12 Useful things we can do with our smartphones cameras
A camera phone is a mobile phone which is able to capture photographs.
Most camera phones also record video. The first camera phone was sold in
2000 in Japan, a J-Phone model, although some argue that the SCH-V200
and Kyocera VP-210 Visual Phone, both introduced months earlier in South
Korea and Japan respectively, are the first camera phones. Read more on
Wikipedia.
Taking or capture photographs is the most used feature of smartphones
and lots of people think that's where the use of the camera ends in a
mobile phone.
Some people only snap pictures with their camera phone and they think
that's where the use of the camera ends in a mobile phone, not knowing
that there are lots of amazing things only a camera embedded in a device
can do. Here's a list of 12 Useful Things You Can Do With Your
Smartphone Camera Apart From Snapping Pictures.
1. Document Scanning
Have you been required to scan and send your document to companies,
institutions, and any organization, probably for Job, or scholarship
applications etc, through email or to be sent to the cloud. With your
phone's camera right there with you and with any document scanning app
being installed on your smartphone, that means you can achieve that so
easily. Instead of going to a cyber cafe or using a traditional scanner
hardware, your phone's camera can do that for you.
The apps that can see you through, having that your phone's camera is
intact are as follows: Evernote app and Scanbot app are meant for iOS
users, while Google drive is for only Android users, and CamScanner for
Android and iOS users.
Note: The scanned document can also be converted into editable text. Just check the detail
here.
2. Play Augmented Reality Games
Augmented reality in phones has been around for some time now and tools
like AR translation apps are great, but nobody ever seems to show you
how to use the technology for fun. That shouldn't stop you using your
phone's ability to play augmented reality games though - no matter where
you are.
There are plenty of them about, like
SpecTrek - the game where you search for virtual ghosts using a map and then shoot them down when you find them. Or there's
Zombies, Run! where you have to get from A to B on a map, avoiding those pesky flesh eaters en route.
A word of warning: be very careful about running around and shooting at
things in a city filled with real people, as you might get some funny
looks, especially if you're old enough to know better.
Another augmented reality game is
Droid Shooting.
Turn any real-life boring background into a real life shooting fest as
you deal with waves upon waves of droids that will come and attack you.
Droid Shooting utilizes your phone’s camera and makes it a viewfinder or
HUD (Heads-up-display) for the battlefield. You will also find a radar
at your disposal, so you’ll always know where those vicious droids plan
to attack.
The game entertaining you as if the whole thing is real. Enjoy the game as your phone's camera delivers the service.
3. Barcode Scanner
Your phone's camera can be used to scan barcodes in order to
get the information written on it, Since anything programmed into it, is
always not visible for the naked eyes to see, but can only be known
through the use of any barcode scanner app controlled by the camera. If
you are using
WhatsApp web on your PC,
you must have come across the point where you will be asked to scan
your barcode, in order for you to access and use your Whatsapp chat on
PC.
You can also find a barcorde scanner in UC browsers. So, whenever you
have any multiple lines of marks just in the form of several straight
lines together, just use your barcode scanner app or UC Browser to scan
the lines. Note, once you are scanning the camera will be active at
work.
4. Language Translator
With your phone's camera, you can be able to translate the language in
the form of text and symbol that seems to appear strange to you. And you
can achieve that with your phone's camera and with the help of Google
translator app for is meant for all Android and iOS devices. The
translation works this way;
Once you have the Google translator installed on your device, probably
Android smartphones or iOS devices. And you come across any language in
the form of text or symbol which was written in anywhere, maybe on the
wall, sign board, paper or book. Just launch the Google app translator
and click the camera icon in the app. Now, your camera should start
scanning while you place it where you want it to scan and translate
probably the text. Then, the Google app while translating the text uses
optical character recognition (OCR) to automatically interpret what you
want to translate. That's it, although it is not perfect but trust me,
it will surprise you. This can be very easier than the Google translator
that requires you to type in your text before it can interpret it.
5. Look to the Stars
While few of us can ever boast to be blessed with the same sort of
abilities as Brian Cox or Sir Patrick Moore, we can still revel in all
that the stars have to offer from the comfort of our own homes (or
gardens, anyway) thanks to apps like
Star Chart and
Google SkyMap.
Using AR, they allow you to point your phone skywards at night and get a
fascinating overview of all those little lights. SkyMap gives you the
names of stars and tells you where to point your phone to see certain
planets. You'll feel like a Greek god in no time.
6. Use in Visual Search
With your mobile phone camera, you can be able to search Google with
pictures or images, instead of going by typing text. This can be
educational and fun catching. There are several search apps that can
allow you to snap a picture using your phone's camera and after that,
they enable the picture to be used in searching on Google search instead
of text. For example, you might snap a device probably, a handset or
laptop and search it on Google. The result of the search engine would be
on the available details/information of the snapped product. Also, you
snap a photo of a tourist attraction, and search it, the result will be
out displaying the center for the tourist, location, and much more
related information.
7. Solving Mathematics Problems
If you are the type of student that find it difficult to understand or
solve math problems, you can make use of your phone camera to perform
the wonders with the help of an app called "
Photomath".
The app is good for students to use when solving any related math problem. You can as well go for it.
8. Serve as Mirror
This is common, use of phone camera especially among the female folks.
You see them constantly checking their face and makeups using their
phone camera. Isn't it?
9. Serve as a Security Component
Do you have an old camera phone that you are not using anymore? Do you
have more than one camera devices? The truth is, you can use your phone
camera for surveillance and security purposes just like CCTV
10. Check Electronic Remote Control
Another important use of your phone Camera is to check if a remote
control is functioning. To do this, just let the remote control of your
TV, DVD or decoder etc, face your camera, then press any button on the
remote controller and you will see a dull red light blinking as you
press the keys. This is made possible because the camera lens detects
infrared beams which remote controllers makes use of. So before
concluding that your remote battery is dead or the remote is faulty, use
your camera to run a simple test.
11. Educational Purpose
Are you the type that is lazy in writing not in the lecture hall, you
can as well use your camera to snap all your friends note. Have you done
this before? Many people into this already. Students always go for
things that makes life simpler and easier for them.
12. Detecting Hidden Camera
Hope you know that there are hidden CCTV spy cameras in some many hotel
rooms? You can simply use your phone camera to figure out the particular
spot and where the camera is mounted especially in dark rooms. Just
take a shot in a dark room, if the picture shows signs of rays of light,
then there's a camera in the room. This is not just applicable to hotel
rooms only, but any other dark place with surveillance camera.
