Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Avoid spam email
Make it harder for spammers to clog your inbox with ads and scams. Learn how to avoid spam email with this Howcast video. You will need a secondary email address, a keen eye, and an anti-spam program. Tip: Never click on links in spam email - including "unsubscribe" links, and never, ever reply!
LG’s New G4 Flagship Phone: Everything You Need to Know
It's already that time of year again—LG has unveiled its latest high-end smartphone, dubbed the G4. In past iterations, LG released its flagship devices in the fall. But slowly over the course of the past 2 years, the release schedule has been bumped up to be more in line with HTC and Samsung's springtime releases, and further away from the sales-sucking iPhone event each fall.
How To: Insert a lead-free gold cup wire when soldering
In this soldering tip video brought to you by BEST, Inc. Norman Mier demonstrates how t insert a lead-free gold cup wire.
How To: FTP on a Mac via Cyberduck
In this Computers & Programming video tutorial you will learn how to FTP on a Mac via Cyberduck. This is really very easy and simple to do and takes practically no time. Do a Google search for cyberduck, click on the first link, then click on the download link. Download the application and install it. Then open it and click on 'open connection'. In the server box type in ftp.yourdomainname.com, make sure the port selected is '21', then type in your username and password and click 'connect'. T...
News: Bing Update for Android & iOS Shows Gas Prices & Deals in Your Area
Microsoft is working hard to make Bing a good alternative to Google for more than just looking up images of the "human anatomy" that Google and a lot of other search engines filter out of their results.
How To: Set up your Motorola Devour a555
In this video, we learn how to set up your Motorola Devour a555. First, remove the plastic from the phone and unwrap the battery from its package. Now, press the tab on your phone to unlock the back of it and insert the battery into the slot it goes in. Next, close the tab that you took out to insert the battery, then turn your phone on. Go to the menu and then change all the settings on your phone that you want to immediately change. Search around the phone to see your contacts and other inf...
How To: Downgrade the software on your BlackBerry phone over WiFi
Learn how to downgrade the software on a BlackBerry phone over 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.
News: Apple Developers Running Beta Builds of iOS 7.1 Still Vulnerable to SSL Security Flaw
Apple released iOS 7.0.6 last week, an update to fix a serious security flaw that allowed hackers to not only capture sensitive user information such as bank statements and passwords, but also modify that same data on secure HTTPS sessions.
How To: Use the application center on a Blackberry Storm 2
Wayne with Vodafone Help Centre demonstrates how to use the application center on a Blackberry Storm 2 phone. First tap on the Blackberry key to bring up the main menu. Then choose the application center option. Click yes to update the application list. Choose app world and install it on your phone by downloading it. Then, click run and accept the software agreement. You now have access to the Blackberry app world. You can search for the applications that you want and filter the results by pa...
News: Oculus Releases Minecraft for the Samsung Gear VR
The team behind Minecraft, the popular open-world game beloved for its freedom to create and build, has teamed up with Oculus to release an official edition that takes you even further into the block-based world using a Samsung Gear VR headset. While the Oculus Rift version itself is still forthcoming, Gear VR users can play right now.
News: Leaked Image Suggests the Sony Xperia Z2 May Be Headed to Verizon
The international hit Xperia Z2 may be headed to Verizon if a posted, and quickly erased, image is any indication. Take this information with a grain of salt—I certainly am—but this could be Sony's entrance into the non-GSM realm. The image above was posted to Sony's Xperia Google+ page, and very quickly removed. Compared to the Z2 that's currently on the international market (below), we can see that not only has the Sony logo shifted to the bottom, but a Verizon logo rests squarely along the...
News: How SilVR Thread Makes Compelling 360-Degree VR Videos
A 2D film can show you something, but a 3D film in virtual reality can make you feel it. If done right, you'll feel immersed in a new world that surrounds you. If done wrong, you'll get nauseous and uncomfortable. SilVR Thread, a 360-degree VR video company, figured out a few important ways to get the feeling right.
How To: Use/Navigate the New YouTube One Channel Layout
This is a video on how to navigate and make the most of your new Layout that will be coming into force later this month!
News: The Rock Pops Out of EW Cover with Augmented Reality
Usually paper beats rock. With augmented reality, The Rock beats paper. Using the Life VR app for iOS or Android, Entertainment Weekly readers can point their smartphones at the cover of the Dec. 8 edition to view a holiday greeting from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, star of the forthcoming reboot, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
How To: Hunt Down and Eradicate Post Profanity for a Squeaky Clean Facebook Profile
Being politically correct on social media sites is super boring. I've had my fair share of rage tweets and angry Facebook posts with some colorful wording, but sometimes using and F-bomb just gets the point across better. Now that Facebook is pushing out their new Graph Search, it might be time to clean up your profile. FaceWash is a web app that searches your Facebook profile for common bad words. You will need to give the app permission to access all of your wall posts (or course). Once acc...
News: Verizon Acquires Jaunt After Startup Moves from VR Services to Augmented Reality Focus
It looks like Jaunt's pivot from VR to volumetric captures services for augmented reality experiences has paid off.
News: Inside Magic Leap's Cinematic Partnership with Andy Serkis & The Imaginarium's Experimental Motion Capture Experience
By now, you've probably already seen Andy Serkis and his performance capture demo for Magic Leap. And sure, marrying motion capture acting and augmented reality sounds compelling, but how does it really work as an experience?
How To: Avoid adware, spyware, and keyloggers on your computer
In this episode, Brandon Jackson shows how to merge two images with the Photoshop gradient tool to create a banner montage. Doug Grammar joins D.Lee Beard again, this time to explain spyware, adware, and keylogging. They explain what these threats to your privacy & computer speed are as well as how to prevent and get rid of them. Speaking of security, Jason Rybicki shows one way to tell if your privacy is being compromised on a Mac using a free widget.
How To: Root an HTC Tattoo Google Android smartphone
Unlock your HTC Tattoo's hidden potential by rooting it! Rooting your phone will enable you to do a great number of fun, against-the-rules things: Interested in running a custom ROM? It's easy. Want to turn your Milestone into a wireless hotspot with free WiFi tethering? Go ahead.
How To: Beautify Your Twitter Account with Profile, Header, and Background Images
This goes out to all of the Tweeters out there looking to get a little more creative with their Twitter accounts. My page has always been extremely basic, because I just never bothered to pretty it up. I just had one of the stock backgrounds and the good ole Sacramento Kings logo for my profile pic. So, if you want to add your own cool photos and backgrounds to your account, the folks over at Twitter made this funny cartoon video just for you. It's not the most complicated of tasks, and every...
How To: The Top 8 Free News and Information Apps in the Windows Store
"You can never know too much" is a saying you hear all the time. Funny thing is, I have no idea where it originated, and neither do most of the people who continually say it. Nevertheless, it's a statement that very few would argue with.
How To: Navigate and use the basic features of a Verizon ZTE Salute cell phone
Whether you're a proud owner of the Verizon ZTE Salute cell phone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to benefit from this video tutorial, which presents a reasonably thorough overview of the device's various features and functions. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to perform a number of basic tasks, take a look.
How To: Remove thumbnails from the Google new tab page
In this tutorial, we learn how to remove thumbnails from the Google new tab page. First, open a new tab and click the "edit thumbnails" link. Click the "x" icon to remove the thumbnail. Remember to click "done" to save your changes. This will come in handy when you have websites that are saved on your new tab page that you don't want to show up are you only visited once and don't plan on visiting again. After you do this, remember you can do this at any time that you want, to customize what w...
News: Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel Revamps App's Content Strategy, Keeping Camera & AR at the Center
On Wednesday, Snap, Inc. unveiled a revamp of its Snapchat app that draws a hard line between content from your friends and content from professional media organizations.
News: Prehistoric Creatures Return to Life via New iPhone AR App from Celebrity Historian David Attenborough
Apparently, we learned nothing from Jurassic Park, as scientists are still working on bringing extinct species back to life. Until that day comes, you can interact with long-lost animals through augmented reality...if you have a newer model iPhone.
News: AWE Partners with Accessories Project to Deliver the Ultimate Augmented Reality-Powered Swag Bag
I'm here at the annual AWE event in Santa Clara, California, and the venue is just as packed, if not more so, than last year.
How To: Make a Ticklebox as a gag gift for holidays or birthdays
This gift will give the recipient a nice little zap when they open it! All you'll need is some basic electronics that you can find at any retailer like Radio Shack, and a soldering iron for a little bit of detail work.
News: Alibaba Leads InfinityAR's Latest $18M Round—Diversifying Their Augmented Reality Portfolio
China's e-commerce site Alibaba has been making heavy investments in augmented and mixed reality startups. In February of this year, they led a $793 million round of Series C financing of Magic Leap. And now they've just invested in Israeli-based InfinityAR, which acquired $18 million in its Series C financing.
News: Now You Can Bring NASA's Spacefaring Robots into Your Home via ARCore
Space might be the final frontier, but NASA is making a detour into augmented reality first. The Spacecraft AR app, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with Google, debuted exclusively for Android this week (an iOS version is also in the works).
News: North Hits the Road Again with New Focals Smartglasses Pop-Up Stores Across North America
After testing the waters with a few pop-up stores along the West Coast earlier this year, North is bringing its smartglasses to more cities across the US and Canada.
News: BMW Releases Art Car Series of Famed Artists, Including Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol, in Augmented Reality
One app is continuing to make a name for itself as the go-to platform for celebrity art that transcends canvas and paint and moves in augmented reality.
News: What Huawei's Rumored Mobile OS Means for the US Market
Huawei has been in a losing battle with the US government for around ten years, with the last year being the spike of Huawei's problems. Because of US pushback against some Chinese-based smartphone manufacturers due to security concerns, Huawei is hoping to limit its dependency on US-based companies, and recent rumors of Huawei's very own mobile operating system may be the first step.
How To: Set the Facebook home page to show live status updates
Facebook is the most powerful social network web site that helps you to connect and share with the people in you life. You need to register an account with the face book website, which is free of cost, to use their service. In face book home page you can show others your live status updates. To do this first log in to your face book application. From the left hand side column select the status updates link. This opens the 'Status Updates' web page, where you can see the status updates of all ...
How To: Mark locations in Google Earth
This video describes the basics of marking locations in Google Earth.
News: AR Cloud Startup Ubiquity6 Turns Up Volume on Audio AR Through Acquisition of Wavy
Among a crowded field of AR cloud companies aiming to power the future of augmented reality by creating a world of persistent holographic content that lives in a cloud, accessible across devices and accounts, Ubiquity6 is hoping it has found a way to differentiate its platform.
News: Chrome for iOS Updated to Add a 'Read Later' Feature
Google just pushed out an update to Chrome for iOS, with the main change being a new feature called "Read Later". Read Later is a nifty little feature that allows you to download and save web pages that you can read even if you're offline. Being a subway rider in NYC, I know very well how annoying the lack of an internet connection can be when traveling, which makes this feature all the more handy.
Opinion: Why the Nightmare Scenario of Facebook's Quest VR Advertisements Is Actually a Win, & Will Ultimately Boost AR
The recent announcement that Facebook will begin inserting advertisements into its VR experience on its Oculus Quest headset has set the VR and augmented reality industry into a frenzy.
News: Coming Soon to Mixed Reality—Audio Sticky Notes by Holo Voice
When you want to leave someone a quick message, you often write it down on a sticky note and paste it to the relevant location. Alternatively, you call to leave a voicemail. Holo Voice Memo lets you do both at the same time by leaving an audio clip on a physical object in the room so anyone with a HoloLens and the app can play it back.
Apple AR: Watch Our World Change from Night to Day Using ARKit
We've seen some pretty cool space-related Apple ARKit demos in the past few weeks. One guy literally had the entire solar system rotating around the sun in his bedroom. Now, a recent demo shows that you can get up close and personal with our Earth, watching how it changes as it rotates.