Gadget Hacks Features
News: Sony Unveils the Xperia XZ Premium with 4K HDR Display, 19 MP Camera & Snapdragon 835
Sony hit MWC 2017 in full gallop, announcing four different additions to its Xperia lineup on Monday, February 27, 2017: the XZ Premium, XZs, XA1, and XA1 Ultra.
How To: Make a battery that runs off water
Make a homemade battery out of things laying around the house. It may not be the strongest thing around, but hey, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.
How To: Share Song Lyrics from Apple Music in iOS 14.5 — Complete with Audio Clips
Sometimes, you don't want to be the only one enjoying killer lyrics from your favorite songs. Sure, you can text your friends and let them know how great these tracks are, but you could also take advantage of one of Apple Music's coolest new features of iOS 14.5 — lyrics sharing!
News: Here's All the New Edge Features Samsung Is Bringing with Marshmallow
Samsung is rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for Galaxy S6 and S6 edge today, February 15th, and with it come some good improvements to how S6 edge users can utilize the handset's curved screen.
How To: Quickly Encode a Video for the Web with This Drag & Drop Automator Action
Automator takes the work out of common repetitive tasks. I don't enjoy compressing videos for quick sharing or uploading to the web, so I created an Automator action to handle the process for me.
How To: Take and send pictures using your Droid 3 Motorola smartphone Camera app
The Droid 3 smartphone from Verizon has a great camera perfect for taking beautiful photos. If you want to learn how to perfect your on-the-go photography, take a look at this tutorial from Verizon Wireless that features instructions on all the different settings in the Camera app on the Android device.
How To: Make a bike repair stand
Learn how to make a bike repair stand with this video! Create the legs: 1. Two sets of 8 and 10 inch piece of steel pipe, a 90 degree angle, an end cap and a T pipe are the starting materials. About 0.5 inch diameter pipe is fine for the project.
How To: Enter latitude and longitude coordinates on a BlackBerry Storm phone
Learn how to find a location by entering its coordinates . 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: Surface Studio & HoloLens Used Together in New 3D Detailing & Visualization Tool
An interesting new use-case for the Microsoft HoloLens appeared in a YouTube video from Washington-based DataMesh last month. In it, you can see the HoloLens working in conjunction with the Microsoft Surface Studio, Surface Dial, and Surface Pen for 3D model detailing and visualization in real time.
Apple AR: Make Song Lyrics Flow Right Out of Your Speakers with This iPhone Augmented Reality App
So you want to do Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE." in Animoji Karaoke, but you need the lyrics. Well, now you can see those rhymes spit out in augmented reality.
Hands-On: Snap's Non-Creepy, Fashionable Spectacles Wearable Camera Proves We're Ready for Mainstream AR Smartglasses
The year 2018 was a rough one for Snap, the company behind the Snapchat app and the Spectacles wearable camera device. From executive departures to reports of slowed user growth, the company that once spurned Facebook's multibillion-dollar advances is now facing a moment of truth as it stares down its uncertain future.
News: Face Swapping Is Just Nuts
By now, you've likely used or have seen friends and family use Face Swap Live on their phones. It's a fun little app for iOS (and soon to be Android) that harnesses current tech to—you guessed it—swap faces.
How To: Earn Free Money, Stocks, Crypto, Gift Cards, and Other Cash Rewards on Your iPhone
With all the time most of us spend on our phones each day, wouldn't it be great if we could get rewarded for our addiction? Well, we can, thanks to various iPhone apps out there that can help us make a quick buck, earn cash back, donate freebies to charity, get complimentary cryptocurrency or stock, and receive other types of rewards.
How To: Install Android Q Beta on Any Google Pixel Phone
During the Google I/O 2019 keynote, the latest Android Q Beta was released to the public for Pixel smartphones along with 15 other non-Pixel devices. It's the third Developer Preview for Android 10, but it's the first official public beta outside of Google's Pixel smartphones. A new public beta means good things are on the way as the future of Android continues to evolve.
How To: Binge Netflix Shows Faster by Increasing Playback Speed
Not including playback speed controls in a video app is a design flaw. These controls are useful tools that let you speed up or slow it down a video. Want to catch all the Easter eggs in Avengers: Infinity Wars? Slow it down. Want to rewatch the last season of Strangers Things before the new season arrives? Speed it up.
How To: Take apart a Palm Pilot 1000
Learn how to take apart a Palm Pilot 1000 in order to repair it. A helpful voice-over guides you through the process.
News: This Augmented Reality Panda App Uses the Voice of Kristen Bell to Teach Kids About Nature
What's black and white, sounds like actress Kristen Bell, and is standing in your living room talking to your kids right now? Don't worry, that's just Genius the Panda, an augmented reality character from the Yakables app for iPhones and iPads.
How To: Disable Face Unlock Option in Samsung Galaxy Note 8
This video will show you how to disable face unlock if you don't want the feature no long in your Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Face unlock will be a problem then to open your tab. So you have to unlock the feature to make your tab available for you close relations. Watch the video and follow all the steps carefully.
How To: Make a cell phone holder
In this series of handy crafts videos, our expert jewelry maker will show you how to create a custom home for your cell phone. She tells you how to choose materials for this utilitarian wire sculpture, then demonstrates how to wind the wire into just the shape you want for a resting place for your cell phone, or any number of other items that need storing, including eyeglasses and whatever else your imagination can dream up.
News: Startup Asteroid Aims to Reinvent the Human-Computer Interface with Augmented Reality Software & Hardware Kit
Every step in the evolution of computing brings an in-kind leap forward in user input technology. The personal computer had the mouse, touchscreens made smartphones mainstream consumer devices, and AR headsets like the HoloLens and the Magic Leap One have leveraged gesture recognition.
How To: Connect to a WiFi network via the Push Button option on a BlackBerry Bold 9650
Learn how to use the Push-Button tool on your BlackBerry Bold 9650 phone to join a wireless network. 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.
How To: Use Facebook effectively on your Android phone
Ahh Facebook. What once started off as a site where college students could interact with one another, has become a huge cultural phenomenon. Just about everyone has a Facebook site: Parents, children, teachers, celebs, grandparents, even dogs! Being on Facebook can be fun and at times a bit addictive. So if you want to update your status or find out what a friend is up to, you can easily do so if you have an Android phone. Just check out the tutorial above and enjoy!
News: 7-Eleven Delivers Assist to BodyArmor Drink with Augmented Reality Promotion for NCAA Basketball Tournament
Now that the NCAA Basketball Tournament is underway, 7-Eleven has decided to launch an augmented reality experience to remind basketball fans where they can quench their thirst throughout March Madness.
The Future Is Near: Flying 45 MPH Hover Bikes Just a Few Years Away
Throughout history, the idea of the future has always promised better days, advanced technology, and of course—hover cars. Although we were correct about the better days (depending on who you ask) and advanced technology, we are still without hover cars, or pretty much any hovercraft vehicles—The Jetsons and Back to the Future were a lie!
HowTo: Make Your Own iPad MicroSIM (Yes, with a Meat Cleaver)
Guess what? For some reason, the iPad uses a smaller SIM card than your standard cell phone. (Engadget explains it all here). So, if you're an iPad owner (or reside in the UK - see below), you may find this tutorial by John Benson pretty handy.
How To: Build a lifecam time lapse web-enabled auto camera
Build a device that automatically takes and uploads pictures of your life every 30 seconds on the Internet.
News: Sennheiser AR Headphones for Magic Leap One Now Available to Purchase
Later this week, Black Friday will mark the start to the holiday shopping season, but if you're buying for a Magic Leap One owner, you can buy their ideal gift now.
Have You Seen This?: Mind Mapping in 3D with the HoloLens & Holo Mind
In the world we live in now — a world of complete data overload — new ways to sort through that data moves well past "nice-to-have" and firmly into the needs category. Mind mapping has been one tool that allowed someone to break down large problems into like components and help visualize the problems in different ways. Now thanks to Data Experts gmbh's Windows Store release Holo-Mind, we can do that in 3D on the HoloLens.
How To: Jailbreak an iPhone or iPod Touch with redsn0w
It's official! You can jailbreak whatever devices you want without fearing reprisal from the federal government! WIN! If you were worried about the legal implications before, worry no longer, and start taking advantage of your devices! This video will show you how to hack an iPhone 3GS, 3G, or 2G or iPod Touch 2G / 1G using a program called redsn0w. It's quick, easy, and will allow you to do so much more with your device there's really no excuse not to do it.
How To: Build a web-enable remote controlled tank
Hak5 isn't your ordinary tech show. It's hacking in the old-school sense, covering everything from network security, open source and forensics, to DIY modding and the homebrew scene. Damn the warranties, it's time to Trust your Technolust. In this episode, see how to build a web-enable remote controlled tank.
Market Reality: The Year in AR — HoloLens 2, Magic Leap's Rocky Ride, Apple's Future, & AR Startups Under Pressure
When filtered through the prism of the top stories of the year, the business of augmented reality 2019 was defined as much by epic failures of AR startups as it was by the promising developments that propelled the industry forward into 2020.
How To: Play games on the Xperia Play smartphone using apps and the slide-out gamepad
The Xperia Play is a Sony Ericsson smartphone on Verizon built for gaming on the go. The mobile phone features a slide-out gamepad that you can use to navigate the web and play different gaming apps preloaded on the phone or downloadable from the Android market.
How To: Turn on Bluetooth on your Android phone
Enable Bluetooth on your Android smartphone. One of the salient advantages of a Google Android smartphone over, say, an Apple iPhone, is the inherent extendibility of the open-source Android mobile OS. There are a seemingly infinite number of settings to tweak and advanced features to discover and use. This free video tutorial will show you how to turn on Bluetooth on your Android device.
News: Magic Leap Trade Secrets Lawsuit Against China's Nreal on Hold as Mediation Begins & Court Sets Tentative Trial Date
This week, the beginning of an epic legal battle was set to begin between augmented reality players Magic Leap and Nreal, the small China-based startup accused by the former of stealing trade secrets.
How To: Install Windows 8 Preview on Your Mac from a Bootable Flash Drive
With the release of Windows 8 right around the corner, if you plan on buying it (or just want to see what it's all about), it's a good idea to take advantage of the free trial before you shell out any money. If you're an Apple user who doesn't have a deep-seated disdain for Microsoft products, this tutorial will show you how to install the Windows 8 preview to try it out on your MacBook. First things first, you'll want to download the Release Preview on Microsoft's website (make sure to save ...
News: Touchscreen Made With Blocks of Ice
Far away in Finland, where the ice is plentiful and the temperature is bitter cold, the Finnish Nokia team have created the world's first touchscreen display made entirely of ice. Constructed with massive slabs of river ice, the display was first shaped into neat square slabs with a chainsaw, and then smoothed into a watchable surface with a powerful heat gun.
How To: Hide Secret Files on Your Mac's Desktop with Obscurity
There are certain files on your Mac that do not warrant encryption, but still need to be hidden. Whether it be snoopy parents trying to find pictures, or friends stumbling upon one of your love letters, there are times when you need to hide a file and have it kept secret. Obscure Your Files with Obscurity
News: Print Your Own Photorealistic Gadget Pouches
If you've yet to stumble across Photojojo, it's an awesomely addictive web newsletter for all photography junkies. I'm especially loving their recent photorealistic gadget pouch project because the finished product looks incredibly pro and as Photojojo keenly comments, "We’ve been seeing these little pouches in hipster gift stores that look like tacos, cassette tapes, pizza, etc. And we thought, 'That’s so easy, we could totally make those ourselves!'” Right on. The project is indeed easy to ...
News: Nreal Collaborates with Qualcomm & Deutsche Telekom to Build Prototype Enterprise AR App
As a frequent collaborator with Qualcomm, it would be kind of weird if Nreal didn't have something new to unveil at this week's Snapdragon Summit.
News: This Wireless Beacon Lights Up Whenever You're Near a Speed Trap
Speeding tickets suck, and I don't know a single person that can tell me otherwise. But the reality is, most of us will break the speed limit for one reason for another, regardless of the pricey risk.