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We live in a “smarter” world than ever before, with all kinds of appliances that interconnect. The smart device of all smart devices is, of course, the smartphone. Smartphones access our email, social media, and internet browsers, but, of course, they can do so much more. From business operations to household chores, reconsider what all you can achieve with the simple touch of a screen.
In the house, smartphones rule the roost. Thanks to appliances that are “smart” themselves, you can now control many of your house’s operations without having to get off the couch. (Although you should still get off the couch and exercise.) For instance, your phone can now connect right in to your thermostat. Smart thermostats allow you to not only simply control the temperature from your phone, but to monitor energy costs and fluctuations across time. Smart kitchen appliances, such as those offered by companies like dacor.com, are time and energy savers! Smart ovens and meat thermometers will alert you when they sense that the things you’re cooking are the right temperature–and even turn off when they sense things might be burning. Smart ovens and smart frying pans often come with recipes to help you get started.
New apps and phone attachments are expanding what phones are capable of. For instance, a simple attachment can let your phone camera see in the dark, using thermal imaging. There are apps out there that let you turn your phone into a handy tool and use it as a level and a measuring device that estimates distance and height using the camera. You can also download an app that uses your phone’s own magnetometer to turn it into a metal detector. And, of course, we all know that our smartphones are great for helping with our health and fitness. We can download apps that allow us to track food intake and exercise. Lots of people use fitness trackers, which monitor sleep, steps, heart rate, and more, and send the info to our phone, which then compiles all of our data in an easy-to-read way. And there’s that brilliant running app that simulates a zombie chase! It tells you when to speed up, slow down, and where to turn–and since it uses your device’s location, it knows if you cheat–which is when the zombies get you!
Businesses are using their smart devices to control all sorts of aspects of their company. For instance, you can connect your smartphone into comprehensive monitoring dashboards that keep you updated on where your products are. If you’re expecting a shipment from a warehouse, you’ll be able to track its progress and make changes right from your phone. If, for instance, you decide to source some of your products by purchasing Walmart liquidation merchandise, while other products come directly from manufacturers, you can watch both shipments at the same time, right from your smartphone. Businesses that require constant contact among employees, or that have lots of remote employees, use platforms that allow for group and private messaging, document uploads, and organizing meetings. These platforms usually have their own app, so that workers can stay in touch from literally anywhere on the globe.
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