Gadget Hacks News

News: University of Maryland Demonstrates the Future of Medical Procedures with Augmented Reality

Could the technology that powers games like Pokémon GO be used for surgery in the near future? Researchers at the University of Maryland think so.

News: Anchor Brings Quality Call Recording to the Masses with New 'Interview' Feature

As someone who grew up adamantly complaining every time my parents dared to turn on talk radio in the car, I can admit it's a bit weird that I have a love affair with podcasts. I can't help it! Even though podcasts are essentially the modern-day customizable talk radio, I choose to defend my all-out obsession with pointing out how popular they are (I mean, SNL even picked up on the trend).

News: Live-Stream Your AR Looks with ModiFace's New Makeup Platform for Facebook & YouTube

ModiFace, the makers of Sephora's Virtual Artist app which allows users to try on multiple different combinations of makeup through augmented reality, has just bumped up its augmented reality strategy. The company is now including a live-stream option for all those personal makeup trials you've been secretly admiring from the comfort of your own phone.

News: Popular App Shazam Trying to Cash in on the Trendiness of AR with Hiring of New CTO

While it remains unknown how exactly augmented reality will make its way into the mainstream (the Microsoft HoloLens sitting at $3,000 isn't exactly accessible), many brands have been trying to integrate the tech into their mobile apps, mimicking the success of Snapchat and its popular AR filters. One of those brands going all in on augmented reality is Shazam.

News: Showtime Will Now Let You Download TV Shows & Movies for Offline Viewing

Have you ever wanted to catch up on Homeland or Shameless, but are out and about and don't want to use up your data? Those problems are for days of old now, as Showtime has announced their mobile app will allow titles to be downloaded and viewed without an internet connection.

News: Companies to Possibly Pay Out $5.3 Million to iPhone Users in Privacy Lawsuit

It appears a privacy lawsuit that began five years ago is about to come to an end, and you might get some money out of it.

News: Industrial AR Developer Upskill Secures Funding to Improve Workforce Efficiency

Upskill, an enterprise software developer for industrial augmented reality applications, recently received an influx of funding and a major vote of confidence from two of their top customers.

News: Holographic Fitting Rooms Are Here with HoloLens & Pictofit

If you've been longing since the '90s for the total Clueless experience of virtually trying on clothes, you missed out by not attending London Fashion Week earlier this year.

News: Amazon to Refund $70 Million Worth of In-App Purchases by Kids

Any parent with a rambunctious child who may have at one point racked up a hefty bill on their Kindle or Android device can now breathe a sigh of relief. One, Jack Black has had it happen to him too, and two, Amazon will be refunding up to $70 million of in-app purchases made by children after downloading apps from the Amazon AppStore.

News: Project Zero Finds iPhone & Android Open to Bugs in Broadcom's Wi-Fi Chips

No one is safe anymore, it seems. Google's Project Zero has just uncovered how easy it is for attackers to target your phone's Wi-Fi chip, which is essentially a mini processor for Wi-Fi that detects and processes networks.

News: Neurable Planning to Bring Brainwave Controls to AR Headsets Later This Year

Within the coming months, software startup Neurable plans to introduce the next paradigm in virtual and augmented reality: the brain–computer interface (BCI).

News: You May Never Have to Say 'Hey Siri' Again, Based on a New Patent from Apple

It's happened to all iOS users: You're talking to a friend or watching TV, and all of a sudden, you hear "I'm not quite sure what you've said." Apparently, your phone heard something that resembled "Hey, Siri," and activated the assistant. But now, thanks to a new patent from Apple, the days of unexpected Siri may be numbered.

News: Meitu's BeautyPlus Selfie-Perfecting App Just Got Some Fun AR Filters

The popular beauty app company Meitu is incorporating augmented reality (AR) video and image filters and effects in its selfie-editing app BeautyPlus for iOS and Android.

News: Galaxy S8+ Battery Life Is Very Good, but Not Better Than iPhone 7 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ isn't yet available for consumers to buy, but that isn't stopping tech reviewers from discovering what the phone is capable of. Turns out, the S8+ has a good battery—just not as good as the iPhone 7 Plus.

PSA: iOS 10.3 Update May Have Re-Activated Disabled iCloud Features on Your iPhone

While there are many good reasons to update to Apple's newest mobile software, a bug has made it to where you may want to double-check your iCloud settings after doing so.

News: The LG G6 Is a Tank in JerryRigEverything's Scratch, Burn & Bend Test

We've been dying to see how the new LG G6 stands up to wear and tear, with its near bezel-less display and glass construction, ever since the device was announced at Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona.

News: New Apple Music Update for Android Adds Support for Lyrics & More

Apple's music streaming service just got a major update on Android devices. The Spotify competitor has implemented some changes for users on non-Apple phones that have been available to iOS devices for some time now. Nevertheless, Apple Music users on Android should welcome these updates.

News: ODG's New R-7HL Are the First Rugged Smartglasses Made Specifically for the Industrial Workforce

Osterhout Design Group just announced the upcoming release of the newest addition to their smartglasses lineup, the R-7HL, short for R-7 Hazardous Location. ODG worked directly with customers who work in extreme environments to come up with a durable solution that fits their needs; These smartglasses can not only survive but function well in many areas that would otherwise be considered too harsh for augmented reality tech.

News: Downloads for Encrypted Messaging App Signal Have Almost Doubled Since Trump Took Office

Signal, the encrypted messaging app, has seen 1.4 million downloads in just the first quarter of 2017—roughly twice the downloads it received in the same period last year. Rani Molla at Recode attributes this to Donald Trump's inauguration, as the private messaging service saw a 40% increase in US downloads between Election Day and the end of the first quarter of 2017.

News: Chrysaor Malware Found on Android Devices—Here's What You Should Know & How to Protect Yourself

Chrysaor, a zero-day spyware believed to have been created by the Israeli "cyber war" group NSO, is an even greater threat to Android phones than it ever was to iOS.

News: Microsoft Releases Snapchat-Like Photo Editor on iOS

Microsoft, even being Apple's fierce competitor, is no stranger to producing iOS apps—in fact, they've made 94 of them. But their latest iOS app may be their silliest yet: a goofy photo editor named Sprinkles.

News: Google & Top Android Partners Sign Groundbreaking Patent Peace Deal

Google and eight top Android partners have just signed the Android Networked Cross-License, nicknamed PAX. On the surface, this looks to be a peace treaty of sorts that could end several patent wars.

News: Apple to Reimburse Customers Who Purchased Workflow

Apple made headlines last month when it announced it would acquire the popular application Workflow. Now, the company should be making waves again with the news that they will reimburse customers who purchased the app.

News: Apple Orders 70 Million OLED Displays from Samsung

In a move that confirms previous speculation, Apple has placed a large OLED display order from Samsung for its next iPhone. At 70 million display units, the order is a large one to be sure, but when stacked against previous iPhone sales, it's no wonder the rumors say there won't be enough 2017 iPhones to meet demand.

News: Apple Developing New iPhone Graphics Chip

Apple is in the process of developing its own graphics processors for future iPhones, according to recent reports.

News: Your Android Apps Are Secretly Getting Chatty with Your Data

As it turns out, your Android apps are pairing together to share your data without asking for your permission first. Researchers from Virginia Tech developed a tool called DIALDroid to monitor exchanges of data between Android apps over the last three years, and what they've found is quite alarming.

News: BlackBerry KeyOne Launch Date Pushed Back

We have some bad news for BlackBerry fans: It looks like the upcoming KeyOne flagship won't be shipped in April after all.

News: Unity 5.6 Just Released with New Features for Game Developers

Unity 5.6 was just released on March 31, and it will be the last entry in the Unity 5 cycle. With all of the new features, it looks like Unity 5 is going out with a bang.

News: Google Assistant's 'April Foolproof' Command Will Help You Avoid Getting Pranked

Google Assistant is a handy little feature at most of the time, but it's upping the ante in honor of April Fools' Day this year.

News: Experience Holograms in Your Pocket with 4DViews' New AR & VR Mobile App

4DViews, the volumetric capture company that films actors and performers in augmented and virtual reality for things like movies, TV series, and applications, has just released the app 4DViews: Raise Virtual to Reality, to demonstrate its technology for smartphones.

News: It's Now Safe to Open Links in iPhone Apps Again After iOS 10.3 Security Fix

While clicking random links on the internet probably isn't the best idea to begin with, now you can rest easy knowing that your iPhone won't repeatedly dial 911 after tapping a malicious link in Twitter, Facebook, or other apps that use iOS's WebView.

News: Excited About DeX? Here's a Reality Check

Samsung's new Galaxy S8 can turn into a PC with its DeX dock, but while that may sound like the future of mobile computing on the surface, there are definitely a few issues with the entire setup.

News: Jeep's New AR Experience Lets You Interact with a Car That Isn't Actually There

Jeep has now jumped on the AR-retail trend with their introduction of the Jeep Compass Visualizer. Customers can now view and customize a Jeep Compass to their liking, all without a real Jeep even present.

News: B2B Software Company Kaon Bets Big on Google's Tango Phones & AR

At the moment, it would be safe to say that demand for devices running Tango, Google's augmented reality smartphone platform, is relatively low among consumers. Kaon Interactive, a B2B software company who has built more than 5,000 interactive applications for use at trade shows, remote sales demonstrations, and other customer engagements, is betting that there is a market for the devices in sales and marketing.

News: Galaxy X to Unfold Before the Note 8?

The Galaxy X, Samsung's long-awaited foldable smartphone, may be revealed a lot sooner than we thought.

News: VRLA Expo Prepares to Host Mixed Reality Easter Egg Hunt

The Easter Bunny is about to get his first experience with mixed reality. Virtual Reality Los Angeles (VRLA) will host its third annual expo in April, and this year's attendees will get to experience a fun Easter egg hunt sponsored by AfterNow and VRLA, in partnership with mixed reality king, the Microsoft HoloLens.

News: High-End Galaxy S8+ with 6 GB RAM & 128 GB Storage Will Release in China First

Android lovers out there might be sad to hear that a high-end version of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage won't be released in the US, but rather, in China.

News: The Galaxy S8 Is the First Phone with the Longer-Range & Higher-Speed Bluetooth 5.0

Headphone drama has been all the rage in the past year, with Apple killing off the headphone jack and trying to force AirPods upon its users (Apple, stop trying to make tiny, expensive, easy-to-lose earbuds happen. It's not going to work).

News: Lyft Now Offering a Commuter Ride-Sharing Option Called 'Shuttle'

Lyft is experimenting with commuter ride sharing by debuting a new "Shuttle" option, which offers pickups and drop-offs along select routes, much like a metro bus would do. The company is trying out the new option in San Francisco and Chicago, but if all goes well, we might all be ordering a pickup soon through Lyft's new Line ride share option.

News: Google's Pixel 3 Stirs Up Competition Between Phone Makers HTC, LG, TCL & Coolpad

Google's Pixel smartphone is striking up some heated competition between phone makers HTC, LG, TCL, and Coolpad, as the Pixel 3 gets ready to release in 2018. Yep, you heard that right—not the Pixel, not the Pixel 2, but the Pixel 3—which shows that Google is really committed to the future of its new flagship line.