Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Log into the new MapQuest Maps driving directions web app
Need some help figuring out how to sign into the latest version of MapQuest? It's easy. And 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 using the new, improved MapQuest yourself, take a look.
How To: Download ringtones on a BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone
Looking to mix things up? Learn how to download new ringtones on BlackBerry 8250 smartphone. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're the proud owner of a BlackBerry smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video guide. For detailed information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look.
News: Beeple's NFT Startup Wenew Could Pave Way for Holographic Displays as Archival Asset
Digital artist Beeple's $69 million NFT art auction at Christie's has a second act called Wenew, and includes attempting to open the digital art floodgates to mainstream collectors and artists alike by using physical goods.
How To: Make the Simplest Motor Ever
For this project, you will need a magnet, two AA batteries, two keys, a metal plate, and a copper wire coil.
How To: Use the recovery boot menu on a Motorola Droid smartphone
In this clip, you'll see what it takes to use the recovery boot menu on a Moto Droid Google Android mobile phone when rooting. Whether you're interested in rooting your own Motorola Droid smartphone or just want to learn more about the process, you're sure to be well served by this video guide. For more information and detailed step-by-step instructions, watch this phone hacker's how-to.
News: 7-Eleven Joins Forces with 'Deadpool 2' for Augmented Reality App & In-Store Experience
With the theatrical premiere of Deadpool 2 less than two weeks away, the hype train for the sequel to 2016's surprise R-rated hit is gaining steam, and augmented reality is on board for the ride.
News: Break Free from Your Smartphone Addiction by Turning Your Phone to Grayscale
Former Google employee Tristan Harris claims there's an easy way to combat phone addiction without installing any new software. By enabling grayscale on your phone, checking your apps and notifications will be less appealing and thus stop you from obsessively checking your phone.
News: This Case Turns Your iPhone into a Full-Fledged Camera
Your iPhone might have a great camera, but it can be irritating to get things like exposure and focus right when your fingers are all over the 'viewfinder.' The Pictar aims to change that by making your iPhone as much like a DLSR as it can, keeping your fingers from obstructing your next great photo.
Streak: The Once-a-Day Lock Screen Trivia Game for iOS
The bulk of my mobile gaming is done in instances of boredom, like sitting in a waiting room or watching bad TV. So when I heard about a new trivia game that pits every user against each other just once a day, I was immediately intrigued; it's a new spin on a very popular platform.
News: Kay Jewelers Adds Some Bling to Snapchat via Try-on Lens
Rabbit ears and dog noses are fun and all, but Kay Jewelers is here to class up Snapchat.
How To: Build a beer cooling machine
Build a machine that will cool beer in as fast as 6 seconds using an Airduster can of compressed air.
How To: 4 iPhone Apps That Will Help Start Your Morning Off Right
For some of us, mornings are difficult. But if you can manage to start your morning right, you can trigger a chain reaction that leads to a more productive day. Fortunately, our phones have the tools to help us get off to a good start.
How To: Shoot macro photography on a budget
Create your own macro lens using the standard 50 mm lens that is shipped with your Digital SLR camera.
How To: Secure your Gmail account
Freelance web developer and Internet marketer David Frosdick offers some tips and tricks in this video tutorial on how to secure your Gmail account.
How To: Import Private Keys to Bitcoin Wallet (Windows)
I've noticed that a few people using the crypto-currency, Bitcoin are having issues importing private keys to their Bitcoin wallet. This is easy to do and doesn't require anything other than your Bitcoin client/daemon (as of ver0.6.0 ) and the command line.
News: Nreal Light Intros Nebula for Augmented Reality Interfaces on Android Apps, AR Cloud & 6DoF Controllers
With the consumer edition of its Nreal Light headset, scheduled to ship in 2020, Nreal is prepared to bring the entire Android app ecosystem into augmented reality.
How To: Install Joomla 1.5 on Windows Server 2003 with IIS6
Installing Joomla on a Windows server can be tricky, on Windows running IIS even more so. Installing Joomla 1.5 in this scenario has caused many frustrations.In this video, we take the process step by step and jump over the hurdles that cause some people to wind up pulling their hair out. If you follow along closely, you will be up and running in no time, and if you haven't already tried to do this, you will wonder why people find it so difficult. There are some prerequisites to the steps in ...
News: Qualcomm Launches Snapdragon XR2 5G for Next-Level AR Hardware & Reference Design for AR Wearables
As one of the leading makers of processors for smartphones, Qualcomm further bolstered its place in the market with the announcement of the Snapdragon 865 earlier this week.
News: T-Mobile Is Giving Away Free Stuff Every Tuesday
T-Mobile is going for broke. The carrier recently announced it will be giving away free stuff to its customers every Tuesday through a new app called T-Mobile Tuesdays for Android and iOS, and that's in addition to one share of stock and free in-flight Wi-Fi. The app will give out "food, movie tickets, gift cards, subscriptions, ridesharing, and more," the announcement said. You just have to be the primary account holder and you're good to go. One person will win a huge prize every Tuesday, l...
How To: Use the official Google Voice app on an Apple iPhone 4 (iOS 4.2)
Learn how to use the official Google Voice app on an Apple iPhone 4! Specifically, this video guide from IntoMobile addresses how to choose a number, create and edit contacts, make and receive phone calls, write SMS text messages and set up push notifications. For detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started using Google Voice on your own Apple iPhone 4, take a look.
How To: Use the Shop Savvy app on your Android cell phone
There's a new way to shop, and it's called your phone! On an Android mobile device, there'a handy shopping application called Shop Savvy, found in the Google Marketplace. Okay, so you can't actually buy things with it, but you can scan barcodes of products to get more information about them, making shopping in the mall so much easier. But how do use it to buy everything you want? Best Buy has answers. The Best Buy Mobile team explains how simple it is to use the Shop Savvy app on your Android...
News: New US Army Military-Grade HoloLens 2 Imagery Gives Us Star Wars Stormtrooper Vibes
It's all fun and games until the technology is actually put into use and you realize augmented reality is now part of Death Star.
News: Lenovo Expands Mirage AR Headset Beyond Star Wars with Marvel's Dimension of Heroes
Move over, Star Wars. You're not the only Disney property that can play in the Lenovo Mirage AR headset anymore.
News: Five Windows Holographic Mixed Reality Headsets Have Now Been Seen, but Most Have Not Been Touched
Some of the products I have been looking forward to seeing the most during CES 2017 has been the upcoming Windows Holographic virtual reality headsets. These are VR headset that will run a version of the Windows Holographic platform, which will allow users to have a similar experience as the HoloLens with a mixed reality environment. Of the six headsets that could have possibly made it to CES, five had shown up. Unfortunately, most of them are behind glass.
iPhone Security: Apple Refuses FBI's Demands to Create iOS Backdoor
In a letter dated February 16th, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to the FBI's demand that Apple create a "backdoor" to bypass the encryption on an iPhone used by one of the perpetrators of last year's terrorist attack in San Bernardino, CA. Cook began the letter by stating that Apple has "no sympathy for terrorists" and has cooperated in giving the FBI all of the information that it has available.
News: 13 Day(!) Cell Phone Charge in Seconds
Toshiba's latest fuel cell prototype would enable the consumer to charge any number of gadgets in a matter of seconds.
News: What Every Man Wants in Bed
Wait for it... Wait for it... (Trust me, you won't be sorry).
News: The Ready Player One Movie Could Finally Get This Party Started
So while it is the weekend of San Diego Comic-Con, and it should not be a complete surprise — without a word of warning hitting my feed — the trailer for the upcoming film, Ready Player One was released today. And wow it looks amazing.
Apple AR: iPhone X User Harnesses Apple's TrueDepth Camera to Give Himself a Real-Time Baby Mask
Since the very first moment I saw the iPhone X track a human face and display the results in real-time on an Animoji character, I've been waiting for the first great hack of this new iPhone feature.
How To: Get Android's Quick Settings on Your iPhone for Instant Access to Location Services, Settings & More
In iOS, the Control Center is an easy way to toggle settings such as Wi-Fi, Do Not Disturb, and Low Power Mode. Its Android counterpart is called "Quick Settings," which provides much of the same functionality with a few bonuses. If you're curious about how this toggle menu works or miss having it before you made the switch from Android, you can test it out on your iPhone right now.
News: How to Create Your Own Geofilters on Snapchat
Snapchat's Geofilters add a little flair to Snapchat, giving you the option to dress up your Snaps based on where you took them. They're so popular, in fact, that we even showed you how to pull Geofilters from locations outside of where you are.
News: GQ's Batman Cover Uses AR to Pull You into the World of Justice League
If you need a little inspiration for tonight's Halloween festivities, this augmented reality magazine cover featuring the Dark Knight himself, Batman, may do the trick.
News: Magic Leap One's Battery Life, Memory Specs Revealed
Last week, Magic Leap gave us an additional peek at its Lumin OS and more tutorials that show how its device works with virtual content. But details about the hardware wasn't included in the array of new information.
News: Apple Just Released iOS 12.1.1 Beta 2 to Developers
Developers opened their iPhones on Wednesday, Nov. 7, to find an update to the iOS 12.1.1 beta. Apple seeded developers the first 12.1.1 beta on Halloween, marking one week between it and the second beta. It's a quick update turnaround but in line with trends as Apple typically waits at least a week in between beta releases.
How To: Make a Virtual Private Network
Stay secure on public wireless networks by making your own FREE virtual private network (VPN). This tutorial shows you how to set up an OpenVPN server and connect to it from your laptop.
How To: Skip pre-roll video ads on YouTube
In this quick clip from Lifehacker, you'll see how you can skip pre-video commercials on YouTube by hitting your web browser's Refresh button. For more information, including a complete demonstration of this simple technique, and to get started annoying skipping pre-roll ads on YouTube yourself, take a look.
News: The Best Black Friday 2017 Deals on iPhone Accessories
A new iPhone is only as good as its accessories. Whether it's a case, screen protector, or charger, your iPhone's ecosystem depends on accessories to keep it powered, protected, and personal. Prices on all of these extras are going to be at an all-time low this Black Friday weekend, so we've rounded up the best deals around to help you get the essentials you want and prices you can afford.
How To: Remotely sign out of your Gmail account
Accidentally leave your Gmail open on a public computer terminal? Don't fret. You can have Gmail sign out any unwanted sessions with a click of the mouse. This free video tutorial from the folks at CNET TV will show exactly what to do. Protect your Gmail email account and log out any unwanted sessions with this how-to.
News: KitKat Rolling Out for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Rolling out right now are the latest KitKat updates to both the Exynos (SM-N900) and Snapdragon (SM-N9005) variants of the Galaxy Note 3. These over-the-air (OTA) updates will be staged out, beginning with networks in India, South Korea, and Switzerland. As reported by @lalithbhaskar, and confirmed by Sammobile, the latest update brings Android 4.4.2 to Samsung's current flagship device. If you reside in one of the mentioned regions, you can force a manual check by going to Settings -> About ...
News: Pixel 2 XL Update Adds 'Saturated' Color Profile & Anti-Burn-in Tweaks
Google caught a lot of flak for the Pixel 2 XL's POLED display issues, regardless of whether the problems were real or perceived. It's too late to contract another screen manufacturer at this point, but Google is doing the next-best thing: Fixing as many user complaints as possible with software updates.