Smartphones are incredibly useful tools. The ways that they allow us to interact with our environment boggles the mind. Iâd like to delve into a brief and certainly incomplete list of what smartphones can do.
Smartphones can access the internet.
 This is above and beyond the most important aspect of them, since they allow us to connect with virtually any computer remotely.
Smartphones can make phone calls and send text messages.
This feature is almost lost on some people, but they are the tool that we use to control communication with remote parties.
Smartphones can take pictures.
Enormously powerful, low light cameras with crazy resolution and shutter speed exist in most modern smartphones.
Smartphones can take video.
This is arguably more important than the ability to take pictures, because video is harder to take. A photo simply captures light. A video captures motion, light, and sound. A video also must continuously focus, and most smartphone technology allows for this.
Smartphones can detect magnetic fields.
The possibilities with this feature are quite stunning. In most smartphones there is a magnetometer, which provides a functional compass for the device. As a result, it is also possible to detect studs in walls or magnetic fields using your phone.
Smartphones can gauge distance.
By using the lens on your camera, you can effectively gauge distance by changing focus.
Smartphones can provide directions and maps.
Almost every smartphone user uses the GPS feature of their phone. This allows people to simply search for a location on earth, and the device will route the individual to the place within seconds.
Smartphones can provide traffic updates.
Many people use GPS, and since Google tracks this data, they can identify where traffic exists. Users are thus able to figure out an optimal path to their destination, by observing traffic on roads remotely.
Smartphones allow us to play games.
Most people play games on their phones, at least once in a while. Snake existed on the early versions of phones, dating as far back as the 90âs, but offerings like Plants Vs. Zombies, and Words with Friends have changed the face of mobile gaming. Words with Friends even allows people to game remotely in real time with multiple parties.
Smartphones function as a flashlight.
Even before lights were added in the form of camera flashes to smartphones, people were using their phone as a light.
Smartphones act as a security verification path.
Google caught onto this early on by requesting that Gmail users verify their accounts with their smartphones. This has since evolved into authenticator apps for multiple accounts, notably also Blizzard.
Smartphones tell time and weather.
People wear watches, but it is often hard to compete with a networked device when it comes to accuracy. In addition, weather data over time is provided instantly to a phone and on a real-time basis.
Smartphones can transfer money.
Everyone noticed this in a big way when Square released their lovely little doohickey that lets you swipe a credit card. However, purchasing applications on a phone has been around since before smartphones, when cell phone companies simply tacked your purchases onto your bill. In Kenya, there exists an entire system called Mpesa that operates on the Western Union Network. No one carries wallets anymore, they simply text money to people.
Any Economics student who forgot a calculator for a test can tell you that the calculator application on a smartphone is one of the most useful things in the world. I actually have a now discontinued app that fully recreates a Ti-83 on my phone, giving me graphing capabilities. This doesnât even touch on the fact that Wolfram Alpha exists, and is accessible via the internet via a smartphone.
Smartphones can play music.
Everyone knows that Appleâs breakthrough into consumer electronics happened in a big way with the iPod. Now, no one buys iPods anymore, and everyone listens to music via their smartphone. HTCâs big play in music right now actually is attempting to play off this idea by making the claim that Beats Audio improves music in unheard of ways.
Smartphones can make music (or other audio!).
There are applications that allow you to create electronic music using your phone. You can control beats, stack tracks on top of one another, add reverb, and do many more crazy things. Tascam makes a special adapter that allows you to link an XLR microphone to your phones TRRS port, which basically means that you can have a real handheld stage microphone playing into your phone.
Smartphones can control other electronic devices.
Beyond simply using a smartphone to control your computer (or vice versa!), you can actually plug 5D Mark II or III into a phone and control it via a cable. This is fantastically useful when you want to be away from a camera, not touch the camera, or be able to take a shot from inside the picture!
Smartphones can provide wireless internet to nearby devices.
Phone companies have been trying to control this for quite a while, but the concept of tethering is by far one of the more interesting smartphone technologies. Tethering allows you to share your connection to the world with anyone nearby you, which makes all smartphone users network entry nodes for people without smartphones (but who have internet capable devices).
Smartphones can store data.
I can store pictures, video, books, or complex programs like Adobe Photoshop, or secret government databases. I donât even need a direct connection to the device I want to transfer between, I can use utilities like Dropbox, or my web browser to transfer data.
Smartphones can track life signs.
My friend has a heart rate monitor that attaches to his smart phone that he uses to work out. In addition, a smartphone can tell if youâre drunk via a breathalyzer attachment, can track movement, and can test cognitive function via brain training games.
 What peeq seeks to do is add another tool to this list.
We really hope that people see the value that peeq can provide as a tool, and that they use it to create the peeq network. Peeq combines the camera tool with the GPS tool with the text input tool to allow you to give a powerful description of the place you are currently in. Much in the same way Google Maps tracks road traffic data, we want to help you track and share your experiences. The same way you would look at a traffic map to determine which roads to take, you can look at a peeq map to find out which places to go.
 At peeq, we donât have any interest in selling your data; we only want to provide a real-time map of the world to our users. We also donât have any interest in showing you advertisements, ever. At its core, peeqâs business model focuses entirely around controlling the contributions to the peeq network from businesses. We intend to allow the business to show its image of itself to users alongside the images provided by peeq contributors.
We really hope this will go a ways toward alleviating concerns that we will go the way of so many other âfreeâ apps, that eventually wind up serving you ads or selling your data wholesale to other companies.