Gadget Hacks News

News: Here Are All the Things in You Can Do in Augmented Reality with the Samsung Galaxy S9 & S9+

Samsung's big reveal of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ at Mobile World Congress revolved around its "reimagined" camera and augmented reality capabilities.

News: Samsung Makes Multitasking Easier on the Galaxy S9

Multitasking on a smartphone has never been better, but it still has some ways to go to compete with a desktop experience. Samsung hopes to change that with a new multitasking view on the Galaxy S9, which allows the user to open notifications in a new, smaller window on top of the app they are currently using.

News: Here's Everything Samsung Upgraded from the Galaxy S8 to the S9

If you're not looking closely, it's easy to mistake last year's Galaxy S8 for the brand new Galaxy S9. Design, build materials, screen size, software — it's all virtually identical, save for a few exceptions. But those minor differences can add up.

News: Why Project Treble Is a Huge Win for Exynos Galaxy S9 Owners

Because of quirks with cell radios and how Android was previously set up, custom ROM support for Galaxy S phones has been sparse these past few years. It's been almost nonexistent for US customers, while international users would see some ROMs. Thanks to Android Oreo's Project Treble, this will all be changing soon.

News: Here Are Some of the Cool New Home Screen Features on the Galaxy S9

While millions eagerly await the arrival of the Galaxy S9 and all the new features it has to offer, we can actually get a glimpse of its capabilities right now — if we know where to look. The S9's home screen, in particular, is one such area that has new features we can preview now.

News: Everything on the Galaxy S9+ That You'll Be Missing with the Regular S9

The S9 and S9+ are both fantastic phones. However, there's no getting around the fact that the S9+ has its advantages. In fact, it's an objectively better smartphone than its smaller counterpart — Samsung has given the S9+ features not found in the S9, meaning you'll be missing out if you choose the 5.8" Galaxy over the 6.2".

News: The Galaxy S9's Keyboard Has a Few New Tricks Up Its Sleeve Thanks to Oreo

Thanks to Samsung Experience 9.0 on the Galaxy S8 (AKA TouchWiz Oreo), we know the upcoming Galaxy S9 is going to enjoy some of the new keyboard changes coming to Samsung's iteration of Android 8.0. Those who preorder the device on March 2 or pick it up on March 16 can expect these changes out of the box, as the S9 will be running Samsung Experience 9.0 on day one.

News: 5 Snapdragon 845 Features That Are Better Than the 835

After the success of the Snapdragon 835, Qualcomm now has its eyes set towards the future with the arrival of its next-generation SoC, the Snapdragon 845. Debuting alongside the Samsung Galaxy S9, the 845 is now set to take over the market for flagship Android phones in 2018.

News: 20 New Software Features in Android Oreo for the Galaxy S9

They're finally here — Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy S9 and S9+, which run Android Oreo out of the box. Since we've spent plenty of time with the Oreo beta for the Galaxy S8, we already know about some of the best new software features coming to the Galaxy S9. Like previous updates, Samsung has enhanced its software with a fresh look and brand new functionality.

News: Thanks to Project Treble, the Galaxy S9 Should Actually Get Fast Updates

Oreo, the latest and greatest Android OS, lets you enjoy a ton of new features such as app shortcuts and an improved keyboard. But thanks to a feature that's required of all phones that ship with Android Oreo out of the box, your S9 may be the first Galaxy phone to finally receive timely software updates.

News: Should You Upgrade to a Galaxy S9 from Your Note 8?

When the Nintendo 3DS XL came out, I traded in my regular sized Nintendo 3DS for one — but I ended up hating it. The XL just felt big and unwieldy, and because the screens were larger (with the same resolution), it ended up looking blurrier than the regular 3DS. This, to a less severe extent, is the argument for the Galaxy S9 against the Note 8.

News: Should You Upgrade to the Galaxy S9 from Your S8?

Sure, you just got your Galaxy S8. But now, Samsung came out with their latest and greatest device — the Galaxy S9. While the S8 is still a great device, it's possible that the Galaxy S9 completely outclasses it, almost forcing you to pick it up. It is worth it though? That's a harder question to answer than you may think.

News: Time for an Upgrade? Here's How the Galaxy S9 Compares to the S7 Edge on Paper

Samsung has legions of loyal fans, and for good reason — their Galaxy S lineup ticks so many boxes that it would be a downgrade to switch to any other phone. Though if you're still rocking an older model like the Galaxy S7 Edge, the all-new Galaxy S9 can tick all the same boxes plus a few more. But is it worth the money to upgrade at this point? That's actually a tougher call than you might think.

Apple vs. Samsung: How Does the iPhone X Stack Up Against the New Galaxy S9?

Samsung and Apple are the two titans of the mobile phone industry. After Apple deployed the iPhone X in November, Samsung had three months to brood until Mobile World Congress, where they unveiled the Galaxy S9. Now that both phones are out, it's time to put them head-to-head.

Google vs. Samsung: How Does the Galaxy S9+ Stack Up Against the Pixel 2XL?

Google and Samsung are the biggest players in the Android world. Despite a rocky launch, Google's Pixel 2 XL became one of the premier Android devices of 2017, headlined by fast performance and a pure version of Android. Still, many users prefer Samsung's offerings, and their Galaxy S9+ is poised to be the phone to beat in terms of specs.

Samsung vs. LG: Comparing Specs for the Galaxy S9 & the LG V30

With the Galaxy S9 finally making its debut, flagship season is officially underway. But even though Samsung's latest offerings are the newest phones out there, they already face some stiff competition — namely, the LG V30.

News: The Galaxy S9 Is IP68 Water-Resistant — Here's What That Really Means

The day has finally arrived — Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Apart from minor upgrades, the two might not appear to be much different from last year's S8 and S8+, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. One feature that hasn't changed is the Galaxy's IP68 water-resistance rating. That's a great score, but it begs the question — what does that number really mean?

News: 44 Cool New Features & Changes in Android 9.0 Pie

Even though most phones don't have Oreo yet, Google has released Android 9.0 Pie. It's available on Google's own Pixel devices, and updates should soon be available to partnered devices from Essential, Nokia, Oppo, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi. We're already digging into it to highlight all of the features and changes.

Market Reality: Magic Leap, Microsoft & Movie Theaters Reveal Big Money Plans for AR

In any business, there are a number of questions companies must answer in order to get customers to buy a product or service. The same holds true for companies selling augmented reality headsets.

News: Ghostbusters World Might Be the Killer App for Google's ARCore Platform

As part of its ARCore release announcement, Google also revealed a forthcoming app that's sure to excite those who celebrate '80s pop culture.

News: Google Finally Releases ARCore 1.0 for Android Users, Adds Google Lens to Photos App

In one of the worst-kept secrets of the upcoming Mobile World Congress, Google has officially released ARCore on the Play Store for owners of the latest flagship Android smartphones.

News: We're Not Ready for Samara from 'The Ring' to Chase Us in Augmented Reality

Before you read further, you may want to make sure you're wearing brown pants if you scare easily. Developer Abhishek Singh conjured an augmented reality experience that recreates the spine-tingling scene from The Ring where (spoiler alert) the ghost of Samara (or Sadako, from the original Ringu) emerges from the television.

Dev Report: New ARKit Updates & Native Level Design Features Finally Come to Unity

Continuing to take the steps necessary to reign supreme among the top game engines of the world, with a steady stream of major updates, enhancements, and new features, the team at Unity are keeping the user base in a regular state of surprise. At this rate, it's almost like Christmas every few days.

News: Magic Leap Partner Weta Workshop Confirms Shooter Game Coming in 2018

A controversial video from Magic Leap's past has once again surfaced, but this time it comes with a lot more credibility and a good bit of excitement around the Magic Leap One headset.

News: Google Quietly Adds Samsung Galaxy S7, S8+ & Note 8 to ARCore Supported Devices

A very low-key update to the ARCore developer's site has expanded the universe of officially-supported devices for Google's augmented reality toolkit to include the Samsung Galaxy S7, S8+, and Note 8 handsets.

News: Concept Apple AR Smartglasses Offer Powerful Vision of Company's Next Wearable

After years of rumors, we got our Apple Watch, and we have our anniversary iPhone, so now everyone has moved on to a new Apple rumor obsession: Apple smartglasses. And, in keeping with Apple rumor tradition, we're getting some pretty imaginative ideas of what the next big Apple product might look like.

News: Microsoft's HoloLens Transports One of Japan's Oldest Temples into the Future in Kyoto

The oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, Japan, is now firmly rooted in the future with the launch of the MR Museum on Thursday.

News: Brian Eno Brings Interactive Music Composition to Augmented Reality in 'Bloom: Open Space' Event

Famed musician and composer Brian Eno is giving the air guitar and drumming crowd the means to make music from their gesturing through the Microsoft HoloLens.

News: Japan's VR Girlfriend Is Coming to Augmented Reality to Creep Us Out in the Real World

We already know that the connection between virtual and augmented reality is pretty tight, with tools like Unity making porting some apps between the two platforms fairly frictionless. But there are some things currently going in VR that just don't need to come to the world of AR.

News: A Return to Glory? HTC Releases the U12+ with 4 Cameras, Edge-to-Edge Display & Edge Sense 2

2017 was a down year for HTC. First, the U11 and U Ultra were widely criticized. Later, Google purchased a large chunk of HTC's manufacturing division, leaving the Taiwanese company running with a skeleton crew after losing 2,000 key employees. But that's not stopping HTC — their flagship U12+ was just announced, and it's quite impressive.

News: Facebook Is Making It Easier to Post AR Content in Its News Feed

A recent update to Facebook's News Feed could significantly broaden its reach when it comes to delivering augmented reality content.

News: LG V30 & G6 Are Getting Android 8.1 Oreo

Attention LG V30 and G6 owners — Android 8.1 is coming to a device near you. While fans of LG's latest smartphones are still stuck on Nougat here in the US, we now have confirmation that Oreo's first major update will find its way here, even if we aren't sure when.

Dev Report: IBM & Unity Partner to Offer AI Tool That Could Make Augmented Reality Apps Smarter

This month, the power of artificial intelligence will be coming to more augmented reality developers as a leader in the game and 3D software development space and a major force behind the current school of cloud-based AI have officially announced a new partnership.

News: AR Cloud Startup 6D.Ai Plans to Use Smartphone Cameras to Create Accurate 3D Maps, Facilitate Multiplayer AR Games

San Francisco-based 6D.ai is preparing to launch a beta of its AR cloud platform that's capable of constructing a real-time dense mesh from crowdsourced data for use in 3D mapping and multi-user AR experiences.

News: Samsung Event App Leak Reveals Augmented Reality Version of Galaxy S9

In just a few days, all the Galaxy S9 and S9+ leaks will come to an end, as Samsung will officially unveil its latest top-tier smartphone. But before that happens, we're all getting another leaked image of the handset thanks to a bit of snooping and the magic of augmented reality.

News: Blippar Adds Landmark Recognition to Its Bag of AR Tricks

Mobile augmented reality developer Blippar's mission is to construct a computer vision map the world, with visual recognition of thousands of notable buildings, bridges, castles, holy places. A major step toward that goal has been taken by the company this month with the announcement of its landmark recognition API.

News: Theaters Turn to Mobile AR Gaming to Reclaim Pre-Show Movie Experience

Moviegoers who arrive at the theater early are no longer a captive audience for the ads, trivia, and miscellaneous content that precede the movie trailers than run before the feature presentation, as the ubiquity of the smartphone has become the preferred distraction for early birds at the theater.

News: Microsoft's Alex Kipman Predicts Three Trends in Augmented & Virtual Reality for 2018

In a LinkedIn post published on Tuesday, Microsoft's leading advocate for the HoloLens made a prediction that the mixing of immersive technologies will define augmented reality in 2018.

News: The Latest News & Rumors on Huawei's Upcoming P20, P20 Pro & P20 Lite

UPDATE: The P20 and its variants are officially available now. However, there's no official North American variant. You can purchase the international version of the P20 Pro or P20 Lite on Amazon, but be aware that it may not work perfectly on US carriers.

News: This Is the Best Swype Alternative for iPhone & Android

We regret to inform you the former king of third-party keyboards, Swype, has officially retired on both Android and iOS. A few weeks ago, we noticed Swype's mysterious disappearance from the iOS App Store but had hoped it was just pulled temporarily, not gone forever. Unfortunately, Swype is no more, but there's something that's ready to take its place for you on your phone.