Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Use Your Samsung Galaxy S3 Without a Functioning Home Button
Dorothy had it right: "There's no place like home." This is especially true when it comes to using your Samsung Galaxy S3, or pretty much any other smartphone, whose most vital button is the Home key.
How To: Prevent AT&T from Selling Your Behavior to Advertisers
How much privacy are you getting as an AT&T customer? With the recent leaks confirming the National Security Agency's surveillance on AT&T users, and the ongoing trial of Jewel v. NSA, it seems not much at all.
How To: Install Adobe Flash Player on a Samsung Galaxy S4 to Watch Amazon Instant Videos & More
Thanks to HTML5 and dedicated video apps, watching your favorite shows, movies, or video clips on your Samsung Galaxy S4 couldn't be easier. However, there are still times when you'll run into a website that requires Flash to play a video or interact with its content. Although its mobile life has been dead on Android for 2 years, Adobe Flash Player still lives on in the desktop world, fueling millions of websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, ESPN, CNN, and more.
How To: Find & Eradicate Android Apps Maliciously Tracking You on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
A wave of shock and anger swept across the country after Edward Snowden released private documents recounting the U.S. government's secretive mass surveillance programs. Although some of the fear was unwarranted (they don't read your emails or listen to your calls), many scrambled to find privacy of new heights for protection from the all-watchful eye. While the government may not be tracking you down, there are a myriad of other candidates that fill that Big Brother role—and I'm not talking ...
How To: Securely Hide, Lock, & Back Up Private Photos & Videos on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Whenever a friend borrows my Samsung Galaxy S3 to browse the web or make a quick call, I always pause to make sure there's nothing incriminating on it. I'm no superfreak, but some of my friends are, so I have more than a few photos on my device that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. I like to avoid these kinds of looks.
How To: Make a Universal Phone Battery Charger with Paper Clips
Paper clips and any kind of power adapter that gives 5 volts will do the job for charging your phone battery.
How To: Turn Your HTC One into a Real HTC One Google Play Edition
In a previous softModder tutorial, we installed CyanogenMod on our HTC Ones to approximate the look and feel of the Google Edition HTC One. Unfortunately, this rendered Beats and HTC's ImageChip (among other things) useless.
How To: Secretly Save Snapchat Photos on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Without Notifying the Sender
Saving a Snapchat photo onto your Android device is a simple process, but it always notifies the sender that you took a screenshot of their picture. Some of you may want to remain undetected when taking a screenshot, and where there's a will, there's a way.
How To: Watch YouTube Videos Offline on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
With over a billion videos uploaded to YouTube, passing your time browsing through the immense library can be an emotional roller coaster ride. One second you're bawling your eyes out over this devastatingly sad clip of Oden the dog's last minutes with his owner, and the next you're laughing hysterically at Spider-Man falling on his face.
How To: The Fastest Way to Access the Notification Tray in Full-Screen Apps on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
I like being fast at everything (well, almost everything), and I expect no less from my smartphone. So when I'm using an app on my Samsung Galaxy S3 that takes up the full display, I don't want to swipe down twice to get to my notifications—I want to swipe down once.
How To: Effortlessly Hack & Mod Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Using the Android Everything Tool
There are a ton of cool features available on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but if you're a softModder, you can make your phone do just about anything.
How To: The Easiest Way to Install a Custom Recovery on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
Android is constantly being refined, and the tools used to root and install custom recoveries are no exception. Earlier methods to root and install custom recoveries were very long and complicated. Any misstep along the way and you can end up with a bricked tablet.
How To: Customize WhatsApp with Themes, Mods, & Hidden Features on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
There are a ton of options available to Android users when it come to messaging, but the problem is that with all of these options, where is the go-to app? The one used by most people? The one that can offer a more unified approach?
How To: Take Perfect Fireworks Photos with Your Android Phone
Many of you are ready to capture the litany of 4th of July fireworks that will litter the night sky, but if you're using a phone to capture the burst of fire in midair, it can get a little tricky. Don't worry, though — you'll be fine if you use these tips.
How To: Share Full-Size Photos on Instagram Without Cropping on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Uploading certain pictures to Instagram can be problematic, especially when the dimensions of your picture exceed the dimensions of the square crop that's forced upon you. Why should I be forced to hack up my awesome fisheye picture inside of a lame square? I get the whole square thing, and I love it, but there's just some times when you can't be bound by the rules.
How To: Get the Jelly Bean 4.2 Camera & Gallery on Your HTC One for Taking Photo Spheres
Thanks to its dedicated ImageChip, the HTC One has one of the best cameras out of all the smartphones currently on the market. Their branded UltraPixel Camera can take full resolution photos while shooting video, has superior auto-focusing, and provides great overall quality for everything from low-light to action shots.
How To: Automatically Connect to Free Wi-Fi Hotspots (That Are Actually Free) on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
A free Wi-Fi hotspot can be a lifesaver. Whether it's because you have shitty reception, need faster connectivity, or just don't want to go over your monthly data plan, free Wi-Fi in public areas is greatly appreciated. While connecting to these free hotspots is fairly easy, finding them can become a whole nother issue. I've been in plenty of situations where I wasted my data plan instead of taking a few steps to the right, where free Wi-Fi would have been waiting for me and my Samsung Galaxy...
Siri 101: How to Make Siri Correctly Recognize & Pronounce Contact Names on Your iPhone
Siri makes it easy to call almost any contact on your iPhone with just a quick verbal command. I say almost because counterintuitive name pronunciations such as Caoimhe, which is actually pronounced "Keeva," will confuse the hell out of Siri. Luckily, there's a way to get Siri to understand pronunciations for the tricky names in your contact list ... it just takes a little grunt work on your part.
How To: Get the New Jelly Bean 4.3 Camera & Gallery Apps on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (No Root Required)
What is your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 running? More than likely, you're still rocking Jelly Bean 4.1.2, which is already pretty outdated. My grandma uses 4.1.2.
How To: Make a Light Bulb with Dancing LEDs Inside
This is about dancing LEDs following the rhythm of music or speech picked-up by a small microphone. The projects is very cool, and for building it, you will need a light bulb,10 LEDs, project box, electronic board with IC CD4017 and LM358 and power adapter.
How To: Revoke Facebook's Location Privileges on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (So They Can't Track You Anymore)
Facebook knows who all of your closest friends and family are. When you backpacked across Europe last summer, they went along on the trip. Remember that break up two years ago? Yeah, they were there. The breakfast you ate this morning? They probably have a picture of it. They're even right under your own feet.
Never Miss Another Track: Get Daily Reminders for Google Play's Free Song of the Day on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
With millions of options to choose from in Google Play's expansive library of songs and albums, it can most definitely take a toll on the wallet after a while. As (slight) consolation, Google offers one free song a day, available for download straight from Google Play onto your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or other Android device. Google's daily free song sure beats other services' free selections. Apple only offers one free single each week, and Amazon offers a decent selection of free songs from r...
How To: Replace Galaxy S4 Screen Glass!
Here's a video tutorial showing you how to replace Galaxy S4 screen glass if you broke your screen. This will allow you to easily fix your broken glass for under $20.
How To: Fix Lock Screen Issues When TalkBack & Explore by Touch Are Enabled on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
One little known feature on Android devices is TalkBack, which provides you with spoken feedback and vibrations in order to help you navigate your device. Obviously, if you're not blind or visually impaired, this isn't a feature you're likely to use.
How To: Put Music on Your iPhone Without Using iTunes
There are quite a few flaws with Apple's mobile products, and one that drives me crazy is their reliance upon iTunes for all your music syncing needs. If you want a song on your iPhone, you pretty much have to use iTunes to get it on there. Either that or buy it directly from the iTunes app on your device.
How To: Convert & Play Your Old PlayStation 1 (PS1) Games on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
After upgrading to a new system, video games for old consoles are usually forgotten about, wasting away in the back of a closet somewhere. Just recently, I found an old stash of PlayStation 1 games boxed up and hidden beneath a pile of clothes.
How To: Take Secret Screenshots of Snapchat Pictures in iOS 7 Without Notifying the Sender
If you're a frequent Snapchatter like myself, you're probably well aware that Snapchat can't stop you or anyone else from taking a screenshot of a photo received. Instead, they notify the sender that a screenshot was taken—a greatly appreciated fair warning when impetuous photographs are involved. However, there is a loophole to this.
How To: Smash the Summer Heat with These High-Powered DIY Water Weapons
This summer's going to be a hot one, so skip the water pistol this year and break out the big guns! In this project, I'll be showing you how to build a water balloon shotgun—a high-powered water balloon launcher that's capable of firing 17 water balloons at the same time!
How To: Get the Best Reddit Experience on Your Nexus 7 Tablet (Or Any Other Android Tablet)
If you want the latest in breaking news, a heavy dose of humor, and all things kittens, look no further than reddit. But no matter how great the content and community is, reddit has yet to fully catch up to the mobile world.
How To: Get Windows 8.1 Today for Free
Microsoft released a preview version of Windows 8.1 today, notably adding an updated Start screen, the ability to run several Windows 8 apps side by side in a number of configurations, fully integrated search, better HiDPI support for multiple monitors, and for those who miss it, options to bring back the Start button or boot straight to the desktop.
How To: Customize LED Alerts for Specific Notifications on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (No Root Required)
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has an integrated LED for notifications, it only works for a few things, like charging and low battery, and it only flashes two main colors (red and blue) when the screen's off. As someone that usually has their phone on silent or vibrate, it's hard to tell when I receive important messages or notifications. Sure, I could set a specific vibration or ringtone for individual apps, but that can quickly get annoying and distracting, especially at work or school.
How To: Get Reviews and Trailers for Movie Files by Right Clicking on Them
Understand the Problem of Couch Potatoes I have a lot of movies stored on my PC and when I have to finally have the time to watch something, I do not always remember which movie is which. So now I have to google for each movie with the keyboard or search in IMDB.
How To: Play Almost Any Old School Arcade Game for Free on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
If you've spent enough time in an arcade like me, you're probably well acquainted with the dreaded "ran out of quarters syndrome." Just when you're about to beat the last boss in Marvel vs. Capcom, or make it to the next level in Donkey Kong, you're all out of quarters to continue the level.
How To: Change Siri's Voice from Female to Male in iOS 7 on Your iPhone
While there were many highlights during Apple's keynote address at WWDC this year, the new advancements to the sassy personal assistant Siri in iOS 7 were amongst the most talked about—and something I was eager to test drive myself. Currently, there are ways to improve Siri in iOS 6, like making her play Spotify music or adding more commands, but those aren't easy tasks.
How To: Control Your Computer Remotely from Your HTC One or Other Android Device
With so many cloud storage services out there, many people are starting to keep their important documents online, especially when they know they'll need to view them when they're away from their computer.
How To: Watch YouTube Videos Offline on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
Almost any video you could want is on YouTube for free, including those very high quality 1080p music videos. You just have to put up with a few ads. But what happens if you're going on a trip and won't have any Internet access? How will you enjoy your favorite YouTube vids?
How To: Change the Text Color & Default Blue Facebook Theme for a More Swaggy Profile
My favorite color is blue, but if everyone I knew said the same thing, I'd probably switch to red—there's nothing cool about uniformity. One place I'm guaranteed to see plenty of my favorite hue is on Facebook. The social network has gone through many redesigns, but its signature color scheme has never changed. While Facebook introduced cover photos, which allows for a little more creativity on your Facebook page, everything else is pretty much the same across all one billion plus profiles. B...
How To: Play Nintendo DS Games on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Have a load of games you want to play, but don't want to be seen in public playing on your old school Nintendo DS system? Play them on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2!
How To: Make a Custom USB Drive
I use a lighter as a case for my USB drive and it came out pretty cool. Watch to see how I made it. Video: .
How To: Install Sony's PlayStation Mobile (PSM) Store on Your Nexus 7 Tablet for Free Mini-Games
Don't always believe the marketing hype. "PlayStation Certified" does not mean anything to a softModder. All this indicates is that a smartphone or tablet labeled as "PlayStation Certified" has met the guidelines and hardware requirements issued by Sony to display PlayStation Mobile (PSM) content from the PlayStation Mobile Store correctly. No Nexus 7 here.