Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: Gboard Makes Finding Emojis Even Easier on iPhone
If you're looking for an alternative iOS keyboard for your iPhone, look no further than Gboard. The Google-made keyboard is bursting with features like web search, Google Maps, GIFs, and more. Now, Gboard is adding a new feature that'll make it easier to find the perfect emoji.
News: Google Skips ARCore to Add AR to Motion Stills App
If you're an Android user, you're very likely jealous of your iPhone friends who have access to the wide, wonderful world of augmented reality thanks to ARKit.
News: Deutsche Telekom & Zeiss Launch Smartglasses Startup Tooz
A new smartglasses powerhouse is rising in Europe, led by two of the region's leading brands, optical systems company Zeiss (also known as Carl Zeiss) and telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom.
News: Snapchat Adds 'Best Of' Filter & Lens to Celebrate its New Redesign
Snapchat's redesign has really taken off, slimming the app down to two sections: Friends and Discover. Snapchat appears to be celebrating this massive success by giving all users a sort of "best of" filter, one that encapsulates the complete Snapchat experience complete with the Dancing Hot Dog.
News: Audi Drives into AR Ahead of SpaceX Moon Landing Mission
Amazingly, SpaceX founder Elon Musk just launched a Tesla into space, bound for Mars. But just because you're not a billionaire with drone rockets at your disposal, that doesn't mean you can't participate in the automobile-infused future of space here on Earth.
How To: Disable Performance Throttling on Your iPhone Due to Battery Issues
It seems Apple has followed through on their promise. After the disastrous battery slowdown scandal in December, the iPhone maker has finally pushed new battery health information and controls to iOS 11.3. Now, if you have an affected battery, you can disable performance throttling to keep your iPhone running as fast as possible.
News: iOS 11.3 Beta 2 Released, Includes Battery Health Information & Controls
Apple released the second beta for iOS 11.3 on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The update comes two weeks after the original announcement and release of the iOS 11.3 beta, which brought new Animoji, Messages on iCloud, and Apple Music Videos, among other features. One glaring omission was the promised battery health tool, but iOS 11.3 beta 2 just introduced it.
News: Amazon Will Finally Disable Lock Screen Ads on Their Discounted Phones
Amazon has had a long-standing partnership with its consumers regarding special offers. Amazon sells these Prime Exclusive Phones with lock screen ads and Amazon apps in exchange for discounts on the phones. You also need to be an Amazon Prime Member, leading us to historically believe that these "special offers" weren't really all that special. That is, until today.
News: Meta Caters to Design Professionals with 3D CAD Support for Solidworks
In another move that pushes Meta 2 toward becoming a legitimate workplace tool, Meta Company has partnered with Dassault Systèmes to bring augmented reality support to the latter's Solidworks 3D CAD software.
Safari 101: How to Save a Website or Webpage to Your Home Screen for Instant Access
The internet is full of fun, cool, and interesting websites. Bookmarks and favorites can help keep your favorite pages on hand, but they aren't the most convenient method. In iOS, Apple lets you save whatever webpages that you want to the home screen, so you'll have as easy access to them just as you do apps on your iPhone.
News: Investors Bet $8M on Former Google & Facebook Engineers' Platform-Bridging AR Development Tool
Augmented reality software maker 8th Wall has closed a Series A funding round of $8 million in capital to feed the growth of its development platform.
IFTTT 101: 8 Useful Applets to Help You Get Started with Smartphone Automation
IFTTT is an application that allows you to automate certain tasks on your iPhone or Android. It can communicate with a myriad of apps and services on your phone by creating applets that perform actions automatically — actions you'd normally have to do manually. Finding those applets, however, can be a little difficult.
News: Augmented Reality Skates into New York Times Coverage of Winter Olympics
Before The New York Times brought augmented reality to its iPhone app, the only way Winter Olympics fans could get this close a view to the world's best athletes would be to acquire a press pass.
Safari 101: How to Open a Recently Closed Tab Without Digging Through Your Browser History
Almost certainly, you've closed out of a webpage that you didn't want to at some point in your iPhone-owning life. Whether you accidentally swiped the tab away or closed it only to need it moments later, tab-regret is just a part of our internet culture. Luckily, Safari on iOS includes an easy way to open recently closed tabs.
News: Doritos & Mountain Dew Remix Their Super Bowl Songs of Fire & Ice on Snapchat
After pouring out $10 million for 60 seconds of Super Bowl advertising time, Doritos and Mountain Dew continued their Sunday marketing binge on Snapchat.
News: Intel Reveals Vaunt Smartglasses, Normal Looking Glasses That Work with iOS & Android Smartphones
Just a week after news leaked out about Intel's 2018 plans for smartglasses, the company revealed what the device looks like and how it works in a new video (bottom of this page) released on Monday.
How To: Get Snapchat's Super Bowl Filters & Show Your Eagles or Patriots Pride
Snapchat has been known to jazz it up for big events. They went deep on the Grammys, taking you behind the scenes — and adding a James Corden lens to boot. So when Snapchat had a super cool filter up their sleeve for Super Bowl LII, we weren't exactly shocked.
HoloLens Dev 101: Building a Dynamic User Interface, Part 10 (Scaling Objects)
An incorrectly scaled object in your HoloLens app can make or break your project, so it's important to get scaling in Unity down, such as working with uniform and non-uniform factors, before moving onto to other aspects of your app.
Market Reality: Apple, Niantic, Intel & Facebook Pursue the Trophy in the Super Bowl of AR
With the Super Bowl just days away, it seems appropriate to draw parallels between football and the professional sport of technology business, or, more specifically, the augmented reality segment.
Apple AR: This Is What Apple CEO Tim Cook Said When Cornered About Possible AR Smartglasses
Prior to Apple's earnings report on Thursday, the storm clouds were gathering as Wall Street prepared for bad news in the wake of reports of slower iPhone sales. But it turns out that those fears were mostly unwarranted. Apple managed to increase iPhone revenue during the December quarter, despite selling slightly fewer phones.
How To: 4 Apps to Help Improve Security on Your iPhone or iPad
As the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, Apple devices are a constant target for hackers everywhere. While iOS has seen fewer common vulnerabilities and exploits (CVEs) in recent years, iPhones still aren't hack-proof. Fortunately, you can strengthen your security with the help of a few apps.
How To: This App Makes It Easy to Actually Hear the TV at a Loud Bar
In 2018, there are more ways than ever to watch your favorite sporting events. You can stream them with a number of services, or you can simply watch it on a TV. Many fans will even watch it at a sports bar. The problem with a sports bar is that you won't be able to hear the game over the sound of dozens of loud bargoers.
How To: 5 Ways to Stream the Super Bowl Without a Cable Subscription on iPhone or Android
Super Bowl LII will bring millions of football and non-football fans together to watch the big game on the big screen. But without a cable subscription, this process can be a little daunting. Luckily, the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store offer a few ways to accomplish this — no cable contract required.
News: Snapchat Launches In-App Store with 'World's First AR Superstar' Hot Dog Toy & Other Swag
It used to be that the best kind of swag was T-shirts and hats from your favorite music artists, but now the symbol of casual insider cool falls to the tech companies, and Snapchat has just joined the ranks of branded apparel purveyors.
News: Consumer Smartglasses Powered by Intel Could Arrive This Year, Report Says
Intel Corp.'s augmented reality division could ship consumer-focused smartglasses before the end of the year, according to reports.
News: Galaxy S9 & S9+ Will Support T-Mobile's New 600 MHz LTE Band — Rural Users Rejoice
In 2017, after purchasing a majority of the 600 MHz frequency, T-Mobile began a massive rollout of the new LTE Bands across the US. However, there are currently only two devices that support the frequency, also known as LTE Band 71. Thanks to a recent FCC listing, we've learned this number will double when the Galaxy S9 and S9+ debut next month.
Apple AR: Art.com & Houzz Apps Take Imaginative Approaches to Hang AR Art Until ARKit Update Arrives
One of the more obvious benefits that vertical surface detection will bring to iPhone and iPad apps with the spring 1.5 update to Apple's ARKit platform is the ability to hang virtual artwork that rests realistically on walls.
News: 5 Things We Want to See from Nintendo's Upcoming Mario Kart Tour on the iPhone
Nintendo set the internet ablaze Wednesday night with two big announcements. First, Nintendo revealed that the Switch's paid online service will begin in September (boo), but it was the other report that really got fans excited — Mario Kart is coming to your iPhone.
News: It's Time to Ask — Is Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates Secretly a HoloLens Hater?
Despite their sometimes fluffy reputations and occasionally ethically compromised viewpoints, tech evangelists are important, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The right passionate voice behind the right technology platform or piece of hardware can sometimes spell the difference between fostering a community of potential users and watching a product die on the vine.
IFTTT 101: How to Use Widgets to Control Your Favorite Applets on iPhone or Android
IFTTT is the king of simple automation apps. With minimal setup, you can easily add applets that companies and users create. You can also create your own applets to suit your needs. Sometimes, though, you need to trigger an action on your own. For times like these, adding a widget to your home screen is exactly what you need.
News: 14 Cool New Features in Android Oreo for the OnePlus 5T
When OnePlus announced the 5T, many were disappointed that it wasn't shipping with Android Oreo. To curb some of this disappointment, OnePlus quickly introduced an open beta for both the 5 and 5T and promised that each would receive the official version by Q1 2018. Well today, OnePlus has met this promise and pushed the OTA out for the official stable version of Android Oreo.
How To: 4 Apps to Help Keep Your Android Device Secure
As of 2016, there are approximately 1.85 billion Android smartphones worldwide. This growing popularity has led to an increasing number hacks and cyber attacks against the OS. Unfortunately, Android users need more protection than what is offered by Google. The good thing is that there are a number of options available.
News: Almost a Year Later, Android Oreo Is Still on Less Than 1% of Phones
The first developer preview build of Android P (Android 9.0) is right around the corner, but less than 1% of Android phones are running Oreo. The fragmentation on Android (the number of devices on different versions of the operating system) is staggering, and a problem that has plagued the operating system since it first debuted in 2008 — despite Google's best efforts to fix it.
News: Google AR Product Head Defects to Facebook to Lead Camera Efforts
Facebook just ratcheted up its ongoing augmented reality war against the competition by stealing away Google's director of product for AR, Nikhil Chandhok. In his new role, the executive will serve as Facebook's director of product on the company's Camera/AR team.
News: 1 in 4 iPhone Users Still Haven't Updated to iOS 11
From its official launch back in September, iOS 11 has been equal parts revered as it has been criticized. Even with all the great, new features we've come to expect from a major iOS update, plenty of bugs and glitches have forced users to overlook the positives. Perhaps that is why, four months later, 25% of iPhone owners are still running iOS 10.3 or earlier.
How To: 4 iPhone Apps That Will Help Start Your Morning Off Right
For some of us, mornings are difficult. But if you can manage to start your morning right, you can trigger a chain reaction that leads to a more productive day. Fortunately, our phones have the tools to help us get off to a good start.
News: Apple News Glitch Spammed iPhone Users with the Same Notification Over & Over
Well, that was annoying. Earlier today, iOS users — including myself — were getting plagued with the same CNN news alert over and over again. While the news itself is significant (the guy who sent that false missile alert in Hawaii was fired), people usually get the gist after just one alert, not dozens.
How To: Use Face ID on iPhone X to Approve Family Sharing Download Requests
For parents that have an iPhone X, things are about to get a lot easier for you in iOS 11.3, which finally lets you approve app and media downloads on your child's iPhone using Face ID instead of typing in a password.
IFTTT 101: Secure Your Automations with 2-Step Verification
If you want to automate tasks with your smartphone, IFTTT is a great app. It does a tremendous job of helping you find applets or creating your own from scratch, so it's easy to connect your favorite online services and make them react to each other. With all this personal information, though, you should ensure that your data is secure by enabling two-step verification.
News: Apple May Be Holding Back Crucial Key to ARKit's Gaming Success Until 2019, Report Says
Now that we finally have vertical plane recognition in ARKit (at least on a developer level until the spring iOS 11.3 release), the real promise of mobile augmented reality is beginning to come into focus on iOS. But a new report indicates that a major near future advancement of ARKit that could change everything has been put on hold by Apple.