<strong>By Jerod Collins</strong>

Technology has come a very long way, hasn’t it? Do you remember a time when the only thing you could do with a phone was make a call? Well, it is safe to say that those days are long gone. Smartphones, like the iPhone and Android, can do all kinds of cool things right out of the box like connect with your email, Facebook and contacts, allow you to surf the Web and it can even make phone calls! But I bet you are wondering, “What else can I use it for to make my life easier?” Here is a list of awesome things I bet you didn’t know you could do with your iPhone.

<strong>• Carry your documents with you: </strong>Sometimes, you need to take your work with you, or you want to have your pictures be sent automatically to your computer when you take them. With Dropbox for iPhone, you can have your documents and pictures be synced between your computer and phone at all times. You will never be without an important document again.

<strong>• Take high definition pictures: </strong>Sure the camera on your phone is OK, but if you want to take eye-popping photos like a pro, look into getting a HDR camera app for your iPhone. Most of them are free and take photos that rival even the HD cameras the pros use. It isn’t perfect, but for a phone, it is pretty fantastic!

<strong>• Scan documents on the go:</strong> If you are a small business owner, or a person who keeps track of receipts, Genius Scan turns your iPhone into a high quality scanner. Using your phone camera, you take a picture of the document you want to scan and it turns the image into a high quality PDF that you can then email or save to your computer via Dropbox. I use it to file invoices for my business and it helps make my life a bit easier.

<strong>• Balance your checkbook digitally:</strong> If you use your debit card more than you would like to admit, sometimes it may be hard to remember to balance your accounts on the go. With a Checkbook app, you can keep balanced on the go. You can also go a step further with Bill Tracker and Debt Beater app for all the help you need keeping your finances in order on the go.

<strong>• Find Recipes and help exercise: </strong>Food Network app, need I say more? Well, there are many apps for recipes and food preparation — search the app store for food and be amazed! Also, if you are a fitness nut, or just trying to lose weight from the holidays, there are many workout apps and fitness trackers that you can use to help get the body you have always wanted. My recommendation for a fitness app is Fitness Buddy.

Technology really is a wonderful thing. It helps us to be more productive and get things done faster. Today, your phone is not just a device for voice calls. Your phone is a multi-tool, capable of many different uses that you can use to your advantage. Whether you want to find where you need to go (Google Maps, yes, it doubles as a GPS), get work on documents on the go (documents-to-go) or just call a loved one, use your phone to your advantage. Make it work for you!

<strong><em>Do you have a question for the tech guy? Jerod Collins, owner of Digital Remedi, has the answer! Contact him at 843-441-6940 or visit www.digitalremedi.com.   </em></strong>
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