Gadget Hacks Features

How To: Solder a resistor to an LED

A basic instruction for electronic enthusiasts. I use an RGB LED and a 510 ohm resistor as I may change from 6 to 9 volts later, but with my LEDs i could go as low as 330 ohms. I sacrifice some brightness for the sake of longer life. To choose your resistor, the value in ohms = voltage of your batteries or power supply / (as in divided by) the amperage that your LED needs to run.

How To: Create and use widgets on Android cell phones

Android cell phones are highly customizable. You can put just about anything on any one of your home screens, but the widgets are an entirely different animal. They can make your home screens more than useful. CNET shows you how to create widgets, use them, and move them about your home screens. You can even put home photos on your Android smartphone's home screens.

How To: Protect Yourself from macOS High Sierra's Glaring Empty-Password Security Flaw

There's a new macOS vulnerability that hackers within physical reach of your computer can use to gain root access to your system and accounts. Just by using "root" as the username and a blank password on a privilege escalation prompt, someone can install malware on your computer, access hidden files, reset your passwords, and more. Root access gives them the ability to do anything they want.

How To: Block Facebook links on any website

Block Facebook scripts on sites that you visit with Safari, Chrome and Firefox by installing an add-on called Facebook Blocker. This removes the "Like" buttons, "Recommended" lists and prevents Facebook scripts from tracking your browsing history. Veronica from Tekzilla Daily demonstrates the features of this new add-on.

News: You Don't Need a Gaming Phone to Game Like a Pro on Android

As manufacturers try to differentiate their smartphones from the sea of Android devices, a new genre of smartphone has emerged: gaming phones. Razer Phone was the first to gain traction, but the likes of Xiaomi, Asus, and ZTE have all announced gaming-first phones coming soon. Still, you don't really need to buy a "gaming phone" to play games like a pro on your smartphone.

News: Temporarily Disable Android Lockscreens with DelayedLock App

For those who need security on their Android devices, the standard swipe lock screen just isn't enough, so it's necessary to install applications like GOTO and WidgetLocker to enable either pattern, password or PIN protection. This protection is great overall, but when you're frequently using your smartphone, having to keep unlocking the lock screen becomes quite an annoyance. You could be in a heated text conversation, following directions on a map or compulsively checking the news feed on F...

How To: Get Free Hearthstone Packs by Playing on Mobile

Hearthstone, Blizzard's online card game, combines strategy with a fun spin on the World of Warcraft lore to create a unique experience. With the latest expansion (The Witchwood) on the horizon, you'll want to make sure your collection is ready for when the set drops in April. Fortunately, you can get free packs on iPhone or Android to help prepare.

How To: Use the camera of the Nokia N97

This video will show you how to use the camera of Nokia N97. To use the camera of Nokia N97: Turn on the camera and open the lens cover or press the Capture key. In your view finder, you can see: Exit icon, Camera icon, Flash icon ,Expand Toolbar and Options icon. Tap the screen to use the Zoom Slider. You can zoom in or out by scrolling the Zoom Slider. To take a photo, tap the Camera icon. Once a photo is taken, another icons appear: Back icon, Message icon, Email icon, Trash Can icon, and ...

How To: Unlock & jailbreak iPhone 2G on 3.1.2

The video starts out with a person holding an iPhone. The narrator begins to say he is about to demonstrate how to jailbreak an iPhone. Step one is to update or restore the iPhone to 3.1.2 using iTunes. After the update is complete, click on the blackrain icon and download Cydia. After the download is complete, the iPhone is jailbroken on 3.1.2. Next click on Cydia icon and search for the package bootneuter. That application will unlock the iPhone after installed. After it is installed, make ...

How To: Adjust screen timeout on your Android phone

Mike Callahan will show you the tricky process of changing the screen timeout on your Android cell phone. While some people like their screen to black out right after they finish using it others prefer it to stay lit for a while. Mr. Callahan shows you how to change the setting regardless of how you like it. First tap on settings. Next, tap on sound and display. Then, you are going to want to scroll down until you get to screen time out. After selecting the screen time out option, you will ha...

How To: Build a mini fume extractor

Materials needed: Altoid mint tin, 9 volt batter and connector, switch, 7812 voltage regulator, 12 volt computer fan, carbon filter and 2 pieces of screen. Wire the battery connectors. Solder all of the following: Negative connector to the switch, wire to the switch, ground wire of the voltage regulator to the middle wire, output for the 7812 to the fan, positive lead on the 9 volt connector to the input on the 7812 and the negative from the 7812 to the negative on the fan. Test. Put all the ...

How To: Follow people in TweetDeck

For anyone new to Twitter, this video tutorial shows how to utilize TweetDeck. Following a lot of people and having a lot of people follow you is the whole point of Twitter. On the top tool bar of TweetDeck, there is a magnifying glass tool, you can run a search of someone and the search will bring up multiple listings of various avatars. If you keep the cursor over the avatar, select on the user prompt and then add the avatar to your group. Following these steps allows you to follow someone ...