Gadget Hacks News
CES 2015: Pronto Turns Your iPhone into an All-in-One TV Remote
While Android devices made by HTC, Samsung, and others have long utilized IR (infrared) blasters to offer remote control functionality, Apple has still yet to embrace it on iPhones.
Facebook Photo Privacy: Are You Safe?
Almost everyone uploads their very personal photos in facebook trusting facebook's privacy settings. But question is - is facebook's privacy settings really that trustworthy? Few months ago, while browsing facebook, I found that one can easily access your private photos using the same browser you used to browse facebook.
News: Johnson & Johnson Make Social Responsibility Easy by Donating Whenever You Post a Photo
By donating a dollar for every image you post to a designated charity of your choice, Johnson & Johnson is rendering those narcissistic selfies a little less selfish by bringing social awareness and responsibility to social media.
News: How to Use Pushbullet on Your Mac Without Needing Chrome
Before Continuity and Handoff were even announced, Pushbullet was already allowing users to quickly send notes, links, and photos between their devices with a few clicks.
News: UnoTelly SmartDNS Tears Down Virtual Borders & Opens Up a World of Content
If you took a big step back and really looked at the world, you'd see how downright silly our nations look when they put up fences to separate themselves from one another. Creatures big and small roam free while respecting each other's space, but humans create borders and physical barriers to delineate their cultures.
News: How to Catch All the Fish?
Everyone who loves fishing, knows the feeling when you miss a fish that is already nibbling on your bait. This can however be prevented by using a bite indicator. The following video will help you to build a custom bite indicator that catches all the fish!
Holiday Freebie: Michael Bublé's Christmas Deluxe Special Edition Album
Christmas music makes the holiday season just that much more enjoyable. And the folks over at Google must be feeling the holiday spirt since they are making Michael Bublé's Christmas album free for a limited time. The Grammy Award winning artist debuted his Christmas album in 2011, and it went on to top the Billboard charts and snag a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
News: How to Start Using FPGA Chips
The first steps will always be a little difficult, but that is the way everyone has to live his life. The same is true, when you start programming FPGA-chips. It might be hard to get started, therefore a introduction may be useful. I will explain all the problems you might encounter when you first start. Also a simple first project is included as a guideline throughout the video!
News: How to Choose a FPGA That Suits Your Project
A FGPA is chip that is programmable with the computer to create circuit. It is a totally different type of programmable board compared to an Arduino for example. The Arduino will follow lines of codes to generate the necessary outputs. A FPGA won't however read lines of code, but it is a circuit itself. When the chip is programmed, a series of AND-ports, OR-ports and many others ports are linked together. The FGPA will increase the speed and the possibilities of your designs! I assume that by...
News: Get Breathtaking Aerial Wallpapers for Your iPhone's Home Screen
If you're looking to spruce up your iPhone's home screen, look no further than Aerial Wallpapers, a Tumblr blog that specializes in bringing you the most unique and breathtaking aerial photographs from across our planet, filled with both natural and artificial scenery.
News: HTC's Gallery App Updated with New Tagging & Editing Modes (APK Inside)
With most of HTC's staff working on getting Sense updated to Android Lollipop, their piecemeal approach to individual app updates now comes to their Gallery app. The new update is available for all HTC devices running KitKat, but if you have the HTC Service Pack installed, it will run on any Android device running 4.4 or above.
News: Google Search for iOS Updated with Material Design, In-App Maps, & More
Google has updated its Search application for iOS with their new Material Design aesthetic, taking cues from Android's redesigned look with refreshed colors, depth effects, and new animations. But the update doesn't stop there; there are several new and useful features added to the mix. Download Google Search for iOS for free from the iOS App Store to check out all the new goodness for yourself.
Leaked: Full List of Microsoft's "12 Days of Deals"
Microsoft has a great holiday-themed sale going on right now, but in an apparent effort to generate daily clicks, they're only revealing two deals at a time. Each day between December 8th and 19th, two new deals trickle out—but Microsoft leaker Windows Valley has come across a full list of all upcoming items and their prices, so now you can plan your shopping spree in advance.
News: Hangouts for Android Updated with Material Design, Stickers, & More (APK Inside)
Google's original messaging service got a nice version bump today. Hangouts now sports stickers, video chat filters, an updated Material Design interface, and a few new features that should make the service a little more fun and easy to use.
News: The Easiest Way to Find Clothing & Accessories That Celebs Wear in Movies
With film being such a vital outlet and marketing tool for fashion, movie stars are either wearing the coolest and latest threads, or retro looks that are sure to make a comeback. I regularly see a cool jacket or pair of sneakers being worn by an actor in a movie I'm watching, and I just know those items would look great on me.
News: YouTube Finally Receives Its Material Design Makeover (APK Inside)
The last of the major Google apps has finally received a much needed update to Android's new Material Design aesthetic, and it's a big one—YouTube. While the update will hit the Play Store and your device soon enough, you can download the APK right now, courtesy of our friends at Android Police, from this link.
News: Get Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad to Call Your Friends
If there was anything missing from the notorious YO app, it was Aaron Paul's character from Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman, calling me by his signature catch phrase—you know the one.
News: Exclusive & Free Albums You Can Download Right Now on Google Play Music
Google's music offerings have been on a roll lately. First they announced a new music video streaming service called YouTube Music Key, offering ad-free playback with background listening. Then they stated that the new offering would be rolled in with their Google Play Music service, with members allowed to exclusively test the Music Key beta, which just went live. And if all that wasn't enough, they're also offering free music to boot!
News: Get $80 Worth of Android Apps for Free in the Amazon Appstore
Amazon is currently offering over $80 in free Android apps in the Amazon Appstore, but only for Friday and Saturday, so make sure to grab them quick before they all go back to normal price. Highlights include the Fleksy Keyboard (normally $3.99), Oxford Dictionary of English with Audio (normally $24.99), and EasyTether (normally $9.99).
News: Face Unlock May Be Faster on Lollipop, But It's Still Not Secure
The original implementation of Android's face unlock feature was a mess. It took too long to unlock (when it worked), brought up a huge interface that overpowered the lock screen, and maybe most egregiously, was able to be "hacked" by someone holding up a picture of your mug.
YouTube Music Key: Ad-Free Subscription for Background & Offline Playback
It's been rumored for months, but now we've got some official news about Google's newest music offering, YouTube Music Key. The subscription service will allow for an ad-free experience with background listening (i.e., having your screen off) and offline playback.
News: 11 Hidden Lollipop Features for Your Nexus 5
When Android 5.0 rolls out to the Nexus 5, several changes and new features will come along with it. The over-the-air update is already rolling out, and if you don't want to wait, you can get it right now.
News: Amazon Echo Is Google for Your Living Room
You have to give Amazon credit where it's due. Aside from being a retail powerhouse, they're not averse to dipping their feet in new and sometimes strange areas. Take Fresh, the first major effort at bringing your local goods directly to you in same-day fashion. Or Amazon Dash, which aimed to make adding items to your cart a breeze by allowing for scanning goods or speaking them into a small, hand-held device. Along these lines, the company has now introduced an invite-only product, the Amazo...
News: Google Calendar Gets a Huge Makeover & New Features (APK Inside)
It's been a long time coming, but Google's Calendar app for Android has finally received a visual makeover. In the spirit of Android Lollipop, Google's new Material Design permeates throughout the update.
News: Android Devices Will Activate Apple Pay on Your iPhone 6
Apple Pay is ready for use at over 220,000 outlets across the United States. By using your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, all you have to do is point your device at any NFC-enabled point-of-sale system compatible with Apple Pay, press your fingerprint on the home button, and voilà—you've just paid for something with your card. As a matter of fact, the store doesn't even need to have Apple Pay compatibility to work with your phone. If their machines have NFC-technology, they'll recognize your device (unl...
News: This Is What Android Lollipop Will Look Like on Samsung Galaxy Devices
The guys over at SamMobile were lucky enough to get their hands on an early preview build of Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Samsung Galaxy S5, as you can see in their video below. The operating system has definitely not reached its final form yet, but the progress is very clear.
News: What the Apple Watch Interface Would Look Like on Your iPhone
The first thing most of us noticed after Apple announced plans for its wearable—the Apple Watch—was the importance and focus they placed on its interface. Starkly different from their Android Wear counterparts, the Apple Watch's interface has applications scattered around the screen and relies on the device's dial to zoom in and out.
News: Android Lollipop—All the New Features You Need to Know About
We've already seen the visual changes that Android 5.0 Lollipop has brought to the table, but Google spent just as much time altering things under the hood. Awesome new functionality and hardware capabilities have been added left and right, and with the OS already out now, it's high time we had a look at some of these tweaks.
News: That Was Fast—Nexus 6 Sells Out in 60 Seconds
If you were eagerly refreshing the Nexus 6 order page this morning for a chance to snag the latest from Google and Motorola, we hope you were quick to purchase. About a minute after the 32GB models went on pre-order, both the Midnight Blue and Cloud White models were sold out. I'm sure we all hoped that Google would have had plenty of inventory on-hand after last year's Nexus 5 sell-out, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
News: An In-Depth Visual Look at Android 5.0 "Lollipop"
Google's got a hit on its hands with this one. Android 5.0—AKA "Lollipop"—will be making its official debut next month, but a new preview build has given us a glimpse into the future, which looks brighter than ever.
News: Google's New Nexus Devices & Android 5.0 "Lollipop" Coming Very Soon
It's that time of year again, folks. Each fall, Google debuts a new device alongside the latest iteration of its mobile operating system—but this year marked the release of three new Nexus gadgets.
News: Google Teases Nexus 6 in Leaked Android Ads
Amid rumors of a 6-inch phablet Nexus and the impending release of Android "L", Google posted—then quickly removed—a trio of ads for their industry-leading mobile OS.
News: 10 Free Android Apps That Make Math Fun (Yes, Really)
I am an English major physically allergic to all algebraic formulas, so you're unlikely to get any help from me when it comes to solving any expressions. But in the glorious technological age we live in, there are plenty of apps that actually make math and problem solving fun, even a little bit addictive.
News: What's New in Windows 10 (Plus, How You Can Install It Right Now)
At a closed-door presentation on September 30th, 2014, Microsoft unveiled the latest iteration of its industry-leading operating system. Dubbed Windows 10 (seems as if Redmond isn't too fond of the "9" moniker), this new version brings along with it many UI optimizations and under-the-hood tweaks. With a particular focus on optimizing the interface for traditional mouse and keyboard computers, one of the most noticeable changes is the return of the Start Menu. While touch-optimized devices wi...
iOS 8.1 Update Coming Soon: Here's What's New for Your iPhone
The updates keep coming for iOS 8, and we've got our hands on the developer release of iOS 8.1, currently in beta, which was released shortly after the iOS 8.0.2 update (and 8.0.1 failure) for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
News: iOS 8.0.2—Update Now to Fix Cell Signal, Touch ID, HealthKit, Keyboards, & More
Apple's fix to its previous fix—which was a complete and utter disaster—is rolling out now, thankfully ahead of the "few days" they stated earlier. The update to iOS 8.0.2 fixes the issues with cell signal and Touch ID, as well as the the previous bugs 8.0.1 aimed to squash. No matter if you took the update and have had a de facto iPod the past 24+ hours, or whether you reverted back to iOS 8.0, you'll want to install this update pronto.
Hot or Not: The Original Ego Scaler Is Now on Android, iOS, & Windows
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Besides being one of the most notorious misquotes of all time (the line is "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all"), it's a question that men and women probably have asked themselves more than once.
News: Will It Bend? iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3
With the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, comparisons to the Samsung Galaxy Note series have been circulating like crazy, and it's only natural. The Note was panned as an oversized gimmick when it was released, but after its enormous success, Apple caved and built their own "phablet," something that Samsung took little time to call them out on.
Don't Buy the BS: iOS 8 Works Just Fine on iPhone 4S
Shortly after the official release of iOS 8, news outlets like BGR, Gizmodo, and Huffington Post were instructing iPhone 4S users to refrain from updating (which were practically regurgitations of an Ars Technica piece).
News: Why You Shouldn't Install iCloud Drive on iOS 8
Don't hit that button yet! I know that everyone is eager to update to iOS 8 as soon as humanly possible, but when it comes to enabling iCloud Drive, you need to wait.