Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
How To: Play Stadia Games on Any Android Phone
Stadia is a lot like an Xbox or PS4, except there's no console — the games just stream from Google's servers to your phone, computer, or TV. But Stadia is limited to Pixel phones for right now, and when Google does expand support, it will still only be for select phones. Thankfully, there's a workaround for that if you're rooted.
Market Reality: AR Leaders Predict 2020, Nreal Fights Back, Elon Musk's Vision in AR, & Magic Leap's Boosters
As the year comes to a close, we've invited some of the leaders of the AR industry to take the time to look back at the progress the AR industry has made while looking forward to what's ahead in 2020. A report on the top apps of 2019 — and the decade — also offers some insights on the progress and direction of mobile AR.
News: 8th Wall's Web AR Brings Album Art of Pink Floyd to Life
What better band than Pink Floyd, the pioneers of psychedelic and progressive rock, to show the music industry how to reinvent album art for the augmented reality age?
Vision Forecast 2020: AR Execs Weigh in on Recent Industry Milestones & What We Can Expect in the Coming Year
The year 2019 was filled with all the normal peaks and valleys of the tech business cycle, but this year was particularly important in a space as relatively young as the augmented reality industry.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13.3.1 Public Beta 1 for iPhone
Yesterday, Dec. 17, Apple released the first developer beta for iOS 13.3.1. The update marked the first new beta in almost a month since iOS 13.3's fourth beta dropped on Nov. 20. Now, one day later, Apple has pushed out iOS 13.3.1 public beta 1 to everyone who wants to try out new features first.
News: Augmented Reality Apps Account for Over Half of the Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps of 2019, Report Says
If there's any lingering uncertainty as to the mainstream viability of augmented reality, a list of the top mobile apps and games of 2019 serves to dispell those doubts.
News: 8th Wall, Amazon Sumerian & Trigger Team Up to Deliver Web AR Promotion for 'Jumanji' Movie Sequel
Augmented reality already seemed like the ideal technology to advertise for a movie based on the premise of being sucked into a video game world the first time around. For the sequel, how about two times the immersion?
How To: Google Photos Has an I'm Feeling Lucky Button & It Totally Rocks
Smartphones have made us all photographers in a sense, and with the sheer amount of pictures we take, it's become too easy for memorable moments to be overlooked. Thankfully, a feature in Google Photos makes it easy to revisit forgotten images and recordings.
How To: 7 Tips to Help You Take Better Workout Photos at the Gym
Chance are, you or someone you know is that person in the gym: flexing in front of a mirror, posing for the perfect photos to show off your workout results. But finding the right picture is hard. The thing is, it doesn't need to be.
News: HyperloopTT Uses Magic Leap to Show How Elon Musk's Futuristic Vision of Transport Will Work in the US
While Elon Musk is in Los Angeles showing off the future of personal transport via the Cybertruck, another, unaffiliated group is taking one of his most popular ideas to market, with augmented reality as a key part of the plan.
News: Niantic Bringing Buddy Interactions to AR+ Mode in Pokémon GO, Shared Experiences with Other Trainers to Follow
It looks like Pokémon GO players may get a surprise gift from the game's developer, Niantic, this holiday season.
News: Apple Releases iOS 13.3.1 Developer Beta 1 for iPhone
We spent four beta updates with iOS 13.3. In that time, we saw fun new features like Communications Limits in Screen Time, an off switch for Memoji stickers in the Emoji keyboard, and new mouse options, among other things. Once Apple made 13.3 available to the public, it was only a matter of time before it began beta testing new software. That software is iOS 13.3.1, and that testing starts today.
Exclusive: Nreal Fires Back at Magic Leap with Motion to Dismiss Trade Secrets Lawsuit
In a stunning end-of-year twist to the Magic Leap versus Nreal legal saga, the China-based startup is now filing a motion against Magic Leap.
News: AirPods Too Expensive? Here Are 6 True Wireless Earbuds That Are Just as Good for Working Out
Despite their awkward appearance, Apple's AirPods have become the earbuds of choice for working out, largely thanks to quality audio without any wires to tangle. However, at $159 to start, they aren't exactly for everyone.
News: Snapchat Launches Trailer Reaction AR Lens for Tom Cruise Movie 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Usually, flying into unknown territory would mean riding into the "danger zone", but Paramount and Snapchat are taking the trip anyway with one of Summer 2020's most anticipated movie sequels.
News: 3 Child-Proofing Products That Aren't Total Garbage
I'm a new parent and I just moved into a new home. The first thing I wanted to do was ensure my toddler's safety in his new digs. That meant buying a bunch of baby-proofing products from Amazon, realizing most were junk, then buying some more until I found solutions for all my needs.
News: Dior Returns to Instagram AR with Virtual Makeup Effect to Promote Holiday Collection
The cosmetics brands are among the earliest adopters of augmented reality, using virtual try-on tools to preview shades of makeup before buying.
How To: Take Slo-Mo Selfies (AKA 'Slofies') on iPhone 11, 11 Pro & 11 Pro Max
Will the name "slofie" ever catch on? Probably not. But that won't stop the feature from being a hit. Slo-mo selfies aren't new in the smartphone world, but they are new to iPhone, arriving for the first time on iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. Here's what you need to know before you start shooting your first slofie.
How To: Back Up Your iPhone with Finder on MacOS
Apple said goodbye to iTunes with the release of macOS Catalina, breaking up music, videos, and podcasts into their own respective apps, Music, TV, and Podcasts. But without iTunes, what app's in charge of interfacing with your iPhone? That would be Finder, and you use it to sync your iPhone, as well as back it up and archive backups for emergency restores.
Market Reality: Google Updates ARCore & Cuts Glass, Star Wars AR in Japan, & Hands-On Magic Leap for Fashion & Voice
After facing reports of financial troubles over the past month, Magic Leap came out swinging this week with a big push for the enterprise segment of AR, including a repackaged Magic Leap 1, a suite of enterprise apps, and updates to Lumin OS and its supporting development ecosystem. Oh, and its AR headset managed to win a starring role in the marketing juggernaut for the forthcoming Star Wars movie.
Gift Guide: Must-Have Phone Accessories for Privacy & Security
In a time where we're more connected than ever, privacy and security have never been more important. Maybe you're not concerned, but I'm sure there's someone in your life who is, and shopping for them can be daunting. However, with these gifts, you can provide them the tools they need to enhance their protection.
Hands-On: Launching Space Rockets in New York's Central Park via Magic Leap's Boosters App
We're a few weeks away from the fireworks associated with New Year's celebrations, but that doesn't mean you can't start a little early — in augmented reality.
News: Snap Brings Custom Materials & 3D Face Mesh to Lens Studio
Snapchat parent company Snap credits its popular augmented reality experiences and its flourishing Lens Studio creator community to its user growth throughout the year.
Hands-On: This Is How Magic Leap's Voice Control Works via the New Lumin OS Update
This week's Magic Leap Lumin OS update contained a number of goodies, including iris authentication, and a way to stream to Twitch from the device.
News: Facebook Messenger Blasts Out Trio of Star Wars AR Effects for 'Rise of Skywalker'
While "Baby Yoda" from The Mandalorian threatens to overshadow it, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters next week, which means it's time for Disney and Lucasfilm to ramp up its promotional strategy.
News: AR Telepresence App Spatial Debuts on Magic Leap via Enterprise Suite
After stealing the show at the HoloLens 2 launch and starring in Qualcomm's unveiling the Snapdragon XR2, holographic video conferencing app Spatial has landed a leading role in Magic Leap's second act with the enterprise segment.
News: Magic Leap Used to Bring AR to H&M & Star Wars Fashion Collaboration in Tokyo Developed by Warpin Media
There may be questions from some about the future of Magic Leap, but in Japan, The Force is with the augmented reality startup.
How To: Tweet Live Photos by Converting Them to GIFs in Twitter
While Apple's Live Photos feature was introduced back on the iPhone 6S, the rest of the world hasn't entirely caught up. Many apps don't accept the feature, making it difficult to share your fun memories with friends, family, or followers. You can strike Twitter off that list, though, as the app now completely supports Live Photo sharing.
How To: Why Apple's HomeKit Secure Video Is a Big Deal for Privacy
In iOS 13, Apple added an important new feature to its HomeKit smart home ecosystem called HomeKit Secure Video. With it, you have a secure, private way to store and access recordings from your smart home IoT cameras.
News: Bosch Designs Easy to Deploy Optical System for Smartglasses Makers
With big-name tech companies like Apple and Facebook gearing up to push out their own smartglasses in the coming years, engineering conglomerate Bosch has been working on the optical components that could help the competition catch up.
News: Chinese Smartphone Maker Oppo Previews AR Glasses & Futuristic Hardware Concepts
China-based smartphone maker Oppo is ready to put Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chips in its latest round of smartphones, but, like Qualcomm, Oppo is also preparing to move on to augmented reality wearables.
News: Facebook Adds New Story Time Content to Portal, New AR Features to Portal TV
Friends and family receiving new Portal devices for Christmas will have some extra stocking stuffers in the form of new AR features.
News: Magic Leap Repackages Developer Tools as The Lab, Publishes Updates to Lumin SDK & Lumin OS, & Previews Magicverse SDK
Along with rebranding Magic Leap 1 for enterprise customers, Magic Leap has gifted its developer community with some new toys with a tease of more to come in 2020.
Hands-On: Magic Leap App Obsess Lets You Create a Fashion Store Pop-Up Nearly Anywhere
The newly enhanced focus from Magic Leap on enterprise, announced on Tuesday, also came with a few companies opting to weigh in with their experiences developing for the platform.
News: Magic Leap Pivots to Enterprise, Announces New Business-Focused Services, Slightly Modified Name
As we predicted this time last year, Magic Leap is finally moving from consumer entertainment hype to making a firm commitment to enterprise customers.
News: Apple's iOS 13.3 Released for iPhone, Includes Off Switch for Memoji Stickers, New Mouse Options & More
Apple seeded the official version of iOS 13 to compatible iPhones on Sept. 19. Since then, we've seen two major updates — iOS 13.1, which, by our count, introduced 22 new features, and iOS 13.2, which also added 22 new features. Today, Dec. 10, Apple introduced the third major update: iOS 13.3.
News: New iOS 13.3 Features & Changes You Don't Want to Miss
It wasn't long ago Apple released iOS 13.2 to the masses. The second major update to iOS 13 included 22 new features and changes that added a significant layer of depth to an already feature-filled experience. Apple isn't ready to stop the fun, however, as iOS 13.3, released Dec. 10, has a decent amount of new features too.
How To: Personalize Edison Mail's Assistant to Make It Work for You
One of our favorite email apps, Edison Mail, just got even better. In versions 1.17.0 (iOS) and 1.12.0 (Android), the app introduced a new Assistant, a powerful tool that makes organizing travel, packages, entertainment, bills, calendar, and more a breeze over email. The best part? You can customize it to your liking, so the Assistant works precisely as you need it to.
How To: Cut Down on Email Spam with Edison Mail's Unsubscribe Assistant
Edison Mail's big 1.17.0 (iOS) and 1.12.0 (Android) updates introduce a new, powerful Assistant to the mix. Aside from the fresh calendar integration and extensive customizability, you'll probably be most interested in the Assistant's unsubscribe feature. It helps to locate and cut down on your inbox's ever-growing jungle of spam. Here's how it works.
News: North Focals 2.0 to Arrive in 2020, First Generation Sales Halted
While Apple, Facebook, and Snapchat are still working on their first-generation AR wearables, startup North is already preparing to bring its second-generation smartglasses to the world in 2020.