Hot Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Don't Trust Cloud Security? Here's a Safer Local Alternative to Dropbox
Having all of your stuff in the cloud is super convenient if you want to access it on multiple devices, or if you want a backup in case it gets lost or wiped. The biggest downside with services like Dropbox, though, is security. With everything sitting there in one place, the last thing you want is for someone to break in.
How To: Replace Your Apple iPhone 5's Cracked Screen
Apple's new iPhone 5 has enjoyed three weeks out in the public since its September 21st release. Millions of consumers have been shelling out big bucks and waiting in long lines just to get their hands on it. But sometimes users forget to actually keep their hands on their new phone, causing something like this... It only takes a second to drop your new iPhone 5, but the pain of picking up the phone and turning it over to reveal a cracked display lasts a lifetime. Well, not exactly a lifetime...
How To: Mod Your Old iPod 30-Pin Dock into a Bluetooth Speaker for Your iPhone 5
If you bought the new iPhone 5, you've probably been less than thrilled with the lack of cases and accessories that you can use it with. Docks are no exception—users were disappointed to learn that Apple has no plans to even make one for the newest addition to the Apple family.
How To: Firefox 16 Is Vulnerable to Hackers—Here's How to Downgrade to the Safer Firefox 15 Version
The newest update of the Firefox web browser was released yesterday, and whether you were upgraded automatically or manually, Mozilla is advising that you downgrade to Firefox 15.0.1 as soon as possible. Firefox 16 is Mozilla's latest release, and is apparently extremely susceptible to malicious sites hacking their users complete browsing history.
How To: Stop AT&T and Verizon from Sharing Your Location and Search Data with Advertisers
Yesterday, Bryan Clark pointed out a new option on Verizon's privacy settings that gives new customers 30 days to opt out of a data sharing program that gives advertisers information on basically everything you're doing on your new iPhone (or any other smartphone).
How To: See Who's Clogging Up Your Wi-Fi Network with These Free Mobile Apps
Android has released a new application called ezNetScan, which is a free app that scans the wireless network you're connected to and gives you a full log of all of the devices connected to that network. This isn't new for smartphone users, let alone Android users. Fing has been around for a while and does practically the same thing that exNetScan does. It gathers information such as the IP and MAC addresses, device vendors, and ISP location. But while Fing is a great program, it does lack a f...
How To: Disable Annoying Autoplay Media in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer
When you're at work or in class, there's nothing more annoying than sites that automatically play media. One minute you're happily distracting yourself, and the next, you're scrambling to hit pause while everyone stares at you. Not to mention now your boss knows you're slacking off.
How To: Hide the Newsstand App on Your iPhone 5 (And Other iOS 6 Devices)—Without Jailbreaking
As someone who never uses Newsstand, it's pretty frustrating to have it clogging up the home screen on my iPad and iPhone. It's one of those applications that Apple doesn't allow you to delete, like Passbook and Nike + iPod. Why? Simply because Apple wants to make more money.
How To: This DIY Illuminated Isomorphic Keyboard Changes Colors as You Play Music
An isomorphic (or self-transposing) keyboard is "a musical device where a grid of notes is displayed to the user and the interval change between notes in constant for any given direction." For those of you who didn't grow up playing the piano like I did, that basically means that it lets you move between keys easily without having to learn new patterns because the keys are laid out so that a chord is the same pattern in every musical key.
How To: This DIY Job Search Light Lets You Know When a Worthy Job Opportunity Arises
The mighty Arduino microcontroller can be used to show children how robots work, it can be used to hack into hotel rooms, or it can be used to let you know when you've got a new job opportunity!
How To: Root Amazon's New Kindle Paperwhite eReader
Amazon's newest addition to the Kindle family, the Kindle Paperwhite, has a built-in light and much better resolution than its predecessors. Amazon boasts that the battery can last up to eight weeks (based on 30 minutes of reading per day with Wi-Fi turned off) and weighs less than half a pound.
How To: Make Room for Your New Gadgets (And Get Some Cash in the Process)
There's nothing like buying an awesome new gadget, but it leaves you with one problem (besides an empty wallet)—what do you do with the ones you already have? There are plenty of ways to put your old gadgets to use, but if you'd rather get rid of them, you may as well get something out of it, right? Here are five places where you can recycle your electronics and replenish your cash stash.
How To: Automatically Delete Spam Messages in Gmail
Most of the spam messages are commercial advertisements, phishing websites and get rich quickly messages that asks users to provide personal details and other confidential information.Spam filters in Gmail prevent its users from these spam messages and restrict them to enter in user’s Gmail inbox.Generally, it acts like a firewall between spam messages and Gmail Inbox.Gmail filters detect the sender’s email address and accordingly send the received messages in Inbox or Spam folder.
How To: This DIY Xbox LIVE Traffic Light Tells You When Your Friends Are Gaming
Games are always more fun when you have someone to play them with, but if you're not always logged in to your Xbox LIVE account, how do you know when your friends are online? You can always log in and check, but where's the fun in that when you can hack together a traffic light to do it for you? Andrew F hooked up an Arduino with an Ethernet shield to check every five minutes to see how many of his Xbox LIVE friends are online. For each friend, it records either a zero or a one, depending on ...
How To: Are Your Cloud Documents Safe from Hackers? Make Sure with These Free Cloud-Worthy Encryption Programs
The convenience of storing things on the cloud can definitely make life easier, but if you're storing sensitive files, it could be a total disaster if anyone hacked your account. Some encryption services can be expensive, but if you just need it for personal use, there are some really great ones that don't cost anything. Here are three programs that let you encrypt your cloud storage for free. BoxCryptor
How To: Melt a Blackberry Smartphone
Blackberry meets flamethrower...
How To: Get Free Wi-Fi on All of Your Mobile Devices with FreedomPop
Free stuff is pretty cool. Free internet is even cooler—and free internet that is actually free is the coolest. If you would rather avoid sitting in a Starbucks and having to listen to hipsters discuss the proper length of cropped jeans, then this should be of interest.
How To: Watch Replays of the 2012 Presidential Debates Online
The last presidential debate of 2012 is over between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Governor Mitt Romney. Now it's up to you to choose your candidate by election day on November 6th, 2012, and more importantly—VOTE!
How To: Opt Out of Facebook's Creepy New Ad-Targeting Partnership with Datalogix
As if you needed another reason to lock down your Facebook profile, the company's sketchy new partnership with data mining firm Datalogix is geared towards giving advertisers more information on what you're doing—even when you're not online. It's just not enough that they can target ads based on your preferences, now they want to know how those ads are influencing your buying habits in the real world.
How To: Design Your Own iPhone 5 Case for Less Than $5
So, you've got your new iPhone 5 from Apple, but wait—where do you get a case for it? Since its launch, Apple Stores across the country have been carrying absolutely zero iPhone 5 cases. In fact, the only thing they seem to be carrying right now as far as iPhone 5 accessories goes is the new Lightning cable. So, when will they be getting cases? Rumors state October sometime, but there's no telling if it's now or at the end of the month.
How To: Can't Upload Photos to Facebook in iOS 6? Here's How You Stop Getting Errors
If you bought the new iPhone 5 or upgraded your old one to iOS 6, you may be having issues when you try to upload photos to Facebook. After updating, the first time you try to share an image from the Facebook app, it will ask you to allow access to your Camera Roll.
How To: Speed Up the Sluggish App Store in iOS 6
As if iOS 6 wasn't under enough scrutiny, a new issue has surfaced regarding the App Store for iOS 6 on the iPhone and iPad. According to users, the application store is very sluggish and doesn't load properly. Below is a video of just how slow the application store is.
How To: Make Sure You're Not Being Overcharged for Data on Your iPhone 5
Tons of iPhone 5 users with Verizon Wireless hit the message boards last week complaining about their phones sucking down massive amounts of cellular data when they were actually using a Wi-Fi connection. Of course, that means Verizon customers could have been getting charged for cellular data they weren't actually using.
How To: Use Your "Dead" Car Battery to Power Emergency Fans, Lighting, and More!
A common misconception is that all car batteries die. This, in fact, isn't true—the majority of "dead" car batteries just don't contain enough juice to power a car, but they can still provide enough watts to keep emergency fans and lighting running, which is great when a power outage occurs. So, instead of lugging the battery to the nearest drop-off center or just letting it collect dust in the garage, you can put that car battery to good use.
How To: 3 Free Alternatives to Apple's iPhoto
Firstly, I'd like to say that I have nothing against iPhoto; it's a great application that works wonderfully in Mac OS X. Unfortunately, when you no longer have iPhoto on your MacBook—and you don't want to pay for it—looking for an alternative is a necessary endeavor. I could sit here and try to explain to you how I updated to Lion and then inexplicably dragged the iPhoto application into the trash—and proceeded to empty said trash. I could tell you guys that story, but I fear you might judge...
How To: Face Ended Your Call? Lock Your iPhone During Conversations with CallLockScreen
Imagine you're calling the court. You have this unpaid ticket and want to know if you can get an extension. First you type your ID number on your phone. Then the case number. Then your birthday. Then your social security number. Then you're directed to thirty different people.
How To: Paste Text and Images as Files Directly from Your Clipboard
If you're doing research that includes a lot of copy/pasting, it can get really tedious to open a new document every time you want to save something. Luckily, you can cut out the extra step and save text and images that are currently in your clipboard directly to a folder or your desktop—without the hassle of creating file after file. Here's how to do it on both Windows and Mac OS X. Windows
How To: Mod Your NES Duck Hunt Zapper into a Real-Life Laser Gun
Who doesn't love Duck Hunt? It's arguably one of the most popular games ever created for the original NES system, even in spite of the mocking dog that everyone hates. I'm sure a lot of people still have their old controllers in the attic somewhere, so unless you're lucky enough to have an NES that still works, why not put that childhood nostalgia to good use?
How To: Hide and Rearrange Your Apps in the New Apple TV 5.1 Update
Apple gets a lot of flak for their lack of customization on their devices, but hey, at least you can move your apps around on your iOS device—that's customization, right? Well, you couldn't even do that on your Apple TV—until now. The newest Apple TV 5.1 software update released earlier this week added the ability to move apps and icons around the interface.
How To: Forget Chimes—Make Your Doorbell Send You Text Alerts Whenever Someone Rings It
Want to know when you have a visitor, even if you're not home? You could always set up a security system and live-stream it with your iPhone. But if you don't have a spare iPhone, or just don't want to go to the trouble, this simple hack will add text message alerts to your doorbell so that it lets you know when someone's there.
How To: Shut Down Your PC and Send Other Commands Remotely Through Twitter Using TweetMyPC
Ever been halfway to work or school and suddenly remembered you forgot to log off your computer? A lot of people are constantly logged in to email and social media accounts, so if you have a mischievous roommate or sibling, this situation could be disastrous. That's where TweetMyPC comes in—it's a free Windows application that lets you send commands to your computer just by tweeting. Image by Twittermania
How To: Unlock Your Non-Contract iPhone 5 from AT&T via iTunes
Did you buy your new iPhone 5 without a contract? We'll, if you bought it from Apple, AT&T or Verizon, you can have it unlocked pretty easily. Why Have It Unlocked?
How To: Make a Dynamic Mic and Sound Recorder Stand from an Old Hard Drive
There was a dynamic mic in my junk box, but without any stand or connection cable. I needed a high-quality microphone to narrate my project videos, so I had to think of a way to build a stand for the mic. This is what I came up with.
How To: Get Free Traffic and Branding Using a Gravatar
Many marketers are NOT using this powerful strategy to get free traffic and increase their brand exposure. It's as simple as signing up for a free Gravatar account and commenting on blogs in a similar niche. See some good examples and some bad examples...
How To: Turn Any Magazine into an iPhone Stereo Sound Dock
Coca-Cola has unleashed a brilliant marketing campaign to celebrate the one year anniversary of their online Coca-Cola.FM radio in South America. In the latest issue of the popular Brazilian magazine, Capricho, the Coca-Cola advertisement literally turns the magazine into an iPhone amplifier. Attached on top of the real cover, the advert has two precisely placed flaps on the back page. Simply roll up the magazine, secure the flaps, then pop in your iPhone. Check out the video to see exactly h...
How To: Unlock Turn-by-Turn Directions and 3D Views for Apple Maps on a Jailbroken iPhone 4, 3GS, or iPod touch (4th Gen)
It's no secret that most people who got an iPhone 5 (or upgraded their old iPhone to iOS 6) have been sorely disappointed with Apple Maps. We may all miss Google Maps, but the Google says they aren't even working on an app for iOS 6 yet. Even worse, Google exec Eric Schmidt says they're waiting on an invitation from Apple, and if we know Apple, that could be a while. Users who didn't get an iPhone 5 have had an even worse time of things—Apple disabled 3D maps and turn-by-turn directions on ol...
How To: Hackers Can Remote Wipe Your Samsung Smartphone—Find Out If Yours Is Vulnerable (And Fix It)
Security researcher Ravi Borgaonkar from Berlin has discovered that hackers can hide an 11-digit code in a webpage that can wipe out all of the information on your smartphone—contacts, photographs, music, applications, and anything else of importance. The attack takes no more than a few seconds and nothing can be done about it. NOTHING. This begs the question—are you susceptible?
How To: Get Around the Nonexistent iPhone 5 Dock
For the first time in history, Apple has decided to scrap the dock for its new iPhone release. As if the maps fiasco wasn't enough, users took to the web to complain not only about the dock ordeal, but why Apple decided to make it obsolete. 9to5mac first posted about a concerned iPhone user who decided to email Phil Schiller, Apple Senior VP of Marketing, to ask why there were no docks included in the iPhone 5 package. Schiller replied with,"We do not plan on making a dock for the iPhone 5. M...
How To: Create a Personalized Web Browser for Your Android Device
Android's operating system has garnered much of its popularity due to the high amount of customization the user has at their fingertips. Whether it's customizing your home screen, lockscreen or even operating system, Android has always been one step ahead of Apple in the customization department. And now you can even design your own web browser.
How To: Avoid "Scuffgate" and Other iPhone 5 Problems
Getting a new phone is like getting a pair of new socks—you can't wait to try them on and when you do, they feel totally awesome. Maybe that's just me, but for many customers that have already received their highly anticipated iPhone 5 in the mail, awesome is definitely not the word they are using.