Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Beat level 2-7 of Plants vs Zombies HD for the iPad
Need help figuring out how to beat level 2-7 of PopCap Games' Plants vs. Zombies for the iPad? See how it's done with this gamer's guide, which presents a complete walkthrough of the process. With the right technique, the level is easy to beat. For more information, and to win stage 2-7 of this whimsical tower defense game yourself, watch this helpful video guide.
NR50: Next Reality's 50 People to Watch: Amitt Mahajan
From Farmville to selling a company to Google, Amitt Mahajan has been through the startup ringer. Now, as managing partner with Presence Capital, he's funding the future of augmented and mixed reality.
How To: Build a DIY laser cutter gas containment chamber
If you are the proud owner of a laser cutter, you had better be careful with your expensive new toy. Some materials can damage the optics in your laser or produce poisonous gas when you cut them, so you need to make a gas containment chamber to work in. Watch this video to find out how to do that out of silicon wafer, silicone sealant, and a metal cookie tin lid.
How To: Make your own stylus for an Apple iPad
Because it's touch sensitive, you'll need to make a special kind of stylus to work with your iPad. This tutorial shows you how to take the kind of foam that electronics chips are stored on (conductive foam) and then attach it to a paintbrush to make the stylus.
How To: Register your Sony Dash and start customizing it
In order to take full advantage of all the fun features on the Sony Dash, you will need to register it. Check out this tutorial, presented by Sony and learn all about how to register online (once you've connected a WiFi network to your Dash). This will allow you to download apps, customize your new Dash and much more.
How To: Watch Apple's WWDC 2019 Keynote on Any Device
Apple had its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 3, 2019, which showcased big software announcements for all of Apple's hardware, and anyone can watch the keynote as it happened.
How To: Remove & clean the trackball on a BlackBerry phone
In this video, Anthony from Gazelle GadgetLab shows you how to replace the trackball or make it like new on many Blackberry versions, the BlackBerry Pearl, Curve, and 8800 series. This simple procedure is used to clean up your trackball when it starts malfunctioning. What you need is basically some alcohol or lens cleaning solution, air can, a tool to pry with and some cue tips to clean with. First, take the silver ring off the area which holds in the trackball with the prying tool. After pop...
Hands-On: The Varjo XR-1 Developer Edition has Seamless AR to VR Imaging & Low-Latency
The ability to shift between virtual reality and augmented reality seamlessly on one device is a dream of many AR fanatics, but the execution is usually fairly buggy or underwhelming.
News: Magic Leap Reveals Partnership with Oscar-Winning Effects Studio Behind Marvel's Biggest Hits
For years, Magic Leap has promised to deliver stunning augmented reality experiences that will outperform any other competitor, and a newly revealed partnership hints that the company may be able to deliver on those promises.
News: Snapchat's Lens Explorer Guides You Through a Land of Augmented Reality Creations
Augmented reality experiences created in Lens Studio now have a permanent home in the Snapchat app. On Tuesday, Lens Explorer will begin giving users access to a scrollable screen full of a variety of new Lens Studio creations.
How To: Use the buttons on a Nokia C6-01 smartphone
Need some help figuring out how to navigate the physical features of your C6-01 phone? It's easy and this clip will teach you everything you need to know. For all of the details, including complete, step-by-step instructions, watch this brief, official C6-01 owner's guide from the folks at Nokia!
How To: Turn Your External Hard Drive into a Colossus—Complete with Glowing Eyes
Whether or not you like its minimalist, "puzzle" style, it's hard to argue that Shadow of the Colossus is a gorgeous game. It got rave reviews from critics and players alike, was the 11th highest rated game of 2005, and was so popular that it even has its own wiki.
News: Taser dear friends with hacked camera
We almost forgot about the disposable camera. With every cell phone outfitted with a camera, who needs the emergency 7-Eleven point-n-shoot?
How To: Disable Notifications for 'Memories' in Apple Photos Without Turning Notifications Off for the Whole App
Introduced in iOS 10, the "Memories" feature in Apple Photos aims to give you fun snapshots of events, people, pets, and more from over the years. However, if you don't really care about these auto-generated slideshows, then you probably don't like getting notifications for them, either. Whenever you get fed up with receiving these unwanted alerts, there's an easy way to turn them off.
Apple AR: Move the AR World with Your Gestures in New Demo
The future is here with a new demo made with Apple's ARKit and LeapMotion. Typically, since ARKit works through your iPhone, in order to move augmented reality objects that are appearing on your screen, you have to drag them with your finger. However, developer Arthur Schiller is now playing around with how you can move augmented reality objects on your phone with gesture recognition, rather than by touching.
How To: Update a website with an FTP client (à la FileZilla)
In this Computers & Programming video tutorial you will learn how to update a website with an FTP client (v† la FileZilla). Download FileZilla client from www.filezilla-project.org. Find your server IP address from your web host, which will be found in the hosting control center. In the video, it is GoDaddy.com. Open your filezilla client and put in the IP address of your web host and your username and password for your hosting account. Then click ‚Äòquickconnect‚Äô. This will connect you to ...
How To: Install Adobe Shockwave Player on Internet Explorer 8
This video shows you how to easily download and install Adobe Shockwave Player on Internet Explorer 8 or 8+. The first thing you have to do is open up Internet Explorer, type in the address bar: http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/ and hit Enter. Scroll down the page, uncheck the "Also install Free Google Toolbar" box and click on the "Agree and Install now" button. Wait for the Shockwave Player to install. Click "Allow" in the future windows and wait for the install confirmation screen. Restart y...
How To: Browse the internet with your BlackBerry 8800
In this video, Jonathan Cohen demonstrates how to surf the web using a BlackBerry 8800. The explains how to start up the Internet on the cell phone, how to input an address, and give some hints on using the browser.
How To: Downgrade iPhone 3.1.3 firmware to 3.1.2
In this how-to video, you will learn how to downgrade an iPhone or iPod Touch to 3.1.2. First, download the correct firmware model. Hold the home button and power button. Release the power button when the screen turns off. Make sure the device is plugged in while doing this. This will put the device in recovery mode. In iTunes, hold shift and click restore in the device screen. Next, navigate to the firmware you downloaded and click okay. This will downgrade the device to the firmware you dow...
How To: Feeling Nostalgic? Here's How to Find Songs You Couldn't Get Enough of on Tidal
It is surreal how your playlists change over time. A song you loved in January will be forgotten about in May. With hundreds of singles from different artists coming out daily, it is easy to get distracted. Tidal understood this problem and created a solution called "History Mix."
News: 9 Ways iOS 12 Makes the iPhone X Even Better
While there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to iOS 12 in general, iPhone X users will not just get the same new features and tweaks that all other iPhones will get — they'll get a few unique ones that will make the device even more desirable to those who don't have one yet. Also, iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR users will also see these benefits out of the box.
News: Robot Swarms Could Be Controlled by Your Smartphone, Thanks to AR
Have you ever wanted to control a swarm of robots? Well, now you can! Robotics researchers at New York University (NYU) have created an app which controls 'bots from your smartphone, using augmented reality. This AR app would certainly come in handy when you want to make a coffee from the comfort of your couch, but let's not get ahead of ourselves!
News: Think You're Good at Mario? Try Playing With Your Eyes
Now that you've mastered hand control, here's a new challenge for you. Try playing Mario using just your eye movements. The video below describes how the system works, and if you're feeling extra ambitious, scroll down for two HowTo videos, paired with (1, 2, 3, 4) build details.
News: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 Will Power New Augmented Reality Headsets from Meta & Vuzix
Confirming a previous report from last week, Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon X1 platform designed for augmented and virtual reality devices during an event at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara on Tuesday, with Meta and Vuzix among the first manufacturers to adopt it.
News: Apple Releases 'Second' iOS 12.4 Public Beta for iPhone to Software Testers
Public beta testers, you're in luck. Apple just released the second iOS 12.4 public beta today, May 20. The update comes five days after the release of the first developer beta for iOS 12.4 and seven days after the release of iOS 12.3. Public beta 2 and dev beta 2 were both released at the same time, something that doesn't happen often.
News: Black Friday Deals on Smart TVs & Streaming Devices That Work with Apple TV+
If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple TV, then you already have a quick way to subscribe to Apple TV+, Apple's entry into the streaming wars. Some of you might even have a free year of the service. But if you don't have any of those products or you're just looking for a smart TV or streaming device that supports Apple TV+ natively, check out these Black Friday deals.
News: Coty's Magic Mirror Detects Makeup Products & Then Applies Them to Your Face in Augmented Reality
Cosmetics maker Coty is hanging an augmented reality Magic Mirror on the wall of its Bourjois boutique in Paris that will tell customers which shade of makeup will make them the fairest of them all.
How To: Get three stars on level 2-2 of Angry Birds Free (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
Beat level 2-2 of the iOS version of Angry Birds Free with three stars! On January 5th, 2011, Rovio released a free version of Angry Birds for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users. Stuck? No problem: YouTube's FujiToast has pledged to post a three-star walkthrough for each of the game's levels. In this installment, we learn how to beat level 2 of theme 2.
How To: Use Swype to text message on a Windows Mobile phone
In this clip, learn all about Swype. Swype is a cool new app that allows you to type at super fast speeds. If your phone has this capability and you are just in too much of a hurry to actually type a word - check it out. You don't even have to remove your finger from the screen! Just swipe your digits over the letters and the phone will magically know what you were trying to say. It's sort of like T9 updated for 2010.
How To: Text message on the Casio G'zOne Brigade
In this tutorial, we learn how to text message on the Casio G'zOne Brigade. First, press the center to unlock the phone. After this, hit the message button and then type in what you want to say. You can type on the outside of the phone or you can open it up on the inside. After this, choose who you want to send the text message to. When you are ready to text, press the send button and then your message will be transmitted to the recipient. After this, you will be able to text to anyone whethe...
How To: How Many of Your Twitter Followers Are Phony? Find Out with This Fake-Follower Detector
There have been plenty of headlines recently about fake followers in both politics and entertainment. Everyone gets hit by a spam account here and there, but when a large percentage of someone's followers are fake, it can look pretty bad, especially with influential people being accused of buying their followers to look more popular.
How To: Add ringtones and more to your Apple iPhone 3G or 4G
In this clip, learn how to find and add ringtones to 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: Apple Just Released iOS 12.4 Beta 7 for iPhone, Indicating Apple Card Is Near
Apple Card, Apple's foray into credit cards, is to be released this summer. There's no exact date set yet for when you can apply for one or when iOS will support it, but it's getting close. Apple just released iOS 12.4 developer and public beta 7, meaning we're almost there since iOS 12.4 is mainly intended to add Apple Card support for iPhone.
News: Valentine's Day Lenses for Snapchat & Snap Camera Let You Flirt with Your Crush in Augmented Reality
Mobile augmented reality company Snapchat now has a special option for romantic message exchanging this Valentine's Day, a day which, incidentally, happens to be the first one in 116 years where Sweethearts, the original heart-shaped candy, will be unavailable for purchase.
News: Lumus Licensing Deal with Quanta Could Pave Path to First Generation of Consumer Smartglasses
Transparent display maker Lumus has reached a deal to license its augmented reality optical engine models to Quanta Computers for mass production of displays for consumer smartglasses.
How To: Sick of Your Cell Phone Provider? Go Prepaid with Ting and Skip the ETF for Breaking Your Contract
Prepaid phones are becoming more and more popular, and tons of people can see the benefits of switching now that some companies are offering prepaid services that are on par with the big players. For a lot of folks, the only thing keeping them from switching is the huge early termination fees that service providers charge to break a contract early.
News: Augmented Reality Empowers Indonesian Women to Operate Online Stores
While its direct-selling model echoes brands like Avon and Tupperware, Indonesia's MindStores gives the approach a modern twist—with augmented reality.
How To: Change the video thumbnail on a YouTube video
Stuck with an unflattering video thumbnail on YouTube? Change it. Let this video be your guide. It's easy and this clip presents a complete, step-by-step overview of the process. For more information, including detailed instructions, and to get started deliberately choosing your own YouTube thumbs, take a look.
News: iOS 11.4 Beta 6 Released, Includes Fix for 'Black Dot' Bug & Under-the-Hood Patches
Talk about rapid-fire. Apple released the sixth beta for iOS 11.4 on Thursday, May 17. The update comes just three days after the release of iOS 11.4 beta 5, indicating that Apple is readily approaching the official release of the software. Apple has not issued an official iOS update since 11.3.1, which found its way to users over three weeks ago.
News: Meet the New Moto G5 & Moto G5 Plus—Budget Phones with a Premium Build
Lenovo, the company that now owns Motorola, just announced two new entries in their wildly successful midrange Moto G series. The Moto G5, and its bigger brother, the Moto G5 Plus, were both shown off in detail at Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.