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Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

December 16th, 2008 @ 1:09 pm

Categories: Gizmos and Gadgets, Time-Savers, Travel Tips, Web Tools

Tags: Bottle, Cell Phone, Wine, Photograph, Room Number, Camera Phones, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Rick Broida

Smile! You’re about to learn five fantastic ways to get the most from your cameraphone. Yes, we’re talking about that crummy, low-resolution point-and-shoot that’s built into your cell. It’s a lot more useful than you think, provided you point it at the right things:

  • Where you parked  Now where’d you leave the car? G7? F4? If only you’d taken a photo of the nearest signpost, and maybe a few landmarks to boot. Take it from us: Losing your car in a crowded airport lot — especially when it’s 10 degrees out — is not fun.
  • Your passport and/or driver’s license  If one of these documents goes missing while you’re traveling, you’re potentially screwed. Before you embark, take a snapshot of your license and/or passport, making sure the numbers are legible. If nothing else, you’ll have an easier time proving your identity and getting your documents replaced.
  • Your hotel room number  Sounds nuts, I know, but remember: Hotels no longer put room numbers on room keys. If you’re the forgetful type, this beats stopping at the front desk to ask for your own room number.
  • The label on the wine bottle  A client raves about the bottle of wine you shared over dinner. Snap a photo of the label (when he/she’s not looking, of course) so you can match it later, then send along a bottle (or even a case, if it’s a big client) to help seal the deal.
  • Evernote, Qipit, ScanR  Snap a photo of business card, cocktail napkin, whiteboard, or whatever, then send it to one of these free information-management services. From there you can organize, share, publish, or even fax your “digital copy.”

What’s your favorite cameraphone trick? Hit the Comments and share your snapshot secrets. Photo by Thomas Rockstar.

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  •  
    1

    mballard@...

    12/17/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    Only issue with these tricks... personal security if you
    lose your phone the potential for the "wrong type" to
    steal your identity!

  •  
    2

    Weaver1

    12/17/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    We know to pack light and carry our luggage on board
    flights, right? But what about those times you simply
    must check your baggage? I spread out the clothes I'm
    packing on top of my suit bag and take a photo or two
    with my camera phone. That way, if the airline loses
    my luggage and I need to file a claim, I have pictures
    with me to document what was packed.

    Speaking of claims, be sure to (safely) capture that
    fender bender on your camera phone before pulling off
    to the side of the road, just in case the at-fault party
    changes their tune once the police show up. That, of
    course, assumes it's not your fault!

  •  
    3

    BizHacksRick

    12/17/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    @Weaver1: Excellent suggestions! I keep finding more and more offbeat (but useful) uses for my phone's camera.

  •  
    4

    hershco

    12/17/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    I've been using my celcam for years to take a picture of the little white board on my fridge that I keep my shopping list on. Best way to copy it and it's always with me when I get a chance to stop at the store.

  •  
    5

    kpierz

    12/19/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    Here is the best of all. Every single time you take your kids to a public place - ball game, zoo, museum, amusement park etc.... snap a photo of them just as you arrive. If anything should ever go wrong you have a photo not "about 4 feet tall and I think he had on a blue shirt". That photo can be immediately sent to a police officer's phone and then sent to every law enforcement person in the vicinity to find you child. Nothing is more important.

  •  
    6

    BizHacksRick

    12/26/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    @kpierz: Wow, that is indeed an outstanding tip. Not really business-oriented, but for those of us with small kids...who cares? happy

  •  
    7

    csikes

    01/07/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    I used my phone to take a picture of my waiter at a resturant recently, then I explained to him that if my debit card number got stolen I would have a pic of the only guy besides me that had access to my card.

  •  
    8

    hedgeofsonic@...

    01/21/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    I disagree with the passport one.. what if you lose your phone instead?

    The rest are helpful.. if you're a dumbass

  •  
    9

    ajay_67

    01/22/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    It would also help to take a snap of the license plates of either cars parked besides your car. Then if you return to your car to find it dented, you know who damaged your car.

  •  
    10

    pcook@...

    01/25/09 | Report as spam

    Message has been deleted.

  •  
    11

    pcook@...

    01/25/09 | Report as spam

    Message has been deleted.

  •  
    12

    pcook@...

    01/25/09 | Report as spam

    Message has been deleted.

  •  
    13

    a.hinge@...

    01/30/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    Ash***s that slot in behind you 2 inches away from your rear bumper(fender): and those that park too close to you in a car park and end up knocking your wing mirror off or scratching/denting your doors where they have slammed (while opening their doors)into yours.

  •  
    14

    godelocs

    02/03/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    I sent my daughter to the grocery store to get this specific brand of rice that I like. She got there and couldn't ecactly remember what it looked like. I took a picture and sent it to her cell phone that way she had no doubt that she was getting the right product.

  •  
    15

    NightOwl1026

    03/01/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    What kind of phones are you all using? the resolution on mine is terrible so I can't really use any of these :S

  •  
    16

    3kidsbob

    03/10/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    When I see a gift for one of the family but not sure about my taste I snap a shot to show my wife or kids to get advise " How about this for Robyn wadya think ? "

  •  
    17

    arkan.lasida@...

    03/11/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    Well as a student I often snap a shot of my friend's notes to copy it later at home. grin that saves time for me to sleep in the class.

  •  
    18

    suki822

    03/15/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    As as student ometimes I use the "negative" effect of my cell phone cam to take pictures of things written on whiteboards...its great because it allows whatever is written in any color to pop on the cell screen so I can see it better later(even if it is really small)

  •  
    19

    ejhonda

    03/18/09 | Report as spam

    Drop the "killer" label from the headline

    ...and you have a more appropriate title for this article.

  •  
    20

    beebadeef

    03/18/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    Another nifty trick not mentioned is checking to see if your TV's remote control still works or needs batteries. Newer remotes don't have a light that comes on when you press a button, so you can't really tell if the infrared signal is being sent to the TV. If you're unsure whether or not a signal is coming from the remote, look at the bulb on the end of your remote through your phone in camera mode; the infrared can't be seen with the naked eye, but through the camera you should see a bright light whenever you press a button.

  •  
    21

    abu22b

    04/07/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    I took a snap of meeting board before the presenter rub it for his next diagram.

  •  
    22

    martinhardy

    10/05/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Five Killer Cell-Phone Camera Tricks

    Interesting description and commenting about the cell phone cameras. Your post worth reading. I am fan of Good cell phone cameras and love to read some thing about them. I always has a desire to have pretty high resoluter camera in my cell phone while going for personal or web hosting company trips(am working for a cheap web hosting provider). I still remember in 2005 i went to Canada for a bluehost meeting and missed a good cell phone camera a lot, as at that time i just have 2 mega pixal camera in my p990i and views were forcing me to buy a new one instead of using my own cell cam. Any ways if i will narrate it may be a long story; in short keep on updating about such stuff.

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