Old Phone, New Tricks

Almost every home has one, a junk drawer full of tangled cables and old devices. Most people figure those old phones and tablets are worth nothing. Tech reporter Jamey Tucker says they still have value if you think differently. An old smartphone that still turns on, even one that is seven or eight years old, can get a whole new job.

Loaded with music, it becomes a gym music player with no calls or notifications to interrupt you. On Wi-Fi, it can be an alarm clock for your nightstand or a backup TV remote that never gets lost in the couch. Even a phone with no cell plan can still call 911, so it can be a simple safety device for a young kid at home. Tucker's own cracked, bent tablet, which a repair shop said could not be fixed, now sits on his desk as a small TV. "These old devices may not be worth anything," he says, "but they're not worthless."

Your Task: Imagine you are a designer whose job is giving old devices new jobs, so the devices people use every day are free for everything else.

1. Too Many Jobs
Think of a moment in your day when one device has to do too much, or when you keep switching between devices. Maybe your phone is your alarm, your TV remote, and your music, or you watch a show on your phone while working on a laptop. Describe that moment for you or someone in your family, and what makes it a hassle. (2 sentences.)

2. Hand It Off
Pick one of those jobs and give it to an old backup device for good. Describe where it lives and how it is set up so anyone can grab it and use it in seconds. Then say how you would decorate or label it so everyone knows its one job. Finish by explaining why this works better than the old way. (5 sentences.)

3. What Could Go Wrong
Name one thing that could make your idea fail, like a dead battery or a little sibling taking it, and how you would fix it. (1 to 2 sentences.)

Want to win up to $5,000? Check out the current KnoPro Challenge: Second Life, Smarter Tech. It runs from Nov. 2nd through Nov. 6th.