Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Get the Google Play Edition's Sun Beam Live Wallpaper on Your Regular HTC One
You may have noticed that the HTC One Google Play Edition has a fancy red live wallpaper added to the list of live wallpapers. This new one is called "Sunbeam," and I'm going to show you quickly how you can get it on your regular HTC One right now.
How To: Unlock Android Pay on Your Phone Right Now
In response to the success of Apple Pay and an attempt to stave off the appealing Samsung Pay service, Google is completely revamping Android's mobile payments system. Instead of just using Google Wallet as an app to make payments with your phone, a new service called Android Pay, with an extensive underlying framework and API, will soon make its debut—and maybe even sooner than you'd think.
How To: Get GraviBoard for free on your iPhone or iPod Touch
GraviBoard is an awesome tweak for jailbroken Apple iOS devices that applies gravity to the icons on your homescreen. If you want to download it for free and install it, check out this helpful video to learn which source to use to find GraviBoard on Cydia.
How To: Get Custom ROM Options on Your Nexus Without Installing a Custom ROM
If you've ever flashed a custom ROM on any of your devices, one of your main motivations for doing so was likely the set of neat tweaks and extra options that come with something like CyanogenMod. Another deciding factor was probably the fact that most custom ROMs offer a much cleaner interface than manufacturer skins.
Throw Sense Out the Window: Update Your HTC One to Android 4.3 on Steroids with CyanogenMod 10.2
One of the most heated topics in the Android community now (and probably forever) is stock Android, with lots of users requesting the ability to use it rather than the manufacturer's skin.
How To: Hack VOIP sessions with Cain
Jared of the TechCentric crew gives you the lowdown on the basics of keeping your VoIP conversations secure and, on the other side of things, how to use the Cain VoIP sniffing application. For detailed instructions on keeping your VoIP conversations private, watch this hacking how-to.
News: Here's the Phone to Get if You're a Celebrity, CEO, or Drug Lord
Got some seriously sensitive information to keep safe and a spare-no-expenses attitude? Then the new Solarin from Sirin Labs is the smartphone for you and your $17,000.
News: Always-Updated List of Android 10 Custom ROMs for Every Major Phone
One of the coolest things about Android is the massive development community behind it. These developers keep on cooking up new things even after official support has stopped for an older device. It breathes new life into somewhat forgotten devices, which is always great news. With Android 10 out, it's time to see what phones will get the custom ROM treatment.
Your Face, Beyoncé's Body: New Microsoft App Swaps Your Face into Any Picture
You may not have woken up like this, but you're still #flawless thanks to Microsoft's new Face Swap app for Android.
News: How Razer Used IGZO Display Tech to Achieve 120 Hz Refresh Rates
With their first attempt at the mobile market, Razer introduced a device that looks at the smartphone differently. Instead of focusing on minimal bezels or an amazing camera, Razer decided to make a phone for gamers. So how could Razer target the growing mobile gaming market, which is projected to generate $40.6 billion in global revenue in 2017? It starts with the IGZO LCD Display.
News: Explore the Grueling Wartime Trenches of Golden Globe Winning Movie '1917' via Web-Based AR Experience
Filmed in what appears to be a single continuous shot, war film 1917 is now the front-runner to conquer the Best Picture category of the Academy Awards after bringing home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the drama category.
News: Here's Everything You Should Know About Samsung Pay
Mobile payment systems have been around for almost 5 years now, starting with Google Wallet. But when Apple got into the game last year with their new Apple Pay service, things really started to take off. Around this time, Samsung responded by acquiring an up-and-coming mobile payments company that owned the rights to an incredibly innovative technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST).
How To: Jailbreak and unlock any 3G + iPhone on iOS 4.1 / 4.2.1 with Redsn0w
Jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone is the first thing most users should do if they're going to derive maximum use and enjoyment from their device. This video will show you how to use Redsn0w and this firmware to jailbreak and unlock any 3G or 3GS with 6.15.00 baseband or iPhone 4 on 01.59.00.
Safari 101: How to Close All Your Open Tabs at the Same Time
If you're like me, your iPhone has way too many Safari tabs open. Links from other applications open up new tabs automatically, it's too easy to open up new tabs to search, and sometimes you're skittish about closing pages you don't want to forget about. This all creates a massive mess that requires cleaning house, and there's an easy trick to doing just that.
How To: Use the Wii Remote for Head-Tracking & VR
This absolutely Wonderful Pick of the Day could not be more conceptually different from yesterday's Pick. (Therein lies the fun of curating our site.)
How To: Unlock the Electronic Image Stabilization Feature on Your Nexus 5X
The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P have identical camera hardware—in fact, both use one of the highest-end camera sensors ever put into a smartphone. The only real difference between the cameras on Google's latest flagship devices is that the 6P natively supports electronic image stabilization (EIS) whereas the 5X does not.
News: 5 Things You'll Hate About Android 10
New updates are always exciting, even more so when Google's behind the wheel. Yes, Android 10 "Q" is here, at least in beta form, ready for software testers to dive in and explore all the new changes. Among those changes, however, lie some issues. We won't sugarcoat it — there are some annoying things baked into Android 10.
How To: Set up an automatic @reply to new followers on Twitter
Twitter is the latest popular social networking forum. Twitter is used to keep your friends updated with what you are doing using 140 character messages called tweets. In twitter you can follow your friends and you will be notified when ever your friends posts a new message. Similarly other people can follow you on twitter to know what you are doing. In twitter you can customize to send an automatic private response to your new followers. To do this open your twitter account. Go to the notice...
News: Get Breathtaking Aerial Wallpapers for Your iPhone's Home Screen
If you're looking to spruce up your iPhone's home screen, look no further than Aerial Wallpapers, a Tumblr blog that specializes in bringing you the most unique and breathtaking aerial photographs from across our planet, filled with both natural and artificial scenery.
How To: Use the New Hands-Free Soli Gestures on the Google Pixel 4
One of the major additions in the Google Pixel 4 is the new Soli chip. It's the miniature radar sensor that powers Motion Sense, a new way to interact with your phone without touching it. There are a few new gestures you'll need to learn to take advantage of Motion Sense, so let me break them down for you.
How To: Automatically Delete Your Google History on a Schedule
Your Google history is mostly a binary choice — either you enable it fully, taking advantage of all its features while letting Google record your activity, or you disable it, staying incognito but also missing out on some fun stuff. But now, Google will let you auto-delete your history, allowing you to utilize all the perks that come with recording your history while maintaining some level of privacy.
How To: Use Bluetooth to Control Your DSLR (Or Any Device with an Infrared Receiver)
You can add Bluetooth capability to an old stereo, a retro mouse, or even your car's cassette deck. If you can think of a device, someone has probably found a way to control it with Bluetooth.
How To: The Easiest Way to Play Classic NES Games on Your HTC One
One of the best-selling video game consoles of all time is the Nintendo Entertainment System, better known by its acronym, NES. However, cartridge-based gaming consoles are a pain now when compared to the newer download-and-play alternatives.
How To: Make a Toilet Paper Launcher
Shoot streams of toilet paper in midair with this ultimate TP machine, the Streamerator. Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to make a toilet paper launcher with a generic, electric yard blower. This gadget is extremely easy to make. First, you need a steel rod about the same length as the blower, the rod has to be bent at 90 degrees. Two ground clamps are used to mount the steel rod which will serve as a roll holder. A flat punched piece of metal is measured and screwed int...
News: Google's New App Fixes Everything Annoying About Apple's Live Photos
Apple's Live Photos is a cool feature that lets you turn ordinary pictures into a GIF-like animated photos. However, these images have some pretty big drawbacks: they live only in the iOS universe and can be shaky without a tripod.
How To: Turn Gmail into an Instant Messenger for Faster Emailing on Your iPhone
If you've had your Gmail account for awhile, it's probably a cluttered mess thanks to unread messages, out-of-control newsletters, and never-ending email threads. This is one of the main reasons for the creation of Google's streamlined Inbox service, but the adoption rate for it hasn't indicated a huge shift over for most of us yet (partly because it's invite-only still).
How To: Identify Real Login Popups from Fake Phishing Attacks in iOS 8's Mail App
A recently discovered bug in iOS 8's Mail app by Jan Soucek can allow the maliciously-minded to quite easily phish your iCloud password without you ever thinking something has gone awry. Using a bug that allows remote HTML content to be loaded in place of the original email content, unsuspecting victims would be prompted for iCloud credentials in a popup that resembles the native one found on iOS.
How To: Translate Languages on the Fly with This Floating Translator for Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Parlez-vous français? While we all wish we were fluent in multiple languages like Jason Bourne, most of us are probably one-trick ponies. When traveling abroad, or even when taking language courses, having a translator handy is extremely important.
How To: Shoot and share video on the Apple iPhone 3G
Right out of the box, iPhone is incredibly easy to use. If you want to get the most out of every feature, you’ve come to the right place. This video tutorial straight from Apple will teach you how to shoot and share video on the Apple iPhone 3G. The iPhone redefines what a mobile phone can do.
News: This Trick Lets You Use Night Shift When Your Battery Is Dying
Night Shift is arguably the biggest feature found in iOS 9.3, but if your phone is in Low Power Mode, you can't use it. Some users have also reported that Night Shift causes battery drain, so using Low Power mode when you don't have access to a charger could be necessary when you're nearly out of juice. Turns out, however, that both can be enabled at the same time using a simple process discovered by 9to5Mac.
How To: Install OmniSwitch for Streamlined Multitasking on Your Nexus 5
Multitasking has always been one of Android's strengths relative to other mobile operating systems. As the first cell phone OS with "true" multitasking, Android's been ahead of the game in this department for quite some time.
How To: 7 Things You Need to Know About iOS 15.6 for iPhone, Which Includes Over 35 Security Patches
After nearly two months of beta testing, Apple is finally pushing the iOS 15.6 software update to all iPhone users. While it's not as feature-rich as the iOS 15.5 or iOS 15.4 that came before it, there are still a few things you'll want to know about it.
How To: Turn Your HTC One into a Portable Super Nintendo Gaming System
The 8-bit NES may have ruled the late-eighties, but the SNES took over the early-nineties with its 16-bit graphics and 3D-like gameplay on titles like Star Fox and Dirt Racer. When 32- and 64-bit consoles came out in the mid-nineties, the Super Nintendo took a hit, but with the rise of the Internet, created a huge emulation community in the aftermath.
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: Find Out if Your Wireless Carrier Is Tracking You on Android
A shady practice in place by AT&T and Verizon Wireless—and possibly more wireless carriers—was recently uncovered. Outgoing data requests sent from devices on these service providers are being injected with a Unique Identifier Header (UIDH) that allows websites, the carriers, and potentially even government agencies to track your online activity.
How To: Keep Facebook from Tracking Your Location When You're Not Using the App
When you think of companies that represent pillars like "privacy" or "security," Facebook is pretty far from the top of that list. However, the social media empire is making strides — small strides — to win trust with how it handles your user data. One of those efforts involves a way to prevent Facebook from tracking your iPhone or Android phone's location when you're not using the app.
How To: Set Your PIN Unlock to Auto-Sync with the Current Time on Your Galaxy S4
From personal photos and videos to online banking passwords saved in your web browser, your phone has all kinds of sensitive data that needs to be protected. One of the best things you can do for your Samsung Galaxy S4's data is have a lock screen with a hard-to-guess PIN or password.
News: Grocery Delivery & Pickup Apps You Should Be Using During the Coronavirus Lockdown
As government officials scramble to contain the new coronavirus outbreak with bans on large gatherings, travel restrictions, and school closures, the rest of us have to worry about how we're going to safely purchase water, toilet paper, groceries, and other household goods during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
News: iOS 12 Public Beta 5 Released to iPhone Software Testers
Well, that was unexpected. Apple released the fifth iteration of the iOS 12 public beta on Monday, August 6, just hours after iOS 12 developer beta 6. The company sometimes releases developer and public betas on the same date, sometimes even at the same time, but has not done so during iOS 12's beta period until now.
News: DIY 3D-Printed Arduino Robot
This is a nice project that you can continue to work on and modify as you learn more Arduino projects. The Instructable linked below goes through the complete build for the Bluetooth-enabled robot seen in the first half of the video.