The Amazing Smartphone Era: 5 Unexpected Things That You Didn't Know There Was an App For

The revolution of Google's PlayStore, Windows Phone Store and Apple's platform has transformed today's smartphones into super gadgets wielding more power than most people can fathom. Nowadays, finding and downloading free apps for simple day-to-day tasks such as checking emails, chatting, taking photos, etc is nothing but a breeze.

Smartphones have been around for quite some time now, and for this reason it's common for one to think that they've seen and heard all there is to witness, as far as mobile apps go. Well, this might be the case, but not until they've seen the following list of ingenious apps.

Here are top 5 things you never imagined there was an app for.

1.) Changing the colour of light bulbs.

Are you tired of the feeling of being stuck with a single monochromatic hue for your living room? Yes, as weird as it may seem, you can change the colours of your bulbs using your iPhone or iPad anytime you please. This is of course courtesy of the work of clever software developers behind the Phillips Hue mobile app available on Apple's iTunes store. All you require to periodically change the colour of the glow of your light bulbs is a relatively strong Wi-Fi connectivity and a set of 'smart' bulbs. With the help of this app, you can also control the brightness level of these bulbs using your phone, something that most of us never imagined could even be remotely possible.

2.) Using your phone as a remote control handset.

We all have experienced that frustrating feeling one gets when you can't seem to recall where you last placed your remote control, especially when you need to flip through channels. Have you ever also noted that in all those times that you couldn't find your TV's remote, you surprisingly had your phone in your pocket or next to you? Yeah, we tend to be rather attached to our phones.

In the same light, another strange app took advantage of this and enables you to transform that mobile handset you so treasure into a functional remote control. It saves you the inconvenience of ransacking your living room anytime you can't seem to keep track of your main remote unit. ThinkFlood's Red Eye Mini continues to save the day in many homes and is compatible with both iOS and Android phones.

3.) Tracking your kids.

Kids, especially teenagers, have proven to be quite sneaky and evasive. Well, if you have a teenage daughter or son, you no longer have to keep calling them after every ten minutes to inquire on their whereabouts. Most of the time they won't also tell you the truth. With the GPS tracking app - Life360, you can enjoy a little peace of mind knowing exactly where your children are, that is if they have their phone with them.

Additionally, when visiting a friend in another country or new city you can make use of this app to avoid getting lost or stranded. Using this tracking app, your host could direct you more accurately to their place or pick you up at a particular rendezvous using your location.

On that note, when travelling abroad you should make it a habit to install this app plus a good VPN encryption software on your phone. The VPN will enable you an unlimited internet access regardless of the mobile network carrier or Wi-Fi connectivity you will use while away from home.

4.) Catching fish.

The next time you're caught in an unsuccessful fishing expedition, simply pull out your phone and install Deeper Fish Finder app. You will be amazed by how accurate the app is in detecting fish that are up to 120 feet deep. The application uses sonar pulses that could be generated by your smartphone to image fish that are beyond your visual realm. To use the app, you have to lower your phone near the water surface for the pulses to detect the fish more accurately. (Take care not to drop your phone, though)

5.) Measuring the height of buildings, towers or even mountains while up-close.

Ever wondered how tall your favourite skyscraper in the city is? Have you ever been out on a picnic and wondered out aloud how you wish knew how high a given rock or boulder was? Well, it turns out there is an app developed just for that. Dot Measure Pro for iOS and Blackberry is famous for approximating the height of buildings, cliffs, bridges and other tall architectural structures with an outstanding level of accuracy. The developers have made it even more fun to use by integrating a feature that prompts you to first place a guess before measuring the actual height. You might be surprised on how wild your guesses can be!

If you've been in Derby for more than a month and you have no idea who I'm talking about then why don't you try going to Derby City Centre LITERALLY ANYTIME. This guy walks backwards around town all day writing mysterious notes into his notebook. No one knows why he does this and he refused to talk to anyone that asks. He's become a kind of celebrity to Derbadians. 

If you're a student then you will know exactly what I'm talking about here. Between Sir Peter Hilton Court and Darley Bank is an alley that runs past the river. Walking down this alone at night would earn you some major respect from me. You'll also happen to come across stoner bridge next to Peter Hilton. I'll let you guys find out about that for yourselves.

If you've ever been into the Hairy Dog even remotely sober and actually felt safe then who even are you? I was stone cold sober the first time I went in here and had to stay alert at all times just so I didn't get attacked or something. No matter how much you bad mouth this place though you always seem to end up back there since it stays open late most of the week. Expensive drinks and a pool of piss in the bathroom make for a much needed shot or 2.

Look, all I wanted was a crap ton of McNuggets to quench the sadness ans street of uni work. No I do not want to talk to you about our lord and saviour, nor do I want to buy a wristband for £20 then feel bad whenever I say no. It takes almost twice as long to walk down this road than it should since you have to zigzag side to side just to avoid human contact.

So where are we off tonight guys? Mosh? Walkabout? Nah. Then where else? Oh...better be Mosh then. You better hold onto your shoes in mosh cause it seems like the floor is trying to mug you most of the time you're there. Nailing them to your feet should do the trick. Fair enough you can get free shots from there but the options are so weak you might as well ask for a shot of orange squash.

You go for you first shop since moving to Derby. You're next in line. The checkout lady looks over to and that's when she says it... "Ayup Duck". Duck... Did I just get called a duck? Since when has Duck been a nice name to call someone? I mean yeah ducks existed before I came to uni but I just thought they were animals that you could rarely afford from the Chinese and then they started disappearing from the local river. No words of a lie, this really throws me off still to this day.

Becoming a recognized artist is now easier than it ever has been before.

With the downfall of CD’s and many of our music shops now closing down, it’s time to invent yourself as an online artist and it’s easier than you may think too. Here I have rounded up some ideas which may help you promote yourself in our new digital era.

With the likes of Justin Bieber and Jessie J as an example, both of these artists were discovered on YouTube.

YouTube has 1 billion active users each month, the site allows you to upload videos giving you instant exposure to those who love to find new music.

Make sure you’re promoting yourself using twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Twitter alone has 232 million users, whilst Instagram have a 150 million and Facebook have 500 million users, so these are great platforms to start promoting yourself. Twitter has a brilliant way to promote yourself even more with the use of the ‘#’ and ‘retweet’ option, these are helpful tools to get wide spread exposure and make contacts within the same industry.

Create a page on these networks and provide regular updates of where you are, what you’re up to and upcoming events, to ensure people have somewhere to keep in touch with you. Make sure you’re holding regular events such as gigs to give a taste of your music.

Giving out your music on USB devices to people who are interested, will allow the opportunity for people to share and download the music, providing you with a fan base and possibly an income too. This is also a great idea for the use at clubs, by ensuring your USB device is branded with your/the band’s name on it will mean they won’t forget you the next day.

Networking these ways essentially provides a powerful, simple and successful way to promote yourself as an artist without the use of a record label.

Sound Cloud is a fantastic network if you’re looking to successfully share your music online. This network allows unsigned artists to create and share their music across their social media platforms- it lets you share privately with friends and family or you can post your material publicly. The network, as with all social media can be accessed by using almost any device of your choice, so you’re able to use it anywhere, and it is free to use.

It’s important to have your own website so that your social media has a platform to refer back too. This will be the place all the latest news, stories and images should be located and stored, pack as much information on there as possible. Make sure the website looks professional so people know you want to be taken seriously, make sure it’s well laid out so that subjects and pages are easy to find, and people can explore your website at ease and gain as much knowledge on you as possible.

Compared to before when all artists had were CD’s to promote themselves, there are now so many more opportunity’s which you are able to take advantage of to get yourself known in the industry, without having to spend big money on promotion.

"Claire Louise Sheridan is a keen blogger, writer and marketer with aspirations of becoming a recognised member of the digerati. Until then, she's content seeing the world, watching live music, volunteering, playing with her kitten and eating all of the food. You can find her Twitter here" @xo_clairelouise