Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13 Public Beta 4 for iPhone
Apple just seeded the fourth public beta for iOS 13 to software testers today, Tuesday, July 30. AppleSeed participants saw this beta one day early, alongside the release of developer beta 5. Now, developer and public testers alike are up-to-speed with the latest in iOS 13.
News: US Navy Using Magic Leap AR Technology to Improve Warfare Training
In recent years, the US military has been utilizing augmented reality as a training tool, giving officers and soldiers an opportunity to train and hone their decision-making, tactical efforts, and weapons accuracy via virtual scenarios.
How To: Speech to Text Adding an 'Oh' Before Every Comma? Here's the Fix
Many users have reported Android's speech-to-text feature adding an 'Oh' before each comma. How annoying is that? Fortunately, Reddit user Jay-jay1 has found a solution to this pesky problem. This quick-fix should make your 'Oh' so annoying problem disappear.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 13 Developer Beta 5 for iPhone
Beta testing for Apple's big upcoming iPhone update, iOS 13, is well underway. So far, each of the four beta versions we've seen brought new features and changes to the table, many of which were never even mentioned by Apple during WWDC in June. Now, it's time to do it all over again, as Apple just released the fifth developer beta for iOS 13.
How To: 10 Must-Play Free Action Games for iPhone & Android
We've already shown you our favorite new action games that have come out this year, but now it's time to share our all-time top ten list. These games are available for both Android and iPhone, they don't have intrusive ads or freemium schemes, and most importantly, they're all completely free to play.
News: Adobe Previews Stationary Augmented Reality Display Called Project Glasswing
It appears that the Project Aero 3D content development tool isn't the only augmented reality project that Adobe has in the works.
Market Reality: Magic Leap One Tested as Office Companion, Nreal Releases SDK, & Apple Files for AR Navigation Patent
Now that we've had our hands on the Magic Leap One for almost a year and early adopter developers have had the opportunity to publish apps for the AR headset, it's time to see how it stands up against the rigors of a day at the office. We did just that, and we wrote about it!
How To: Check Any Game's FPS on Android
When you're gaming on your Android phone, does it sometimes feel "slow" and you can't figure out why? That means a drop in performance, which is when the frame rate dips, causing some noticeable stutters and lag. There's not really a way to know what's wrong unless you made the game yourself. But on the bright side, you can check any game's FPS with a simple tool.
News: AR Puzzle Game PuzzlAR Makes Jump from Smartphone to Magic Leap One
Augmented reality jigsaw puzzle game PuzzlAR: World Tour, formerly only available on mobile devices, has been given a major upgrade via a new version for the Magic Leap One.
How To: Make All Compatible Games Play in 90 Hz on Your OnePlus 7 Pro
One of the standout features of the OnePlus 7 Pro is the 90 Hz display. A higher refresh rate means smoother gameplay for all your favorite games, which is precisely what you'd want out of your gaming experience. However, not all games play nicely with these higher refresh rates — but luckily, there's a pretty simple fix.
Coming Soon: Choose Your Own AR Backdrops for Instagram Stories
Remember Photo Booth on Mac and iOS? It still exists, but there was a of time where everyone was using it. And why not? It was so cool to take photos with any background imaginable. Underwater? Check. On the moon? Of course. Now, Instagram wants to bring back the fun by introducing AR backgrounds for stories.
News: Magic Leap's New Overture App & Background Music Service Hope to Bring Music into Your AR Workspace
The mystery surrounding Overture, an app that showed up in the Magic Leap World app store along with the latest Lumin software release, has been cleared up.
News: Apple's Latest Patent Proposes Augmented Reality Navigation for Cars via Mobile Device
With Google taking on the sidewalks with augmented reality walking navigation for Google Maps, Apple has its sights set on the road.
How To: Make Text Bigger or Smaller in iOS 13's Safari — Without Affecting the Rest of the Webpage
Viewing and reading content on websites is inherently harder to do on an iPhone due to the relatively small display. Even if you have an iPhone XS Max or 11 Pro Max, you'll probably struggle sometimes to read through tiny text while browsing online. Thanks to a feature found within Safari's view menu in iOS 13, your eyes can rest a little easier.
News: I Spent a Full Day Working in the Magic Leap One & Discovered the AR Office of the Future
Why do you need augmented reality? Because enterprise, they say. And while that's certainly true for several disciplines, there's still that mainstream use case hanging out there waiting for users to discover beyond the realm of enterprise and gaming.
News: Occipital Updates Structure Sensor with Active IR Stereo Depth Sensing in Mark II Version
Years ago, in 2013, Occipital introduced its original Structure Sensor for iOS, a mobile 3D scanning device for measuring three-dimensional objects. Soon after, in an unrelated deal, Apple acquired PrimeSense, the company that made one of the components for Occipital's scanning device.
News: Magic Leap Expands Multiplayer Support & Adds Hand Mesh Tracking in Latest Lumin OS Update
While Magic Leap has remained mostly silent regarding its plans for its Magic Leap One successor, the software team continues to makes strides with improvements to the device's Lumin OS and SDK.
How To: Use Fnatic Mode to Power Up Your OnePlus 7 Pro Gaming Experience
The OnePlus 7 Pro is an outright beast. From the highly rated display with minimal bezels to the 90 Hz refresh rate, there's no denying this phone is great for gaming. Although not explicitly marketed as a gaming phone, it seems OnePlus unintentionally created one by cramming in great specs and game-friendly software features like Fnatic Mode.
How To: Add a Dock to Your iPhone's Lock Screen to Quickly Access Favorite Apps
Apart from the flashlight, camera, and apps you access via notifications, widgets, location-based alerts, and the Control Center, there's no way to open other apps straight from the lock screen that you use frequently. If you have a jailbroken device, however, you can remedy this and add the home screen's Dock to the lock screen to get into your go-to apps even quicker.
News: Magic Leap Reveals Peek at New 'Undersea' Augmented Reality Experience
The Association for Computing Machinery's annual Siggraph conference, taking place next week in Los Angeles, will bring researchers from around the to show off their latest innovations in imaging and display technology.
How To: Use Reminder's New Quick Toolbar in iOS 13 to Add Times, Locations, Flags & Images to Tasks
The updated Reminders app in iOS 13 makes productivity a little bit more seamless on the iPhone. The overhauled user interface makes it easier to find your reminders, the new Messages integration makes it simpler to remember to-dos regarding your contacts, and the new toolbar provides shortcuts to tasks that were once clunky and confusing.
ASUS ROG Phone II: The Gaming Phone for Everyone
Since the Razer Phone's announcement in 2017, we've seen a new subgroup of phones emerge. Gaming phones are now a thing, leading to companies like ASUS creating phones that are thoroughly optimized for the mobile gaming experience. And with their second iteration, they perfected it.
News: Apple Releases iOS 12.4 for iPhone with Migration Tool, Apple News+ Improvements & More
While the eyes and ears of the iPhone world are singularly fixated on iOS 13 and its suite of over 200 new features, Apple was actively piloting iOS 12.4 in tandem with the big iPhone update, in preparation for the release Apple Card. Today, Apple has finally seeded iOS 12.4 stable, 116 days after its first beta version, and there's still no concrete evidence that Apple Card itself will show its face.
News: Nreal Pushes On in Face of Magic Leap Lawsuit with SDK Launch for Nreal Light Smartglasses
In the midst of fending off legal challenges from Magic Leap and Epic Games, startup Nreal isn't retreating. Instead, the company is digging in its heels and pushing forward with its launch plan for its Nreal Light smartglasses.
Best Music Streaming Services: Spotify vs. Apple vs. Pandora vs. Tidal vs. Deezer vs. Amazon
Trying to figure out which music streaming service to subscribe to can be a difficult task when the playing field is so crowded. Each has its benefits, as well as downsides, so finding the right one for your needs and wants can take a lot of overwhelming research. But we've done all the research for you to help you find the best music subscription your money can buy.
Market Reality: Microsoft Debuts HoloLens 2 AR Clones, Samsung Posts Smartglasses Patent, & Intel Depth Cams Get Cheaper
The longer it takes Apple, Snapchat, Facebook, and other tech giants to build their own version of augmented reality headsets and smartglasses, the longer runway of practical experience Microsoft gains with the HoloLens and its sequel. The latest example: AR cloning.
News: Microsoft HoloLens 2 Video Transports Us to Tokyo & into Mind of Developer Dreaming of Augmented Reality Companions
When you're trying to pioneer a brand new category of technology, sometimes it's not enough to just have great tech. You also need to be able to tell a great story. You need to be able to capture the imagination.
News: The Smartphones of Austin's Underground Musicians
Smartphone technology has become as ubiquitous as automobiles. In Austin, Texas, a city that is widely known as the "Live Music Capital of the World," smartphones have been embraced by the music community not just as a way to document and promote, but to create music.
News: These Apollo 11 Augmented Reality Experiences from Google, USA Today, Time, & Smithsonian Will Fly You to the Moon
Unless you've been hiding under a (moon) rock for the past month, you already know that Saturday, July 20 is the 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing.
News: Google Arts & Culture Offers 'Pocket Gallery' Augmented Reality Museum Featuring Picasso, Van Gogh, & More
After debuting its virtual Pocket Gallery last year with the works of Johannes Vermeer, Google Arts & Culture has released a sequel that brings even more artists into your home via augmented reality.
How To: Stop Episodes Automatically in Apple Podcasts So You Don't Lose Your Place in the Show After Falling Asleep
Listening to your favorite podcast in bed can be a very relaxing way to unwind after a long, busy day. However, there's a good chance you'll fall asleep with the show still playing. That means episode after episode will play, causing you to forget where you left off. Even worse, a loud noise in an episode may jolt you awake during your night's rest. But you can prevent both issues if using Apple Podcasts.
News: Apple iOS 13 Public Beta 3 Available, Includes Updates to 3D Touch, Photos, Icons & More
The wait wasn't so long this time. Apple released public beta 3 for iOS 13 on Thursday, July 18, just one day after the release of developer beta 4. For context, Apple took five days to seed public beta 2 after releasing dev beta 3, so it's a pleasant surprise that the latest public beta dropped so soon.
How To: Stop Any Android App from Stealing Your Data
Many popular apps automatically share your personal data. While I have accepted a certain amount of data collection from Google, to know companies such as Facebook perform this without my consent bothers me. After some researching, I've found a great solution, and it doesn't require root.
News: Microsoft Uses HoloLens 2 to Demo Multi-Language Speaking Avatar That Looks Just Like You
It's always great to see a company pull off a bit of augmented reality magic, but what we see is not always what it's cracked up to be.
How To: Scan Documents Right to Your iPhone, iCloud, or Third-Party Services with the Files App in iOS 13
As part of the iOS 11 update, Apple added a document scanner function that creates high-quality digital copies of physical documents, but it was only available inside the Notes app. With iOS 13, Apple has built its scanner right into the Files app, enabling you to quickly create PDFs with your iPhone and do more with them.
How To: Top 5 New Free Puzzle Games for Android & iPhone in 2019
Though not as flashy as other mobile gaming genres like first-person shooters, puzzle games continue to glue players to their phones. Puzzlers are perfect companions while out and about or on a commute, and they're also a great way to stimulate your brain and hand-eye coordination in a fun, relaxing way.
News: Apple's iOS 13 Developer Beta 4 Available for iPhones with Small Changes to Home Screen, Icons, Photos & More
We're pumped for iOS 13 and all of the fresh features and changes that come with it. Developer beta 3 came with new features in the double digits, including AR eye contact in FaceTime and mouse cursor size customization. Developer beta 4, released today, has a few more additions and changes as well.
News: Vuzix Blade Augmented Reality Smartglasses Add Real-Time Language Translation via Zoi Meet App
Next to map data overlays, one of the most often discussed concepts for apps that could propel augmented reality smartglasses into the mainstream is a real-time language translation app.
News: Intel Makes Augmented Reality Production More Accessible with Affordable New RealSense Standalone Depth Camera
For developers and makers getting started with augmented reality, Intel is lowering the barrier to entry for its RealSense line of sensors.
How To: Enable Dark Mode in Magisk
With Android 10 "Q" right around the corner, now would be a great time to get accustomed to the new system-wide dark mode it's bringing with it. Dark themes not only allow for more comfortable viewing at night, but can also consume less battery at the same time. With a single button tap, you'll be able to enable this new dark theme for all compatible apps without having to jump through hoops.