101 Uses for a camera phone

Photo credit: SamsungI have compiled a list of 101 uses for a camera phone to convince myself (and others) that the camera feature on you cellular phone can really be useful. All of these uses are legitimate and have already been tried by someone somewhere in the world.

101 Uses for a camera phone

1. Use your camera phone to look under your car without getting all dirty.
2. Take a picture of a take-out menu in a restaurant in preparation for your next visit.
3. Every time you see something you like in a store, take a picture of it. The next time someone asks you what you want for your birthday or for Christmas, send him your photos.
4. Property inventory. Use your camera phone to document your belongings in the case of a natural disaster or robbery.
5. Use pictures to document car mileage when you travel for business.
6. At a show or convention, snap the contact names and business information that interest you.
7. When attending a conference, take pictures of the powerpoint presentation.
8. Take pictures of the intersections, subway stations and buildings when you travel to a foreign city. It will help you find your way around.
9. If you find something you think your wife would want, send a picture of it to her cell phone and then ask her if she would like this.
10. Take a picture of your children before entering a theme park. If one of them gets lost, you will have a very good description along with what he was wearing.
11. Entertain kids by taking their pictures or playing a photo version of scavenger hunt. Give them a list of objects they must take a picture of.
12. When shopping for glasses take a picture of yourself and send it to your wife. Ask her which pair she prefers.
13. Digitally memorize your parking ticket’s expiring hour.
14. Take a snapshot of posters announcing shows you’d like to see.
15. Upload videos straight to YouTube from your camera phone.
16. Document bumper stickers you like (NOT while you’re driving).
17. Grab prices for comparison. Make sure you remember in which store you took the picture though.
18. Document medical problems. Show your pictures to your doctor the next time you see him.
19. Film your office parties. I guarantee you will have plenty of occasions to have fun back at the office.
20. If you’re a journalist or writer, take quick snapshots of locations or events you want to write about.
21. When you travel, take a snapshot of important phone numbers, such as the phone number of the local forest ranger before entering a national park.
22. Spam your friends’ cell phone with pictures of your high score at video games (I’ve done this).
23. If you can’t remember the number on your ink cartridges, keep a picture of them on your cell phone.
24. When browsing the yellow pages, take a picture of the yellow page ads along with the map and information.
25. When fixing plumbing, take a picture of the configuration of the pipes before going to the plumbing store.
26. Take a picture of the “For Sale” signs outside houses you’d like to buy.
27. Take a picture of dip switch settings on computer equipment before toying with them.
28. Document your collection of DVDs. Useful when exchanging DVDs with friends.
29. With your camera phone you are always ready if you see a celebrity walking down the street. Paparazzi are us.
30. If you’re bad with names, add a picture next to the names on your contact list.
31. Grab a picture of the next thing you need to do. Use it as a wall paper.
32. Take a picture of the city maps or shopping mall maps so you can carry them around on your cell. Don’t trust the ‘You are here’ sign though.
33. Keep others updated as you travel by sending photos directly to their email address.
34. Use your camera phone to send a map to someone who’s lost.
35. Set a picture you took as wallpaper on your cell phone.
36. Film a co-worker in a delicate situation and use it to blackmail him. That’s one free cup of coffee a day.
37. Take a picture of your luggage/bags at the airport. It will come in handy if you happen to loose them.
38. Use a camera phone to help you stay in touch with your family when you are separated. Pictures often speak louder than words, especially with the lil’ uns.
39. Self-portrait. Some camera phones will even display what the camera sees on the outside LCD screen to help with the framing.
40. Overcome language barriers. A picture is worth a thousand words.
41. Go Feng Shui. You will need a Feng Shui cell phone though.
42. Keep track of work resources you might need. Grab a picture of them and send it to your manager.
43. Keep track of prices at the grocery store.
44. If you get involved in a car accident, take pictures of the scene, the damage and the other driver’s license plate. Remember to smile.
45. Scare shots. Lots of scare shots.
46. While looking up a book at the library, take a picture of the reference number instead of writing it down.
47. Upload photos to Flickr directly from your phone.
48. Take a picture of the business cards you get.
49. Snap the business hours of places you frequent.
50. Take a picture of your car’s license plate, serial number, insurance papers and any other pertinent information. If it gets stolen you will have that information handy. Beware though, this is sensitive information.
51. Entertain kids by taking a close-up picture of an object and ask them to identify it.
52. Take shots of any damaged package before opening it.
53. If you are a real-estate agent, get an edge on the competition by sending pictures of a house to potential buyers.
54. Take pictures of movies you would like to see. The next time you rent a movie or go to the theater, you will spend less time making your selection.
55. Snap information written on a post-it memo and then throw the memo away.
56. When running errands, take a snapshot of what you have to buy before you leave.
57. Use your camera phone to remember things you want to Google.
58. Take a picture of a recipe you would like to try.
59. Keep pictures of your children, wife or friends on your cell phone. It will make your wallet lighter.
60. Girls – when you go shopping, take pictures of clothing items you want and send them to all your friends for instant advice.
61. Contest parking tickets. The pictures may sometimes be used as evidence.
62. Show people where you’ve put things. Take a picture of the item in its new location and send it to the concerned persons’ phones.
63. Fight crime. A good picture of a criminal is worth a lot to the proper authorities.
64. Keep a photo journal. Take a picture every day. After one year you’ll be able to review everything you’ve done during the year.
65. Snap a shot of the train schedule at the station instead of grabbing a paper copy.
66. Use your camera phone to loose weight with MyFoodPhone. Take a snapshot of your food and use their service to send it to a dietician for review.
67. Take photos of apartments when you go apartment hunting.
68. Take a picture of your todo list so you don’t have to carry the paper version around.
69. Take photographs of books in bookshops to look them up later on Amazon.
70. Use your camera phone as a mirror. You can take a picture of yourself from all kind of different angles.
71. Take photos of the classroom blackboard to catch assignments.
72. Use your wallpaper as a focusing tool. Take a picture of what you should be focusing on, be it studies, work or family and use it as a wall paper on your phone.
73. Before going to the grocery store, take pictures of your food shelves.
74. Use a picture to remember IP addresses instead of writing them down.
75. Use a picture to remember where you parked.
76. When browsing a catalog, take a picture of the items you want before going to the store.
77. When you disassemble something, use your camera phone to document the steps so you can reassemble it later.
78. Buy a macro lens for your camera phone and get into macro photography.
79. Remember good wines. Take a picture of the labels.
80. Start a Moblog.
81. Take pictures of furniture you consider buying at the store. When you get back home, look at the pictures and see which one fits best in your home.
82. In a foreign country, photograph your hotel along with its name if it’s hard to pronounce. If you get lost, show the picture to people on the street, they will most likely be able to point you in the right direction.
83. Enter a camera phone photo contest.
84. Stay motivated. Grab a picture of something you really want to accomplish. Use it as a wallpaper.
85. When shopping for someone else, use your camera phone to double check your shopping list. Send a picture to the other person’s cell phone to confirm you are buying the right thing.
86. At a concert, instead of lifting a lighter show the band your best snapshot. Lighters are sooo yesterday.
87. Photograph landscaping ideas.
88. Get a picture of your hotel room number so you don’t forget what it is.
89. A camera phone earns you bragging rights. You get 1 bragging right per megapixel, twice if it has a flash.
90. Take a picture of on-screen instructions instead of printing them out.
91. Stay in touch with your travel buddies. Send a picture of your location to their cell phone.
92. Annoy your boss, friends, wife, kids by taking pictures of them when they’re mad.
93. When looking for a job, have your camera phone ready to snap photos of job advertisement posters outside stores.
94. Take a picture of interesting designs. Look them up later when you need inspiration.
95. Take a picture of a haircut that turned out well. Document the sides and the back of your head.
96. Document your collection of video games. Useful when exchanging video games with friends.
97. Document new meals you have at a restaurant to remember what you liked and didn’t like.
98. Use your camera phone to remember brands you prefer. Take a picture of the box/wrapping.
99. Become a photojournalist. Send photos of news you witness to Yahoo
100. When you see a furniture arrangement you like, snap a picture of it and keep it in your archives.
101. And of course you can simply take pictures of your vacation, friends or family.

I would like to thank About.com, Textually Picture Phoning, Lifehacker and 43folders who already had articles on the subject and served as a source of inspiration for this compilation.

What about you? Have you ever used your camera phone in a fun, creative or productive way? Add to the list by leaving a comment. Note that only legitimate entries will be kept.

CDMA vs. GSM: the two major network technologies are fighting each other worldwide. The CDMA vs. GSM debate has many advocates on both sides, since CDMA and GSM both have their advantages. When choosing a cell phone carrier you may have to figure out which of these two technologies is the best for you. Hopefully, this article will help you pick a side in the CDMA vs. GSM war.

CDMA vs. GSM: Breakdown of the technologies

CDMA vs. GSM

The Origins

CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is a technology developed by Qualcomm in the United States, and it is currently the dominant network standard in North America.

GSM: Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) was invented in 1987 by the GSM Association, an international organization dedicated to developing the GSM standard worldwide.

There is no clear winner in the CDMA vs. GSM debate here; it all depends on your needs. CDMA was established earlier in North America and thus has a bit more coverage than GSM. GSM on the other hand is an international standard backed by an international organization.

Coverage

CDMA: CDMA is mostly used in America and some parts of Asia. It is currently making progress in other parts of the world, but the coverage is still limited compared to the GSM technology. Its support is currently non-existent in Europe because the European Union mandates the sole use of GSM. In North America however, CDMA generally offers a better coverage than GSM in some rural areas because it was deployed earlier. The CDMA network reaches over 270 millions users worldwide.

GSM: GSM being an international standard, it is better suited for international roaming, provided you own a quad-band cell phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz). The GSM network is also well established in North America, but not as much as the CDMA network yet. The GSM network reaches over a billion users worldwide.

CDMA is prominent in North America, but GSM reaches a lot more users worldwide (about 270 millions for CDMA and 1 billion for GSM). In the CDMA against GSM debate, GSM wins if you plan to travel to foreign countries but CDMA might have a better coverage in your area.

Data transfer

CDMA: The best data transfer technology CDMA has to offer is the EVDO technology, allowing for a maximum download speed of about 2mb/s (about 700kbps in practice), which is similar to what a DSL line has to offer. EVDO is not available everywhere yet and requires a cell phone that is EVDO ready.

GSM: GSM on the other hand offers EDGE, allowing for a maximum download speed of 384kbps (around 140kbps in practice). More technologies are being developed on top of EDGE such as HSDPA to boost the transfer rate to over 384kbps in practice. This technology requires an EDGE-ready cell phone.

CDMA offers faster data download. GSM is catching up fast, but its EDGE technology is subject to interferences. CDMA would therefore be the favored choice for data transfer.

Phone Identification (SIM cards)

CDMA: On a CDMA phone, your account information is programmed into your cellular phone. If you want to change your phone, you have to contact your carrier and have them reprogram your new phone. You will also need to re-enter your contact list and calendar information into your new phone. If you have a lot of contacts, your carrier might be able to help you perform this task.

GSM: On a GSM phone your account information along with your contact list and other personal data are stored on a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) which is a small chip you can freely remove from your phone. When you get a new mobile device, you can simply insert your SIM card into it and it will work with your current account information and contact list. If you travel to another country, it might even be possible to purchase a prepaid SIM card which you can use to avoid roaming fees.

GSM is a clear winner here. The SIM card technology offers many advantages.

Which technology is the best for me?

When asking yourself which technology to choose between CDMA and GSM, first ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is international roaming important to me? If you travel a lot to foreign countries, you might want to opt for a GSM phone for a better coverage.

2. Am I going to transfer a lot of data using the phone? Currently, CDMA offers the best data transfer speed with its EVDO technology and is the clear winner for now. If you intend to use the phone for mobile web browsing, watching television or downloading MP3s, you might be better off with a CDMA phone.

3. Do I plan to change phone often? If you do, a GSM phone is best for you since you can swap the SIM card to a new device without having to re-enter your personal data.

Once you have established your basic needs, compare CDMA and GSM signals in your region. Also compare the carriers offering both services in your area. Talk to your friends and colleagues and ask them if they are satisfied with their cell phone carrier and how good their signal is.

Remember, when choosing between CDMA vs. GSM, preferring a network technology over another also means limiting your choice in carriers.

One day at the pool, the inevitable happens: you get thrown into the water by a bunch of your drunken buddies. In any case, the $300 cell phone that was in your pocket got wet. Unless you own a water proof cell phone, you’ll want to know exactly how to dry out a wet cell phone, because you might still be able to repair it.

1. Remove the battery. This is the most important part! Damage in wet electronic devices mostly comes from short circuits. Removing the battery quickly will prevent electricity from further damaging the phone. Resist the temptation to test the phone while it is still wet!

2. Remove the SIM card (if applicable). The SIM card should have survived, but make sure you don’t use it again until it has dried completely.

3. Disassemble the phone. Use the required screwdrivers to disassemble the phone as much as you can. Note that disassembling the phone will probably void your warranty, but then so will dropping the phone in water. You’ve got nothing to lose. The reason for the disassembly is simple: the phone will dry up much faster once it is disassembled. You could skip this step, but water can remain inside the phone for weeks if you don’t do it.

4. Dry the phone as much as possible using q-tips or paper towels or a similar material. This will prevent water from getting further into the phone. Two ideas to help with the drying:

• Heat the phone. Heat will help water evaporate. Leaving the phone under a desk lamp for 24 or 48 hours might help. WARNING: Do not overheat! Just a little warmth is enough. Heating the phone too much can further increase the damage done to it.

• Use a fan. Leave the phone under a desk fan for 24 or 48 hours.

5. Test the phone. After a few days (usually two or three), the phone should be clean and dry. Reassemble the phone and put the SIM card and battery pack back in. If it doesn’t work, there is a chance your battery has died from water damage. Try an alternative power source. You can get another battery for cheap if your phone still works.

As always, be very careful when disassembling electronic devices. Know you warranties and insurances well before attempting anything, and make sure you note how to reassemble the phone. Repair a wet cell phone at your own risks.

Hopefully, you will manage to save your wet cell phone from drowning!

The various acronyms used to describe the different kind of text messaging services are not always intuitive and can be confusing to new users. Hopefully the following breakdown of the three most popular messaging services will help clear things up.

1. SMS
SMS stands for Short Message Service and is the most widely used type of text messaging. With a SMS, you can send a message of up to 160 characters to another device. Longer messages can be split up into several parts. Most cell phones support this type of text messaging, and sending a SMS is usually very cheap. SMSs can also be used to access various services from a portable device, such as Google and MSN. Spam sent as SMS is also becoming more common.

2. EMS
EMS means Enhanced Messaging Service and is an extension of the SMS. It provides SMS with functionalities such as text formatting (bold or italic fonts) and limited picture and animation support. If an EMS is sent to a phone that doesn’t support it, it will display as a standard SMS. EMS will probably be rendered obsolete by MMS.

3. MMS
MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service and this type of text messaging is an evolution of the SMS. With a MMS, you can send a message including pictures, video or audio content to another device. It is very useful to send a photo taken with a camera phone to another phone. Most new cell phones with multimedia capabilities support MMS. Because the size of the message is defined in kilobytes, a MMS can contain a lot more information than a SMS. Be careful, carriers can sometimes charge high fees for data transfer over their network if it’s not included in your plan.

Now get to your keypads and start typing!

Pictures taken with a camera phone are usually of average quality, but there are a few tips to help with the quality of the image. The Digital Photography School has an article in which they give 13 tips for improving camera phone photos.

Among those tips, my four favorites are:

• Well lit subjects - Camera phones benefit greatly from this since they usually don’t have a flash. As the image gets darker, a lot of digital noise appear on the picture because the image sensors on a cell phone are very tiny and not as effective as those on a real digital camera.
• Get close - The preview on the screen of a camera phone can sometimes be misleading. The image looks quite different when opened on your computer, so make sure you frame your subject well or else it will appear too tiny on the final picture.
• Avoid using the digital zoom - This goes for all digital cameras, but especially camera phones. A digital zoom will reduce the quality of the image by a lot and you will have better results if you use a photo editing software on your computer to enlarge a picture. Make sure you take the picture at the highest resolution possible if you are considering editing it.
• Keep your lens clean - This is probably the most important tip. My cell phone lens is always dirty with fingerprints and half of the time I forget to clean it off before taking a picture resulting in a blurry image. It looks quite good on the preview screen, but as soon as I take the picture to my computer I can see that it’s not very sharp. Make sure you clean your lens for a good photo!

Camera phone photography is an art by itself. Feel free to share your own tips here!

As more people use their phones as digital agenda, a problem always comes up sooner or later: how to synchronize an Outlook Calendar and a cell phone? Tech Tag explains 2 ways to synchronize Outlook with a cell phone using a synchronization standard called syncML.

First, you need a few things:

1. syncML compatible phone
2. WAP connection (GPRS, 3G)
3. A syncML account (scheduleworld, zyb)
4. Outlook

Then, there are two Outlook plugins you can use:

• Funambols syncML plugin. This plugin is free, but according to Tech Tag, it has a few issues but they managed to make it work and they explain how to.
• Nexthause’s Outlook plugin. It is available in a 15 days trial version or a $29 paid version.

This how-to sounds pretty simple and is very well detailed. Follow the steps and your synchronization should be up and running in no time!

Nicolas Fogelholm from About Nokia writes on 3GWeek.NET about camera phones. In his article, he gives three tips when shopping for a camera phone:

1. Don’t opt for a plastic lens. Try to find a cell phone with an optic lens for the best results. Plastic lenses are really not worthy of a real camera.
2. Don’t believe what the salesperson tells you. Make your own research. For example, an average salesman most likely won’t be able to answer whether or not the phone has an optic lens! Look at specialized sites, blogs and user reviews instead.
3. Don’t look at sample pictures from the manufacturer. Manufacturers take their sample pictures in ideal conditions, which make them look really good compared to the average picture you’re going to take with your phone. Use google to find sample pictures instead!

Every cell phone has a camera nowadays, but they’re not all of the same quality. It is important to be well informed when buying a cell phone for its camera!

It’s hard to resist signing a 3-year contract when you buy a new cell phone. Cell phone carriers give you such a fat discount on the phone when you buy it with a contract, yet getting out of a contract can cost you hundreds in early termination fees.

Chip Chick gives a tip on how to get out of your cell phone contract and avoid fees. It involves transferring your contract’s responsibility to someone else. Finding someone willing to take on your contract can be hard though, but these two services can help you find people who’ve been waiting for this occasion: Celltrade and CellSwapper.

Now you can worry less about your cell phone contract while still enjoying a huge discount on your new phone.

Today I received a brand new credit card because my old one had expired. To activate the new card, I had to call my credit card company so they could verify the card was indeed in the hands of the rightful owner. Having dropped my land-based phone line recently, I made the call from my cellular phone, and I had to type in my credit card number on my cell phone keypad. After the call I had the idea to check if my card number could be found anywhere on my cell phone - it was indeed very easy to find.

It is important to realize how sensitive information on a mobile device can be. If your mobile phone is stolen, such information can be leaked and at worst lead to identity theft. There are basic tips you can follow to help prevent it from happening:

1. Beware of your phone’s history of dialed numbers. On all cell phones you have access to the list of recently dialed numbers and received calls. These numbers may contain information you typed on the keypad of your phone - information such as credit card numbers. It is important to clean up such information after making a private call. Keep in mind that not all cell phones record information at the same place. My RAZR V3c from Bell Mobility has a Notepad feature which records the key I press during a call. This feature can be a danger to your privacy.
2. Keep contact list information simple. Do you really need to keep your family member’s addresses on your cell phone? If your cell phone is stolen, the thief will not only most likely learn who you are, but he will also learn who your family member’s are and where they live. Keeping your contact list simple and stripped of important information will definitively help protect your privacy.
3. Remove important information from your agenda. Most cell phones have a calendar feature which can also act as an electronic agenda. If you keep your appointments in there, a potential stalker will know about your next appointment if he can have a look at your phone. I’m not saying to forget the feature, but you might want to keep the information basic if you’re concerned about your privacy.
4. Erase sensitive text messages. If you are using special text message services like Paypal Mobile or even MSN Mobile, make sure you delete the history of sent and received messages containing information such as passwords or personal information.
5. Disable the GPS feature. Some cell phones have a GPS tracking feature, allowing for example automatic time change when you travel between timezones. This might be a little far fetched, but if you are concerned about someone tracking you, you may want to turn off that feature. However, keep in mind that the GPS tracking feature can be important in the case of an emergency, as it allows 911 services to track you easier.
6. Put a password on the cell phone. Adding a password to your cell phone and locking it can help prevent information thieves from accessing your information. It will not stop a dedicated person from cracking the password, but it certainly will slow him down.
7. Make sure you erase all personal information before you give the phone away. If you want to give your cell phone away for recycling or sell it to another person, make sure you erase all information from the phone. Most cell phones have an option to erase all information and reset to factory default buried deep into their menu system.

Cell phone privacy is something we should all be concerned about. While these tips are aimed at cellular phones, they can also be applied to other mobile devices as well. If you’re concerned about your cell phone’s privacy, take steps to help protect yourself. Better be safe than sorry!

Online maps such as Google Maps are very useful when you drive to a new place. I usually print the maps before I go on such a trip to help me find my destination faster. But from now on, it’ll be even easier with Mobile GMaps and Google Maps Mobile.

Mobile GMaps
Mobile GMaps is a free java application that can be downloaded to your cell phone. It allows you to view Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, Windows Live Local and Ask.com Maps on your cell phone screen. You can also connect a bluetooth-compatible GPS to your cell phone and receive accurate positioning!

The Mobile GMaps software supports a limited number of phones though. These phones are fully supported:

• Series 60, 80, 90 Nokia phones (N-Gage, 3230, 3250, 3650, 3660, 6600, 6260, 6620, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6681, 7610, 7650, 7710, 9300, 9500, E60, N70)
• Most MIDP 2.0 Nokia Series 40 phones (3220, 5140, 5140i, 6030, 6101, 6170, 6230, 6230i, 7270, 8800)
• MIDP 2.0 Sony-Ericsson phones (J300, K300, K500, K600, K700, K750, P900, P910, S700, S710, V800, W800, Z500, Z800, Z1010)
• Motorola (A780, A925, A1000, E398, E680, E680i, E1000, M1000, MPx220, RAZR/V3, V505, V551, V600)
• Blackberry (7100, 7290, 7510, 7520, 7920)
• PocketPC/WindowsMobile phones (using the IBM J9 as J2ME VM)
• Sanyo (s750, MM-5600, MM-7400)
• LG PM325
• Siemens (CX65, S65, SF65, SK65, SXG75)
• Sharp 902
• Sagem (myX5-2, myX8)

Google Maps Mobile
Google now also offering Google Maps Mobile for free. While Google Maps Mobile doesn’t support GPS positioning, it provides cell phone specific features such as ‘click to call’. Here’s a list of supported phones.

Now you can leave your home without the fear of getting lost ever again. I guess.

Source:Google Maps goes mobile