101 uses for an abandoned Windows Mobile Device:

[Noshaba Khatoon]

You can already... Nothings special with any dock, wether Microsoft continuum dock or Samsung dex

 

[sweatshopking]

As phones, since they didn't suddenly stop doing all the stuff they did when we bought them.

 

[MichaelBanning]

I'm picking them up and looking into the unlit screens, looking back angrily at my reflection for spending so many years buying/using/believing in Windows Phone in large part because this site apparently worked as MS's PR firm, writing propaganda like a 6-part series last year as to why Windows Phone ISN'T dead.

https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-isnt-dead-part-vi-app-gap

Also, I like how Belfiore insinuated WP's failure was because of apps. Sure that was part of it, but do you think MAYBE it was also stuff like going from an A+ syncing experience w Zune to an awful 'WP Desktop app' that worked like a 6th grader made it. It stuff like how my 1520 *STILL* pauses songs when I lock the phone? You put Cortana into a phone. Congrats. How about making a phone that can receive a text message while playing a song without almost freezing the phone itself?

 

[bokchoy1]

Still rocking my Lumia 830 after 3 years! Love the thing despite its flaws.

The battery's degrading but other than that, the hardware's going strong.

The occasional missing app bothers me, and I know the others may stop working one day. What I really want is a decent web browser.

 

[EspHack]

I just bought a 950 lol

 

[Scott McBurney]

What am I doing with my Lumia 950? Using it every day. I have no inclination to switch to android or iOs at this point, as my 950 works perfectly and does everything I need it to do.

That being said, in the kitchen cabinet at home I do have a pair of Lumia 920s (both running the last Win10 build that was available for them) and a Lumia 900. I use them occasionally as music players connected to good speakers if I'm hosting a party. And its always good to have a spare in case of emergency.

 

[tale 85]

The app "Stopping Bullets" will no longer be available in the "Microsoft Store" as of Jan 01 2018. Microsoft suggests using the iOS app instead

 

[Fatfox G]

Well my Lumia 650 is currently my secondary device which I'm using it as my "Media" device - Groove Music and social networking.
And my daily driver is iPhone (pretty obvious, isn't it?) which is fueled by Microsoft apps and services

 

[froi francisco]

What can you do with your MS abandoned 950xl or other W10M device?

1. Spoonrest
2. Door Stopper
3. Projector Leveler
4. Drink Coaster

What other ways can we use these bricks?

 

[froi francisco]

What can you do with your MS abandoned 950xl or other W10M device?

1. Spoonrest
2. Door Stopper
3. Projector Leveler
4. Drink Coaster

What other ways can we use these bricks?

Still my current phone. sadly

 

[LincolnAllenKEYone]

I dont have one but I would use it to weigh down stack of paper on my desk but then again the phones were never that heavy.

 

[monedetoune]

burst my gadget budget this year building a skylake x gaming rig / graphics pc + surface pro. gonna keep my lumia 950 until it physically stop working

 

[Scott Thompson8]

I have a drawer full, but just traded my 950 which I was still paying for into an S8.. no regrets

 

[ThaKrazyOne]

Right now I still have my AT&T 950 and my daughter still has her unlocked 950DS. My wife had no choice but to leave her 950 and go to iOS for work purposes. I still have a Lumia 830 as a backup if needed. I had 2 640's, a 640XL and a 520. Gave them to my parents to take to Mexico. Surprisingly they were able to sell them and use the money to get my dad's teeth work done. My daughter already wants to move to iOS. I know I will eventually but I am holding onto my 950 until tax time at least.

 

[fdruid]

What can you do with your MS abandoned 950xl or other W10M device?

1. Spoonrest
2. Door Stopper
3. Projector Leveler
4. Drink Coaster

What other ways can we use these bricks?

I use my 950 XL every day, it's a great phone with an amazing camera and a solid OS. It does everything I want from a smartphone. So I'm not planning on stopping using it anytime soon.

And if it were to die, I'd buy a newer Windows 10 Mobile phone, like the HP Elite x3 or the one from Alcatel.

 

[meir602]

I swapped by hp x3 for a samsung s8+ at the microsoft store (they are the best) when the usb port failed.

I donated by 950xl to a local high school they use it as a student wifi-camera.

my 1520 (favorite phone ever) sits on my desk as a painful reminder of what could have been. I power it up every once and a while just to remember how good it was.

 

[ScubaDog]

My Lumia 1020 is still my daily driver (because WP8.1 is far better than W10M and the device looks much better) and I keep a 950 up to date. Eventually, my 1020 will stop working, so I'll fall back on the 950.

 

[sfbest23]

I still use my Alactel OneTouch Fierce XL as a tablet around the house. My current daily driver is a Nextbit Robin with Lineage OS and the Google apps replaced with those from Microsoft.

 

[Wevenhuis]

Almost all smartphones these days have become the technological swiss army knife. I still use my 1520 and 950xl as my daily drivers.

If I were to upgrade and still want to use these devices there are quite a few things I would and could do.

1. Use this device as my holiday device. Both phones are quite high end in their own right. A new smartphone device will likely be an expensive purchase, so not someting I would likely want to use. By using my lumia as surrogate holiday phone I would be less worried if my phone was lost or stolen.

2. Use it as my go to car or bike navigation device. Windows map navigation is still a good everyday navigation device for day to use with the car or public transport. I use it everyday. I don't have built in navigation in my car, so this could be a good replacement, and it can do more, such as my music player in the car. I do it even today. And the use of live tiles is good. You can pin many albums and routes to your start menu. One press on the button and the music and navigation starts instantly. No need to enter navigation data. Great for navigation on the go and less accident prone by being less distracted to the screen. Also the phones have good and powerful flashlights. good in an emergency.

-use my phones for timelapse photography. The sensors of both phones are good for this. Just put it on a tripod, grab a coffee and come back a while later.

-Use the phones for multi-angle filmography shots.

-use the device as your new document scanner. combined with lens, a modern phone device is amazing. 20 mpix also gives a high resolution copy.

- If there was a developer that could develop an app to connect two lumia devices, I was thinking of building a backup camera using two lumia devices. One would record and send the images, the other would receiver and display the images.

- If there was a developer who could make an app where I could use bluetooth or wifi for short range walkie-talkie communication without having to use a 3G signal.

-I could use my phone as a mobile storage as a wifi hotspot for accessing files and streaming them from phone to phone.

-With a benchmarking app, I could use the phones in the winter as handwarmers.

-with continuum, I could use my phone as a low end pc for basic producivity.

Actually when I think of it, the phones are really amazing, despite the fact of reality of the progression of technology. the 1520 and 950XL as truly versatile devices and close to a pc in your pocket. Quite amazing, when I think what really matters in everyday life.

 

[Simon Jonny]

I repurposed my lg optimus 7 many years back in my old car as a basic GPS tracker using the find my phone service. Stripped the entire thing out of it's case down to bare board and with battery attached. I had the car crushed few years back.

I did the same with a lumia 610 and is currently fitted to my motorcycle.

I have a blu windows phone and a Lumia 920 here both are pretty useless now. Made the jump to Android and they're probably just going to collect dust in their boxes. I honestly don't see Microsoft even supporting the phone location service for much longer. So no use repurposing them.

It's a shame Microsoft hasn't put as much effort into creating an Android firmware for these phones, as they did making apps and siphoning off the Windows Mobile ecosystem and Lumia brand.