That's true for MP3 players and digital cameras, maybe. But smartphones? They're another story. A smartphone sitting in a drawer is a waste of pocket power. In fact, whether you have an old BlackBerry Pearl, a Palm Centro, a T-Mobile G1, or even a first-gen iPhone, you have plenty of ways to put an aged handset to good use. After all, you paid good money for that once-sexy communicator, so why not get some extra bang for your buck?

Below I've rounded up seven fun and practical ways to resurrect an old smartphone (as well as an eighth option). Not every suggestion listed here will work with every phone, but I guarantee that you'll get at least a little more mileage from your moldy mobile.

Keep an emergency phone handy: According to FCC rules, a deactivated smartphone (or, for that matter, any cell phone) still should be capable of making one kind of phone call: 911. So why not stick your old phone in, say, your glove compartment or office desk for use in case of emergency? After all, you never know when you might lose or break your primary phone. (I know: right when you plow your car into a snowbank.) Just make sure to have some kind of power supply available, whether it's an AC adapter, a car charger, or an external backup battery. Also, a deactivated phone can't transmit its location to an operator, so try not to get lost in the woods.

Source: PCWorld