What are some cool smartphone tricks?

Here are some cool smartphone tricks:

1. Detect infrared light

Our eyes can't see it, but digital cameras surely can. A smartphone's camera is indeed sensitive to IR radiation, and if you want to try it for yourself, just use a common IR remote control. The infrared beam emitted when a button is pressed will show as white or purple light in the viewfinder of your camera app. You can use this trick to check if a remote control's batteries are dead when it stops working.

2. Make money by mining Bitcoins
Yup, your smartphone can mine Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. You're not going to become a billionaire overnight, however. In fact, you'll probably be making a few cents per day even on a high-end phone. That's why using a smartphone for the purpose is anything by practical, not to mention that the burdening task would quickly make its internals heat up. Still, it cool knowing that a smartphone can be a Bitcoin miner, albeit a humble one.

3. Measure distances with a camera
You might be surprised to know that this actually works. Well, kind of. Distance measuring apps can't match the precision of an instrument made for the purpose, but they should prove good enough when a rough measurement is sufficient. They use trigonometry to calculate the approximate distance between the user and a visible object. To get the distance, you just have to input the height, at which you're holding the smartphone, and to aim the crosshair at the base of the object.

4. Connect to a USB stick or a mouse
Thanks to Android's USB on-the-go functionality, we can connect most common USB devices to newer Android-based smartphones and tablets. USB sticks can be hooked up for file transfers, and a connected USB mouse can be used for navigating the UI. You'll most likely need a USB on-the-go cable to pull this trick off, however, although some cool new USB drives come with both a micro- and a full-sized connector.

5. Avoid suspicious ad-supported apps
Some apps take that concept to the extreme, with ads being displayed on the notification bar. Some even add links to shady search engines to your home screen and suspicious bookmarks to the browser. These apps should be avoided since their ads consume data and battery life, not to mention that they might put your private information at risk. To see what ad-supported apps you have installed on your Android device, give Ad-Network Scanner & Detector a try.