Samsung's New Upcycling Program Gives New Life to Old Phones

Samsung today launched a beta version of Galaxy Upcycling at Home, software that enables people to put old Galaxy phones to use as smart-home devices. Samsung's Upcycling program is an environmental one. "By offering consumers a way to upcycle their products with new features and alternative purposes, Samsung is helping to extend the lifecycle of its products while diverting its users from contributing to global e-waste." Two modes are available at launch: a Light Sensor and a smart Sound Sensor. The Light Sensor uses the phone's ambient light sensor to automatically turn on lights when the ambient light level goes below an adjustable threshold. The Sound Sensor is more sophisticated, using machine learning to detect specific sounds such as a baby crying, dog barking, cat meowing, or a knock. When selected sounds are detected, the user receives an alert on their primary phone, and can optionally listen to a recording of the sound. These features are available starting today through SmartThings Labs, a feature within Samsung's SmartThings app.
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