[SOUND] Do you have an old Android phone or tablet just sitting somewhere collecting dust?
Let's count down the top five ways to breathe new life into that old Android.
At number five, a dedicated media player.
Exercising with your main phone can sometimes be stressful.
You wouldn't want to break your phone while you're trying to get fit.
So why not use your older phone as a media player?
As an aside, you can also install the Jawbone Up app to make your phone a fitness tracker when you're running around.
At number four a remote control.
Your old android can be the brain of a whole new world.
You could use your phone to drive tons of video to a Chromecast.
Some android phones, like the ACC1 and the Samsung Galaxy S4, have built-in IR blasters, so if you want to control your home theater, you could do that directly.
Some home theater components, Components like TVs and receivers have apps that let you control them over your network.
If you've got smart home gadgets, you can load that phone up with widgets to control your lights, too.
At number 3, a security camera.
There's no need to spend a bunch of money for a dedicated Nest Cam.
If you got an old phone sitting around, you can pick up the four dollar app called IP Webcam and it'll use your camera to do the rest.
You might also wanna pick up a duck so you can mount the phone in the right spot.
And number two, make it your assistant.
If you've seen the Amazon Echo and thought, hey that'd be cool to have but I don't know if it's worth the price You can use an old Android like an assistant.
To make sure your Android is always listening to you open the Google search app then click settings, choose voice, then okay Google detection.
Make sure you can access the voice feature from any screen.
Now when the device is sitting around you can say okay Google what's the weather or okay Google play the killers on Spotify.
Also, you can load up your home screen with widgets to get all kinds of info at a glance.
I asked you guys what you used your older devices for, here's what you had to say.
Nelson D says, he uses his as a clock, and for his Chromecast.
Amanda says, her old Razor as a media streamer for her exercise room.
Daniel says he uses his old Android phone with flash browse at work To control 3D laser scanners.
Great ideas.
Thanks, everyone.
On to number one.
At number one, you can save the world with an Android device.
First, download the app Boinc.
This app can connect your phone to a large network of other computers around the world.
Together, all these machines can act in concert to become a supercomputer.
You can use your spare processing power to help biomedical research.
Understand asteroids, do environmental research, or any number of other things.
By default, the app only runs when your device is plugged into a charger and your screen is off so it's not messing with your phone experience.
For more TOP5 like this visit top5.cnet.com.
I'm Iyaz Akhtar and we'll see you next time.
