Hot Gadget Hacks Posts

News: Occipital's Structure Core Sensor Promises to Give Any Device the Spatial Mapping Powers of a HoloLens

Occipital's initial augmented reality module, the Structure Sensor, gave iPhones and iPads the depth-sensing abilities of the HoloLens. Now, the company's latest product promises to do the same for Android devices, as well as augmented reality and virtual reality headsets and other devices.

News: Here's How Much Money You Could Save by Switching to Google Fi

In case you hadn't heard, Google is now a legit cell service provider. Google Fi has its pluses and minuses, but the biggest upside is in the pricing. Depending on how much data you typically use, there's a good chance you could save a lot of money without sacrificing coverage by switching to Fi.

News: ModiFace Applies Its Augmented Reality Tech to Nail Polish with Fingertip-Tracking Feature

French cosmetics giant L'Oréal isn't wasting any time putting its new subsidiary, ModiFace, to work. On Thursday, the company launched a new tool that enables a photo-realistic augmented reality simulation of nail polish shades and textures to be accurately displayed on a user's fingers in real time.

News: AR Optics Maker WaveOptics Strikes Alliance with China's Goertek to Produce Smartglasses for Consumers

WaveOptics, makers of diffractive waveguides, has inched closer toward getting products featuring its technology to market through a production partnership with a consumer electronics company whose clients include Google, Microsoft, and Sony.

How To: Prevent Friends from Sharing Your Instagram Stories as Direct Messages

Instagram introduced a new feature in September 2018 that lets you share other users' Stories via Instagram Direct, the app's private messaging tool for solo and group messages. Problem is, it works both ways, so whenever you add to your ephemeral Story, everybody that sees it can share it directly with anyone else.

News: Augmented Reality Startup Phiar Paves Path to $3 Million in Seed Funding for AI-Powered Navigation Solution

Another contestant has emerged in the race to deliver a mainstream augmented reality car navigation system, with Silicon Valley-based Phiar picking up $3 million in seed funding to launch its own artificial intelligence-based mobile app by mid-2019.

News: Magic Leap Roars into the Auto World via Kia Stinger App from RelayCars

Magic Leap One owners, start your virtual engines, as automotive virtual reality developer RelayCars has published an app to Magic Leap World that lets users customize and test drive a 2019 Kia Stinger.

News: Amazon Sumerian & 8th Wall Weave Web AR Experience for 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Movie

Sony Pictures has tapped the powers of augmented reality as provided by startup 8th Wall & the Amazon Sumerian development platform to help it promote the latest motion picture manifestation of Spider-Man.

News: New York Times Lets You Visit Statue of Liberty's Torch Without Trip to NYC via Augmented Reality

While a new museum to house the original torch of the Statue of Liberty is under construction on Liberty Island and scheduled to open in May 2019, New York Times readers can now view the sculpture in their own space through augmented reality.

Market Reality: Magic Leap Goes to Work, Snap Speeds Up AR Spectacles Timeline, & Apple's CEO Preaches the Future of AR

Now that the Magic Leap One is out in the real world, the mystery behind the company lies not in whether it will actually ship a product, but when it will ship a consumer product. Or, does CEO Rony Abovitz steer the company in a different direction first?

News: Vermeer Beta iPhone App Lets You Use Augmented Reality to Map Out Your Drone Flight

Augmented reality and drones already go together like turkey and stuffing, but a new iOS app adds some spice to the combination with a new kind of flight path automation.

News: The Best Black Friday 2018 Deals on Headphones for Your Smartphone

The holiday season is upon us, and that means all the big-box stores are competing against each other to offer the best prices on electronics. What was once a 24-hour period of flash deals the day after Thanksgiving has now become a holiday in and of itself — Black Friday is an event you don't want to miss.

News: Former Leap Motion Exec Returns to Filmmaking with 'Merger' VR Film Depicting AR Workspace

Last month, Leap Motion's vice president of design and global creative director, Keiichi Matsuda (a member of the NR30), suddenly left the company. Just days later, a story leaked that revealed that Leap Motion had twice failed to lock in a potential deal with Apple.

News: The Enterprise Leap — Robots, Gremlins, & Games Won't Save Magic Leap, but Tapping the Inner Child of CEOs Just Might

Mystery is a tricky thing. Used correctly, it can give onlookers the impression that wondrous and perhaps valuable things are afoot. However, once the veil of suspension of disbelief is removed in any significant way, that same mystery can quickly turn into not just skepticism, but outright anger at what may have seemed like an attempt to dupe trusting onlookers.

News: The Best Black Friday 2018 Deals on Wireless Chargers for Your Phone

If you or someone you're shopping for has a newer iPhone model or an Android smartphone like the Galaxy Note 9 or Pixel 3, they come with wireless charging capabilities. Problem is, they don't come with wireless chargers. But there's no better time to snag one than on Black Friday, and we've found the best deals out there for 2018's holiday season.

News: David Bowie's Legacy Lives On in Forthcoming Augmented Reality App

Famed singer-songwriter David Bowie will return to the real world as part of an augmented reality app launching on Jan. 8, 2019, which would have been his 72nd birthday.

News: This Augmented Reality Black Friday Ad from Footwear Retailer DSW Is Like a Scene from 'Black Mirror'

If you're looking into buying shoes from DSW on Black Friday, then you can save an extra 20% — but only if you smile more.

News: The Best Black Friday 2018 Deals on Smartphone Cases

The holidays are here, which means a slew of new smartphones are set to be gifted to loved ones in the spirit of giving. Of course, a great case to compliment and protect that precious flagship is a must, regardless of whether it's a OnePlus 6T, iPhone XS, or Galaxy Note 9. And while quality cases usually come with a hefty price tag, there are plenty of Black Friday deals to keep you from going broke.

News: The Best Black Friday 2018 Deals on iPhones

Let's face it, iPhones are expensive. With the latest iPhone XS Max reaching as high as $1,449, our wallets could all use a little support. That's where Black Friday comes in, supplying us with deals and discounts on iPhones of all kinds. If you're looking for a new iPhone this holiday season without having to break the bank, you've come to the right place.

News: Snap Rolling Out New Spectacles with AR Features by End of Year, Report Says

The augmented reality smartglasses future that Snap founder Evan Spiegel has teased for so long may be closer than many realize.

News: The Best Black Friday 2018 Deals on Android Phones

It's that time of year again. No, not Thanksgiving. Black Friday. There are a lot deals available this holiday weekend, many of which include flagship Android devices. Whether you are thinking of buying a phone for yourself or looking for a gift for someone else, you can find a little savings to shop smart during the holidays.

How To: Animate & Share Drawings on Your iPhone Without Any Third-Party Apps

Creating doodles on an iPhone is made easy thanks to the "Draw" tool in Notes and "Digital Touch" for iMessages, but these are limited in scope. Drawing in Notes has no animated effects, and while Digital Touch does, its drawing tools are lacking and the animations can only live within iMessages. If it's animations you want, Apple has another app that can help you create them.

News: Sennheiser AR Headphones for Magic Leap One Now Available to Purchase

Later this week, Black Friday will mark the start to the holiday shopping season, but if you're buying for a Magic Leap One owner, you can buy their ideal gift now.

Market Reality: North Opens Smartglasses Retail Stores, Magic Leap & Microsoft Court Devs, & Another Exec Exits Snap

The North remembers...that smartglasses are the future! Game of Thrones jokes aside, the smartglasses startup opened its doors, and we visited its Brooklyn store to get our hands the consumer-focused Focals smartglasses.

News: Microsoft's HoloLens Morphs Paris Museum Model of Mont-Saint-Michel into Masterpiece of AR

Amid the opulent and historic confines of Paris, Microsoft is now hosting an exhibit at a local museum that brings a historic map of a Normandy tourist destination to life in augmented reality.

News: Mojo Vision Raises $50M to Replace Smartphones & Devices with 'Invisible Computing' AR

On Thursday, Mojo Vision, a startup comprised of former engineers from Apple, Amazon, Google, and other Silicon Valley mainstays, emerged from stealth backed by $50 million in funding for a hands-free augmented reality platform that runs without smartphones, tablets, or other devices.

News: Magic Leap Launches App Creator Grant Program Awarding Up to $500,000 in Funding

On Thursday, Magic Leap decided to step up its efforts to foster its developer community by launching the Independent Creator Program.

News: iOS 12.1.1 Public Beta 3 Now Available to Software Testers

It seems Apple will keep with recent tradition — the third iOS 12.1.1 public beta released to software testers Thursday, Nov. 15, just hours after the 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT) release of dev beta 3. Apple likes to take a short time after a developer release to ensure the beta is good enough to release as a whole, as seen with the entire iOS 12 dev beta 7 debacle.

News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.1.1 Developer Beta 3 to Testers

Apple released the third beta for iOS 12.1.1 on Thursday, Nov. 15. This update is not much of a surprise, as it comes just a little over one week after the release of dev beta 2. As with that beta, we expect Apple to release the 12.1.1 public beta shortly, possibly as soon as this afternoon.

News: Wonderscope iPhone App Turns Bedrooms into Stages for Children's Stories in Augmented Reality

Augmented reality content makers often position the technology as a new storytelling medium. And who loves stories more than children?

News: Magic Leap Launches Video Interview Series & Unpacks More Technical Sessions from L.E.A.P. Con

On Wednesday, in addition to uploading another batch of videos from its L.E.A.P. conference to its YouTube channel, Magic Leap also launched a new video series for developers called Spacebar.

How To: The Official One UI Beta Just Went Live for US Galaxy S9 Users — Here's How to Get It

Thanks to leaks that let us try out the latest Android Pie beta on the Galaxy S9, we already have a good idea of what the update has in store for Samsung's flagships moving forward. As we've come to expect, Android 9.0 brings a slew of notable updates, such as the addition of a system-wide dark theme and an all-new TouchWiz replacement called "One UI."

Gift Guide: Must-Have Phone Accessories for Photographers

With smartphone cameras and software getting better and better every year, more and more users are getting passionate about photography. So when you're shopping for a gift to get someone, if they have a smartphone, chances are they'll more than appreciate some tools and accessories for taking better photos with their pocket friend — and we've got some gear ideas they'll love.

News: Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges Update Lets You Turn to the Dark Side via Kylo Ren Lightsaber

Any real Star Wars fan knows that fear is a path to the dark side, as it leads to anger, and then suffering. For players of Star Wars Jedi Challenges, though, access to the antagonistic side of the Force is now available through their mobile apps.

News: Warner Bros. & Niantic Release Trailer for Harry Potter Wizards Unite, but Delay Launch Until 2019

It looks like the Harry Potter version of Pokémon GO won't appear in 2018 after all, as the company has decided pushed the game's release to 2019.

Exclusive: Hands-On with North's New Focals Smartglasses & Flagship Store in New York City

On Tuesday, the smartglasses startup known as North finally took the wraps off its Focals product, but in a very unique way: The team simply opened a couple of stores and invited the public in.

News: AT&T Reveals Winners of First Magic Leap Hackathon

Now that its first developer conference is in the rearview mirror, Magic Leap continues to nurture its content development community, this time with an assist from strategic investor and retail partner AT&T.

News: Snap's Vice President of Content Is Ghost, as App Continues to Shed Users

In a move sure to stir up even more speculation about the future of Snap Inc., the company's vice president of content, Nick Bell, is leaving the company after five years.

How To: Easily Change Your Phone's Font Without Tripping SafetyNet

You can easily deck out your favorite phone with great wallpapers, ringtones, and icons, but what about fonts? Not all Android skins let you change the system font, and even when they do, the options are often limited to a few choices. Certain root apps can open up the system font to customization, but some of these can cause problems now that Google introduced a security measure called SafetyNet.

News: Microsoft to Host Women in AI & Mixed Reality Hackathon in San Francisco

Over the last few years, the virtual reality space has earned a welcome reputation for fostering better representational balance with regard to gender compared to the general tech industry, with women like Nonny de la Peña and many others leading the charge.