Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
How To: Hunt Down Space-Hogging Files on Your Mac with Disk Inventory X
I love my MacBook Air, but the fact that it runs on only 128 GB of flash storage causes me to move most of my files to the cloud. I don't mind having to be connected to the internet in order to access my files, but it's definitely a hassle trying to figure out which files I should move in order to save the most space. Usually, I don't even bother even trying until I see the dreaded "Your startup disk if almost full" warning. Currently, the only real way to find your biggest files in Mac OS X ...
How To: Create "Frame Within a Frame" Photo Effects on Android
Creating interesting photographs used to be more fun, before we all collectively decided that color filters and rotations qualified as "unique" smartphone pics. Scrolling through my Instagram feed only confirms that these supposedly special, filter-laden photos are actually the norm now.
How To: Watch All Images in a Facebook Chat Together
This tutorial video will show you how to watch all images in a Facebook chat together. Now you could gather or organize all images exchanged with a friend all together. So please watch the video and follow all the steps carefully. Employ the technique in your Facebook account.
How To: Get Total Control Over Android's Volume Slider Precision
On most Android devices, the various volume levels are comprised of either 7 or 15 steps between minimum and maximum. For voice-call volume, alarms, and notifications alike, 7 presses of a volume button will bring you all the way from silent to full-blast. With media controls, you get 15 steps between mute and max.
How To: Edit Your iPhone Pics Using Third-Party Editing Tools in iOS 8's Stock Photos App
Extensibility is a feature that allows developers to integrate their apps into iOS 8 in different ways—that's how we have widgets in the Notification Center, more sharing options in the Photos app, the use of third-party keyboards such as SwiftKey, and more.
How To: Free Up Space on Android by Moving Large Game Files to an SD Card
Many Android games use large, storage-heavy OBB files to store supplemental data. Generally, games with high-end graphics download these extra files when you install them from the Google Play Store.
How To: Messaging Just Got Way More Fun with GIF Keyboard for iOS 8
Third-party keyboards have become a game changer for iPhone owners since their integration in iOS 8. And while the major players from the Android realm—Fleksy, SwiftKey, Swype—already have their keyboards on the iOS App Store, their products are relatively standard fare.
How To: Theme WhatsApp with Android L's Material Design
Android's new Material Design language is truly a thing of beauty. Slated to make a full debut alongside the upcoming Android "L" release, the vision and simplicity of this UX design recently won Gold Prize at the annual User Experience Awards.
News: iOS 8.0.2—Update Now to Fix Cell Signal, Touch ID, HealthKit, Keyboards, & More
Apple's fix to its previous fix—which was a complete and utter disaster—is rolling out now, thankfully ahead of the "few days" they stated earlier. The update to iOS 8.0.2 fixes the issues with cell signal and Touch ID, as well as the the previous bugs 8.0.1 aimed to squash. No matter if you took the update and have had a de facto iPod the past 24+ hours, or whether you reverted back to iOS 8.0, you'll want to install this update pronto.
How To: Stream Top Billboard Hits on Android for Free
The Billboard Charts have been a measurement of commercial success for pop songs since roughly the time that radios became a household item. In its modern form, Billboard ranks the sales and performance of all singles with its "Hot 100" chart, as well as many other genre-specific rankings.
Hot or Not: The Original Ego Scaler Is Now on Android, iOS, & Windows
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Besides being one of the most notorious misquotes of all time (the line is "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all"), it's a question that men and women probably have asked themselves more than once.
How To: Add Thumb-Friendly Pie Controls to Chrome on Android
Pie controls are navigation soft keys that can be displayed by swiping up or from the side of your screen, allowing you to navigate, search, call up the power menu, take screenshots, and a lot more. Not only are pie controls functional, they make using Immersive Mode a breeze since the regular nav bar was no longer required.
How To: Fix Cell Service & Touch ID After Installing the iOS 8.0.1 iPhone Update
The official release of iOS 8 was highly anticipated, but the truth is it may have been a little premature on Apple's part. Since its debut only a week ago, plenty of bugs and issues have been reported across the various compatible iPhone models.
How To: Enable Experimental Cards in Google Now for Android
Google has a practice known as dogfooding, where they use their employees to test new and upcoming features for their various services. Back in March, they accidentally released a dogfood version of YouTube on Google Play, and many Android users got their first behind-the-scenes glance at the internal testing features.
How To: Galaxy Note 4's Exclusive Apps Now Available for Any Galaxy Device
Getting a new phone is exciting, but having access to its exclusive apps ahead of its release is what we're all about here on Gadget Hacks.
News: Will It Bend? iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3
With the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, comparisons to the Samsung Galaxy Note series have been circulating like crazy, and it's only natural. The Note was panned as an oversized gimmick when it was released, but after its enormous success, Apple caved and built their own "phablet," something that Samsung took little time to call them out on.
How To: Get Alerts for When Your Local Apple Store Has an iPhone 6 in Stock
If you're trying to get a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, we know you've been struggling to find one, and we're here to help. With Apple's preorder numbers topping 4 million in the first 24 hours, it was nearly impossible to get one during the first wave.
How To: This Hidden Trick Lets You Create App Groups for Multi-Window Mode
By now, Samsung's Multi-Window Mode is a pretty well-known feature. With other manufacturers now recreating this functionality in their own flagships, like LG, it's safe to say the feature has been a hit with consumers.
How To: The One Flaw You Need to Know About Safari's "Private" Mode in iOS 8
A warning to all of you iPhone users with parents, significant others, and nosy friends: Private Mode in the Safari browser isn't as private as you think. At least, not as private as it used to be back in iOS 7.
How To: Resize the Google Keyboard on Any Android
Google Keyboard, which comes pre-installed on Nexus devices (and is available for all others from the Play Store), is one of the most functional keyboards currently available for Android. With features like gesture-based typing, next-word prediction, and even text expansion macros, it's a very capable form of text input.
How To: Securely Erase Your iPhone When Selling, Trading, Returning, or Giving It Away
When it comes to give away or sell your iPhone, you can't just power it down, take out the SIM card, and hope everything will be okay. There's valuable data on your iPhone, and you need to get rid of it. Plus, if you don't perform all the necessary steps, chances are whoever ends up with the device won't even be able to use it. If you're selling it, that could ding your seller reputation.
How To: Maximize Your iPhone's Battery Life in iOS 8
The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are supposed to last a lot longer in your pocket with improved battery life, but that doesn't mean that iOS 8 will be that friendly on your older iPhone model. All of those awesome new features could be killing your battery, but with some simple tweaking, your battery life concerns will be a mere afterthought.
How To: Downgrade an iPhone to iOS 7.1.2 from iOS 8
There are a lot of great new features in iOS 8, but not everyone is enjoying them. Some of you may just genuinely prefer iOS 7 over iOS 8, and some of you may be experiencing lag on older devices like the iPhone 4S, however minimal it may be. Whatever the reason, if you don't want iOS 8 on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, there's still time to downgrade back to iOS 7.1.2.
How To: Transform Your Android into a Sony Xperia Z3
Sony's latest flagship, the Xperia Z3, comes with some pretty high-end hardware, but what really draws me to it are the aesthetics of its ROM, Xperia UI. Even though my HTC One M8 can still go toe-to-toe with the Z3 in a performance matchup, there is something about Sony's UI that is simply missing from my HTC.
How To: The 6 Best Third-Party Keyboards Available Right Now for iPhone
Third-party keyboards have been available for iPhone ever since iOS 8, but which ones are worth checking out? There have been many options over the years, and if you want keyboard features like swipe-typing and themes, you're going to have to put Apple's stock QuickType keyboard on the backburner and try out these top hits.
How To: Set Chromecast Background Images as Your Android's Wallpaper
Google's Chromecast streaming device is a marvel of functionality and form. Even with powerful features such as screen mirroring and collaborative party playlists, it's the device's idle screen that first catches the eyes of most folks.
How To: Track Your iPhone 6 Shipping Status
Unless you're waiting in line for your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, it's a sure bet that you'll be sitting by at home for your new device to get delivered today.
Don't Buy the BS: iOS 8 Works Just Fine on iPhone 4S
Shortly after the official release of iOS 8, news outlets like BGR, Gizmodo, and Huffington Post were instructing iPhone 4S users to refrain from updating (which were practically regurgitations of an Ars Technica piece).
How To: Snapchat Directly from Your Photos App on iOS 8
Thanks to Apple's new extensibility features in iOS 8, developers are now able to create extensions for their apps that let you perform actions in notifications, widgets, and in stock Apple apps without having to open up the specific app itself.
How To: The Ultimate S Pen Customization Tool for Your Galaxy Note 3
When it comes to dictating what happens when the Galaxy Note 3's S Pen is detached, the stock settings that Samsung provides are severely lacking. There are only two measly options: launching Samsung's own Action Memo app, or displaying the Air Command menu.
How To: Recover Your Missing iPhone Photos & Videos in iOS 8
After updating to iOS 8, some of you have probably noticed that a lot of your pictures and videos are missing from the Photos app. Even if you were to restore your iPad or iPhone to your last backup, they would still be missing. But don't worry, that's just because albums work differently in iOS 8—all of your old photos are still there, just not as in your face as before.
Horizon: The Solution to Crappy Vertical Videos on Android
If you hold your phone upright while taking a video, you've surely seen the horrific end results. When you try to play the video back on any other display, roughly 70 percent of the screen is occupied by black bars.
How To: Customize Android's Volume Panel (No Root Required)
Your phone's volume panel is one part of the user interface that usually goes unnoticed to themers and developers. With themes capable of changing the look and feel of the fingerprint scanner, keyboard, and other system apps, this central aspect of the UI seems to get lost in the shuffle.
News: Why You Shouldn't Install iCloud Drive on iOS 8
Don't hit that button yet! I know that everyone is eager to update to iOS 8 as soon as humanly possible, but when it comes to enabling iCloud Drive, you need to wait.
How To: 14 iOS 8 Privacy Settings Everyone Needs to Understand (And Probably Change Right Now)
Keeping data private is vital in the days of smartphones and the free-floating information they carry. Justin wrote a guide on many of the deeply hidden and sometimes concerning privacy settings in iOS 7. Now we're back to cover some of the new (and old) privacy settings in iOS 8 that you need to address right now.
How To: Everything You Need to Know About iOS 8 for Your iPad, iPhone, & iPod Touch
Now that you've updated your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to iOS 8, there's a lot of cool new things to explore. If you felt a little overwhelmed from all of the detailed information available in our Coolest Hidden Features of iOS 8 post, then I've got a simple breakdown of all of the new features available with quick links to their walkthroughs and pictures, if available. Watch the short video roundup, or skip below for the list.
How To: SwiftKey, the Mind-Reading Keyboard, Is Here for iOS 8
As soon as third-party keyboard compatibility was announced for iOS 8, Apple loyalists and the newly curious both looked to the popular Android third-party keyboard developer, SwiftKey, to see if they'd be offering their services to iOS.
News: Apple Created a Switcher Guide for Android Users, but Don't Bother Reading It
Apple used to be a great, innovative company. But lately, it's filling its coffers with money raked in from selling folks on "new" and "unique" features that have been blatantly ripped off from Android.
How To: Update Your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch to iOS 8
iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch owners: it's that time again. iOS 8 has been released to the public, and those who have been eager to update since Apple's WWDC announcement won't have to wait any longer. Since iOS 8 promises to pack a bunch of new, really great features, it's time to present your options for getting on the latest and greatest for your Apple device.
How To: The Quick & Easy Secret to Reopen Accidentally Closed Tabs in iOS 8's Safari
With a new, somewhat buried feature in iOS 8, unintentionally closing a tab in Safari is no longer the burden it used to be. With iOS 7, you had to tap on the bookmarks icon from the main toolbar and go through your history to get that accidentally closed tab back. Now, Apple makes it easy to much easier to remedy the situation.