Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Take pictures and shoot video with a Samsung Galaxy Tab
New owner of a Samsung Galaxy Tab? Thinking of picking one up? In this Galaxy tablet owner's guide, you'll learn how to use the Tab's two cameras. For all of the details, including step-by-step instructions, watch this Samsung Galaxy Tab Google Android smart tablet owner's guide.
How To: Add shortcuts/widgets/folders on Android phones (2.0)
You can add shortcuts, widgets and folders to personalize your Android phone experience. You just have to go to your home screen and press the "menu" key, then the "add" button. It's as simple as that. In this video tip, Google show you how to use shortcuts, widgets, and folders to customize your phone experience.
News: The Future of Augmented Reality & Blockchain Technology
If there is a major blind spot in the AR space in 2019, it's the impact that blockchain technology will eventually have on the software distributed in AR clouds.
News: BMW Uses ARKit to Let You Customize Your New Car in iOS
Last month, BMW rolled out its playful take on augmented reality with Snapchat, and now the automaker is bringing that same immersive computing whimsy to iOS directly.
Video: HoleLenz Adds Magic Windows to HoloLens & Gives Portals to New Worlds
When I first started with HoloLens development last April, one of the first things I created was a window. The purpose of that window was to be attached to a wall and give the illusion of being in a different space—an effect that is often referred to as a "magic window" effect by developers. My goal was to create the feeling of being in the penthouse of a skyscraper, and it's one that I hope to get back to working on soon.
News: We May Finally Know How Many HoloLens Devices Microsoft Sold, & It's a Revealing Peek at the Future of AR
Last week, we told you about Microsoft's Alex Kipman and his nomination for the annual European Inventor Award, presented by the European Patent Office (EPO). And while that's big news in and of itself, it turns out we overlooked a very important detail buried in the EPO's video presentation. What was it? Only one of the most sought-after data points related to the HoloLens since its launch: how many have been sold.
How To: Use a transistor or N channel MOSFET to turn any device on or off
The transistor is the most basic and important part of electronics, allowing small changes in voltage to turn things on and off. On, off. 0, 1. There's electronics. The grandaddy of them all is the N channel MOSFET, the most important transistor. This video will teach you how the MOSFET works and how to build some example circuits. This video is an absolute must-watch if you are interested in electronics at all.
How To: Make a wi-fi booster
How to make a wi-fi booster.
News: This Real-Life Star Wars Hover Bike Could Be the Future of Personal Transportation
Admit it—at some point or another, you've wished that you had your own personal hovercraft. Don't worry, we've all been there. Well, a company called Aerofex wants to make a hovercraft that's way more than your standard leaf-blower-powered one, taking a queue from the swoop and speeder bikes from the Star Wars franchise, building their own sort of repulsorlift. This hover bike may not be quite as fast as the ones from Star Wars, but if the company has its way, it could be on sale by the end o...
How To: Hide All of the Social Numbers on Your Facebook Page with the Demetricator
The reason that Facebook is so popular is because it connects us to people that we could have never been connected to before. When people log on, they look for messages, comments, likes, and any other notifications that connect us to those people. These same notifications, though, distort our view of Facebook. We tend to appreciate statuses (I prefer stati) that have more likes. We're geared towards people that have more friends, so we tend to like pages that already have hundred of thousands...
How To: Install Installous on your iPhone and iPod Touch
This video shows the method to install 'Installous' on your iPhone and iPod Touch. The first step involves opening up 'Cydia' on the iPhone or iPod Touch. After opening Cydia go to manage and then go to the option of 'Sources'. The resultant window will show an option named hackulo.us. Add this cydia.hackulo.us to the source. The resultant window which opens shows various sections. Find the section of Hackulous in the window. Go to the Hackulous section and find the option of 'Installous'. In...
How To: Install and use Opera Mini on an Android phone
Looking for a quick guide on how to install and use Opera Mini on your Android smartphone? It's easier than you'd think! So easy, in fact, that this free video tutorial can present a complete overview of the process in just over three minutes' time. For specifics, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
News: Make Apps for HoloLens in JavaScript with HoloJS
A new repository appeared in Microsoft's GitHub account a few months ago for a project called HoloJS. For those JavaScript developers out there that have been wanting to make HoloLens apps, this one's for you.
How To: Really Protect Your Encrypted iPhone Backups in iOS 11 from Thieves & Hackers
When it comes to security, Apple is usually at the top of the pack when it comes to your personal data, minus a few embarrassing flaws here and there. However, a new iOS security concern has been discovered that protects your data less than it did before — and Apple designed it like that.
News: Magic Leap May Have Shed Light on the Name of Its AR Operating System in Trademark Filing
It looks like Magic Leap is getting its ducks in a row to launch its Magic Leap One: Creator Edition as the company's name is once again showing up in US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) filings.
How To: Download GameCenter onto your jailbroken iPod or iPhone Touch running iOS 4
Get the Gamefly app Game Center onto your iPod or iPhone Touch! You must have a jailbroken device, and it must be running iOS 4 or better. After you get Cydia running on your phone, add the xSellize to your sources and install, then install Game Center!
News: Should You Upgrade to the Galaxy S9 from Your S8?
Sure, you just got your Galaxy S8. But now, Samsung came out with their latest and greatest device — the Galaxy S9. While the S8 is still a great device, it's possible that the Galaxy S9 completely outclasses it, almost forcing you to pick it up. It is worth it though? That's a harder question to answer than you may think.
News: Old Meets New as App Transforms Vinyl Records into Augmented Reality Sculptures
Despite the rise of music streaming, the experience of immersing oneself in the artwork and lyrics of old school albums is alive again, as sales of vinyl records and CDs have outpaced digital downloads for the first time since 2011. Now, the latest album from Amsterdam-based Necessary Explosion evolves this experience through augmented reality.
How To: 3 Reasons You Still Need a Good Antivirus App on Android
Many people think antivirus apps are useless — why pay a subscription fee when most malware can be avoided with common sense? But the thing is, there were an estimated 3.5 million malicious Android apps discovered last year, with many of them making their way onto the Play Store. As this number continues to rise, can you truly depend on common sense to protect you?
Developer Spotlight: AfterNow's Creative Approach to UX Design & IoT in Mixed Reality
If you have a HoloLens, you can now control the lighting throughout your home or office via holographic controls using the free Hue Lights app in the Windows Store. The app, made by California-based AfterNow, works with the Philips Hue colored lighting system and is much more polished than the prototype we saw in January.
How To: Make a Clothespin Gun
Today we show you how to make a very cool clothespin gun. Making this gun is So Easy a Guy Could Do It!
How To: Repair plated through hole printed circuit boards
In this soldering tip video brought to you by BEST, Inc. Bob Wettermann demonstrates the repair of plated through-hole printed circuit boards.
News: Install This App to Get 2 Free Months of Google Play Music's Streaming Service
Google Play Music has teamed up with TripAdvisor to make planning your next vacation a little more fun, and they're throwing in a nice deal for good measure.
Hands-On: Hands-On with Magic Leap's Avatar Chat, Remote Virtual Meetings in AR Have Arrived
Unlike the realm of virtual reality, augmented reality is less about losing yourself in some fantasy environment, and more about getting things done in the real world. So while we've seen some great games that capture the imagination on devices like the Magic Leap One and the HoloLens, when it comes to real-world usage, the biggest developments coming for AR apps that are the more practical ones.
News: The Future of Augmented Reality Mainstream Adoption
What does mainstream augmented reality look like? I'm not talking about the stuff you see in concept videos and science fiction films. No. What does it really look like?
How To: Big Brother's Watching You (HowTo Un-Google Yourself)
Some think of Google as the ultimate Big Brother, and with good reason. If you use Google (and most of us do), Google potentially has your email history, your complete search history, your travel routes, your interests, and more. Maybe they've even snapped a picture of you out in the real world (via Google Street View).
How To: Make a mellotron
Rocketboom Field Correspondent Bre Pettis on how to make a mellotron. You might remember this organ-like, polyphonic keyboard from the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever." With a Walkman tape players, a keyboard, and a speaker, you can create your own musical instrument. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to make a modified mellotron musical instrument.
How To: Dead Zones on Your Galaxy S9 Touchscreen Giving You Trouble? Try This
Although the initial reception for the Galaxy S9 has been generally positive, recent reports paint a potentially bleak image — some S9 owners are complaining that their new devices have "dead zones" in their displays, which don't register their touch inputs. Luckily, there are steps you can take to fix this problem.
How To: Create a new Pandora Radio account from scratch
Before you can get started using Pandora Radio to listen to music, you'll need to sign up for an account. This brief video tutorial from the folks at Butterscotch will teach you everything you need to know. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started creating a new Pandora Radio account of your very own, take a look.
How To: Make a Jacob's Ladder illusion cassette tape toy
Watch this video to learn how to hack together your own Jacob's Ladder optical illusion cassette tape toy.
News: Apple Releases iOS 12 Public Beta 10 for iPhone, Fixes Bug Constantly Telling You to Update
If you've been getting that "Please update from the iOS 12 beta" alert continuously in iOS 12 public beta 9, Apple just issued a fix for it Friday, Aug. 31, with iOS 12 public beta 10 — just in time for Labor Day weekend. This marks the second update this week as dev beta 11 and public beta 9 were released on Monday. It's also just one day after Apple announced its Sept. 12 event.
How To: Add the Apple Pay Animation to Your iPhone's Lock Screen for Touch ID
Unlocking our iPhones with Touch ID isn't something most of us pay any mind to; it's quick, simple, and gets the job done. Today, I'll be slowing things down for a second and showing you how to add the Apple Pay checkmark animation to your Touch ID-enabled lock screen. It looks awesome and doesn't add any additional unlocking time than normal.
How To: Top 5 New Free Puzzle Games for Android & iPhone in 2019
Though not as flashy as other mobile gaming genres like first-person shooters, puzzle games continue to glue players to their phones. Puzzlers are perfect companions while out and about or on a commute, and they're also a great way to stimulate your brain and hand-eye coordination in a fun, relaxing way.
How To: Remove your sim card out of your iPhone
In this tutorial, we learn how to remove the SIM card out of an iPhone. First, turn your phone all the way off, then insert a pin into the top hole next to the circular button. Insert this until the SIM card pops out of the hole next to it. There will be a cover along with it, just set this aside. Now, your phone will tell you that there is no SIM card located in your phone. You can replace this with another SIM card or put yours back in. This is the most simple way to take out your card, so ...
How To: Turn Your Videos into Animated GIFs on the Nexus 5 with No Quality Restrictions
Now that Hangouts is Android's default messaging app, it's given us a lot of cool new features. A bouncing ellipsis lets you see when the other party is typing, and an indicator shows you whether they've read your message or not. You can even answer the age-old question of "Where you at?" with a tap of a button, sending a map of your location.
News: The HoloLens Lets You Watch TV in a Whole New Way
Are there any benefits to watching a movie in a holographic mixed reality headset, or should you just stick with your TV? It's not as cut and dried as you might think. While TVs have some advantages, so does the virtual screen of a Microsoft HoloLens.
How To: Disable HDR Video Downloads on Your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus
HDR, or high-dynamic range, is currently the best way to view movies and TV shows on your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. With a wider color gamut and a broad luminance range, there's no beating HDR video for the ultimate viewing experience. Unless, of course, you don't have the storage to hold those giant Dolby Vision or HDR10 files.
How To: Run third party applications on your Apple iPhone
In this clip, you'll learn how to find and install third-party apps on your Apple iPhone. Whether you're the proud owner of an Apple iPhone 3G or perhaps just considering picking one up second hand, you're sure to benefit from this free video tutorial. For more information, including a detailed overview, watch this iPhone user's guide.
News: KabaQ Transitions the Traditional Restaurant Menu to Augmented Reality
If you've ever browsed a restaurant menu and wondered what a particular dish looks like, then the augmented reality mobile app from Kabaq was made for you.
How To: Install an antenna/coax switch on a ham radio
If you're doing a project with a ham radio and want to mess around with the antenna, this video should help.