Tool belts
and heavy tool boxes are passé. What the modern craftsman needs is an
Android device packed with useful tools that can replace their analog
counterparts. Your Android phone has great flashlight potential, it can
measure distances, sizes, noise levels, and it can detect metals and
work as a magnifier. While this obviously won’t replace your entire
power tool arsenal, it does make for a pretty nice collection to fit
into a single pocket.
With over 675,000
downloads, this is by far the most popular flashlight app on the Android
Market. And not only does it work as a multifunctional flashlight, it also
offers some gimmicks. You can use the flashlight (LED) of your Android camera
or turn your screen into a bright white light source.
Alternatively, you can
tint your screen in different colors. Gimmicks include turning the LED into a
stroboscope, showing warning lights, or simulating police lights with your
screen.
The different buttons
all trigger the default light, which you can customize in the app’s settings
menu. Note that the widget only works while the app is running in the
background.
Your Android device can
detect electromagnetic fields and hence it can work as a metal detector for
magnetic metals such as steel or iron. It cannot detect nonmagnetic, for
example aluminum. Be sure to calibrate the app, but do so far away from strong
electromagnetic, e.g. your computer, and of course away from any metals. Then
go and search for lost coins in your sofa and other magnetic surprises.
With this tool you can
measure the distance and height of an object that is from 1 to 50m away. And
here is how it works:
First, make sure the
height of the device is entered correctly. This depends on your height and how
you hold your phone or tablet. Generally, if you hold the device like a digital
camera, it will be at a height of your body height, minus 0.3m or 1ft.
Second, to measure the
distance, aim at the foot of your target object, then press the shutter to ‘get
Distance’.
Third, to measure the
height, click the respective button on the left, then aim at the top of the
target object and click the button to ‘get Height’.
This is a simple spirit
level that works just like its old school counterpart.
You can calibrate the
app and set its sensitivity in the settings menu.
Another app on the
market, Bubble level, appears to be more popular.
However, it doesn’t work well with tablets as it completely confuses the device
orientation, which results in an upside-down spirit level.
A useful tool if you
can’t read tiny text or see small details. Also lets you turn on the LED flash
of your device, so you don’t have to worry about light conditions.
The live viewing mode is
rather blurry and shaky, even when you focus. To save yourself from developing
a headache, you can take a snapshot of what you’re trying to read, save it as a
file and go back and read it at your leisure.
This is as simple a tool
as it gets. Put any object you want to measure on the screen of your Android
device, then touch its corner to detect its width or length.
The sound meter measures
the noise level in decibels. You can either view a graph or, by clicking on the
icon in the bottom right of the meter, you can switch to a view that indicates
which everyday noise levels correspond to the currently measured decibel
levels.
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