Run a Web Server:
Android is a form of Linux, so it should be no surprise that any modern Android device can run a full-fledged Web server complete with a mySQL database, PHP support and FTP for file transfers. You can even make the server available on the Internet and use it with a domain of your choice.
Developers can use an Android Web server to test out their code and then show it to clients or stakeholders in the office. Users who want to run a small blog or share files with co-workers via FTP can have a server sittingin their living rooms or even in their pockets. If you use a $45 Android Mini PC like the MK808B instead of a phone, you can run a server the size of a flash drive that gets all of its power over USB.
Program an Android App:
If you want to write an iPhone app, you'll be doing all your coding on a Mac. If you want to code for Windows Phoneor BlackBerry, you'll be writing those applications on your desktopor laptop also. However, with Android, you can actually write, compile and test an app directly on your device.
Granted, most programmers will want to do their work on a PC, but if you want to tap out some code on the phone itself, a free app called AIDE provides a complete end-to-end solution. You can also write HTML, PHP, Javascriptand other Web code using DroidEdit.
Pedometer apps such as Accupedo use your phone's accelerometer to determine when you've taken a step and then store that data, along with information you've entered about your weight and height, to determine how many calories you've burned.
Granted, most programmers will want to do their work on a PC, but if you want to tap out some code on the phone itself, a free app called AIDE provides a complete end-to-end solution. You can also write HTML, PHP, Javascriptand other Web code using DroidEdit.
Remote Access:
Want to see and access the content and apps on your phone from your PC? With a remote access app installed, you can control your phone from a Web browser on your desktop. You can also use such as remote desktop apps such as 2X or Splashtop 2 Remote Desktop to control your PC from your phone.Serve As a Pedometer:
Earlier this year, I was impressed when I saw that Samsung's Galaxy S4 came with an app that measures how many steps you've walked each day. However, there's no special hardwareinside the GS4 and, as it turns out, you can use any Android phone as a pedometer.Pedometer apps such as Accupedo use your phone's accelerometer to determine when you've taken a step and then store that data, along with information you've entered about your weight and height, to determine how many calories you've burned.
Security Camera:
You're finally eligible for a phone upgrade, but now that you've gotten that shiny new quad-core super phone, what do you do with your 2011-era handset? You could leave it in a drawer gathering dust, pass it off to your mom or sell it. But if that device runs Android, you could also turn it into a security camera you can use to monitor the nanny or keep an eye on the cats while you're away from home. You can access the feed over the Internet, right from your new phone.Connect to a USB Flash Drive:
Every Android phone has a microUSB port that you can use for charging or copying files to and from your PC. However, most users don't know that, using a simple USB OTG (“on the go”) adapter cable, a free app and root-level access to the operating system, you can attach can transfer files directly from a USB flash drive or hard drive. You can even attach an SD Card reader and use that to grab photos from your camera and automatically upload them to the cloud. No PC required.