Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Remember Your Life One Second at a Time with the Upcoming 'One Second Everyday' App for iPhone
While one second may not seem like much, it's the perfect amount of time to encapsulate your day. Photographs are just that, instant snapshots of your day that can send you flying back to that exact moment of time. A couple of months back I visited New York, but I don't recall what I ate, what I wore, or even what I felt. Whenever I look at this picture though, it all comes flooding back to me. I remember that it was a Friday. I remember I ate a brownie, because after I got off the bus I was ...
How To: How You Could Remove Ads from Windows 8 Apps (And Even Unlock Paid Apps for Free)
The beauty of free apps is that, well, they're free. But as we all know, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Sometimes these "free" applications are only feature-limited mini versions, or they're so littered with ads that opting to pay for it is the only way to actually enjoy it.
How To: Activate the Little-Known Paper Tape Feature on Mac OS X's Calculator App
Calculator applications are standard on almost every computer and mobile device now, but they can be a pain to use. If you're performing longer equations, it can be really annoying to not be able to see the trail that shows how you got there.
How To: Build Your Own Apps for Windows 8 from Practically Any Touchscreen Device
TouchDevelop is a browser-based programming tool that allows anyone to build your own Windows 8 apps directly from any touchscreen device, including iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, PC and Macs. Once the script is created and the app proves to work, it can be placed in the Windows Store for free or purchase.
How To: Get the Google Ears Song Search Widget on Your Android Device
Having the ability to decipher any song that plays over the radio or during a commercial is a must for any music-loving fiend. That's what made Shazam so popular.
How To: Root Your Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Smartphone
While the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the world's best selling smartphone, there a few people that find the device just a bit too large. With a 4.8 inch display and 136.6 x 70.6mm dimensions, the phone can be slightly large for kids—and adults with small fingers. It can even be a hassle to put into your pocket, so that's why Samsung decided to release the Galaxy S III Mini. With a smaller frame, the phone is perfect for those that want all of the Galaxy S III features but want a more compact size. J...
How To: Revert the New YouTube Layout Back to How It Was
Last week, Google updated the YouTube layout to be more in tune with other Google properties. One thing that's different is the new, more Google+ look of your YouTube homepage. Though some may like the change, some definitely do not. Also new is the "Guide" on the left side when you're watching a YouTube video. for you folks looking to get back to the normal YouTube layout, it's as easy as copying and pasting some code into your browser.
How To: Get Around Instagram's Twitter Ban Using an IFTTT Recipe
Last week, Instagram stopped supporting media Cards on Twitter, meaning that in order to view a full photo shared in a tweet, you have to click through to Instagram rather than seeing it on your Twitter feed. Otherwise, the photo will appear to be cropped.
How To: Delete All of Your Inactive or Unwanted Facebook "Friends" at the Same Time
Facebook makes it extremely easy to keep in touch with family and friends, while maintaining those relationships with little to no face-to-face contact. It's the perfect tool for recluses.
How To: Design Your Own Custom Foldable Papercrafts on Your iPad
In the papercraft world, nothing is beyond its reach. Anything from a Rolex watch to PSY doing his famous Gangnam Style horse dance has been converted to papercraft. That's great and all, but what if you want to make your own custom papercraft? Foldify, which releases next week in the iTunes App Store for the iPad, allows users to create their own custom foldable papercrafts in real time 3D.
How To: Hide an Inductive Charging Station Inside Your Furniture
Inductive charging has been around since the days of Nikola Tesla, but it has yet to be integrated into a lot of popular devices. This is partially because it's slower and more expensive than methods that involve direct contact.
How To: Silence the Annoying Camera Shutter Sound on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
SNAP. That's the sound of your Samsung Galaxy S3's camera going off. Not that big of deal, unless you're trying to take some top secret pics or some candid shots of your friends. The shutter sound gives you away, and the next thing you know, you're deleting pictures. On most other smartphones, if the users turns the phone on silent or vibrate, the shutter sound is killed. If that doesn't do the trick, usually muting the shutter sound itself in the settings will do the trick. But for some of y...
How To: Pin Your Favorite Websites to the Windows 8 Start Screen for Faster Browsing
Speed—not only is it a great movie, it's something we need from our computers; launching, downloading, uploading, etc. Fast speeds is one of the most important things for any computer process. But that's not all. We also want to get to our favorite sites faster, and in Windows 8, it's as easy as creating a shortcut on your Start screen.
How To: Get Instant Alerts for When the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 Are Back in Stock on Google Play
There is nothing worst then having to wait for something you really want. It doesn't matter how old you are or what the item is, the fact that you have to wait for it makes you want it even more. It's the love-hate relationship I have with Amazon and anything I order, and when that anticipation is for a new smartphone, it's amplified by about a thousand. The LG Nexus 4 has received great reviews and is one of the most sought after phones this holiday season, but it's a hard one to get a hold ...
How To: Get a Vanity URL for Your Google+ Profile
This how-to is for those of us who frequently use Google+ to connect with others, and want to have a better looking link for our profiles.
How To: Make a Super Secret Batman-Style Bust Switch for Your Batcave (Or Just Your Lights)
Remember the 1960's American television series Batman, with Adam West as Bruce Wayne? It was waaaaay before my time. The caped crusader that I'm more familiar with is actually this one... When I first heard of Adam West, it was him doing the Batusi on The Simpsons. I had no idea what was going on, so I looked up Adam West and his sensual dance and found myself face to face with the 1960's Batman.
How To: What You Need to Know Before Voting on Facebook's Proposed Policy Changes This Week
A few weeks ago, Facebook published a blog post called "Proposed Updates to our Governing Documents," which outlines a few changes in their policies and user voting system. These changes would essentially take away users' right to vote on future changes to Facebook's data use policy while also taking away Facebook's responsibility to alert users of those changes. If the new policy is enacted, the vote will be replaced with "a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement," what...
How To: Turn Your Samsung Galaxy S3, Note 2, and Other Android Devices into Wi-Fi Computer Mice
With all of the advancements in the smartphone world, we can virtually use them for anything. You can use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot, an Xbox controller, a car locator, and a security camera. Heck, you can even turn it into a Swiss Army knife. And now you can even use it as a wireless mouse for your computer!
How To: Fix the Apple TV 5.1.1 Update Bug
Last week, an update was released for second- and third-generation Apple TVs. The update included stability and performance improvements along with support for the Up Next feature in iTunes 11. A lot of users have been reporting issues upgrading, saying that the update failed or, in some cases, that their Apple TV refuses to boot after trying to install the update. Luckily, it looks like the solution is rather simple. TidBITS found that the Ethernet update is the problem. All you have to do i...
How To: Text and Walk at the Same Time More Safely with These Mobile Apps
Texting is a godsend to mobile devices, but it also has its caveats. Sending a text to someone requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention—looking at what you're typing, holding the phone steady, and thinking about what you're trying to say. So, texting while doing pretty much anything else is not a wise move.
How To: Show Your Instagram Feed on Your Android Home and Lock Screen with GramWidget
Even though Instagram has been available to Android users for about 8 months now, there are a scarce amount of widgets out there for it. And by scarce, I actually mean none. There was BlinxBox, an Android home screen widget that displayed your Instagram feed, but that app no longer exists. That means there are no Instagram-centric widgets currently available for your Android device, except...
How To: Get All of Your YouTube Videos Back from Google Using Takeout
While putting content and information online gets easier every day, it seems like getting it back is only getting harder. In a lot of cases (we're looking at you, Facebook), once you upload something, it's forever in the hands of someone else. That's where The Data Liberation Front comes in. Believe it or not, The Data Liberation Front is a team of Google engineers who work to make it easier for users to take their stuff back whenever they feel like it.
How To: Make a Totally Geeky LED Pocket Watch That Tells Time in Colors
The cell phone may have replaced the pocket watch, but thanks to some clever mods and hacks, "old-fashioned" time telling is making a comeback. Smart watches that connect to your mobile device cannot only tell you what time it is, but also change the song you're listening to and let you know how many Facebook notifications are waiting for you. Frank Zhao, an electrical engineering student at the University of Waterloo, decided to do something a little different with his LED pocket watch. It h...
How To: Put Google's Search Tools Back on the Left Sidebar
Last month, Google changed the placement of search options from the left side of the page to the top, right above the first result. In theory, this shouldn't be such a bad thing—it's just looks, right? Well, not quite. Turns out, it actually got rid of a few of the options as well, and a lot of people were not too happy about it. The problem is that the change gives you less functionality, and makes the options that are still there harder to get to. One of the most frustrating changes was how...
How To: Auto-Toggle Your Android Device's Wi-Fi On and Off When Near or Away from a Hotspot
Whether it's using precious data or wasting battery power, switching between Wi-Fi and cellular service on your Android device can be a hassle. If your Wi-Fi is off, you may not know about free hotspot networks in the area you're in, leading you to waste network data (which more than likely is not unlimited). If your Wi-Fi is on all of the time, this leads to quicker battery depletion. There are already a few Android apps, like Auto WiFi Toggler, that combat this problem, but they just period...
How To: Turn Any Wall Portrait into Your Own Personal Scooby Dooish "Eye" Spy Surveillance System
Remember how the bad guys in Scooby Doo would always use cut-out portraits to spy on people through walls? Well, unless your landlord is super cool, you probably shouldn't start cutting holes in your wall just yet, but you can make a higher tech version, thanks to NASA employee Mark Rober. Mark used a cheap picture frame and a portrait with the eyes cut out to make the "Scoob Cam," which also doubles as a surveillance device. He used an iPhone and an iPad to start a FaceTime chat, then taped ...
How To: Disable Widgets and Camera Access on the Lockscreen in Android Jelly Bean 4.2
The new Jelly Bean 4.2 is a great improvement over previous Android versions for the most part, except one thing—the lockscreen. Users have voiced their complaints in regards to Android 4.2's new lockscreen features, and it's not pretty.
How To: Make Yourself the Star of PSY's Gangnam Style Music Video
So you've learned all of the dance moves to Gangnam Style and made your very own papercraft version of PSY that dances whenever you want him to. Now it's time to take your obsession a step further—by making yourself the star of the Gangnam Style music video. JibJab, the custom e-card site, has created a free tool that lets you use any photo to replace PSY's face with yours (or whoever you choose), then share the video with your friends.
How To: Make Trippy EL Wire Headphones That Dance to the Beat of Your Music
At one time or another, we've all enjoyed the visualizations that came stock in Windows Media Player. I remember spending hours listening to my favorite album, putting the graphic equalizer on full screen, and getting lost in the flurry of colors that would dance across the screen. Well, now thanks to the imaginative mind of Instructables user yardleydobon, you can now recreate this rainbow-colored music visualizer right on top of your freaking head—with these trippy EL wire headphones, which...
How To: The 10 Best Free Games in the Windows 8 App Store Right Now
As people continue to upgrade their PCs to Microsoft Windows 8, more and more developers are adding content to the Windows Store. While the offerings are not as vast as Google Play or the iTunes App Store, it does have some solid apps for both productive users and those looking to just while away the time.
How To: Make Your Favorite Song Last Forever with Infinite Jukebox
The first album I ever bought with my own money was Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York. It featured mainly lesser-known songs and covers, but was on constant repeat on my Walkman. While the whole album was fantastic, there was one song that stood out the most to me—"The Man Who Sold The World." The song (originally written by David Bowie) kept me under a spell, which had me replaying the song over and over and over and over. As I got older, I found myself sharing this relationship with a han...
How To: Use Sony's New PlayStation Mobile on Any Rooted Android Device
Early last month, Sony released PlayStation Mobile, bringing PlayStation games to the PS Vita and other certified phones and tablets. The list of certified phones isn't as extensive as it should have been, consisting of only Sony devices (a few tablets and Xperia) and a couple of HTC ones. For anyone with a supported device, you can head over to the PS Store for the download and installation instructions.
How To: Unlock the Hidden Daydream Easter Egg 'BeanFlinger' in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Android's newest Jelly Bean 4.2 update comes with Daydream, a feature that allows you to run screensaver-like apps while your Android device is docked or charging. While the feature comes with several stock 'daydreams' available, there's a hidden Easter egg one that you can unlock! The 'daydream', aptly titled BeanFlinger, is hidden inside of Android's 4.2 Jelly Bean. In order to unlock it, you'll have to go to the phone's Settings and click on About phone. From there, you should come across ...
How To: Speed Up Your Lagging Nexus 7 Running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with This Quick Fix
A lot of Nexus 7 users have been experiencing a long list of issues after upgrading to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. From random reboots to abnormal battery drainage, people have had plenty to complain about. One of the most common (and annoying) problems is lag. If you're one of the unlucky users experiencing slowness after upgrading, there's a quick fix you can try, discovered by XDA member fishingfon. Turns out, Google's news application, Currents, could be causing the issue. After changing one ...
How To: Watch Free Live-Streaming TV Shows More Easily in Windows 8
When money's tight and you're tired of re-watching and re-watching your gigantic DVD collection, there's always live television. Of course, you probably don't have cable, which means you're resorting to a homemade antenna like this to get broadcasted channels in your area. But, let's face it—it's just not good enough.
How To: USB Tether Your Android Device to Your Mac—Without Rooting
Android devices are known for their USB and Wi-Fi tethering abilities—rooted or unrooted—which comes in handy for those that travel and need internet on their laptops in areas that don't have any Wi-Fi networks available, but have a strong cellular signal.
How To: Upload Your Photos to Instagram—Without an Android or Apple Device
Instagram allows us to vicariously live through others, experiencing their moments with them. It's an enormously popular application and has already garnered 100 million users, but it has only been made available for download on Android and Apple devices. Sure, there are third-party apps where you can browse, like, and comment on other people's Instagram photos—but they don't give you a way to upload your own pictures. So, what about all of the other people who want to share their lives, but ...
How To: Customize Your Wireless Doorbell to Play Any Sounds You Want
Doorbells are useful and all, but most of them are boring as hell. They use the same old generic sounds to let you know when guests have arrived, as demonstrated below.
How To: Enable the Hidden 4G LTE Feature on Your Google Nexus 4
When the specs for Google's Nexus 4 came out, most critics were more than thrilled. A very fast processor, lots of RAM, a big display with very high resolution, and an 8MP camera made it the media darling of the smartphone world. It climbed the ranks of the best smartphones available, but couldn't quite reach to the top due to one reason—no 4G LTE. Samsung's Galaxy S III and Apple's iPhone 5 both come with 4G LTE, so why couldn't the LG Nexus 4? While there are many reasons, Google was stated...
How To: 5 Easy Ways to Use Your Touchscreen Devices in the Winter (While Keeping Your Fingers Warm)
Winter is coming... and if you don't get that Game of Thrones reference, it's okay, you're still cool in my book.