Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Switch Apps with Just One Tap on Your iPhone in iOS 9
While the app switcher in iOS makes it easy to go from one open app to another fairly quickly, it's still not a great option if all you want to do is return to the previous app you were in.
How To: Replace the glass & digitizer on your iPhone 3G
If you're a klutz with a really expensive cell phone like an iPhone, there's still hope for you. Lee Waterman shows us how to repair the broken glass and digitizer on an iPhone 3G. With a couple of special tools, you'll have that iPhone looking like new in no time!
News: Hack a metal detector from a calculator
Our good friend Kipkay is at it again! He has earned six figures from videos like HowTo Unlock Handcuffs and HowTo Make a Stink Pen
News: Google's March Security Update Breaks Android Pay on Some Pixel & Nexus Devices
Google's monthly Android security updates are generally welcome—at the very least, they provide a feeling of security that our device is now somewhat safer than it was 30 days ago. Vulnerability patches, slight enhancements to performance, and overall bug fixes are generally included in the monthly OTAs, but as it turns out, they're not always for the better.
How To: Use the Samsung F480 Tocco mobile phone
The Samsung Tocco, also known as F480 is the first in a series of capacitive touchscreen phones hitting the market this year. The Tocco features a new and unique TOUCHWIZ UI replacing the Croix UI. The 5-megapixel camera featuring auto focus and a CMOS video lens; are normally only found in high-end or prosumer DSLR cameras. So it’s an amazing feature to have on a phone, especially when the Tocco only measures 11.6 mm thick by 98.4 mm tall and 55 mm wide. In addition to CMOS, the F480 also fe...
How To: Build a styrofoam plate speaker
This magical electronics tutorial video will teach you how to make a decent sounding speaker from a disposable Styrofoam plate. A Styrofoam plate is, of course, not someone's first thought when they consider speaker materials, but give this one a try. This is an easy and cheap project with surprising results!
News: The Best Black Friday 2017 Deals for Smartphone Cases
It's the holidays. That means new smartphones, and new smartphones mean new cases. Whether it's the Galaxy S8, the iPhone X, or the Note 8, your new phone deserves to be protected. Of course, good cases can get pricey fast. That's what Black Friday is for, of course.
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...
CES 2015: The ZTE ZMAX May Be the Best Android Phone You Can Get for Under $200
Sometimes specs aren't everything, especially if you prefer value over the bleeding-edge. Enter the ZTE ZMAX, an Android phone that you can get right now for less than $200—cheaper than even the Nexus 5 or OnePlus One. If you're looking for a cheap high-end phone, it's hard to go wrong with one that sports a 5.7-inch display, expandable storage, and a massive 3400mAh battery that'll easily get you through a full day of use.
News: iOS 10 Will Be Released on September 13, but the Gold Master Is Available Now
It feels like forever, but the wait is almost over. In less than a week, everyone will be able to try out all the cool new features in Apple's new iOS 10. This new update will be available on September 13 to most iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users via the "Software Update" section in Settings.
How To: Dumping Your iPhone for a New Sony Xperia Z? Here's How You Seamlessly Transfer Your Data
With the Xperia Z release for most major U.S. carriers expected sometime very shortly, many are both excited and curious at Sony's new flagship device. Much of the hype surrounding the new smartphone has stemmed from several ads that Sony has released, touting their waterproof phone to be as innovative as their Trinitron, PlayStation, and Walkman brands. Your worries about dropping your phone in a tiny fishbowl are finally over.
How To: Create a Restore Point in Windows 8
Restoring your computer to a previous point is an extremely important thing if something goes wrong. I've restored my computer at least a dozen times after downloading some suspicious software or running into an error I couldn't remedy on my own.
How To: Hack Your Old Printer to Automatically Print Hashtag-Based Instagram Photos
It's hard to believe that a photo-sharing service could become as big as Instagram has. So big, in fact, that there are tons of websites, software, and products aimed at integrating it into our lives even more. Hell, you can even be Instagram for Halloween.
How To: Bypass the Lock Screen for Instant Access to the Last Used App on Your Galaxy Note 3
Some of my favorites hacks are the ones that speed up the process of accessing my favorite and most-used apps. So, in this softModder guide, I'll be showing you a super fast way to open those apps straight from your Samsung Galaxy Note 3's lock screen.
How To: Use an operational amplifier to amplify voltage and build a microphone circuit
An amplifier is something that amplified the voltage on a circuit. The most basic kind is an operational amplifier, and this video will show you how these work and how to use them in your electronics. As an example you'll learn how to make a microphone circuit for spying on people or listening to your heartbeat.
How To: Pin Apps to the Multitasking View on Your Galaxy S9
The Galaxy S9 is truly a sight to behold. With a class-leading display, the best camera ever put into a smartphone, and Samsung's cutting edge design, it might just be the best piece of hardware on the market. Having said that, some of the most useful additions are actually in the software.
News: You're Not Getting a New MacBook Pro Any Time Soon
Apple continues to suffer production delays caused by COVID-19 era factory closures, and the products taking the biggest hit are its customized 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations. Long story short, you'd be lucky to get one of those 2021 MacBook Pro models by the end of June 2022.
How To: Turn off Facebook's location-tracking feature
In this clip, you'll see how to to turn Facebook's geo-tracking feature, Places, from your account settings panel. Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to deal with the Places feature, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Theme Android L on Your Nexus 5 with New Colors & Icons
Google's upcoming Android release hasn't even received a name or version number yet, but the third-party development community is already having its way with the firmware.
How To: Hack a USB keyboard into a Google Reader pedal
Are you addicted to Google Reader? If so, you may be looking for an even faster way to scroll through all of your favorite RSS feeds. Well, Matt Richardson has the solution…
How To: Calculate Quick Math Problems Right from Android Nougat's Quick Settings
Android Nougat has a new API that lets apps create their own custom Quick Settings tiles. A similar feature was buried in Android Marshmallow, but that required a hacky workaround, and most manufacturers disabled it in their custom versions of Android 6.0. But since this is an official API now, all phones that run Android 7.0 and higher should be able to use custom Quick Settings tiles going forward.
How To: 12 New Camera Features in iOS 14 That'll Make Your Photos & Videos Even Better
If you spend most of the time on your iPhone shooting photos and taking videos, you'll be happy that Apple has improved a few aspects of its Camera app in iOS 14. Even if you're just a casual photographer or videographer, you'll benefit from the new changes to the default camera app on your iPhone.
How To: Build a pair of binaural stealth microphones
MAKE and Kipkay brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. Make Magazine celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will.
How To: The Easiest Way to Record Your Screen in Android Lollipop
Native screen recording was initially introduced on Android 4.4 KitKat and, although useful, was primarily utilized by developers to showcase their apps. It required either a rooted device and an app or a non-rooted device with some ADB commands, which, while totally doable, wasn't necessarily ideal.
HowTo: Convert Your Old Laptop into a Projector
Wish you had $1000 to throw down for a projector? Well, if you have an old laptop lying around instead, here is a simple way to cheaply build your own digital projector. Lifehacker posts a HowTo excerpted from DIYer Randy Sarafan's 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer: (And Other Discarded Electronics).
News: The Snapdragon 845 Will Revolutionize 2018 Phones — Here's Why
The latest and greatest in Qualcomm's long line of mobile processors, the Snapdragon 845, is now set to touch down along with the Galaxy S9 and S9+. And as gorgeous as Samsung's newest flagships are, the processor that powers them under the hood is just as highly anticipated.
How To: Make a paper turntable
Okay, this is one of the coolest eco-friendly projects we've ever seen. If weaving plastic bags into a reusable tote bag is not your thing, then maybe this is. Check out the video to learn how to build a paper turntable made entirely out of reused materials.
How To: Customize Appearance Settings for Individual Android Apps on Your HTC One
By this point, you've definitely come across an app or two that wasn't designed with the HTC One in mind. Either the resolution is too small, the status bar stays active when it shouldn't, or the font isn't the ideal size. There are ways out there to get that changed, but up until now it wouldn't just change one app—it would change all of them.
How To: Turn Yourself into Animated Emojis That Are Accessible from Your iPhone's Keyboard
Yes, emojis are the [insert poop emoji here]. They can help improve your love life and even let you portray emotions in a more diverse and well-rounded way now. But combining emojis with GIFs? Well, that's some next-level [insert poop emoji here] right there, and with a new iOS keyboard from Puppy Ventures, that next level is finally here.
News: Google to Remove SMS Features from Hangouts (Update: New Version Rolling Out)
It's fair to say that Google's messaging services are in a bit of a heap at the moment, and to make matters worse, Hangouts is removing its SMS capacities. Hangouts version 18 is now being rolled out, but doesn't appear to incorporate any functional changes.
How To: Make Arduino circuit boards for robotics
This week on Make Magazine is a project with parts from the Arduino Starter Kit. Skip over building the Proto Shield. Otherwise, it's a simple build that doesn't require any soldering. Arduino is a speaking control for robotics. It can be used in other Make kits or robotic projects. This is a circuit bending and circuit board project that involves basic circuitry and wiring.
News: Finally, Real Proof That the iPhone 7 Will Come with a Headphones Lightning Adapter
We've been hearing rumors for months now that suggest Apple will be getting rid of the 3.5 mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7, which will presumably be replaced by an adapter that connects your earbuds directly to the Lightning port. But finally, thanks to Vietnamese site Tinhte, we now have some hard evidence to back up this claim.
Quick Tip: Access App Info Pages from Lollipop's Recent Apps Menu
On earlier Android versions, you were able to hold down on an app's icon in the recent apps menu (aka app switcher) and jump straight to the app's info page. From there, you could easily uninstall the app, force-stop its activity, or clear its cache and data.
How To: Make a fun lie detector
Make a simple lie detector that can tell the truth, or a lie. The schematic is on the video. No, it doesn't work on cats.
How To: Send video from your iPhone 3G via MMS
Take a look at this video if you've ever been curious on how people send video messages via the iPhone.
How To: Controll your computer from your iPhone/iPod Touch
I explain how to view and control your computer from your iPhone/iPod Touch. This works over Edge and Wifi connection, but obviously the better your connection the faster it will go. If you are having problems connecting try going to control panel then security center then turn your firewall off. Also try turning off anything like virus protection.
How To: Find out where a photo was taken on your iPhone
In this clip, learn how to go into your iPhone photo library and find out where your photos were actually taken. This is a cool feature that will allow you to keep track of where you go on your travels and jog your memory if you can't remember.
News: Free & Open-Source JavaScript Solution for Augmented Reality Comes to Life on Mobile
AR.js is a new JavaScript solution that offers highly efficient augmented reality features to mobile developers. With HoloJS released back in December, there is a potential that the free AR.js, developed by Jerome Etienne, one of Next Reality's 50 people to watch in augmented and mixed reality, could work with the Microsoft HoloLens as well.
How To: Get 'Hey Siri' Working Again on Your iPhone
When Hey Siri was first introduced in iOS 8, it was a pretty lackluster feature since you had to be plugged into a power source in order to even use it. Since then, newer devices (iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro) don't need to plug in to have always-on Siri, which makes the feature actually worthwhile—when it works.
How To: Use BlackSheep to thwart the password stealing Firesheep in Firefox
If you're scared of using public Wi-Fi networks with Firesheep out and about, then maybe you should fight back. Don't switch to another web browser— keep using Firefox safely with the help of a new Firefox Add-on that combats Firesheep's password stealing capabilities. It's called BlackSheep, and when installed and running, it will alert you whenever Firesheep is active on your network connection.