Apart from the long list of ways to reuse an old phone that we have all seen more than once, a startup has proposed that we turn our old smartphones into sophisticated security systems – an application is all it takes to make your home safe thanks to The Olmose App.
For now, its creators are looking for financing via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. During the month of February they will try to gather the €100,000 necessary for the project to become a reality.
Helped by the support created by Olmose, old mobile phones will become the eyes and ears that keep watch on our homes when we aren’t there. To start, you need to install the app and on the old phone and the new one that you’ll be using daily, which will become the control center.
From there on, the old smartphone will identify any movement or sound which will set off an alarm that you carry in your pocket should an intruder try to enter your house.
Besides these notifications, the application will record and post all that happens on the phone’s camera to the cloud.
Beyond this antitheft function, the app is also developed for parents who want to monitor their baby and even for those who want to control their cars – all it takes is leaving the old mobile in the car’s glove compartment, with the application activated, and you can find out where the car is if it is stolen.
This service won’t be free, and if the crowdfunding campaign is successful and Olmose manages to save old phones from being obsolete, those who want to use it as a security camera will have to pay around €24 to avail of a lifetime service.
However, by taking part in the crowdfunding campaign a potential user can obtain a license for just €20, which is the minimum contribution that one can give to the Kickstarter project in order to get something in return.
All going well, Olmose will be in app stores around the world in the next few months and will save many an old phone from being left cast aside. That old smartphone still has its uses, and although it may not be as fancy as your new one, it will possible help you out in the event of theft. Long live mobile phones!