If you are an early adopter, you probably have a few old devices kicking around your home. You can give those old smartphones and tablets a new life and a new purpose with these great ideas.

Getting a new smartphone or tablet is always exciting, but if you are an early adopter you probably have a few older devices kicking around your home. Instead of just throwing them in a drawer and forgetting about them, why not recycle and reuse them? There are plenty of great uses for an old smartphone or tablet. Here are some tips to help you get started.

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#1. Wipe Your Device before Reusing or Recycling It

An old phone or tablet can be a treasure trove of information for an identity thief. No matter how you plan to use the device, always wipe it clean first. Performing a factory reset or using a wiping app is the best way to protect your old device if it does fall into the wrong hands.

#2. Turn Your Old Phone into a Dedicated Music Player for Your Car

If you do not want to have to plug your phone into the car stereo every time (or risk having it stolen), load your old device with your favorite music and mount it permanently. You can enjoy your favorite tunes while you drive while keeping your primary phone safe.

#3. Turn Your Old Smartphone or Tablet into an Alarm Clock

Most smartphones and tablets have an alarm clock app already built in. If not, they are easy enough to download and install. Just set the alarm, place the device by your bed and never miss an appointment again.

#4. Display Your Favorite Photos

There is no need to spend money on an expensive digital picture frame when you have an old tablet around. Just load up a digital slides how app like Dayframe or Picmatic and let your old device display all of your favorite pictures. Whether you mount your old tablet on the wall or display it on your desk, you will enjoy an ever-changing array of photographs.

#5. Keep an Eye on Your Home

If you want to keep an eye on the kids (or the dog) when you are away, you can turn your old tablet into a standalone surveillance camera. All you need is an app like Manything, Presence, Surveillance Pro or Salient Eye. From there you can turn your tablet into a motion-activated camera and use its on-board storage to record the action.

#6. Take Your Favorite Books with You

If you love to read on vacation but worry about losing your expensive tablet, load the Kindle app on to your old device and enjoy. You will not have to worry about losing a valuable device, and all your favorite books will be right at your fingertips.

#7. Give the Kids Their Own Device

Your kids have probably been bugging you fora tablet of their own, but devices made just for kids tend to have pretty skimpy specs and often poor quality as well. Why not give your kids your old tablet instead? They will get a full-featured tablet for fun and schoolwork, and your old tablet will get a great new home.