Hot Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: These Clever Gmail Hacks Will Stop Spam from Sites Who Sell Your Email Address
I rarely receive spam mail, but every now and then I’ll get an email from Cat Fancy Magazine. I’ve never read an issue of Cat Fancy Magazine or been to their website. Actually, I’m allergic to cats. So how did they manage to get my information?
How To: Unlock the Bootloader & Root Your HTC One M8
As with most OEMs, HTC would like you to think that you can do virtually anything with your new HTC One M8, but as a softModder, you know that isn't true. To actually unleash the full potential of that device, you need access to the whole system, not just the parts that HTC deems okay for you to mess with.
How To: The Ultimate Guide to Freeing Up Space on Your iPhone in iOS 7
Running out of storage space on your iPhone is annoying, but trying to free some up is downright aggravating. Until they figure out a way to throw a terabyte of flash memory in there, you're going to have to do some spring cleaning every now and then, especially if you're trying to update to iOS 8.
How To: Convert a Micro SIM Card to Fit the Nano Slot on Your HTC One M8
The new HTC One (M8) is a large phone, no doubt about it. Still, with those BoomSound speakers, 5-inch display, and 2600mAh battery, it's a wonder they managed to cram everything in that gorgeous, unibody metal shell. By that logic, it makes sense that the M8 makes the switch from a micro-SIM card to nano-SIM to save as much space as possible.
How To: Extract & Back Up All Your Text Messages & Picture Messages from Your iPhone to Your Mac
NSA aside, Apple makes it difficult for users to extract and download text messages from their iPhones onto a computer. For whatever reason (legal, devious, neurotic, etc), we've all found a time where we'd like to save backups of certain meaningful, important, or perhaps incriminating conversations (including all MMS or iMessage pictures and videos). While there are a handful of third-party applications that can help with this process, the majority of them cost money and implement certain te...
How To: Beautify the Weather Forecast on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 with Solar
Living in Los Angeles so long has perhaps spoiled me a bit. The only time I check my weather apps is to send screenshots of my 70 degree Decembers to my friends in Chicago and New York. So for these bragging occasions, I like to have a good looking app.
How To: Make the Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor Work Perfectly on Your iPhone Every Time
Since its introduction on the iPhone 5S, Touch ID has made unlocking Home button iPhones quick and secure. The second-generation iPhone SE brought back the beloved feature in 2020 but didn't take any steps to improve on the technology. So if you're rocking Touch ID and having trouble getting it to read your fingerprints, there are some things you can do to fix it.
How To: Root Your Samsung Galaxy S4 (Or Almost Any Other Android Phone) In One Easy Click
For new Android users, rooting an Android phone can often be an intimidating process, especially since there are so many different ways to gain root access, depending on your model and firmware version.
How To: Stop Your Battery from Draining After Updating to iOS 7 (iPad, iPhone, & iPod touch)
Now that iOS 7 has rolled out to the general public, with an overwhelming fit of mass hysteria, it's only custom for people to start bitching about battery drain—and I don't blame them. I was experiencing some rapid battery drain after first updating my iPhone 5, as well.
How To: Install Snapchat on a Nexus 7 or Any Other Android Tablet
Snapchat users upload a whopping 150 million pictures a day—which are deleted as just quick as they're sent. However, none of these images are coming from Android tablet users. If you try downloading Snapchat from Google Play on your Nexus 7 or other Android tablet, you'll get the "Your device isn't compatible with this version" message. Even those with the new Nexus 7 tablets that have the front and rear cameras are out of luck. Unless you're a softModder.
How To: Get the GS4 Google Play Edition's New Camera & Gallery on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Just like the HTC One Google Play Edition, the recently released Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition ditches the manufacturer's UI in favor of a pure Google experience, i.e. AOSP, but is also optimized specifically for the device's hardware.
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: Completely Close Out Running Applications on Your iPhone
If you're anything like me, you'd like the ability to fully exit your iPhone apps to help free up memory, improve battery life, stop background processes, and fix unresponsive apps. The thing is, you can, with the help of the app switcher. Force-closing apps also helps keep your app switch clean and organized.
How To: Enable the Hidden Developer Options on Your Samsung Galaxy S4
There's something missing on your brand new Samsung Galaxy S4, and if you're a softModder like me, you know exactly what it is already. If you don't know, keep reading, because you should—anyone who wants a better Android experience should.
How To: Root U.S./Canadian Galaxy S4!
Here's a quick and easy video tutorial on how to root any Qualcomm-based U.S. or Canadian Galaxy S4 Android smartphone.
How To: Fix the Stuck Gray Apple Logo and Blue or Black Screen of Death on Your iPhone
We've all seen the blue screen of death at least one time in our lives. I grew up using a Windows PC about the size of a small refrigerator and that damn screen popped up at least once a day. Thankfully, errors like these happen much less often, but now that our smartphones have basically become pocket PCs, these type of errors can and do happen.
How To: Mod Real Racing 3 for Higher Quality Graphics on Your Nexus 7
Real Racing 3 is by far one of the best racing simulators available on Google Play, and best of all—it's free! If you're playing this game on your Nexus 7, you've probably noticed that the graphics just don't look anywhere near as good as the in-game screenshots floating around on the web.
How To: The Ultimate Must-Know Guide to Securely Deleting Private Files & Folders from Your Mac Forever
I was kinda disappointed with last year's James Bond movie, Skyfall. Don't get me wrong, it was a solid flick, but only made me jealous with all its super spy hacker stuff.
How To: Nexus 7 Feeling Slow? Here's How You Overclock It for Insane Speeds & Increased Performance
If you're an avid PC gamer, then you're probably well familiar with the term overclocking, which is basically just tweaking your computer hardware to run faster than it was originally intended.
How To: Automatically Blur Out Faces and Names When Taking Screenshots of Hilarious Facebook Posts
Some of my Facebook status updates are absolutely hilarious, and sometimes (though rarely) even my friends updates can get me on the floor laughing. And like most of you, I'm sure, when you come across something funny—you have to share it.
How To: Completely Hide Your Status Bar on Your Android Device
The great thing about Android's customization is that you can either clutter up your home and lock screen with an infinite amount of awesome features and tweaks—or choose more of a stripped down minimalistic look. If you're someone who leans more towards a minimalistic look, a new mod by XDA member enryea123 will show you how to hide the status bar at the top of the phone, while still retaining its full functionality and ability to swipe it down.
How To: Silence Your Mac's Annoying Start-Up Chime
I love my Mac to pieces, but there have been times, so many times, that I wanted to silence that classic Apple start-up chime. I mean, the only thing the sound does is notify everyone around you that you have a Mac, and that you have turned said Mac on, right? Well it's not so vain.
How To: 8 Tricks for Fixing Your iPhone's Broken Home Button
When a phone has only one main button, it can be pretty frustrating when that one button doesn't really work anymore. If you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Yep, the Home button, which is prone to unresponsiveness and lag. Most users blame the Home button issues on either dirt, moisture, or misalignment. No matter what the reason, having a busted Home button sucks, especially for those of you no longer under warranty. But that's okay, because there are a few t...
How To: Hack Someone's Cell Phone to Steal Their Pictures
Do you ever wonder how all these celebrities continue to have their private photos spread all over the internet? While celebrities' phones and computers are forever vulnerable to attacks, the common folk must also be wary. No matter how careful you think you were went you sent those "candid" photos to your ex, with a little effort and access to public information, your pictures can be snagged, too. Here's how.
How To: Turn Off Your iPhone's Timer and Alarm Just by Waving Your Hand
Whether it's because you're too startled from a sudden awakening or you're elbow-deep in cake batter, turning an alarm or timer off on your phone can be annoying. So why not simplify the process by eliminating the need to even touch your phone? With these free apps by Augmented Minds, you can turn off your timer or alarm with just a wave of your hand. That means no more fumbling in the dark for the right button, and more importantly, no more worrying about getting food on your iPhone.
How To: Control iTunes via Your Android Device Using the Retune Remote App
For a long time, Apple has had Remote—an app that can be used on any iOS device in order to remotely control iTunes. Remote allows users to walk around their home and change the music by simply going through their phone. And now, Android has released its own version of the Apple Remote app! Retune is a free app found on Google Play that has the capability to control iTunes—change songs, TV shows, and movies—using your Android device. You can view the entire iTunes library on your Android devi...
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: 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: Restore Your Samsung Galaxy S III to Factory Settings (If It's Bricked or You're Locked Out)
Erasing everything off of your phone and starting anew is a pretty drastic step to take for a little glitch. For most people, system restoring is a last resort option, but there are a few reasons to want or need to restore your device to factory settings.
How To: Convert Your Old Apple iMac G4 into a Cable-Ready HDTV
Most of us have traded our desktop systems for laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, meaning there's a lot of outdated hardware sitting in attics. Want to give your old computer a new purpose? Matthew Chappee turned his iMac G4 into an HDTV using the guide by Dremel Junkie. One thing to note before you take on this project yourself is that if you want to use it to watch cable, you'll need a converter box to get around the MPAA's HDCP restriction. But, a converter box is considerably less expe...
How To: Add Extra Storage Space to Your Microsoft Surface That Your Apps Can Actually Use
Microsoft's first venture into the tablet market, the Surface RT, combines many of the capabilities of a normal Windows 8 laptop into a super compact tablet, whose super-thin touch cover and kickstand can transform it into a functional mini-laptop, small and light enough to go anywhere you want. But like most tablets, the Surface comes with a rather limited amount of storage space. The tablet comes in either 32 GB or 64 GB, but we all know that's not the actual amount of storage space you can...
How To: Build a Deadly Motion-Activated Airsoft Turret Gun
It's tough out there on the battlefield, especially when your stuck in the trenches and your comrades are dropping like flies. There's no hope. At least, until the next airsoft battle.
How To: Add Emoji to Facebook Comments Using Emoticons (& How to Disable Them)
For over three years, Facebook users have been able to clog up their Facebook chats with little pictures of smiley faces and red hearts, but now it has finally gone a step further...
How To: Can't Connect to the App Store in iOS 6 on Your iPhone or iPad? Try This Quick Fix
Since iOS 6 was officially released yesterday, several bugs have been reported, including issues with Wi-Fi, Passbook, and battery life (although Apple has apparently fixed the Wi-Fi bug). Some users are also having problems connecting to the iTunes Store, which is probably insanely frustrating because the first thing you want to do with a new OS is try out new apps. Luckily, there's a way to fix this by tweaking the date and time settings. Open Settings, then go to General >> Date and Time. ...
How To: Place Your Electrical Socket Safely in the Wall If It Was Pulled Out
Hello! This post is about the electrical socket. Imagine that somebody pulled the cable out of the possible protection outlet too fast? The result can be seen on the following photo. What to do next? Step 1: Preparation
How To: Hack a Hard Drive into a Hidden Flash Drive, Cell Phone Charger & More!
Video: . Recycle your hard drive into a hidden flash memory device that only you know how to turn on and use in secret. This DIY hack project allows you to recycle your broken hard drives back to life and turn them into something useful.
How To: Excellbook Hides Your Facebook Addiction at Work in a Fake Spreadsheet
There's an epidemic on the Internet, and the disease—Facebook. It's an addiction comparable to a hot cup of coffee in the morning or a soothing cigarette throughout the day—in worse case scenarios, a hit from the crack pipe. If you're on Facebook, you know what I'm talking about. You're addicted to finding out what's going on with your friends and addicted to telling those friends everything you're doing. You can't stop, even when you're at work.
How To: Rezise your pictures for MMS on an Android phone
Have you been having trouble sending picture messages on your Android device? It could be that the pictures are exceeding the size limits set by your friends' carrier. To ensure that all your picture MMS get seen, follow the instructions in this video.
How To: Use your iPhone to project movies
Take your home theater with you wherever you go! You can hook a jailbroken iPhone up to a projector and speakers and make any room a movie theater, with a crystal clear 52" screen. This video explains how to set up this iPhone powered mobile projecting unit.
How To: Unlock your iPhone 3G without knowing the passcode
The passcode, or the four-digit code you enter in order to access an iPhone or iPod touch, was created to ensure security and prevent hacking. But what if you haven't touched your iPhone in a month and you simply don't remember what your passcode is anymore?