Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: New York Times App Lets You See a Higgs Particle Reaction from the Large Hadron Collider in Augmented Reality
Although it's impossible (at least for now) to travel back in time to see the Big Bang, The New York Times has provided its readers the closest simulation of the experience via its latest augmented reality feature.
News: Magic Leap & AT&T Team Up to Bring Fans 'Fantastic Beasts' AR Movie Experience in Chicago
Despite less than glowing reviews from critics, the latest installment from the Harry Potter spinoff movie series, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is winning at the box office.
Market Reality: Magic Leap Prescription Lenses Arrive, Niantic Challenges Devs with Real World, & Blippar Goes Under
Mixed reviews of Magic Leap One aside, it would be hard to deny that Magic Leap has had a big year. And the AR unicorn isn't coasting to the finish line, with a number of new apps dropping and prescription frames finally arriving to bring relief to those who wear eyeglasses.
News: The 5 Most Innovative Augmented Reality Products of 2018
In 2018, augmented reality went from the vague promise of interesting things in the near future to tangible developments in software and hardware, proving that immersive computing is indeed the future.
How To: Enable Dark Mode in Google's Contacts App for Android
With the rise of OLED displays, Android users have been begging Google for a true system-wide dark mode for years. While a system-wide solution is still somewhat unlikely, Google has given in by providing a dark mode for certain apps, including Contacts.
How To: Download Your 2018 Apple Music Listening History Just Like on Spotify
Around the end of each year, Spotify offers a year-in-review service so its users can see what they listened to the past year and share their listening histories in fun infographics. Apple Music does not have such a feature, unfortunately, but there is a way to curb that FOMO feeling this holiday season by downloading your listening history not just for 2018, but for the entire lifespan of your account.
News: Niantic Offers $1 Million in Rewards for Games Built on Its Real World Platform
Location-based gaming pioneer Niantic has been preparing its flavor of AR cloud, the Niantic Real World Platform, to bring more realistic and interactive augmented reality experiences to mobile apps. And now the company is looking for a few good developers to help execute its vision on the platform.
News: Snapchat Lens Brings Bumblebee Transformer into Your Home & Baidu's Facemoji Keyboard Lets You Become the Robot
Fan favorite Transformer Bumblebee returns to theaters on Friday in a spin-off of the film franchise, so Paramount Pictures is bringing the car-robot back into the homes of fans via augmented reality.
How To: Get Google's Avengers AR Sticker Packs on Any Android Device with ARCore
The idea of augmented reality isn't new, but the world of smartphones is looking to push it forward in a big way. As with any platform, both product demand and technological advancements have to catch up to the industry before it can become a viable solution for daily consumer life. Apple and Google are working to introduce the smartphone consumer to AR for the first time with basic features for now.
News: Leap Motion's New Experimental Tools Give Developers Access to Camera Data & Unlock Multiple Device Support
After weathering an executive departure and reports of a failed sale to Apple, Leap Motion is getting back to the business of pushing the envelope for augmented reality development and interaction.
News: One of the Best Android File Managers Is Finally on the Play Store
When we reviewed the best file managers on Android, MiXplorer easily topped our list with its abundance of features, including tabbed browsing, support for up to 19 different cloud services, file and folder encryption, and much more. The only major complaint we had was the fact it couldn't be installed from the Play Store, but now, that is no longer the case.
News: Magic Leap Updates Lumin OS with Enhancements for Helio Browser, Avatar Chat, & More
Nearly a year to the day after the unveiling Magic Leap One, Magic Leap has dropped another update to the Lumin OS that runs the device.
News: Meta's New Enterprise User Video Shows Signs of Life at Cash-Strapped Augmented Reality Headset Maker
Despite funding difficulties that forced Meta to place employees on temporary leave in September, the augmented reality headset maker is reminding enterprise companies that it remains a viable option for visualizing and working with 3D design models.
News: Apple's iOS 12.1.3 Public Beta 2 for iPhone Released to Software Testers
Apple released iOS 12.1.3 public beta 2 for iPhones on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Yes, that's confusing, since there was no first beta for iOS 12.1.3, but it indicates that it's the actual successor to iOS 12.1.2 public beta 1. Apple dropped iOS 12.1.2 unexpectedly to fix major issues but did not include everything in the beta, so we're picking up right where we left off.
How To: Like Tabs? Put a Tab in Your Tab with Chrome's New Sneak Peek Feature on Android
If you ever looked at Apple's Peek and Pop feature on Safari and said "I want that," Google has kinda-sorta delivered. A new hidden Chrome feature brings similar functionality to Android despite the lack of 3D Touch, and while it's a bit redundant and nowhere near as polished, it does make navigating the web easier.
News: Apple Just Released Its iOS 12.1.3 Developer Beta 2 for iPhone
Apple pushed out iOS 12.1.3 developer beta 2 to all developers on Wednesday, Dec. 19. It's an interesting and mysterious update, as it follows the sudden release of iOS 12.1.2. That software only had one beta version before its stable release, which would explain why the iOS 12.1.3 dev beta skipped version 1 and went straight to version 2 since it's basically a continuation of the first iOS 12.1.2 beta.
How To: Get Dolby Atmos on Your OnePlus 6T for Enhanced Audio
The OnePlus 6T is easily one of 2018's best value phones for many reasons, especially when it comes to rooting and modding. But like many new phones, it's plagued with the single bottom-firing speaker that left us wanting more in the sound department. The speaker is decent on its own, but it appears to have some hidden potential at the same time.
News: Funomena's Interactive 'Luna' Sequel Sprouts in Augmented Reality for Magic Leap One
Magic Leap continues to launch new AR apps on its fledging app store before the door closes on 2018, and this time the app is a sequel from a veteran VR developer and early Magic Leap development partner.
How To: Use Quickdrawer & Google Now at the Same Time in Action Launcher
As highlighted in our article on how to enable Google Now in Action Launcher, doing so takes away the Quickdrawer. This effectively ruins one of the more beneficial features of Action Launcher, making it a tough choice between the two options. So I looked for a solution and found one that works.
How To: Customize Your Weekly & Daily Goals in MyFitnessPal
When you set up your MyFitnessPal account for the first time, it asks for a checklist of personal info to create nutrition and fitness goals for you. Whatever you decide then, it's important to know that the goals provided to you are not fixed. If your doctor or nutritionist recommends a new plan, or you simply want to change up your routine, you can customize your weekly and daily goals.
How To: Enable Google Now Integration in Action Launcher
One of the most useful features of the Pixel Launcher is access to the Google Discover page. Initially, this feature was exclusive to Google's launchers, forcing users to give up the customization of apps like Action Launcher if they wanted the quick access to relevant news and updates it provided. Fortunately, this is no longer the case.
News: Blippar's Mobile AR Business Collapses After Funding Falls Through
Mobile augmented reality pioneer Blippar has now completed its fall from hopeful AR startup to the immersive computing history books.
How To: 'Quick Add' Calories for Snacks in MyFitnessPal to Keep Yourself Accountable for Every Tiny Bite
It's only normal to snack on a few french fries every once in a while when you're on a diet, but it's still important to hold yourself accountable, even when you cheat just a little bit. MyFitnessPal, for both Android and iOS devices, has a database of nutritional information to help keep track of the meals you eat, but it also has a way to add calories on the fly without digging for data.
News: Epson & DJI Drones Give California Firefighters a Smartglasses Assist During Deadly California Wildfires
The wildfires that spread across Northern California for two weeks in November were among the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history. Ultimately, the incident claimed 85 lives, and hundreds of people are still missing in the wake of the disaster, which impacted over 154,000 acres of land.
How To: Make Fun Looping Facebook Messenger Videos with Boomerang
Boomerangs are a staple camera feature for Instagram and its users. The idea is to take up to 20 frames of video, which Instagram then processes into a looping movie that plays forward and backward. Since Facebook owns Instagram, it was only a matter of time before the feature hit its namesake apps, so it's not surprising that Messenger now supports the popular camera technique.
How To: MyFitnessPal Has a Hidden Way to See How Much Weight Your Diet Will Help You Lose
MyFitnessPal has become extremely popular thanks to features that help users keep themselves accountable and stay motivated as they eat healthier and lose weight. While the application does a great job of reminding you to log the food you eat in order to keep track of your calories, there is one incredibly useful feature that doesn't get much attention.
How To: Get Bokeh on Any Phone with Facebook Messenger's Portrait Selfies
Portrait mode works with any dual-lens iPhone, as well as the single-lens iPhone XR, and lets you take impressive portraits with blurry, bokeh-filled backgrounds. Portrait selfies, on the other hand, are only available devices with Face ID. But that's only for Apple's Camera app itself — third-party apps like Messenger have "portrait" selfies for any iPhone — as well as any Android phone model.
How To: Scan Food & Drink Labels in MyFitnessPal When Cooking at Home for More Accurate Nutrition & Calorie Info
In MyFitnessPal, you can search through a food database to add your meal into the app's diary and track your calories. Unfortunately, the sheer size of the database can make it hard to find exactly what you have just consumed, which is why MFP includes a barcode feature to make the process of adding food much smoother.
News: Lowe's Unleashes Its Magic Leap One App in Time for the Holiday Shopping Season
On Monday, with just days left before Christmas, Lowe's dropped a surprise augmented reality treat in everyone's lap: a brand new Magic Leap One app.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.1.2 for iPhones with Fix for eSIM Activation Issues
Without a second beta like most other beta versions, Apple released iOS 12.1.2 to all iPhone users on Monday, Dec. 17. The update comes just one week after the iOS 12.1.2 beta went live, so why did it have such a quick turnaround? The answer likely revolves around eSIM issues on newer iPhone models, as well as legal issues with Qualcomm.
How To: Track Micronutrients to Monitor Your Vitamin & Mineral Intake
Micronutrients are essential to our health. Unfortunately, many of us aren't getting enough of each nutrient from our diets. It isn't that the food we're eating is bad, but rather we are not eating enough of the right food to get our recommended daily allowance. But with the help of a micronutrient tracker, we can change this.
News: Smartglasses Maker North Picks Up Intel's Vaunt Patents
When wearables startup North officially unveiled its Focals smartglasses in October, the stylish frames strongly resembled, in form and function, Intel's canceled Vaunt smartglasses.
Market Reality: Niantic & WaveOptics Locate More Funding for AR, Cheddar Spreads to Magic Leap, & Tesla Files AR Patent
Investors continue to bet on augmented reality, both for short-term returns and long-term plays. This week, Niantic reportedly picked up another round of funding from Samsung and others, based on the success of PokémonGO and the prospects for future revenue. Likewise, investors see value in WaveOptics, whose waveguide displays could make consumer smaller AR smartglasses possible within the next year.
News: Pokémon GO Maker Niantic Catches $200 Million in Funding from Samsung & Others, Report Says
Although Niantic is already an augmented reality startup unicorn thanks to the success of Pokémon GO, the company has reportedly captured yet another round of funding.
News: Latest Version of Unity Lays Foundation for Project MARS Augmented Reality Development Tool in 2019
While Unity is already the leading 3D engine for augmented reality content in terms of volume, the announcement of Project MARS, a new augmented reality authoring tool, at Unite Berlin in June promised to expand AR development to a whole new audience of designers and other non-coders this fall.
News: Niantic Picks an AR Fight with Pokémon GO Players via Trainer Battles Rollout
Augmented reality gaming company Niantic Labs is now instigating conflicts between Pokémon GO players, but it's not as bad as it sounds.
News: Google Assembles Marvel's Surviving Avengers & Other AR Sticker Packs for All Pixel Devices via Playground Update
Owners of Google Pixel devices now have a plethora of imaginary friends to play with thanks to the Playground augmented reality app.
News: Which Wireless Carriers Support eSIM? The Always-Up-to-Date List for iPhone XS, XS Max & XR
With an iPhone that includes a digital eSIM option aside its standard Nano-SIM card, you can have two cellular service accounts. One can be your primary line with your main wireless carrier, and the other can be from your main carrier or another provider. The eSIM account can be prepaid or postpaid as well as data-only, which is great for traveling. But which wireless providers support eSIM?
News: WayRay Gives Developers the Wheel in Effort to Create AR Apps of the Future with True AR SDK
Automotive augmented reality display maker WayRay is making a move to help developers get all those slick, futuristic AR functions we see in concept videos into the real cars of today.
How To: Change Your Step Count Goal in Samsung Health
Once known as S Health, Samsung Health has become one of the most comprehensive health apps available for Android. In fact, we all can benefit from the features the app brings to the table — whether you're a marathon runner or a couch potato. If you're in the latter category, the app has a simple feature that can nudge you towards becoming more active.