wi fi - Reusing old Android phone?

I was curious if there is anyway to reuse an old Android phone? I have a Motorola Droid 1 that has been sitting around since I got my HTC Thunderbolt. Is there a way to use the phone as a "PDA" with the cell radio disabled? I got family member that would find it neat.

Answer

You can still use all the functions of the phone (except carrier based calling of course) without a carrier contract. However, the cell radio will eat up battery hugely! To turn off the radio, dial *#*#4636#*#*, scroll down and click the "Turn off radio" button. Bluetooth and WiFi will still function normally.

If your phone is rooted you can actually turn the radio off by setting a script to run that will automatically turn off the radio at boot time:

• Create a script as a text file at the root of your SD card containing this text:

    #!/system/bin/sh

    #!/system/bin/radiooptions

    radiooptions 1

• Install Script Manager app.


• Open Script Manager and then select the script you created.


• Check the "Run as root" option and the "Run at boot" checkboxes.


• Click the "Save" button, and then click "Run" to test.

I do exactly this with my old og Droid myself and use it as a dashboard cam when I'm driving to record in case I'm in an accident.