Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
News: Samsung May Have Jumped on the Dual Camera Bandwagon for the Galaxy Note 8
The OnePlus 5 may have received a lot of flak for its design mirroring the iPhone 7 Plus' very closely, but that doesn't change the fact that dual cameras have become increasingly more common over the last couple years. Samsung's next smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, is rumored to be the next major smartphone to sport the technology. Now, Samsung may have confirmed those rumors as truth.
News: Tinder Gold Allows Users to See Everyone Who 'Likes' Their Profile
Tinder, marketed as a free 'dating' app, is no stranger to paid features. The company has long allowed users to step up their game by spending money on their 'Tinder Plus' service. Tinder would like more of your money, it seems, as it rolls out a new paid service with a highly-desirable premium feature — the ability to see who has swiped right on your profile, without having to match.
News: CastAR's Financial Woes Lead to Layoffs & Liquidation
What began as a highly successful Kickstarter campaign has all but ended, according to an updated report by Polygon. CastAR, comprised of a few people from Valve's former research and hacking arm, has released a large portion of their team. Only a small core of the group remains, trying to sell the technology they have created.
News: Scandy Gives Tango Owners a Taste of 3D Scanning
Mobile 3D scanning company Scandy has released a new app for devices on Google's Tango mobile AR platform that gives users the advanced 3D scanning capabilities.
Brief Reality: Augmented Reality Companies Earn Accolades for Innovation
A pair of organizations recognized companies working in augmented reality for their innovative technologies over the past week. Meanwhile, another company used augmented reality for a sector that is overdue for a technology makeover, while another company has developed new camera modules that could usher in the next evolution of mobile AR.
News: Pinterest Takes Steps to Hack-Proof Your Account
The peaceful, pastel and doily-filled world of Pinterest is my oasis. My account conveys who I want to be and what I want to accomplish, so the idea of someone hacking it and ruining my favorite escape for me is heartbreaking. Fortunately, Pinterest has updated its security, implementing three new features to hack-proof your account.
Prime Users: Get Up to $80 Off Nokia, Alcatel & Moto Phones
Honestly, this deal is pretty sweet. As of today, Amazon has added five new devices to their "Prime Exclusive Phones" program. The program allows Prime users to buy midrange handsets unlocked at a discount that goes up to $80.
Instagram 101: How to Share Videos to Instagram Stories Past 24 Hours
If you want to share a video to Stories — but it's over 24 hours old — it may seem like you can't, but there's actually a simple hack on how to do just that.
Instagram 101: How to Use Instagram Stories to Diversify Content on Your Feed
The Stories feature on Instagram has a pretty great editing program, and it's one that I think is extremely undervalued. Instagram Stories goes beyond just its Snapchat-like features, but also allows you to create more creative and original content to post on your actual profile page.
News: T-Mobile LTE-U Gives Galaxy S8 Owners a Speed Boost in Select Cities
Last month, AT&T made headlines with its disastrous launch of its 5G Evolution network (spoiler alert: it wasn't actually 5G). T-Mobile responded to the embarrassing news by saying the company would be working on its own 5G network, and would take its time rolling it out. Well, T-Mobile may have just pulled an AT&T — T-Mobile is launching LTE-U in the US, and things seem pretty similar to the 5G Evolution's introduction.
Instagram 101: The Best Ways to Keep Your Instagram Stories Looking Clean & Clutter-Free
If you've ever seen me glued to my iPhone, huddled on the corner of the 23rd St subway station fidgeting with my stupid hot pink nails trying to Instagram Story, then now you are about to find out exactly what I've been doing.
News: Dating App 'Hinge' Wants to Showcase the Real You with Video Clips
It seems we've come full circle in alternative dating routes. Just like a long time ago when people were able to go to matchmakers and watch videos of potential matches, the dating app 'Hinge' is now allowing you to add videos to your profile.
News: Facebook's AI-Powered Assistant Just Keeps Getting Better with Latest Update
M — Facebook's AI-powered assistant unveiled to the public in April — is now better than ever. The latest update to M now allows it to provide three more suggestions: a function to save content to view later, birthday wishes, and call initiation.
News: No Matter Where You Are, You Can Request an Uber for Someone Else
Admit it — many of us have not gotten in the Uber's we've requested. Sometimes, you just need to get someone else a cab that you're not going to be going with. No biggie ... but your friend doesn't have any connection to Uber or the driver, which can be a little awkward. Uber is addressing this slight issue today, with an update that allows you to officially request Ubers for others.
News: Android Users Rejoice! Twitter Update Brings Automatic Night Mode
If you're like me and you typically find yourself scrolling through Twitter before bed, you will be psyched about this new update for Android.
News: Spotify Brings Popular Playlist to Life with Concert Tour
Your favorite music-streaming app is taking artists from its popular RapCaviar playlist on tour to five major US cities. That's right, put down your smartphones and pick up your credit card because these tickets are going to sell fast.
News: Amazon Prime Members Can Preorder the Nokia 6 Today for $50 Discount
While it might be a little past its prime now, the running gag about Nokia phones never breaking was one of the internet's favorite jokes. "If you buy one," they would say, "you'll never need another phone again." I think if those users could see into the future, they'd change their tune, as the Nokia 6 is now available to preorder — and I'm guessing it would give any of Nokia's old bricks a run for their money.
How To: Improve Battery Life on Your iPhone in iOS 11
The new iOS 11 was just released by Apple, and you can install it right now. Overall, it's got some great features, but how does it fare battery-wise on your iPhone? And how can you increase daily battery life for more juice and less charging every day?
Gaming: Play 'The Walking Dead: March to War' on Your iPhone or Android Now
Disruptor Beam just soft launched The Walking Dead: March to War in the Philippines. It's not officially available in the US yet, but there are ways to play this take on Robert Kirkham's post-apocalyptic masterpiece regardless of where you live.
News: iOS 11 Public Beta Is Now Available for Your iPhone
Apple promised at WWDC to release the iOS 11 public beta by the end of June, and they've just followed through on their promise.
NR50: Next Reality's 50 People to Watch: Paul Travers
There is an Indian story called the Legend of Paal Paysam, and while it doesn't seem like it at first, it has a lot to say about what motivated Paul Travers in the augmented reality space.
Market Reality: Business Interest High, Adoption Low for Augmented Reality
A new survey shows that the majority of companies have an interest in using augmented reality, though adoption remains low. Meanwhile, two companies with support roles in the augmented reality industry are seeing positive financial results.
Instagram 101: How to Add More Than 30 Hashtags to Your Posts
If you are a small account looking to get more followers and likes, then getting past Instagram's 30 hashtag limit may be what you need to increase engagement. While I don't recommend posting so many hashtags in your caption (it looks terrible), there are certain ways to add tags and still make your posts look super clean.
Review: Sonic the Hedgehog on Mobile Is a Fun Throwback, with More Than a Few Headaches
Who would have thought back in 1991 that you'd eventually be able to play Sonic the Hedgehog whenever and wherever you wanted? Not a crappy Game Gear version, either. I'm talking the full Sega Genesis version of Sonic, available to you on a bus, a plane, or in a rest-stop bathroom. Now imagine how those people would react if you told them the game would also be free. They would think you were crazy.
News: Facebook Messenger Gets a Huge Update with New Filters & AR Features
Say goodbye to boring video chats over Messenger. Now the app is rolling out new features that can make any chat interesting and fun.
Instagram 101: Take Your Hashtag Game to the Next Level with Focalmark
Typing out thirty hashtags on Instagram is always such an annoying process. Figuring out the best hashtags to use to get more likes is also tricky. You can't just keep copying and pasting the same hashtags on every post — that's like attacking the same tribe every time. You got to diversify, which takes a lot of conscious effort to be on top of the current best hashtags to use.
News: Snapchat's Newest AR Lenses Bring Out the Minion in All of Us
Despicable Me 3 is coming to theaters this summer, and it seems that Minions are everywhere. Literally. You can't even escape them on social media because they've taken over Snapchat with the release of three augmented reality lenses. That's right, this new AR feature means that there could be Minions in your flower crown.
News: Want to Watch YouTube with Other People? Try Uptime
If you're like me, then your perfect Friday night has your friends over for some group-YouTube streaming. If you're not like me, you're probably cool. But for the rest of us, YouTube is meant to be a shared experience. I think YouTube has caught on to that trend, since it has developed Uptime, an app that lets you watch YouTube with other people wherever you all are.
News: Thanks to Augmented Reality, You Can Measure Almost Anything with Your iPhone
Thanks to Apple's ARKit, a new app will let iPhone users measure distances through the magic of augmented reality.
Instagram 101: How to Break 1,000 Instagram Followers by Linking Your Other Social Media Accounts
I spent just about my entire weekend trying to break the 800, 900, and 1,000 levels of Instagram — because it's a game, y'all — by playing around with my follower count. I shamelessly manipulated my IG account in such a way that was extremely time consuming and left many of my friends pretty pissed off at me as I spent most of my time glued to my phone. (Sorry, friends. I know I'm obsessed.)
News: Your Reading Experience Is About to Change Thanks to Augmented Reality
If you're someone who loves to read, you've probably read a book that made you want to hop into the story and live in the world that wasn't your own. Reading has a way of letting us escape into other worlds and experience things that we normally wouldn't be able to. Augmented reality is similar in that way. Which is why it makes sense that the two would be combined to create an incredible, immersive new way of reading.
News: WhatsApp Will Let You Send Whatever Kind of File You Want Now
Cell phones have advanced rapidly since their inception. However, one frustrating aspect of our handheld computers is that we sometimes expect more than they can handle. We want smartphones to do all our PCs can do, but in many cases, that just isn't possible; especially when that comes to viewing and sending certain file types. WhatsApp is taking steps to bridge that gap now, by allowing users to send whatever kind of file they want, with one or two restrictions ...
News: Nike's Newest App Uses AR to Sell Momofuku Sneakers
Nike's newest app is changing the way we shop. Called SNKRS, it uses augmented reality to sell the limited edition Nike SB Dunk High Pro "Momofuku" sneakers.
News: Want to Make Your Own Live Broadcast? New Facebook App Aims to Help
Facebook, you either love it or you hate it ... or maybe you're indifferent. The point is, Facebook is everywhere, and the debate is still raging over whether or not it's actually, well, good. That debate may not exist for the various personalities of Facebook much longer, however, as Facebook announced a new app geared directly towards improving how they broadcast their content to their audiences.
How To: Get the Pixel Launcher with an Integrated Google Now Page on Any Phone — No Root Needed
Google has an exclusive launcher for its Pixel devices, and it's pretty slick. But even though we've found ways to get this home screen app on other phones, certain features simply wouldn't work unless you were rooted. That's finally changed.
Building Next Reality: How the ARKit's Impressive Software Detects Surfaces Using Just the iPhone's Color Camera
I currently am and have always been what one might call a PC/Android guy. Many that know me well would likely even go so far as to say I am anti-Apple. About an hour after seeing the ARKit demo during the day-one keynote at WWDC, I became the owner of a brand new Mac.
News: You Can No Longer Automatically Backup Photos to Google Photos While Charging
Well, get ready to have your battery depleted if you use Google Photos. The backup app has just removed the "Backup While Charging" feature in their app.
News: Being a YouTuber On-the-Go Just Got Easier
The beauty gurus, gamers, and daily vloggers of the world are getting a great gift from YouTube very soon. No, it's not exclusive swag or diamond awards. Instead, it's an update to the YouTube mobile app that will support all video formats and let you send in-app messages.
Snapchat 101: How to Turn On Ghost Mode for Snap Map to Keep Your Location Private
Snapchat recently updated their Android and iPhone apps with a new feature called Snap Map which lets you share your current location with other Snapchatters, as well as see their current locations. It may sound like an interesting new feature, but sharing your exact location with all of your Snapchat followers is dangerous, to say the least. Luckily, it's easy to turn this feature off.
News: Forget CNN or FOX, WhatsApp Is Now a Popular News Source
According to a new study from the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford, people are getting their news from ... unexpected sources. Put away your CNN app and stop checking the New York Times because a familiar app is now keeping you up to date on current events: WhatsApp.