Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: iOS 11.3 Beta 5 Released with Mostly Under-the-Hood Improvements
Apple released the fifth build of the iOS 11.3 developer and public beta on Monday, March 12. The update comes exactly one week after the March 5 release of beta 4, which mostly introduced bug and stability patches. At this time, this new beta appears to do much of the same.
News: Facebook Debuts Image Recognition in Camera AR with 'Ready Player One' & 'A Wrinkle in Time' Poster Promos
Despite the wide availability of markerless augmented reality experiences for mobile devices, there is still a market for scanned triggers for content, as evidenced by the new image recognition capabilities on Facebook's Camera AR platform.
Apple AR: PGA Tour AR App Lets You Follow Golfers Live on Your Coffee Table
If you're a golf fan who can't attend the Arnold Palmer Invitational in person, you can still follow the next stop on the apparent Tiger Woods comeback tour in augmented reality with an iPhone or iPad.
News: Magic Leap Producer Interview Gives Rare Insight into Company's Culture Before Disappearing from the Web
In what's becoming something of a regular occurrence, Magic Leap has yet another internal, unforced error on its hands. Thankfully, this time it's not about legal skirmishes or theft, but a rather unusual break from company protocol that has been quickly swept under the rug.
News: Meet the Huawei Mate SE — the 'Plus' Version of the Honor 7X
Huawei's push into the US market has by no means stopped, even despite the recent US government pushback. Huawei has already released their top-notch flagship device from 2017, the Mate 10 Pro, and a couple great budget and midrange devices. Their latest release offers an upgrade to a past release.
Market Reality: Upskill Fields Funding, Leap Motion Faces Lawsuit & Intel Confronts Challenges of AR Adoption
Augmented reality business followers, we've got good news and bad news. First, the good news: Upskill closed another round of funding, this time led by strategic investors Cisco and Accenture. (Well, this is probably bad news if you're competing with them on the enterprise AR front.)
Samsung Internet 101: How to Set Your Current Website as Your Homepage
Your homepage should be the site you most likely need to check whenever you start a new session with Samsung Internet. However, times change — perhaps the site you're currently browsing is just what you need to see multiple times a day. In that case, you'll want to know a quick and easy way to set it as your default homepage.
Samsung Internet 101: How to Open a New Tab Without Lifting a Finger
On most web browsers, opening a tab requires two or three taps. Not with Samsung Internet. While the app offers a few different ways of getting it done, there's a trick that lets you open a tab with virtually no effort at all. It's one of the reasons Samsung Internet is one of the best browsers on Android.
News: College Basketball Fans Can Now Celebrate Their School's March Madness Berth in AR via Thyng's App
The NCAA College Basketball Tournament, colloquially known as March Madness, is arguably the most exciting postseason format in US sports, and the team behind Thyng want to take advantage of the annual event with AR content.
Snapchat 101: How to Tag Your Friends Using Snap's @ Mention Feature
Along with the awesome early-2018 addition of Giphy GIFs in Snapchat, you can now share other people's Snapchat handles and tag them in a way that lets others reach those people easily — something you couldn't do before in the app.
News: No, Bose, Those Aren't AR Glasses You're Hyping, but Nice Try
On Friday, audio giant Bose emerged as the latest, and perhaps the most surprising company to announce that it's planning to release augmented reality smartglasses.
News: BlackBerry Introduces the KEY2 — a Worthy Successor to the Iconic KEYone
BlackBerry has formally unveiled its latest flagship, the KEY2, during an exclusive event in New York. The Android-powered KEY2 retains its distinctive BlackBerry aesthetics with a physical QWERTY keyboard. Here's all the juicy details regarding Blackberry's followup to the venerable KEYone.
News: Google Is Testing a Redesign for Play Store App Listings
Google updates the Play Store periodically, but the changes are usually subtle. A recent server-side update, however, is shaking things up quite a bit.
News: Here's What We Know About the Mysterious Triple Camera in Huawei's Upcoming Flagship
It seems like each day new rumors and leaks come out for Huawei's upcoming P series devices. Everything from its name change to its specs has been leaked, sometimes with contradicting rumors. One of the biggest leaks is the inclusion of triple rear cameras, a first for smartphones.
News: Red Cross AR App Takes You Deep into the Life of a Child Plagued by International Warfare
Next to things like natural disasters and disease, the specter of war is one of the only things that threatens to derail the 21st century's long stretch of technological innovation. Now a new app is using augmented reality to remind us of that by focusing on those most impacted by war — children.
How To: Get Oreo's Battery Menu Back on Android Pie
One odd change found in the Android Pie update is that the "Battery" menu no longer lets you see apps that are draining your battery, nor gives access to usage details. However, one quick menu tweak will bring the Battery menu back in line with Android Oreo's, only there's a hidden setting you have to unlock first.
How To: Get the Screenshot Editing Feature from Android Pie on Any Phone
The new Android 9.0 Pie update is bringing a feature that stock Android has been lacking — screenshot editing. OEM skins like Samsung's TouchWiz have had this for years, and Apple added it to iOS just recently. But now that it's in stock Android, it'll be included with every phone going forward — trouble is, most people will have to wait for the update. Thankfully, you can get this feature right now on any phone.
How To: You Can Get One of the Galaxy S9's Best Apps on Any Phone
While TouchWiz as an Android skin isn't a favorite among many, Samsung Internet is a fantastic web browser that S9 owners should be happy to have preinstalled out of the box. But you don't need to buy Samsung's latest flagship to try their browser — Samsung Internet is available to all compatible Android phones.
How To: Activate Developer Options on Your Galaxy S9
You don't need to have a fully modded and rooted Galaxy S9 to appreciate what developer options brings to the table. Besides the obvious USB debugging, which lets you use ADB, this hidden menu lets you tweak your phone's animations or change its DPI to better suit your needs — and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
News: Leap Motion Hit with Patent Infringement Lawsuit from Same Company Suing Meta
Patent holder Genedics, LLC has filed a legal complaint alleging that hand-tracking startup Leap Motion is infringing on its intellectual property.
How To: Pin Apps to the Multitasking View on Your Galaxy S9
The Galaxy S9 is truly a sight to behold. With a class-leading display, the best camera ever put into a smartphone, and Samsung's cutting edge design, it might just be the best piece of hardware on the market. Having said that, some of the most useful additions are actually in the software.
How To: Set Your Galaxy S9 to the Highest Possible Resolution Out of the Box
Samsung's Galaxy S9 has the best smartphone display among any in its class, beating out the likes of the Google Pixel 2 XL and iPhone X. However, Samsung doesn't unlock the true power of its screen out of the box. To do that, you'll need to rummage through a few settings on your way to maxing out the resolution of your Galaxy S9 or S9+.
News: Google Added an iPhone-Style Text Magnifier to Android 9.0 Pie
Regardless of the operating system, selecting a piece of text on a touchscreen device is never fun. Thankfully, Google has finally added a new feature to Android 9.0 Pie that will make it at least a little less annoying.
How To: Get the New Pixel Launcher from Android 9.0 Pie on Any Phone — No Root Needed
Google just released Android 9.0 Pie, but the Android community is already working its magic. Developer Quinny899 quickly ported the updated Pixel Launcher from the new build, so you can try it out on other phones right now.
News: Cisco & Accenture Lead $17.2 Million Investment Round in Upskill's Enterprise AR Suite
Enterprise augmented reality software provider Upskill has raised $17.2 million in its latest round of funding, led by new investors Cisco and Accenture.
News: AR Cloud Company 6D.Ai Seeks Developers for Closed Beta of SDK
Augmented reality startup 6D.ai is now accepting applicants for the closed beta of its 6D SDK. While operating in the background on a smartphone, the computer vision platform captures a dense 3D mesh in real time using just the device's camera (such a feat typically requires a depth sensor).
News: Volume Buttons in Android 9.0 Pie Actually Control Media by Default Now
In stock Android Oreo and below, the volume rockers change ringer volume by default unless audio is currently playing. In order to adjust media volume when media isn't playing, you have to tap the down arrow next to the ringer volume slider that appears at the top of the screen to see the option. Now, Android 9.0 Pie has flipped things around, giving media volume the limelight.
News: Check Out the Slick New Transition Animations in Android Pie
Google just dropped the new Android 9.0 Pie update for Pixel devices, and it's packed with cool new features. There's notch support, a new screenshot button, and even a way to edit screenshots after you've taken them, just to name a few. But one feature that's easy to overlook is the new transition animations, which have been completely revamped.
How To: This Is How Android 9.0 Pie Will Handle Notches
Most Android phones don't even have an Oreo beta yet, but that's not stopping Google from releasing the preview to their next big update. Android Pie is here for developers to test, and with it, one of the more controversial additions in the Android world today — the notch.
News: DAQRI Expands to the Software Side of Enterprise AR with Worksense App Suite
Not content to just be a provider of rugged smartglasses for enterprise users, DAQRI has made the jump into the AR software side of the industry with its new Worksense productivity suite.
How To: Android Pie Finally Lets You Edit Screenshots — Here's How It Works
Samsung has had a rich screenshot editor in TouchWiz for years, and Apple even added a similar feature to iOS 11. Until now, stock Android has lagged behind in this area, but that's finally fixed in Android 9.0 Pie.
News: Magic Leap Teams with Royal Shakespeare Company to Reinvent Modern Theater Productions
All the cash Magic Leap is amassing is probably going a long way toward hardware development and manufacturing, but it's also becoming increasingly clear that a large portion of that cash will be devoted to content. The latest proof is a new partnership between Magic Leap and the UK's Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
News: Yahoo! Japan's Maps App Unveils AR Mode with an Unbearably Cute Mascot to Guide the Way
Whenever Japan does something new in tech, the cute factor is almost always taken into account. The same holds true for augmented reality, as Yahoo! Japan has just revealed its take on AR map navigation with a new AR Mode.
News: Magic Leap Confirms Massive New $461 Million Investment from Saudi Investors & Others
Just a week after rumors surfaced of a massive new investment in Magic Leap led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the investment has been confirmed by the company's CEO Rony Abovitz.
News: Jurassic World Augmented Reality Game Wants to Be Pokémon GO for Real Dinosaurs
Following in the augmented reality footsteps of Pokémon GO, Universal Studios has decided to give us an AR version of Jurassic World.
How To: Hide Your Active Status in Facebook Messenger to Go Incognito Online
For all of its advantages, Facebook Messenger isn't the best for people who like their privacy. The popular app lets all your Facebook friends know when you're online by default, as well as how long you've been idle, making it impossible to check up with one person without leaving yourself vulnerable to your entire friends list. Luckily, this feature is one you can turn off.
How To: You Can Play Assassin's Creed Rebellion on Your iPhone Right Now — Here's How
Assassin's Creed Rebellion is a welcome addition to the popular gaming franchise, garnering great reviews so far. Unfortunately, the game has been stuck in soft-launch limbo for almost a year, with no firm release date in sight. With a little legwork, however, you can try the game out for yourself right now.
News: Huawei Teases P20 Announcement Date in New Videos
It looks like the Huawei P20 has moved from rumor to all but confirmed. Thanks to a series of YouTube videos released by Huawei Mobile Netherlands, we now have a few confirmations about the latest entries in the flagship series.
How To: There's an Easy Way to Stop MoviePass from Tracking Your iPhone After Watching Films
MoviePass may be popular with filmgoers on a budget, but it might not be with those of you who are concerned about your privacy, since MoviePass may be logging your location data even when you don't expect the app to do so.
How To: Use Intelligent Scan to Unlock Your Galaxy S9 Faster
The Galaxy S9 is full of minor improvements and revisions that come together to make it a worthy upgrade over the Galaxy S8. One such improvement is facial recognition, which Samsung has fortified with machine learning and the inclusion of another sensor. The result of these efforts is called Intelligent Scan.