Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: New Unity Beta Brings with It Much Needed New Features
At the end of June, Unity 2017.1, the newest version of the popular 3D development engine, went live. And with that release, it brought out some very cool new features like Timeline and Cinemachine, to name a few. Now, for those of us that develop with Unity and follow the beta program closely, these features are not new at all. What is more likely the case is that we have spent a good deal of time using these features for a few months and even possibly helped iron out a few bugs.
Spotify 101: How to Improve Sound Quality for Streaming & Downloaded Music
Spotify's massive song catalog can be streamed in decent quality on iPhone or Android without any tinkering. But if you're an audiophile, you've probably noticed that the sound quality can fluctuate from time to time.
How To: Find Out What Music Is Trending on SoundCloud Right Now
SoundCloud is a really interesting alternative to Spotify and Pandora in that it will never really give you the exact mainstream song that you want. If you're looking for new up-and-coming artists that are making some wonderful alternative remixes to mainstream music, then SoundCloud is the right music streaming app for you.
Super Mario Run 101: How to Conserve Battery Life While Playing on Android or iPhone
If there's one thing that iPhone and Android users can agree on, it's that playing mobile games can drain your battery like nothing else. But it doesn't always have to be this way. If the game you're currently addicted to is Super Mario Run, there are two settings you can change to greatly reduce battery drain on any phone.
How To: Create Playlists on SoundCloud to Help Organize Your Music
The nice part about creating a song playlist is that it's essentially like your own customized album. You can organize all your different music tastes into one large collection or separate them into each of their own genres.
News: Social Fresh CEO Jason Keath Explains Why AR Will Become a Massive Business Platform
Innovation Congress starts tomorrow, but its creator, Jason Keath, spoke to Next Reality today about the future of augmented reality.
How To: Create a Station on SoundCloud to Discover New Artists & Songs
In the SoundCloud app, when you find an awesome song, you can build off of it by creating one killer music station that will give you like-minded songs you might not have ever discovered otherwise. And finding cool new songs and artists isn't the only reason to create a SoundCloud station — it's a great opportunity to set the tone of your workday or your party without ever worrying about the music ending.
News: Today Is World Emoji Day & Apple's Giving Us All Gifts to Celebrate
As we all know, and certainly have marked on our calendars, it's World Emoji Day! Considering that over five billion emojis are sent daily on Facebook Messenger alone, emojis deserve to be celebrated, and Apple's doing just that. On this monumentous day, the tech giant is gifting us all with images of its newest emojis. From dinosaurs to headscarf-clad women, the releases are sure to please emoji fanatics throughout the world.
Apple AR: Our World Meets Minecraft's with AR Scanner
This is one of the coolest applications of Apple's ARKit that we've seen so far. The 3D software product studio gradientspace has created a Minecraft 3D scanner using ARKit.
Apple AR: Game Company Creates Playable Augmented Reality Arcade Machine in Their Office
The gaming company Ivanovich Games has created a sort of "game-ception" using Apple's ARKit. They have designed a Steam-powered playable arcade machine game called "Operation Warcade" which can now be projected into real life using augmented reality, creating a true "go inside the video game" experience.
News: If the Rumors Are True, Amazon Could Be Developing a Messaging App
Is there anything Amazon doesn't do? Whether it's video streaming, creating a brick-and-mortar bookstore, or even purchasing Whole Foods, you name it, and Amazon's probably doing it — well.
Apple AR: Prepare to Rage in Real Life with Augmented Reality 'Flappy Bird'
You will soon be able to play an AR version of one of the most frustrating mobile games of all time, thanks to Apple's ARKit.
News: Children Can Now Go on an AR Adventure at Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport's most recent arrival isn't a flight, but rather an interactive children's game featuring augmented reality technology.
Apple AR: Get Up Close to Our Solar System Using AR
Our universe has never been closer thanks to Apple's ARKit. YouTube user Jenil Kansara has been playing around with ARKit features and created a solar system in his room.
News: Lucasfilm Looks to Lenovo for Star Wars Augmented Reality
The Force is strong with Lenovo, who is working with Disney and Lucasfilm to deliver an augmented reality headset and lightsaber handle for the forthcoming Star Wars: Jedi Challenges game.
Apple AR: Learn to Dance at Home Using AR App 'Dance Reality'
Two salsa dancers who also happen to be programmers are soon releasing an app called Dance Reality, made with Apple's ARKit. Through this app, you will be able to practice your dancing with augmented reality as your teacher right from your iPhone.
Super Mario Run 101: How to Unlock Toad
Though not quite as agile as the world famous plump plumber Mario, Toad, the lovable fungus, is still one of the most fun characters to use while playing Super Mario Run. Thankfully, he is also by far the easiest character to unlock in the game, requiring no special tasks to complete.
YouTube 101: How to Live Stream from Your Phone
YouTube's mobile live streaming feature is great for connecting with your audience in a more personal way than traditional videos provide. Audiences can view and respond to content in real time, and creators can do the same. While unfortunately not available to everyone — you need at least 100 subscribers — live streaming is possible, even with your smartphone.
News: Dalux Adapts Augmented Reality to Mobile for Construction Industry
HoloLens developers have created some useful solutions for visualizing building models and viewing construction plans overlaid on the job environment.
News: Zappar Pitches Baseball AR Mini-Game for Wise Snacks
Wise Snacks wants baseball fans to reach for potato chips instead of peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and it's calling augmented reality out of the bullpen to close the deal.
Have You Seen This?: The New & Improved Windows Mixed Reality Portal
For those of us on the fast ring of the Windows Insider Program — Microsoft's continual beta program for the Windows operating system — the constant updates can be a bit of a pain. But there is a trade-off. We get to try the new features long before they come out to the public. So if you like to see the new shinies before everyone else, and don't mind the sometimes two or three major updates in a week, then this is definitely the option for you.
News: Our B.I.R. (Blind Man-in-Residence) Immerses Self in Microsoft's New 'Seeing AI' App
Microsoft recently released "Seeing AI," an app aimed to help the blind understand their surroundings. As Microsoft puts it, "the app narrates the world around you by turning the visual world into an audible experience."
Apple AR: Luden.io Unveils 'AR Tribe' Mobile Game That Uses ARKit
Luden.io just revealed more details about their mobile game "AR Tribe," made using Apple's ARKit. The company has previously focused on VR games such as InMind 2 and VRobot. This is the company's first attempt at AR, and it looks like it's going to be pretty cool.
Market Reality: Augmented Reality Demonstrates Value for Business & Recreation
We continue to field stories underscoring the strong trends of Investment in augmented reality in various sectors. This week, one company strengthens their offerings to the enterprise sector, while two other companies capitalize on the promise presented by augmented reality to consumers – specifically, in gaming.
News: Google Play Music's New Release Radio Works for Everyone
Google Play's newest feature may have once been exclusive, but it's now available for everyone. New Release Radio — a feature that provides you with a personalized playlist of new songs compiled based on your listening history — was originally released a month ago for Samsung devices. Now, it's available for all smartphone users with the Google Play Music app.
Review: Street Fighter IV Champion Edition Is a Knock Out
Full disclosure — I have almost zero Street Fighter experience. The first time I played the game was at Barcade, way back in ... 2017. Yes, to the shame of gamers everywhere, this reviewer is a Street Fighter noob.
News: Dining, Travel & … Smartphones? Groupon Now Offers Discounts on Unlocked Galaxy S8
As my fellow cheapskates know, Groupon is an oasis. From discounted vacations to reduced-price massages, it has — nearly — anything and everything. It's great for discounts on dining and travel, but I've never thought of it as a place to shop for smartphones ... until now.
News: If You're a Verizon Customer, This Recent Leak May Have Exposed Your Private Information
It seems like there's a cyber security scare every day. Consumers are growing increasingly concerned about the safety of their accounts, and they have reason to be. Hackers will maliciously attack you anywhere — and we mean anywhere — they can to get your private information.
Apple AR: Creepy Effects Make Surfaces Bubble & Boil
This man's effect using Apple ARKit is both really cool and really freaky. In his tweet, John van der Zwaag said that this "alters reality" rather than just adding to it.
Apple AR: Use Augmented Reality to Measure Rooms Without a Tape Measure
Measuring a room has never been so easy thanks to Apple's ARKit. SmartPicture 3D is known for its quick measurements based on pictures from your smartphone. Recently, they released a video of the company measuring a room using the ARKit.
Apple AR: JigSpace Shows You How Things Are Made Using AR
JigSpace, a company that uses 3D renderings to give instructions, showed off a fun new way to learn how things work using Apple's ARKit. The video released shows the anatomy of a range of things, including an espresso machine, an Archer Hb Plus chair, and the manual transmission of a car. Not to mention, they also used ARKit to show a 3D how-to of removing an iPhone's SIM card.
Snapchat 101: How to Create & Use Your Own Personal Bitmoji
Bitmojis are not only a good way to personalize your Snapchat account, but also a really fun Snap addition to play around with. A bitmoji is basically like your little avatar, letting you design your mini-self whichever way that you desire.
News: DreamWorld Seeks to Dismiss Meta Lawsuit
Facing claims of misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information by Meta Company, DreamWorld, led by Meta's former employee, Zhangyi "Kevin" Zhong, has fired back with a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
News: Zillow Invests in Augmented Reality Interior Design App Hutch
Hutch Interiors, Inc., makers of an eponymous augmented reality home design app for iOS and Android, has closed a series A round of funding, led by online real estate company Zillow Group, totaling $10 million.
News: DAQRI Deploys Smart Helmet for Navy Gunners
Augmented reality headset maker DAQRI has collaborated with the US Navy to outfit the company's Smart Helmet device for use on battleships.
News: Facebook Messenger's 'Visabot' Can Help You Apply for Your Green Card
Getting your green card can be an extraordinarily complicated and difficult task. Often times it seems so daunting that it's hard to know where to begin. Thankfully, Facebook Messenger introduced "Visabot" last year, a chatbot in the app that helps with all things immigration. Now including applying for your green card.
News: Zently Takes on Venmo with New Bill-Splitting Feature
Zently — the mobile app for renters — is taking on Venmo with its newest feature. Traditionally used to automate rent payments, deliver rent checks for free, and communicate with your landlord, it now allows you to connect to your bank account and split bills with housemates. Following the addition of Zelle to several major banks apps — to allow users to transfer money to their contacts — the battle of the mobile payment apps is getting increasingly fierce. With this new update, Zently is als...
News: For Virgin Mobile Customers, Twitter Just Became Free-er
How can something get more free than free? Well, in the case of Twitter, Virgin Mobile found a way with its newest promotion. If you have a 4G plan with Virgin Mobile, you can now access Twitter from your smartphone without it counting towards your monthly data allowance.
News: Microsoft's 'Seeing AI' App Helps the Visually Impaired Through Narration
When the iPhone first came out, using them seemed like an impossibility to the visually impaired. Luckily, the iPhone now provides a multitude of resources to make sure that the visually impaired have accessibility to the phone.
YouTube 101: How to Upload Videos from Your Phone
What makes YouTube such a special platform is that anyone and everyone can upload their own content. Big players upload their videos to the same site that the little guy does.