Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: USA Today Scores Points with NHL Fans via Augmented Reality Profile of Capitals Star
If you've blocked out your calendar to watch the NHL All-Star Game this weekend, then you might be excited to know that USA Today has given its readers the opportunity to meet Washington Capital's John Carlson in augmented reality.
News: Apple Just Released the First Public Beta for iOS 12.2
Public beta testers are no longer stuck on iOS 12.1.3. Apple just released the first public beta for iOS 12.2 today, Jan. 28. The company released the first developer beta for the software Thursday, Jan. 24, which includes new features for HealthKit and News, as well as a slew of hints for upcoming developments.
News: Leap Motion Update Improves Design of Project North Star Augmented Reality Headset
In the current state of the augmented reality space, Leap Motion is the only well known name in DIY AR headset kits with its Project North Star design, which gives makers the blueprints to build their own headsets.
How To: View Call Screen Transcripts on Your Pixel
Call Screen is one of best features on Pixel phones. With one button, you can screen calls using Google Assistant and avoid pesky spam callers. However, after the call, there is seemingly no way to access the transcripts for future review. Fortunately, there is a way, but it is tucked away.
News: Adobe Boosts Its 3D Content Creation Capabilities with Allegorithmic Acquisition
Already a powerhouse for its graphic design tools, Adobe is making a run at the 3D content creation realm dominated by Unity and Epic Games by acquiring software maker Allegorithmic.
News: Apple Just Released the First iOS 12.2 Beta for iPhone to Developers
One day after the official release of iOS 12.1.3, Apple released the first beta for iOS 12.2 to developers. The software appears to be the first in some time to be a major update. Apple's last beta cycles included 12.1.2 and 12.1.3, incremental updates to iOS 12.1. Now, we've entered a new version of iOS 12 entirely, hopeful for new features.
How To: Use This Trick to Eavesdrop on Callers with Google's Call Screen Feature
One of the best features on Pixel phones is the new call screening. Any call received on your Pixel device can now be answered by your Google Assistant, allowing you avoid spam calls, wrong numbers, or even exes. But what many don't know is that you can listen to the caller during the screening process.
News: Smartglasses Startup North Begins Delivering First Focals Shipments, Announces Series of New Pop-Up Stores
Just over two months ago, smartglasses startup North opened the doors at its two brick-and-mortar retail locations in Toronto and New York and began accepting orders for Focals. On Thursday, the company announced that those initial customers can get ready to pick up their wearables, as the first shipments have now arrived in stores.
News: New Intel RealSense Camera Adds Inside-Out Tracking to AR/VR Headsets, Robots, & Drones
Intel's RealSense family of depth tracking cameras has a new addition with a different set of sensory capabilities.
News: Blippar Reborn as One of Britain's 'Brothers Bling' Buys Up Augmented Reality Assets for Relaunch
Augmented reality and computer vision company Blippar has a new lease on life, as previous investor Candy Ventures has completed a successful bid to acquire the assets of the beleaguered company.
News: Atheer's Enterprise AR Platform Goes to Work on iPhones & iPads as Remote Support Tool
Not all enterprise augmented reality tools require a high-end headset and heavy computing power. Sometimes, a smartphone can do the job just as well. Along those lines, software maker Atheer is now bringing its workforce AR platform to iPhones and iPads via a native app.
News: All There Is to Know About the Moto G7 Play
The newly-announced Moto G7 Play offers some of the same upgrades as its sibling, the Moto G7, but at a much lower price. The upgrades are pretty significant when compared to last year's Moto G6 Play, taking this phone from the "only if you're on a strict budget" category into a great value option.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.1.3 for iPhones, Fixes Messages Bug, CarPlay Connectivity & More
Just after a month of testing, iOS 12.1.3 has been released for iPhones. Like the previous iOS 12.1.2 update, there's not much to get excited about. There are no new features discovered yet, but there are a few fixes for issues with photos in Messages, imperfect pics when using the share sheet, and disconnecting CarPlay.
How To: Block Artists on Spotify (So You Never Have to Hear Their Music Again)
I love finding new artists on Spotify to listen to but hate when musicians I don't like keep popping up in recommended playlists and radio stations. For the longest time, there was nothing you could do about it, but now, Spotify lets you block specific bands and singers from ever playing again.
How To: Update Your OnePlus 6 or 6T Without Losing Root — No Computer Needed
One of the biggest downsides to rooting is that it can be a pain to update every month with each new security patch. With other phones, you might have had to fully unroot the device, maybe flash a stock recovery, or potentially even flash all the factory images to get a new update. Thankfully, OnePlus has made this process super simple for us modders.
Market Reality: Meta Comes Clean on Crash, Microsoft Prepares HoloLens 2, & Niantic Captures Another Funding Round
Despite its status as a hot commodity amongst emerging technologies, the augmented reality industry is not immune to the ebbs and flows that occur in every industry.
News: Lyft Looks to Augmented Reality to Improve the Passenger Pickup Process with New Patent Application
An augmented reality system developed by Lyft might make it less awkward for drivers to figure out who they are supposed to pick up.
News: Don't Get Your Hopes Up for a Notchless Pixel 4
Recently, buzz for the Google Pixel 4 has been rising thanks to a patent discovered by 91mobiles. This patent appears to show an almost bezel-less phone with a screen-to-body ratio we have only dreamt of, and no notch in sight. The problem is this isn't the Google Pixel 4. It's actually the Pixel 2 XL.
Exclusive: The Rise & Fall of Meta — Founder of AR Pioneer Reveals Inside Story That Led to Its Sale to New Owners
The rise and fall of Meta, the Silicon Valley-based augmented reality startup that looked to challenge the likes of Microsoft's HoloLens, and others, took just six years.
News: Former Google Augmented Reality Engineering Lead Takes Over Facebook's Portal Hardware Team
It looks like Facebook really likes Google's augmented reality leadership talent, as the social media giant has hired away another employee from the AR and VR team at Mountain View to lead its team for a product that brings Facebook's AR platform into homes.
How To: Change YouTube's Default Quality to Get High-Resolution Videos Every Time
The YouTube app will default to 480p playback when you first open a video. It's supposed to switch to your screen resolution a few seconds in, but this isn't always the case. The regular YouTube app doesn't let you change this behavior, but like most things with Android, there is still a way.
News: AR Cloud Startup Ubiquity6 Turns Up Volume on Audio AR Through Acquisition of Wavy
Among a crowded field of AR cloud companies aiming to power the future of augmented reality by creating a world of persistent holographic content that lives in a cloud, accessible across devices and accounts, Ubiquity6 is hoping it has found a way to differentiate its platform.
News: Microsoft Mobile World Congress Invite Hints at HoloLens 2 Release
The mystery surrounding the release of the next version of the HoloLens has been swirling for months, but at least some of that mystery may removed in the coming weeks.
News: Pokémon GO Developer Niantic Scores $245 Million in Funding to Fast-Track Real World Platform
With Pokémon GO as its cash cow and the forthcoming Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Niantic Real World Platform promising future revenue streams, Niantic has convinced investors to bet on its flavor of augmented reality
News: Snap CFO Resigns After Just Seven Months on the Job
In the business world, it's sometimes said that "where there's smoke, there's fire." At Snapchat parent company Snap, Inc., it appears the equivalent of smoke is executive turnover.
News: Instagram Goes Retro with Augmented Reality Tribute to Classic Windows Desktop
Just because augmented reality is the technology of the future doesn't mean it can't reach into the past of computing.
News: Arvizio Cross-Platform AR Tool Lets HoloLens & Magic Leap One Users View 3D Models Together
We are in the midst of a mini-boom for communications tools designed for augmented reality headsets, with the introduction of Avatar Chat and Mimesys for Magic Leap One and Spatial for the HoloLens within the last few months.
News: The Pixel 3a XL Is Shaping Up to Be the Best Google Phone This Year
Unlike past Pixel releases, it appears Google isn't done with their current lineup. Rumors have it that Google plans to put out two new phones that act as budget variants for their existing devices. And based on the leaks, it looks like one of these variants might be better than its non-budget counterpart.
News: Google Fi Finally Added Support for RCS Messaging
Despite being at the helms of the RCS push, Google Fi has yet to support the new messaging protocol. It would've made too much sense if the Google-created MVNO was one of the first to support the feature Google's been pushing on other OEMs and carriers for years, but alas, they haven't. Well, better late than never — Google has finally announced support for RCS Universal Profile on Fi.
News: Apple's iOS 12.1.3 Public Beta 4 Available for iPhone
Public software testers can now run the fourth iOS 12.1.3 beta. Apple seeded this update to testers on Thursday, Jan. 10. Just like with beta 3, public beta 4 includes two resolved issues — a VoiceOver fix for ECG and Irregular Heart Rate notifications, as well as audio improvements for iPad Pros.
News: Apple's iOS 12.1.3 Developer Beta 4 Available for iPhones
Apple released iOS 12.1.3 beta 4 to software developers on Thursday, Jan. 10, just three days after beta 3 came out. Public beta testers also received the update. In general, iOS 12.1.3 fixes a VoiceOver issue with ECG and Irregular Heart Rate notifications, as well as a fix in audio quality on the latest iPad Pro models.
Market Reality: Meta Claims Insolvency, ODG Ends in Fire Sale, New Smartglasses Flood CES 2019
The week of the annual Consumer Electronics Show is supposed to be filled with good news for the augmented reality industry as AR headset and smartglasses makers show off their new wares.
How To: Make a Post Shareable on Facebook's Mobile App to Help Increase Your Audience
Facebook has grown into one of the central hubs of the internet where ideas are shared with others. But with the rise of brand development, individuals and companies need to get their messages out beyond their group of Facebook friends so it can be seen by more of the world.
Exclusive: Judge in Meta Patent Lawsuit Sets Deadline for Default Judgment, Meta's Founder Moves to Save Startup
The saga of augmented reality startup Meta appeared to be at end, but there are new developments unfolding in real time that may either sink Meta deeper into trouble, or provide a tenuous lifeline for the beleaguered augmented reality company.
How To: Enable Google Assistant in Maps for Hands-Free Navigation Help on iPhone or Android
Millions depend on Google Maps for directions, and it's easy to see why. The app comes with tons of features like offline navigation, location sharing, and more. Google is far from done, however, and continually improves upon its navigation app to make it even more efficient and safer to use.
How To: Enable Bitmoji Integration in Gboard & Share Personalized Reactions Faster
Bitmoji are personalized emoji that look like you and can be used to make funny memes or snappy replies. Normally, you have to find one of these reaction emojis in the Bitmoji app, then use Android's share menu to send it to the app where you ultimately want to post it, but there's a much better way.
Exclusive: Layar Founders Hope to Buy Back Company in Blippar Asset Sale
After entering the UK's version of bankruptcy last month, Blippar's assets are up for sale, and bidding ended today.
News: ODG Patents Headed to Auction Block After Failed Magic Leap Acquisition Deal, Report Says
Despite the hype and potential of immersive computing, the augmented reality industry is showing that it is not invincible, as another AR hardware maker, this time Osterhout Design Group (ODG), is reportedly going out of business.
How To: Activate Dark Mode in Facebook Messenger
Facebook has a new dark mode for Messenger, and it's a true OLED black theme. It's was hidden away in earlier versions and you needed to either run a root hack or send a moon emoji to activate it — but now, you can enable dark mode by toggling a simple switch in Facebook Messenger's settings.
News: RealMax Returns to CES with Production Model of Qian AR Headset with Industry-Leading Field of View
Last year at CES, RealMax blew away the AR headset competition with a prototype AR headset surpassing 100 degrees field of view.