9 cool and useful things to do with your smartphone

They aren't called smartphones because they look snazzy - the latest handsets can do so much more than make calls and send texts. Packed full of cutting-edge technology and running the latest mobile operating systems, there are thousands of applications to perform all kinds of tasks. From controlling a home PC anywhere in the world to tracking down stolen phones, here are 9 of our favourite extra tools and features for a high-end mobile phone...

Standard feature of all smartphones now

GPS is a standard feature of all smartphones now. Combine your handset with a dashboard mount and car charger and you only need one device to do everything. Bad news for Garmin and TomTom but it saves us money, especially since navigation is often included for free.

Nokia owners get a good deal as the Nokia Maps application now offers full voice navigation for exactly £0 (it previously required a subscription), and many of the cheaper handsets – like the 5800 - include GPS, as well as newer phones like the N900. Android phones can use the Google Maps navigation feature, which has just recently been enabled for the UK. This works quite well for a freebie but a big downside is that it requires a data connection, so using it abroad is out of the question. For the iPhone there's Skrobbler a decent free sat nav that allows you to download the maps so you don't have to rely on a data link.

Fully featured sat nav tool

If you want a fully featured sat nav tool and don't mind paying then Navigon MobileNavigator is available for both iPhone and Android, as well as Symbian and Windows Mobile.

We recently had a question on the forum about using a phone to display PowerPoint presentations through a projector instead of hauling around a laptop. This is a great idea and it's not restricted to slides showing projected profit and loss.

The iPhone will do it

Lots of phones have TV output – the iPhone will do it, most newer Nokia phones can, so too can some Android handsets, such as the new Samsung Galaxy S. Load the phone up with movies or TV shows, hook it up to the TV, and you've got a pocket-size video player. Sometimes you may need to buy an additional cable, though Nokia handsets and other phones do include them in the box.

When you find something you fancy in a shop just whip out your phone and use the excellent ShopSavvy to scan the barcode and compare the best online prices. This is a must-have for bargain hunters and it's available for iPhone, Android and Nokia.

When it comes to showing off the capabilities of your fancy new phone you can't do much better than Layar. This futuristic tool overlays an augmented view of the world on your phone's camera display, showing nearby restaurants, shops, attractions and other notable locations. As well as looking really cool it's also handy for finding places in a new town. Layar works best on more powerful handsets like the HTC Desire (it's also available on the iPhone of course).

Phone is a hassle

Losing a phone is a hassle, even more so when it's a pricey smartphone, so it's handy there are a couple of solutions that can help you retrieve your wayward handset. Apple offers its own MobileMe service which includes the ability to track a lost phone by GPS position (as well as syncing contacts, files and photos).

A similar program for Android is WaveSecure, a powerful tool that can not only track but remotely wipe phones with a text message, removing worries about pictures and text messages falling into the wrong hands. This is particularly good for businesses worried about employees exposing sensitive data.

Skype and other VOIP services now run on mobile phones which – if you have a data allowance on your contract – means free calls worldwide. And even if you want to call a normal phone line abroad, it's probably cheaper to do it through Skype.

Skype is available on many platforms including the iPhone and Nokia Symbian handsets. Even if you can't find an official Skype application you'll almost certainly be able to use a program like the excellent Fring that supports Skype and other services including Google Talk and MSN.

Only thing to watch out for is that your network does not have restrictions on using VOIP services. Some do, so check before you use it or you'll risk incurring extra charges. Even if this is the case you can still use your mobile as a Skype phone when you're on a Wi-Fi connection, which is useful all by itself.

Popular tool for remotely controlling computers

VNC is a popular tool for remotely controlling computers. The desktop version has been miniaturised to work with mobile phones (Android version here, iPhone here) so you can log on wherever you've got a Wi-Fi or 3G link to control your PC like you were sat in front of it. The mini screen of a phone is suprisingly usable, and it's great for setting up downloads, accessing PC applications and remotely shutting down your system, among many other things.

Subsonic is one of the coolest apps you can get for your smartphone. It lets you listen to your music collection wherever you have a data connection by streaming it from your home PC. Install the desktop tool on your Mac or PC then grab the Subsonic app for iPhone or Android. It's really simple to setup and will quickly become absolutely indespensible for music fans. The only problem is having a constant data link hammers the phone battery.

Many of the apps listed above have competing alternatives (Google Shopper does the same thing as ShopSavvy, for example) so even if your handset isn't supported it's worth checking out the application market for your platform or googling the phone model to find a similar tool.