Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Find Your "Missing" Parked Car Using Your Nexus Without Doing Any Work
We've all been there. Stranded in a large lot or parking garage, braving the rows upon rows of identical cars in an endless concrete landscape because, for the very life of us, we can't remember where we stashed the very ride that brought us there.
News: Now the HoloLens Can Measure Your Heart Rate by Scanning Your Face
Researchers have developed a new method that harnesses the power of augmented reality to detect a patient's heart rate using a Microsoft HoloLens and computer vision.
How To: Make Your Own WhatsApp Sticker Packs on Android
WhatsApp stickers can make your chat more fun. The stickers that come with WhatsApp are fine, but they're standard and accessible to everyone. What if you wanted to show off unique stickers that your friends haven't seen? To take things to the next level, you can create your own WhatsApp Stickers.
How To: Enable the Built-in Windows Integration on Your Galaxy S20 to Text from Your PC & More
Ever since Microsoft sunset Windows Phone, they've been working with Android to tap into the growing mobile device market. The tech giant has uploaded over 80 apps to the Play Store for any Android user to download, but some features Samsung has hoarded for themselves.
How To: Add Filters to Individual Video Clips or Your Whole Entire Project in iMovie for iPhone
Just like in Instagram and other popular photo and video apps, iMovie for iPhone lets you add filters to your whole entire movie project. Not only that, but you can choose to add different filters to different video clips in your timeline, no matter if the clips started out as videos or photos.
How To: Hide Notification Badges Without Actually Removing Them from Your iPhone's Home Screen
By default, there aren't many customization options for the notification badges on iPhones — you can either leave the numbered red bubbles there, or turn them off. But thanks to a new jailbreak tweak, you can now give your badges a unique look with new functionality.
Gmail 101: How to Mute Conversations to Reduce Inbox Clutter
Whether inappropriate or unimportant, some emails don't need to be viewed at a certain times of the day. For example, you might not want to see any personal emails during work hours. By default, Gmail will notify you of all emails that hit your inbox, but fortunately, there's a feature that can automatically hide certain emails and prevent distracting notifications.
How To: This Easy DIY Money Indicator Light Makes Sure You Always Have Cash in Your Wallet
Obviously, millionaires like me don't really have to worry about an empty wallet, but for the rest of you out there, having no cash when it comes time to paying a bill can be excruciatingly embarrassing.
How To: Set Up Digital Wellbeing in Android Pie to Curb Your Smartphone Usage
Is your smartphone taking over your life? Do you need help putting your Pixel down at night? Well, update to Android Pie! Android 9.0 comes with Digital Wellbeing, a new tool to both help you understand your smartphone habits and perhaps step away from the apps, games, and notifications every now and then.
How To: Copy files to iPhone using DataCase for Windows XP
In this instructional video, learn how to transfer files from your Windows PC to your iPhone or iPod Touch using DataCase. Datacase basically converts your iPhone or iPod Touch into a wireless drive that you can access your information on the Mac, PC, or Linux.
News: The Pixel 2 XL's Display Problem Probably Isn't Burn-in After All
It's an ongoing saga, and it's on the verge of ruining one of the most anticipated smartphone releases this year: LG's new POLED displays certainly seem to have a few issues. But the biggest issue of them all — an apparent susceptibility to screen burn-in — may not be the problem we thought it was.
News: Sephora's ModiFace-Powered AR App Gives Users Even More Makeup Combinations & Hands-on Tutorials
Listen up ladies, there's no need to go to Sephora and model a hundred different shades of lipstick anymore. Now with Virtual Artist, Sephora's award-winning app, for iOS and Android, you can virtually test thousands of shades of single and palette eyeshadows, lip colors, and even false eyelash styles from their new augmented reality-based feature.
How To: All the Apps You Need to Make That Perfect Story
Stories are everywhere in social media today, but that wasn't always the case. In 2013, Snapchat introduced the world to these temporary windows into our daily lives. Since then, stories have infiltrated other popular apps. However, to stand out, you can't solely rely on the app where the story will be posted. Instead, you need a suite of apps that can turn your story into something special.
News: Augmented Reality Contact Lenses with Terminator Vision
Remember, in the Terminator movies, when Arnold's field of vision is superimposed with all sorts of data? Sci-fi writer Vernor Vinge also described electronic contact lenses, technology that "projects" information right before the eyes.
How To: Get VLC's Dark Mode on Android & Save Your Eyes at Night
When you're playing videos, the actual content should be the focus, not the media app's interface. But with VLC's default theme on Android, the bright orange-and-white motif shocks your eyes in a dimly-lit setting and draws your attention away from what really matters. Let's change that.
How To: Tweak Firefox and Internet Explorer for more speed
Two tweaks (one for Firefox and one for Internet Explorer) to speed up your web browsing.
Exclusive: ODG Filing Points to Magic Leap Acquisition of Auctioned Patent Assets
In case you thought the long and unfortunate story of ODG was over, hold on, there's one last chapter to tell.
How To: Make Your Nexus 5's LED Notification Light Dance to the Music
Most of the time, the LED notification light on the front of your Android device just sits there doing nothing. Other than that brief period of time between when you receive a notification and when you turn your screen on, it's practically useless for anything other than showing when your charger is plugged in.
How To: Unlock the Hidden 'Indie Corner' Category on Google Play to Find Great Indie Games
Mobile gaming is a huge industry that raked in more than $91 billion in revenue in 2016, and of course, all of the major players get most of the glory. But smaller, independent game developers make some of the most fun and unique games out there — it's just harder to find their stuff because they don't have the promotional budget of studios like Rovio and Gameloft.
How To: Jailbreak and unlock an iPhone 4 with iOS 4.0 or 4.0.1 with jailbreakme
It's official! You are both able and allowed to jailbreak the iPhone 4. And oh boy is it easy! This video will show you how you can jailbreak your iPhone 4 quickly and easily using a program called Jailbreakme that you can acquire very quickly and for free right on your iPhone browser. How much easier could it be?
News: Magic Leap's Website Has an Immersive Reality Experience Hidden in Plain Sight, if You Know Where to Look
Magic Leap loves to stoke mystery around its still unreleased product, the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition, and now we've found yet another piece of the puzzle in the form of an Easter egg on the company's website.
How To: Control iTunes with your iPhone
All you need to remotely access your computer's iTunes library is your iPhone. Control itunes with your iPhone with this Howcast guide.
How To: Re-Enable a Semi-Tethered Jailbreak to Restore Access to Sileo
Compared to fully untethered jailbreaks, semi-untethered methods like Chimera for iOS 12 have one major handicap: you need to re-enable the jailbreak every time your iPhone turns off or restarts. As intimidating as it seems, however, kickstarting the mod and restoring your tweaks is still pretty easy.
How To: Change Your Default Browser in iOS 14 from Safari to Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Another App
For the longest time, we were simply stuck with Safari on the iPhone. Sure, you could install a third-party browser, but Safari was always the default, so tapping on links would always open Apple's app. Times have changed, however, and now you can set third-party browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge as your iPhone's default choice.
How To: Cycloramic Uses Your iPhone's Vibrate Mode to Take 360-Degree Panoramas All by Itself
We have apps that can silence your smartphone's shutter sound, send self-destructing photos and videos, and even make any innocuous image look like a censored nude photo. But, there's still room to be amazed, like when an app can take a panoramic 360-degree image all by itself!
How To: Hack a toy EEG into a working brain-computer interface
In this clip, you'll learn how to extract serial data from the $80 Mattel Mindflex or Star Wars Force Trainer. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started creating your own working EEG/BCI, watch this very-neat hacker's how-to.
How To: You Can Finally Unzip Files on Your iPhone
Gone are the days of needing a specialized app or program to unzip files. In fact, you don't even need a computer. It's 2019 — cars drive themselves, robots take fast food orders, and you can unzip compressed files right on your iPhone.
How To: Enable One-Tap App Installation for APKs on Android
I'm always looking for the best apps and services for my Android, and that means sticking strictly to the Google Play Store is a no-go. If you're like me and tend to install a lot of APKs (application files), you're probably tired of seeing the "Install" confirmation that always pops up.
How To: Create a homepage with links to your favorite websites
Interested in creating your own custom start page with links to all of your favorite webpages? This clip will show you how it's done. It's simple! So simple, in fact, that this home-computing how-to can present a complete, step-by-step overview of the process in just over two minutes. For more information, including complete, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Get the LG G3's Lock & Unlock Sounds on Your Nexus Device
When my Nexus 5 received the Lollipop update, one of the first things I noticed was how subtle and quiet the new lock and unlock sounds were. Sure, this is a minor quibble, but it's also an easy fix.
How To: There's a Much Faster Way to Activate Dark Mode on Your iPhone
With iOS 13, Apple introduced system-wide dark mode for the first time on the iPhone, and there are several ways to activate it. You could use the brightness slider to change the theme, have Siri do it for you, or adjust it straight from the Settings app. But there's one way that's faster than all others so that you can switch from light to dark in no time.
How To: Make Siri Open Specific Apple Pages Documents on Your iPhone So You Don't Have to Hunt Them Down Yourself
Let's say you have an important report to submit, but you want to check it over for any last-minute edits or changes. Times running out, and you simply can't find this Pages document anywhere. Wouldn't it be great if you could just ask your iPhone to open the report for you, so you could stop wasting time searching and finish the paper? Well, thankfully, Siri can help you out with that.
How To: Make your own EL wire at home for Burning Man and other light-up festivities
Did you know that electroluminescent (EL) wire is considered by some to be the currency of Burning Man? If you're thinking of going and want to stock up before (smart) watch this video featuring EL whiz Jeri Ellsworth (smarter) teaching you how to make DIY EL wire.
How To: Put music and text files onto an Amazon Kindle
See how easy it is to install media on your Amazon Kindle! CNET Quick Tips shows you how to use the USB cable to put your own documents on the Kindle to read later. You can add music and text files by simply dragging and dropping the files onto the Kindle from your computer. This video makes it all look so easy.
How To: Browse websites without a mouse
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to browse web pages without a mouse. Users will need to use the Mozilla Firefox browser. When you're in the Firefox browser, press F7 or click on Firefox, click on Preferences and select the Advanced tab (Mac OS X). Now check "Always use the cursor key to navigate within pages". This will activate character browsing, allowing the user to use the arrow keys to move up and down the page. Holding Shift will allow users to select a text. This video will b...
News: Still Need the Battery Replaced on Your Older iPhone? Get It Done Soon — Or It'll Cost You
While last year's revelation that Apple slows down iPhones with aging batteries left a bad taste in users' mouths, the company's $29 battery replacement program was a step in the right direction. However, all good things must come to an end; Apple will soon shut down the program, leaving users to pay the full $79 to replace their faulty batteries.
Hands-On: Our Detailed Look at Osterhout Design Group's R-8 & R-9 Smartglasses
I had the opportunity to speak with the COO of Osterhout Design Group, Pete Jameson, shortly before the announcement of the company's R-8 and R-9 smartglasses models at CES in January. And while I sadly could not make it to CES to test the smart specs out right away, ODG invited me to do just that while I was in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference.
How To: These Online Retailers Will Give You Unpublished Discounts if You Abandon Your Cart
Shopping online can be as easy as buying cigars in Mexico. You find what you like, ask for the price, and walk away. "My friend! Come back! I give you 10% off. Just for you."
How To: 7 Ways to Use Android's Digital Wellbeing Feature to Improve Your Stress Levels
It seems like each day our phones become more integrated into our lives. School, work, shopping — so many tasks either require a phone or heavily benefit from one. But our phones are a double-edged sword that can easily distract us and harm our mental health as well.
How To: 4 Android Apps That'll Help Start Your Morning Off Right
Starting your morning right is an essential first step to a productive day. Whether you're running late, rushing to catch up on the day's news, or lagging behind with early emails, little hiccups like these can have a trickle-down effect and ultimately ruin your day. Like with many problems, though, your smartphone can help.