Top 5 Tips for Using an Inexpensive Smartphone in a Car

Choose your mount wisely
Remember the main thing – the longer the attachment foot, the more the smartphone will vibrate while the vehicle is moving. This is important to remember if you plan to use your phone as a registrar. In the case of a long and insufficiently rigid mounting leg, the image taken on the smartphone will “twitch”.
So an unsuccessful holder is a sure guarantee that instead of a clear video you will receive a constantly shaking and blurred picture. In addition, the vibrating body will constantly knock down the focus of the camera, which will also contribute to the recording of “blurry” frames.
Most useful applications
There is a great variety of mobile programs that turn a smartphone into an extremely useful motorist assistant. You probably already know many of them, the same Yandex.Maps use almost every other driver. We will take a closer look at several types of programs that you might have missed or did not give them the proper meaning.
TYPE: TURNING THE SMARTPHONE INTO A VIDEO RECORDER
Popular programs: DailyRoads Voyager, Roadly radar detector and recorder, AutoBoy Car DVR.
The bottom line: the smartphone has a camera, GPS, an accelerometer – the characteristics of the recorder are no less than 3,000 rubles. A specialized application will allow you to conduct a cyclical survey, limit the space for storing records, create protected videos on the G-sensor and much more. Especially note that sometimes in smartphones when recording video at night with a standard Android application, the frame rate drops to 5-10 instead of the normal 30. That is, the device becomes unsuitable for road shooting. As a rule, utilities like Daily Voyager cope with this problem and allow you to maintain a normal recording at a frequency of at least 30 frames per second.
TYPE: AIDS
Popular programs: MapcamDroid Antiradar, Strelka Antiradar.
Essence: a warning about the speed control cameras on the database with the coordinates of the location of the complexes. Any smartphone has a GPS. This means that the application easily tracks the approach of the car to the radar and warns in advance of the “danger” ahead.
The relevance of speed skates is especially high due to the fact that mobile installations have practically ceased to use mobile installations within the city limits – there are only stationary speed and crime control systems (for example, going to a dedicated lane for public transport). So, by and large there is no point in radar detectors or hybrids capable of capturing a real radar signal. Including on the track.
Any device still is still not capable of notifying about laser complexes. The modern short-pulse models of the OSKON or SCAT type at a distance of more than 500-700 meters catch radar detectors and hybrids. Often, detection is useless, because often enterprising radar operators build 5-6 installations with an interval of up to 600 meters. Here it is easier not to break the speed than to listen to the endless squeak of a radar detector.
Note that when using speed-programs, the support in the smartphone not only GPS, but also GLONASS, is extremely welcomed. With the simultaneous use of two navigation systems, the stability of signal reception and the probability of confident communication in difficult conditions increase significantly. For example, when traveling in a tunnel, under a bridge, in blocks with dense high-rise buildings. With a single GPS (that is, when GLONASS is not supported), the smartphone may not accurately determine the coordinates of the car or even stop navigation. The bottom line is the risk of missing a camera and getting a fine.
TYPE: CAR DIAGNOSTICS
Popular software: Car Scanner ELM OBD2, Torque Lite (OBD2 & Car), inCarDoc | ELM327 OBD2.
The bottom line: you can buy OBD2-adapter with Bluetooth. The accessory will transmit to the smartphone all the information about the condition of the vehicle components, and the special application will decrypt and present it in an understandable and accessible form. This is useful even for drivers who are far from auto repair, as it allows you to quickly find out about the problem, understand its source and prevent aggravation. And even more so a bunch of Bluetooth-adapter and smartphone – “mast hev” for garage masters, as it allows you to do without buying professional diagnostic equipment for hundreds of thousands.
TYPE: ASSISTANT IN SEARCHING A PARKING CAR
Popular programs: “Where is my car”, “Find my car”, “Find a parked car”.
The bottom line: huge parking lots in front of supermarkets have long become commonplace for Russia. However, after a long and tedious search, it is far from always going to remember where you left the car. Either you remember only approximately and for a long time looking for your swallow among hundreds of cars. The assistant program using GPS and / or GLONASS identifies and remembers parking places.