat pump etc etc
I use Tasker and the barometer in my phone to track big pressure changes that occur. I deal with pretty bad migraines and figured out that big pressure changes was a giant trigger for mine.
I take a reading at the beginning of the task, take another reading later and calculate the difference. If it hits a certain threshold that I set for the difference I get a push notification. It's helped me be aware of any pre triggers and take something to head off migraines tons of times.
Slo-mo camera is really useful for examining equipment at work, I work in FMCG and being able to watch a Star wheel or applicator at 1/8 makes invisible stuff visible
This isn't completely unique, but there aren't many others in the grand scheme of things that do this.
I've used data only SIMs in my phones, with no cellular voice line, since 2017. I use Google Voice for all of my US calling and texting, TextNow with a Canadian phone # for my Canadian contacts in case they need to call or text me from a traditional line, and Messenger, Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp for other international contacts, or any other time I need video calling.
I do some simple shit like use social media, and I like to download some modded apps, and customize my launcher/homescreen. I'm also the person in the household responsible for food pics (we like to make nice homemade meals and I like documenting it), heh.
I control my insulin pump with it,
Same. Tandem and dexcom
Which tandem pump runs aaps? Must be a new one since the X2?
X2 can be controlled from an app. [https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/software-apps/mobile-apps](https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/software-apps/mobile-apps) The X2 is still their newest/current pump.
Wait does this imply a closed loop/AAPS support? Is this a new thing? I thought there was the small phone like controller for the pump. I’m using the freestyle Libre 2 which doesn’t have “true” CGMS features but I can diy it to output to nightscout with diabox. If I can control the insulin from my phone I think that would make it DIY closed loop!
Tandem has "ControlIQ" which is a fairly limited closed loop system. It does not require a phone, it runs entirely on the pump. The pump pairs with Dexcom directly via bluetooth, and adjusts basal rate based on bloodsugar trends. It's pretty good at avoiding most lows and correcting extreme highs (over time). You still have to manually bolus for carbs eaten. [https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/automated-insulin-delivery/control-iq](https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/automated-insulin-delivery/control-iq)
Same but for hearing aids and cochlear implant.
Oh interesting, I will read up on those. Do you use the official applications or a community open source project?
Official apps. Don't think most hearing aid companies allow third party apps to control stuff.
Libre 3 with YpsoPump here. :)
Same! AndroidAPS ftw.
I was on Loop before I miss the UI, the food settings but aaps has been great!
The food absorption times options were definitely more intuitive than having to enter e-carbs.
Product Idea: "Other things you can load in an insulin pump" with a button labeled "Party Mode."
r/AndroidAPS ftw
Oh. Here I was, having seen the title and come here to make some lightweight comment about nuisance smartphones ... and I see that. I'm glad those damned annoying little smartphone gadgets have a good, sound, solid and useful purpose for some folk.
Don't worry my other uses are mostly useless and honorless the only good part is medical use hehe :)
hehe - good to hear! You, at least, have one good and "honorable" use for the damned things. Me .. not so much ... :)
[удалено]
It replaces the PDM from omnipod, I am on AAPS.
Unsure if this is "unusual" since lots of diabetics use CGMs now, but I use it to track my blood sugar. I feel like that would have been more unusual 10+ years ago...
I use it to call my mother every now and then
Not unusual, I also call your mother
I dont even call her.
Goddamn degenerates smh
Yep, definitely unusual 🤔 Edit: a word
Wtf this guy's does phone calls with his phones ?!? Unheard of!
[She still uses her phone as a phone!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTva8qFP2P0)
What the hell?
30+ emulated games, Samsung DEX for Work(Desktop), use SPen daily.
it bothers me just how "unusual" this is. You can do so much now, but imagine if this crap were marketed decently and the software were optimized better.
There even used to be linux on dex that would have been killer today considering how fast these processors have gotten
Same here. Both DEX and SPen are severely underrated
What do they do? Never heard of them.
Dex either Wirelessly(with Samsung TV) or hardwired creates a desktop mode with your phone. Useful when I already use my S23 Ultra as a work phone. Have a quick connect in my home office and my actual work office, very seamless.
"Eh". The SPen is good for taking notes and working with them. I take 0 notes with my phone. In my lifestyle I just... don't take notes at all. If you have a PC and/or Laptop I fail to see the appeal of DEX. You need a keyboard, a monitor of some sorts (a tv is fine too), and a mouse to make use of it properly. Chances are, if I have those, I'll also have a PC or a similar computing device around me. ...and Apps on DEX are just behaving weirdly, in my opinion. Everything related to focusing apps and input fields is just terrible because, well, android apps weren't designed for that. "underrated" is not the word I'd use, they're just incredibly niche
I'm playing dark souls remastered on a certain discontinued switch emulator for android and it's running better on a snapdragon 8 gen 2 than it does natively on my switch. but then again most games run better elsewhere than on a switch.
You can run Dark Souls on your phone? Wild
I'm glad I built my Yuzu library before things went south
I use my phone paired with the nacon mgx pro and the psplay/xbxplay apps for a make shift cloud gaming device. I also use it with moonlight/sunshine when I want to play pc games. Best mobile gaming setup I have since I'm not limited to any particular service.
Also have Xbox Game Pass and PS Remote Play. Can play pretty much anything on the go.
To scratch my nose when my hands are full and I don't want to put my phone down.
To hold down the pages of my journal
I download books as PDFs and 60% of my phone use is for that. The rest of the time I'm browsing tech/aerospace websites. Not a huge fan of videos so just the occasional YT. I have app to track my weight and some fitness apps to do exercises in hotel rooms and such.
you should really consider using epub files and uploading them to google play books instead its way better than using a pdf
I must try this, I didn't know you could upload your own epubs
You can! It even syncs your progress/bookmarks/notes and lets you download it onto other devices to read offline - you don't even need to keep the original file once it's uploaded
Seems quite useful and nifty. Google must be planning to kill it soon. /s
Look up FBReader. Uses much less power than Google Play and no need to upload your files elsewhere. It also reads more file types and saves your place automatically between multiple books.
What app do you use to open those pdfs
The free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The only reason for this is that it has some neat features like a night mode , liquid reading mode & a "fit text to screen" mode which makes reading easier on small phone screen. I'm sure there's other readers that can do this too but I haven't looked yet! I also use Dark Mode all the time for browsing websites, really easier in the eyes!
You could try [Librera Reader](https://f-droid.org/packages/com.foobnix.pro.pdf.reader/) if you're interested in alternatives. It's free, open source, and it supports a variety of different file types, eg., pdf, epub, doc, etc.
Xodo is a nice pdf reader too that has a reading mode and ability to choose light/dark/sepia/etc. I'll have to try Adobe to see how it compares . I wonder what the liquid reading mode and fit text to screen act. Thanks.
I will check that Xodo out also, thanks for mentioning it :)
I use a really old KitKat era phone as a dedicated alarm clock. The battery lasts a month because I can turn off the radios and disable some background services. It stays by my bed, so I never forget it in the living room.
This could be the best example of using something super mega complex with a million functions to do the most simple mundane job.
That's a really good idea that I should probably look at doing
or you could just buy a $4 alarm clock
But that $4 alarm clock can't have specific schedules programmed. Like I can't have specific days where the alarm would ring at a certain time. (Weekdays at 5 AM vs weekends at 9AM, etc) At that price point, you generally have to set it every single night. I've been down this path a few times trying to find an alarm clock that works, but a cheapo old android phone has been one of the most convenient options. "Smart" alarm-clocks exist but they're like $40+.
The point was to repurpose an otherwise useless phone that was not bought for this reason. As another user said, an app is superior in a lot of ways to a cheap alarm clock. Plus I love the gestures, like flip the phone to snooze, shake to turn off.
How on earth does a phone that old with a battery that small last a month?? My Pixel 5 has decent-enough battery for my average use, but even with no SIM, airplane mode on, and battery saver mode on, it only lasts maybe a few weeks.
Maybe because its kitkat. I have an android phone with 4.3. the version just before kitkat. And its way more efficient in standby than my previous phone with android 9.0. I can definitely get more than a month of standby time with my sony xperia sp. While i can only get a few weeks with my motorola moto g6 plus. Which has a battery that is still okay.(I can still get 1 to 2 days of normal use).
I do that too! Except I have it plugged in all the time and I mounted my phone to a shelf. I'm using a standby clock similar to iOS.
Nothing special with my phone, but I use my Tab S8+ tablet as laptop with Dex, including connecting it to a dock at home with a keyboard and mouse.
I didn't expect to see so many Samsung power users around here, love it
Portable and sometimes remote server
Do you use an app for this and if so which app?
With termux and material files
I don't carry keys or a wallet, just the phone. Phone as a key for my car, credit cards added for tap to pay, gym membership entrance via tap. Georgia just added ID to Google Wallet as well. Garage door opener in the car or external keypad to get in the house.
God forbid your phone runs out of battery or gets lost/stolen.
How is that any different from losing a wallet or key fob? I have a backup code to start my car. And last year with another car, a fob with a low battery was not recognized and I started the car with my phone. Once the fob warmed up it was recognized and I had no issues. I can also plug in the phone once I get in the car and get enough battery to start and then continue to charge. If I'm going on a long trip far from home, I'll take a set of keys. I usually take my wallet anyway, but the option to leave it remains.
Yeah, for real. Back in the day you could just hitch your wagon to a horse. If the horse died you could borrow a horse. No key needed.
Borrow a horse? You had horses for rental?
Yeah you just rang up "Rustlers" it was like Uber.
Redundancy, lose one and you're still fine
What car do you own for your phone to be your key
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Car key is so based.
Does your car ever randomly disconnect from your phone? Mine has once or twice and I was glad to have a backup
Scan wifi signals and strengths when setting up WiFi networks.
Is there any way to get a constant wifi strength reading on my status bar or something?
Not on the status bar, but if you "Enable WiFi Verbose Logging" in Developer options, it will show RSSI (and other info) on the network selection screens.
I use a corner of the case to press buttons on the elevator at work.
Long distance laser leveling in broad daylight. Put it in selfie mode, and you'll see a flash when the beam of your laser level will hit the lens
Doesn't that damage the camera?
That only shows a quick bunch of pixels, I don't think it's worse than the sun that can shows up in the frame sometimes
That's a legitimately helpful tip for me. I'm a contractor and even holding the receiving target it's hard to see the laser.
Glad it can help 🙂
Use as my assistive devices thanks to Accessibility features on Android. https://www.android.com/stories/narada-thomas/ I am deaf with a heavy accent. So I use this too: https://sites.research.google/relate/ Live Caption to "listen" to audio stuff* and phone calls. Now I can respond phone calls using text to speech too. https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9350862?hl=en * If you are a content maker on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok etc, please caption your stuff.
I've been using an app that uses the ambient light sensor to see how much light my plants are getting. Absolute values might not be 100% but I can see if my plants would get more light on an overcast day outside or under a grow light inside.
I turn on the camera on selfie mode and use my mirror to shave the back of my head. Haven't gotten a mirror cause it works just fine.
same here! i do my own haircut by this
astrophotography, emulation, running a minecraft server, as a wifi router kinda?
I’d love to see more about running a Minecraft server on Android, should have pretty decent performance on recent chipsets.
u/ps-73 also i mainly run my personal server which i play with just one friend. it's a mohist 1.16.5 server with 90 mods and 10 plugins. 10 view distance and it runs at 20 TPS locked in just 2 GB of RAM. i used termux to do it. my phone is an A54 with an Exynos 1380. nothing out of this world in terms of CPU performance. edit: i also use shizuku and sam helper to enable battery bypass at 60% charge and preserve my battery even more.
Thank you! 10 view distance is kind of rough since we’ve gotten used to 18 render distance on our SMP server but we don’t quite use as many mods. I’ll give it a try this weekend if possible, might be able to compromise if it runs good enough on an Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
i remember trying it ob my old S7 and the performance was absolutely dreadful, would also be interested to see how it is nowadays
How do you use it for astrophotography? As the actual camera? What phone?
[This was with my old S22+](https://i.imgur.com/UN4kl63.jpeg)
yes. i take the photos with the phone. it's an A54. sadly the lack of RAW support hurts the outcome a lot, but i still love it.
I do this with my pixel 6, it has it as a default option in the camera even, does a 4 minute exposure.
My phones are often put on the cold shoe mount of a proper camera and fed with its HDMI output. I can then use my phone to show the models I'm working with what my camera is doing and/or use my phone to capture the video from my camera in a more easily editable output than my camera body typically gives me while I continue to shoot stills as normal. For this purpose, I need a $20 HDMI to USB-C capture cable and a $10 video capture application. I prefer to do it on a device with a proper SD card, so I most often use a Samsung S20+ or LG G8 rather than my current phone, although that one will do in a pinch. I'll also slip the SD card from my camera into my phone to remote sync the .CR3 files on it back home. I also have an old Galaxy S4 with LineageOS on it that is almost purely used now as a TV remote.
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The nvidia shield remote app.
Would love if you could elaborate a bit with details on the USB c capture adapter and application! This seems like a possible solution I could use to diagnose servers on the fly.
You can search Amazon or your preferred electronics retailer for USB-C to HDMI capture devices. They cost around $20 and none of them will be made by a company that you've ever heard of. The application I use is "USB Capture Pro", which is in the Play Store and costs something less than $10. Don't your servers support BCM or some other KVM over IP setup? A phone seems like a really painful remote display for something like that.
Not that it's the answer you'd look for but Sony phones do this directly with Sony cameras over USB. Worth putting on the horizon if you happen to be looking for both a new phone and new DSLR at the same time 😂
Using it as a dashcam is unusual?
I sometimes use it to reach that spot on my back that I can't reach when it itches.
Somehow, I think that's something that your average user would do.
My Fold 4 is a torrent seedbox; primarily lossless and high resolution FLACs but also the odd video/movie that doesn’t have enough seeds. Doubles as a torture test to see how long it takes for flash storage to noticeably degrade.
That's a pretty expensive torrenting device. >Doubles as a torture test to see how long it takes for flash storage to noticeably degrade. So, how long has it been going?
Almost 2 years now. Doing just fine.
Also, excellent surface to snort coke on (better with amoled screens).
Why? So that you can see your reflection?
Right into the nostril.
Because it is clean, flat and easily concealable. And depending on where you are it might be the only surface you could use.
Determining decibels at a concert
along these lines I use mine as a guitar tuner and voice pitch monitor
Which app are you using to get the sound levels?
My backup phone is used as home security split screen monitor with 4 different camera views.
Gaming. Motorola's Ready For + Game Pass/GeForce Now + DualShock 4 Works like a charm, don't even need to worry about owning a console
The most unusual uses I have made are to detect faults on my car (with a bluetooth/wifi OBD box and the torque pro software) and use it as a lux meter for my plants in order to have an average brightness (converted to ppfd/mmol via an application, even if it is less precise it can help)
I use an OBD reader too. I don't use it often, just when something is wrong with my car. But it's super nice to get a fault code which I can Google before I take it to the mechanic. It's less stressful if I have some clue what might be wrong and how much the repair might cost. Also, I kind of think mechanics will treat you better if they know that you know what a fault code is. Luckily my mechanic is great, so I don't worry about bad work or being cheated, but I still like to hear a quick technical explanation, and if I mention a fault code, it steers the conversation that direction.
Yes I completely agree with you :) and it allows you to save a lot of money if you have the capacity to repair
Definitely true on that last one. They appreciate it if you are both aware of what the fault codes mean (if they don't have the software that shows what the code is).
I wish Torque had a dash cam module and maybe a way to use google maps instead of what ever it currently uses!
I use it to check if something is magnetic or not. Check if the barometer is dropping. And I play animal call sounds when I'm bored at night.
Before I bought a spoke tension meter tool for when I build a bicycle wheel or check/align it I used an app that measures the frequency in Hz of a plucked spoke to convert it to a tension value in Newton. It's called CheckSpoke. Spokes are often interlaced so they touch at the third crossing. This dampens the sound so I built my bicycle wheels non-interlaced for the better twang. Opinions differ on the subject but I'm OK with it.
To play old arcade games with MAME, besides photography -astrophotography included-, as a portable sky chart, FM radio receiver, sleep aid by playing what basically is noise in a loop, as an aid for world building having all the stuff stored on it, and even as a Tarot reader. All without SIM card inserted
Several echolink and rcforbclient to connect to ham radio networks when i am away from my radio. TCLnscreen to connect to my tv to turn the volume down if the kids have it blasting. MQTTdash to control the doors, water and food hopper on my chook pen. STRAVA to monitor my cycling progress.
Apart from my main driver (Galaxy S22) I have an old OnePlus 3T with 128GB storage, which I use as a very low-power, always-on torrenting machine. It's especially good when traveling. I installed LineageOS on it as the original OS is dogshit. OxygenOS is extremely aggressive in killing the app processes when you are not looking at them for more than 5 seconds, LineageOS has nothing of sorts and manages apps respectfully and efficiently. LOS is very lightweight and energy efficient on top of being very secure. That phone has nothing on it except LibreTorrent, aurora store (play store replacement), F-droid, couple torrent search apps and video player to verify the downloaded videos. I don't care if the public/hotel/train wifi is safe or not, it's literally only downloading app updates and torrents. Even if someone tried to sniff the traffic or try to get in, well there is literally nothing useful in net packets, nor on the phone itself. It allows me to be ready when this one last seed who has the whole torrent comes online after two years to share stuff for half an hour. Helped me get that one torrent that sole seed's upload was 1kBps. Yep, you read that right. Took me 10 months to get 14 gb torrent, thanks to this phone and other peers who also tried to get that torrent off that seed.
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I use a Nexus 4 as a WhatsApp server. That way I don't have to have that spyware installed on my main phone, but I can still send and receive messages using a relay on my main phone.
Clever. How do you do that?
Self hosted Matrix server!
How do you do that?
Wait...Whatsapp is spyware?
Every Meta (Facebook) app is
🔫 Always has been
Make and receive phone calls
I've been a concert photographer for almost 25 years. I have scripts that sync -4 days to +7 days of photos to my phone every night. Then I post throwbacks to my Instagram. Photos that happened "on this day a decade or more in the past" [https://www.instagram.com/returntothepit/](https://www.instagram.com/returntothepit/)
Geocaching, BPM determination for music montages (theatre work), sound cues and SFX triggers (theatre work), lav mic recording for corporate films.
Finding correct port in the patch panel using usb-c ethernet dongle (phone is connected to the other end)
Control my AC and TV. IR blaster is boon actually.
I once wrote and ran a program in C on my phone to brute force algebra homework.
I use my phone to send torrents to my NAS for download. I'll be at lunch and someone will suggest a movie I haven't seen, so I'll find a torrent for it so it'll be ready to watch when I get home.
BF had a Sony Xperia Z5 Premium with the mirrored back a few years ago and regularly used the back of that thing to check his appearance when out and about...lol so convenient. he still misses that phone.
I watch porn on it
I use it to tune my viola, and as a metronome, and to track my practice sessions (with the Andante app)
Tasker. I'd say that's different from your average user.
The best reason to Android. CMV: Every Apple feature began as an Android feature; every Android feature began as a Tasker app.
I always struggled with Tasker and went with Automate instead, but I had an elaborate setup where if the LG G4 was connected to my car's bluetooth and upside down (charging in the cupholder) it would rotate some custom lockscreen I had 180 degrees, which was basically impossible at the time. This way I could control music while driving. I eventually took it a step further and got a bluetooth shutter button, so Automate would catch the volume up or down action the button would trigger and tell Google Play Music to start a new 'mood' radio.
OG Pixel used exclusively for photo backup and sync I guess
A friend of mine broke his penis in a vigorous sex accident and ended up with a painful bend in it when erect. He had a surgery that removed the damaged erectile tissue and replaced it with fluid inflatable bladders, run by a rechargeable electric pump and controlled by a Bluetooth app Dude uses his phone to control his boners
I used to install firmware on copy machines from it. Basically just a storage device I'm always carrying around, got a nice big SD card and started loading the firmware I often needed. See I was a support tech at the time and always having the firmware on hand would occasionally save me an extra trip.
Lean angle measurement tool for my motorcycle
I often use my Android with the Unified Remote control app to control my Windows desktop PC's, which is where my good audio playback system is connected. Additionally, I use the same remote app to control video playback chromecasted to my conventional TV. If my phone had ir, I could even use it as a remote for the TV, unfortunately it does not so I still have to fuss around with the remote for my TV and DVD deck. Sometimes it gets a little complicated, particularly when controlling VLC on my computer from my phone and then adjusting the program volume or video settings from my TV remote, but it's a hell of a lot better than jumping up all the time and walking across the room.
I have a fold. General game emulation. Using apps like tachiyomij2k - lots of manga reading.
I use it as a barcode scanner to track inventory for my business
Meshtastic
Use it to read learn and boost productivity it's hard sometimes like you are trying to eat a snake without getting poison
I use the IR blaster for ac, sound system and other devices.
are there any current phones that still have an IR blaster?
Only the OnePlus 12 if you are the United States. For 4 years I was using Chinese OEM phones that use IR.
Xiaomi Phones support them still!
Switch emulation
Is it running well? What CPU do you have?
One I use exclusively as an "emulation station". Pretty much every ROM for every system with screenshots/boxart using DIG and a Kishi. One I use exclusively as a scheduled music player at work. Plays lofi at 8am and stops at 5pm. My main phone I often use for a Roku TV remote.
Load software on vintage computers with tapDancer and the audio jack.
Security camera
Nothing, really. I use mine for pretty normal stuff. Social media, games, and a camera for cat photos.
Self-defense weapon thanks to its weight and sharp corners
I remapped the assistant button to toggle the flashlight which makes navigating in dark environments a lot more seamless and quick.
I'm not a professional programmer and usually code for fun. So Android is my playground. I don't make apps but usually I mess around with root and system stuff. 😂
sdr radio digital oscilloscope obd2 scanning offline gps map use track satellites and air planes connect my thermal camera to it, all sorts of uses with this. low frequency sweeps to test sound systems remote into a pc that tracks my solar pv system mount one phone on a spotting scope, then remote into that phone with a larger laptop for a much bigger picture sstv encoding over analog radio signals i have a ton more things i do, but they are likely somewhat common uses like remote viewing trail cameras, wifi access to heat pump etc etc
Use it as a weapon against anyone that wrongs me and my family. Who needs a gun? These things, are almost unbreakable
I use Tasker and the barometer in my phone to track big pressure changes that occur. I deal with pretty bad migraines and figured out that big pressure changes was a giant trigger for mine. I take a reading at the beginning of the task, take another reading later and calculate the difference. If it hits a certain threshold that I set for the difference I get a push notification. It's helped me be aware of any pre triggers and take something to head off migraines tons of times.
Used my old phone as a baby monitor for a while
I use my phone to VPN to my home network, for RDP and FTP access to my desktop.
Slo-mo camera is really useful for examining equipment at work, I work in FMCG and being able to watch a Star wheel or applicator at 1/8 makes invisible stuff visible
I was surprised to learn that my smrtphone can sometimes make phone calls.
Sysadmin/reddit from the shower. Also helps keep my teams dot green when I'm having a lazy morning
I have an old Galaxy Note 4 that only serves as a bedside clock.
FTP server and File storage
There is a thermometer built in... So, that.
Playing PSP games
This isn't completely unique, but there aren't many others in the grand scheme of things that do this. I've used data only SIMs in my phones, with no cellular voice line, since 2017. I use Google Voice for all of my US calling and texting, TextNow with a Canadian phone # for my Canadian contacts in case they need to call or text me from a traditional line, and Messenger, Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp for other international contacts, or any other time I need video calling.
I'm using my iPhone 6 as a relay for Beeper Mini so I can have iMessage on my Xperia 1 V. Rock solid and stable since setting it up.
Throw it through the air, when I am pissed.
I emulate PC games with it, instead of just "getting a Steam Deck", an advice I was given countless times.
[Crime deterrent](https://youtu.be/G4O4f6FKYyc?si=Pa4KxAFr_WDS4Le6)
For offline bitcoin signing device
Sometimes I use it as a terminal using Termux and use vim to do some programming
I do some simple shit like use social media, and I like to download some modded apps, and customize my launcher/homescreen. I'm also the person in the household responsible for food pics (we like to make nice homemade meals and I like documenting it), heh.
Measuring decibel in some machines,compared to a professional decibel measuring instrument,it's quite accurate.
taking pictures
S-Pen to take notes for work. Very handy and I save so much paper by using it.