Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
How To: It's Really No Contest — LastPass Is the Best Password Manager for iPhone & Android
When traversing the web, you'll regularly come across websites that require you to create an account. With the majority of these accounts, protection is limited to a simple password. Despite this, many people are still using weak passwords such "123456." For these reasons, you really need a password manager, and our research has shown that LastPass is still your best bet.
News: Apple iPhone X App Lets You Wear Your Friend's Face Like a Mask & Put Words in Their Mouth
On Wednesday, Apple released a new batch of Animoji characters that gives iPhone X users more virtual masks to play around with, but what many have been waiting for is an app that lets you put on a virtual mask of another person, not an animated emoji. Well, that day has finally arrived.
How To: Sort App Store Reviews on Your iPhone in iOS 11.3
With the release of the iOS 11.3, iPhone users have new features to both sift through and look forward to, such as increased battery health information and control, new Animoji on iPhone X, and Health Records in the Health app. A smaller change with the update, however, is also a useful one — a new way to sort App Store reviews.
News: Vuzix Launches Program Allowing Consumers to Order Blade AR Smartglasses Along with Business & Developer Customers
After Vuzix's scorching hot week at CES, the future of AR is so bright, we have to wear (smart) shades. Luckily, Vuzix is making it easier for consumers to grab a pair.
News: iOS 11.3 Makes Multitasking Faster on the iPhone X
Apple released iOS 11.3 beta on Jan. 24 and the public stable release on March 29, and it didn't take us long to find plenty of cool new stuff. Aside from new Animoji, Health Records, and some upcoming changes related to the recent battery fiasco, most of the new features are about polish. One such feature we've found should make iPhone X users a little happier.
News: Augmented Reality & VR Take Flight in New Airbus iPhone App
While flying can be a frustrating and sometimes nerve-racking experience, Airbus is banking on augmented reality features in its new iflyA380 app for iPhones and iPads to help passengers learn to love the ordeal.
Snapchat 101: How to Use Memories to Save Snaps, Edit Old Snaps & More
Snapchat is an app built on sending quick-to-disappear pictures to your friends and family. Sure, this is the primary function of the app, but sometimes users want longer-lasting Memories while interacting with Snapchat. While My Story allows snaps to stick around for 24 hours, they still disappear in time. This is where Memories come in handy.
News: 24 Cool New Features in iOS 11.3 for iPhone
While iOS 11.3 doesn't have as many new features as iOS 11.2, there's still a lot to love about Apple's latest update for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, even if some of the best features we were expecting didn't make the cut.
Apple AR: Apple Adds Much-Needed Vertical Surface Recognition in ARKit Update
When Apple unboxes the next major update to its mobile operating system this spring, iPhones and iPads will gain some significant new features for augmented reality experiences: verticality.
News: Apple iOS 11.3 Update Introduces Brand New Set of Animoji Characters
We knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when. Apple has just announced iOS 11.3, a new update for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, and it will include a brand-new set of Animoji for the iPhone X.
News: iOS 11.3 Beta Released with Messages on iCloud, New Animoji, Apple Music Videos & More
It's tough to keep pace with Apple lately. As expected, only one day after the public release of iOS 11.2.5, the company released iOS 11.3 to developers. A day after that, Apple pushed it out to public beta testers, too. With new Animoji, more transparent battery information, Apple Music receiving music videos, and more, this update is the one to watch out for.
Apple AR: This App Totally Lets See Your Weed Right in Front of You, Man
If there's one augmented reality app idea that should have gone up in smoke, it's probably Tokédex, an app that brings cannabis to the world of AR.
Rumor Roundup: Latest News & Leaks on the RED Hydrogen One — Holographic Display, Dual SIM & More
For the unaware, RED is a company that specializes in high-end cameras and other recording devices. RED's cameras are used to shoot some of Hollywood's biggest films and TV shows. Their modular designs make them ideal for the user who does a lot of mixing and matching — and has a wallet to back their work up (their WEAPON 8K VV starts at $79,500).
How To: Disable Instagram's Creepy Activity Status Feature
Instagram updated its iOS and Android apps recently with an "Activity Status" indicator. This status allows your friends to see when you are currently active and when you were last active on Instagram. The problem is, Instagram was pretty quiet about this update, so many of you have it enabled without realizing it. Fortunately, it's simple to turn off.
Apple AR: Tim Cook Makes Rare Animoji Appearance, Pushes AR Amid Slow iPhone X Sales Reports
In the wake of reports of slow iPhone X sales and a possible early end to its shelf life, Apple CEO Tim Cook is on a public goodwill tour of sorts, espousing the virtues of Apple AR.
News: iOS 11.2.5 Released with ChaiOS Patch, HomePod Support & Persistent 'Now Playing' Bar
As expected, Apple began pushing out the final version of iOS 11.2.5 to all iPads, iPhone, and iPod touches today after 41 days of beta testing. Highlights include a fix for the ChaiOS vulnerability, a persistent Now Playing bar in Music, and some signs of AirPlay 2 just in time for the HomePod launch on Feb. 9.
News: Google AR Prototype Enables 3D Model Viewing Through Web Browsers
Unsurprisingly, Google wants to be the caretaker for augmented reality on the web, and its latest move in this endeavor is a 3D model viewer prototype called Article that's designed to work across all web browsers.
How To: Get Front-Facing Flash for Your Selfies in Any Android Camera App
Some phones have a feature that turns your screen white for a second when you're taking a selfie in dim lighting. This does a great job of illuminating your face in a pinch, but there are two problems with it: First, not all phones have the feature, and second, it doesn't work in third-party camera apps like Snapchat and Instagram.
News: Augmented Reality Haunts Meitu Apps in the Name of 'Insidious: The Last Key'
Scary movies seem to be a natural fit for augmented reality experiences, with the latest example coming from the Insidious film franchise.
News: This Winter Olympics App Will Use Augmented Reality to Help Fans Navigate PyeongChang 2018
If navigating a new city for a sporting event, such as the upcoming Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a daunting task, then making your way through a foreign country to a series of venues may seem like an impossible mission.
News: 'The Walking Dead' Mixes Augmented Reality & Wine to Keep You Alive Between Episodes
Fans of The Walking Dead can now kill time until the series returns from its winter hiatus by raising walkers from the labels on bottles of wine influenced by the show.
How To: Reply to Texts with a Selfie GIF on Your iPhone
Most of us have probably used a GIF at least once or twice to respond to a message, and that's why a lot of messaging services and keyboards have GIF search tools readily available to use. Now, Google wants to take GIF responses to a more personal level, by allowing you to create your own selfies GIFs to instantly sent to family and friends.
Binance 101: Fees & Fine Print You Need to Know Before Trading Bitcoins & Other Cryptocurrencies
In just a few months, Binance has experienced explosive growth, overtaking its rivals to rank among the top three cryptocurrency exchanges in the world by trading volume. Without a doubt, Binance is now among the best sites for trading alt-coins like Ripple (XRP), Stellar (XLM), and NEM (XEM) to name a few.
News: StubHub Punches Augmented Reality's Ticket to Help Fans Navigate Super Bowl LII
While the Minnesota Vikings have a realistic chance to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl on their home field, there will still be fans attending Super Bowl LII who will be in unfamiliar surroundings.
Market Reality: Sketchfab Opens AR Content Store, Amazon Pushes Fitness Gear with AR & DAQRI Capitalizes on AR Training
While it may seem to some like investors are just throwing their money at augmented reality companies simply because the tech is heavily hyped, these money managers do actually want to see a return on their investments.
News: Alexa Voice Control Coming to iPhones Soon
If you're anything like most iPhone users, then you've probably grown tired of Siri's antics by now. She frequently has trouble with even the most basic of questions, and severely lags behind Google Assistant with regards to usability. Unfortunately, Google Assistant for iPhones has been less than ideal.
News: Maroon 5 Dives into Augmented Reality with Music Video Created Entirely in Snapchat
Move over, Hype Williams, it looks like Snapchat is about to take some of your music video-making business, and pop rock group Maroon 5 is the proof.
News: iOS 11.2.5 Beta 7 Released, Expect Public Version Early Next Week
Apple just pushed out iOS 11.2.5 beta 7 today for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to both developers and public beta testers. On Wednesday, Jan. 17, beta 6 was released, and there were two betas the previous week. With Apple promising a patch for "ChaiOS" next week for everyone, it's like iOS 11.2.5 will be that update.
News: This Is How Big Business, Cities & Native American Tribes Are Leveraging the Power of AR via DAQRI Headsets
While the mainstream consumer market waits for cool augmented glasses to arrive from Magic Leap, or maybe even Snap Inc. (Spectacles 2.0??), AR headset maker DAQRI and its business customers are finding new, money-saving and time-saving use cases for the technology today.
News: This iPhone App Gives You Virtual Prizes for Turning Your Curse Words into Objects in AR
If you love to hear yourself talk, you can now enjoy seeing your words materialize in augmented reality with an ARKit-compatible iPhone or iPad.
How To: What Happens to Your Passwords When You Die?
Most of us have never put much thought into this, but the question needs to be asked — what exactly happens to all of our online accounts when we die? No, the internet won't just know and delete accounts for you, so you need to plan for life's one guarantee. Because without a plan, things become a lot harder to sort out.
News: Amazon Pushes Athletic Wear in Augmented Reality with Mo-Capped Fitness Models
Apparently, Amazon's new year's resolution is to bulk up its fitness fashion sales by pumping up its augmented reality muscles.
Bye, Notch: Samsung's Developing a Way to Embed the Selfie Camera in the Screen
While 2017 saw the rise of "bezel-less" smartphones, none truly lived up to the name. Samsung shrank its bezels significantly, while Apple went with the infamous "notch." However, Samsung seems on the verge of kicking bezels out the door with a new patent application that embeds the front camera into the display.
News: Meta 2 Augmented Reality Headset Available to Businesses Through Dell Starting in February
Following up on a preview of the deal we reported during last week's CES, Dell has officially announced the details around its role as the first company to resell the Meta 2 augmented reality headset.
Dev Report: 'Book of the Dead' Demo Shows New Unity 2018.1 Features Are a Literal Game Changer
In its goal to push the visual quality of real-time rendering to a new level, Unity is starting the new year off right by releasing a sneak peek at its upcoming interactive rendering improvements via a short, three-minute first-person interactive demo called "Book of the Dead."
News: FaceCake Uses Snapchat-Like Camera Effects to Let You Try on Earrings Instead of Masks & Rainbows
Although it sounds like a foodie's take on Facebook, what Calabasas, California-based FaceCake actually offers is more about augmented reality fashion marketing rather than food selfies.
News: iOS 11.2.5 Beta 6 Released, Almost Ready for the Masses
Apple pushed out iOS 11.2.5 beta 6 today for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to developers and public beta testers. Last week two beta updates were rolled out, and this fast pace may indicate that iOS 11.2.5 is almost ready for prime time.
News: New Messages Bug Lets a Single Link Freeze & Restart Your iPhone
It has not been a good year for Apple, as far as software scandals are concerned. From autocorrect nuisances to secret slowdowns of aging iPhones, Apple has had a lot to answer for. iOS users now have another issue to worry about — it's being called "chaiOS," and it's wrecking havoc on iPhones with just a simple URL.
News: Sketchfab Launches Professional 3D Model Store for AR & VR Content Creators
After hosting millions of free 3D models online, Sketchfab is betting that augmented reality and virtual reality developers and creators will be willing to pay for premium 3D content.
Google Play Music 101: How to Adjust Music Quality to Save Data While Listening
The nemesis of music streamers is data caps, cell phone or otherwise. Restricting monthly data and forcing users to decide between quantity and quality of music has had audiophiles tearing their hair out since streaming toppled the iPod. While the problem regarding music quality seems difficult to tackle, it's far from impossible.