Gadget Hacks News

News: You Can No Longer Automatically Backup Photos to Google Photos While Charging

Well, get ready to have your battery depleted if you use Google Photos. The backup app has just removed the "Backup While Charging" feature in their app.

News: Being a YouTuber On-the-Go Just Got Easier

The beauty gurus, gamers, and daily vloggers of the world are getting a great gift from YouTube very soon. No, it's not exclusive swag or diamond awards. Instead, it's an update to the YouTube mobile app that will support all video formats and let you send in-app messages.

News: Forget CNN or FOX, WhatsApp Is Now a Popular News Source

According to a new study from the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford, people are getting their news from ... unexpected sources. Put away your CNN app and stop checking the New York Times because a familiar app is now keeping you up to date on current events: WhatsApp.

News: Revamped Video Tab Testing Shows Facebook Really Wants to Compete with YouTube

More video content is making its way to Facebook as the social network relentlessly tries to get its video platform up to par with YouTube. Now, they seem to be making more of an effort to improve their video tab, as new features have started to appear on some Android phones.

News: Celebrity Lookalikes Rejoice — Dating AI Is for You!

A new dating app has arrived, and it'll finally land you a date with your celebrity crush ... kind of. The app — Dating AI — uses face search technology to help you search for potential love interests that resemble a celebrity you're attracted to.

News: Tech-Savvy Walsh Community Previewed Through Augmented Reality with Pre-ARKit iOS

Walsh, a new community under construction on 7,200 acres of former ranch land near Fort Worth, Texas, will one day contain 15,000 homes.

News: This Guy Playing IRL Super Mario in Central Park Is One of the Coolest & Most Fun Demos of What MR Can Do

There's a general belief that augmented and mixed reality is going tied to enterprise solutions for the foreseeable future, and most developers in the field are focused on business use-cases. Without a dramatic breakthrough in the next couple of years that will likely be the case, making that decision the sensible one.

News: Mark Zuckerburg Announces Facebook's Commitment to Uniting the World

At Facebook's first Communities Summit, admins from top Facebook groups assembled to discuss tools to better manage and optimize their members. Here, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that these changes fuel the company's shifting focus from connecting the world to uniting it.

News: Hang Out with Some of Your Favorite Characters Using the 8i Holo App

Can't wait till Apple's ARKit is released? Me neither. Luckily, a fun new app launched today that is close to what the ARKit promises to deliver in a few months.

News: Tiny Cameras for Your Next Phone Could Be Here Sooner Than You Think

Researchers have created a possible replacement for traditional camera lenses, using an "optical phased array" to function as both a lens and sensor of a camera.

News: Want to Try on Lipstick Without Leaving Your Home? Meitu Has a Way

Finding the perfect lip color can be a difficult task, to say the least. Thankfully, we're living in a world with augmented reality, where it's possible to try on lipstick from different brands at home.

News: Facebook Testing 'Profile Picture Guard' to Protect You from Scammers

Facebook is testing a new feature in India. One that could help you protect your profile photos from being used on sites without your permission.

News: Do Not Disturb While Driving Now Live on iOS 11 Beta 2

Attention iOS 11 Developer Beta users — Dev Beta 2 is now ready for a software update. If you're running the beta already, you're going to want to download this one because it combines two excellent features: much, much needed bug fixes, as well as Do Not Disturb While Driving.

News: Pinterest Is Comparing Their Lens Update to Cher's 'Clueless' Closet

We are totally buggin' about Pinterest's update to their Lens. I know, I had to.

News: Niantic Branding Pokémon GO Cheaters with Scarlet Letter

Pokémon GO updates will have new deterrents for cheaters, and these seem to use shame more than just prevention. The changes were mentioned by a Pokémon GO support account on Reddit. (There are other updates coming soon to Pokémon GO as well.)

News: Snapchat's New Feature Shows You Where in the World Your Friends Are

Snapchat's newest feature will allow you to see where your friends are posting from around the world. Called Snap Map, this easy-to-use update gives users the ability to view your friends' stories and locations on a map.

News: Are You on Virgin Mobile? Your Next Phone Will Have to Be an iPhone

Virgin Wireless, perhaps best known for Sir Richard Branson and all of his antics, is an affordable cellular option here in the US. Virgin customers can enjoy — if that's the right word for it — Sprint's cellular service, at a discounted rate, however, there are usually some compromises for that. Now, there will be yet another compromise for Virgin customers who don't like iPhones — Virgin will now only carry Apple's phone on their network.

No Excuses Now: Uber Introduces a Tipping Feature in Their App

Uber drivers do a lot for us. They sit through traffic, make conversation, put on our favorite tunes, drive us however far we need to go, and they work long hours. Some even have to deal with people who may have had too much to drink, which we all know can be obnoxious. So yeah, we'd say that it's about time for Uber to include a tipping feature in their app.

News: Android Gingerbread Will Crumble on WhatsApp in 2020

It's the end of an era. Facebook's WhatsApp just announced that older Android devices equipped with the Gingerbread operating system will no longer be able to use the messaging app as of February 1, 2020.

News: Netflix Introduces 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Television — We're Just Waiting for Interactive House of Cards

Have you ever been on a Netflix binge and thought to yourself "man, these characters are so dumb. Why would you go back to the haunted house, Jenny? You know what's in there, and now you're going to die. This whole situation was so easily avoidable, JENNY." If you've ever thought you'd make better decisions than the characters in your favorite TV shows, Netflix has your back.

News: Create a Fire Mixtape with Your Friends Using Spotify's Group Playlists

Music has always been able to connect us. Spotify is now offering an innovative new way to do just that. The company announced today that they have launched a new feature in collaboration with the Messenger app that allows you to share and make playlists with friends.

News: Read Classic Ebooks for Free — With Formatting You Would Actually Pay For

Volunteer project Standard Ebooks strives to enhance some of the work available from Project Gutenberg and other public domain text sources, making them easier on the eyes.

News: Know How to Repair iPhones? You Could Make $20,000

Are you looking for a get-rich-quick scheme? Need a way to buy that Tesla you lied about having? Well, I don't know how to get you that. But what I can tell you is there is an emerging market that pays pretty darn well, for work that's more than interesting. I'm talking, of course, about iPhone repairs.

News: Ready or Not, Augmented Reality Is Coming to Fantasy Sports & Dating Apps

It seems that mobile app developers are constantly coming up with new ideas to apply augmented reality, with Apple's ARKit promising to increase adoption in apps exponentially.

Brief Reality: Meta, Penrose Named Technology Pioneers for Work with Augmented Reality

While two augmented reality companies were recently recognized for their innovative technologies, other companies have turned to augmented reality to innovate in their respective fields. Over the past week, use cases have ranged from selling snacks and video games to raising awareness for public health issues.

News: What Is All This Stuff About Augmented Reality? A Primer for the New Enthusiast

We are in a pretty major technology boom at the moment. One that will likely make the industrial revolution look tiny. And one of these technologies that are building up to lead the way is something called augmented reality.

News: HoloLens Used to Improve Plastic Surgery

There is now another way for doctors to use augmented reality in operations. This time, it's for plastic surgery — Specifically facial surgery.

News: PayPal & Venmo Are Finally Offering Instant Pay Transfers, Within Minutes

For $0.25 per transaction, PayPal will soon be allowing you to transfer money through their app that will get delivered within seconds rather than days.

PSA: You Might Not Be Able to Login to iCloud, Errors Plaguing Some Users

iCloud can occasionally be the worst part of being an Apple user. It's useful for backing up your information, however, sometimes the problems that stem from Apple's cloud service are so tremendously frustrating they almost seem intentional. Well, buckle in, because it's possible there may be a widespread login issue.

News: Google Can Now Help You with Your Job Search

A new Google Search update lets job-seekers streamline their search process. Searches like 'jobs near me' are now designed to show relevant opportunities from multiple sites.

News: Break Free from Your Smartphone Addiction by Turning Your Phone to Grayscale

Former Google employee Tristan Harris claims there's an easy way to combat phone addiction without installing any new software. By enabling grayscale on your phone, checking your apps and notifications will be less appealing and thus stop you from obsessively checking your phone.

News: Jaguar Land Rover & Gorillaz Send Potential Employees on a Mixed Reality Mission

Aspiring engineers, your challenge, should you choose to accept it, has been issued by Jaguar Land Rover.

News: Concerned About Privacy? Firefox Focus Is Here to Save the Day

Firefox Focus is Mozilla's effort to make your internet experience a little more secure. Originally released in November 2016 for iOS, Focus blocks internet trackers, search history, anything that gets in the way of a clean, private browsing experience.

News: Mindfulness App Aura for Sale on Android

Aura, a highly rated app for mindfulness and mental health, just became available on Android and is currently on sale.

News: OnePlus 5 Takes a Page from the iPhone 7 Plus with Dual Cameras

We've been following the rumors surrounding the OnePlus 5 for a while, and we are more than excited to get our hands on it. That excitement has only increased today, as we learn OnePlus has included a feature in its newest device that resembles the iPhone 7 Plus — real dual cameras.

News: Snap & Time Warner to Create 10 Original 5 Minute Shows a Year

Thanks to a $100 million deal, you could be seeing more original shows on your Snapchat soon. Already, Snap has been producing super short shows in order to compete with social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook who have also been attempting to create their own content. While musical.ly has so far had the biggest success in this area, this deal with Time Warner is certainly promising for the beleaguered platform.

News: Uber Loses Ground to Lyft Amid Culture Concerns

Uber has lost market share to Lyft, its main competitor. Uber's US market share dropped from 84% to 77% between January and the end of May this year, and the ride-sharing company has continued to run into legal, public-image, and internal trouble. Lyft, on the other hand, has been growing.

News: Pokémon GO Fans — Niantic Is Updating the Game in a Big Way

Pokémon GO has been making the news since it was released last summer. But throughout the past year, the core gameplay has remained mostly the same. We're learning today that is about to change, as Niantic is gearing up to release a major update for the popular AR game.

News: This Dad Wants to Make Selling Pre-Teens Smartphones Illegal

While restaurants and classrooms have enacted policies banning cell phones, one father has had enough of his kids' obsessive phone habits. Dr. Tim Farnum is now seeking to ban the sale of smartphones to children under 13.

News: Ikea & Apple Are Partnering to Let You Virtually Rearrange Your Home

Furniture shopping is about to get a whole lot easier thanks to Apple's AR Kit and Ikea. In an exclusive with Bloomberg Businessweek, Tim Cook, Apple CEO said: