Gadget Hacks News
News: The Floor Is Actually Lava on the Microsoft HoloLens
Unless you had a master of visual effects for a parent, you had to imagine the floor was actually lava when playing the classic furniture-hopping game. With a Microsoft HoloLens, however, you don't have to imagine anything.
News: The Best Accessories to Buy for Your Headphones Jack-Less iPhone 7
Apple caught a lot of flak for removing the headphone jack in their iPhone 7 models, but they definitely got the last laugh when preorders with a delivery date of September 16 sold out within minutes. Headphone jack or not, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are still highly desirable products, and consumers have confirmed this by voting with their wallets.
News: The 10 Most Annoying Things About iOS 10 for iPhone
There's a lot of great things to be excited about with iOS 10 on your device. You can remove annoying stock apps, search emails better, remember where you parked, and much, much more. Seriously, there's actually more outstanding features in iOS 10 than in Apple's latest iPhone 7 models.
News: 3D Sound Could Make Laser Tag the Next Pokémon GO
When we talk about augmenting our reality, we often first think about vision instead of our other senses—but there's more to an immersive experience than what you see. One inventor figured out how to utilize sound and touch to create a simple, upgraded version of laser tag that you can play with your smartphone.
News: 'Room Scale'—Where MR Meets VR & Makes It So Much Better
If you've seen, heard, or even tried the latest virtual reality headsets, you've probably heard about something called "room scale." It's why the HTC Vive suddenly usurped the reign of the Oculus Rift while no one was looking, and it's exactly where Oculus hopes to catch up. Here's what it is and why it matters.
News: HoloIsland Turns Any Room into a Tropical, Mixed Reality Island
Wish your dull room was a little more refreshing? Through the power of mixed reality and the Microsoft HoloLens, one app can transform your space into a relaxing tropical island.
Exclusive: Meta's Ryan Pamplin on the Meta 2 Headset & the Future of Mixed Reality
The future of augmented and mixed reality offers many possibilities, mostly because we're still figuring out everything it can do. While Meta is open to exploration, they've spent a lot of time thinking about what the future of this technology will be.
News: The iPhone's Lack of a Headphone Jack Creates a Serious MacBook Problem
The hatred is almost universal—by now, even late night TV hosts are bashing Apple's move to ditch the headphone jack in the iPhone 7. It's not like the disdain is baseless, either, because there are plenty of problems that come along with removing the iPhone's only analog sound output.
News: The One Thing Missing from the Big iPhone Announcement
Forget headphone jacks and "Courage." Look past the shiny Jet Black finish and beyond the minimized antenna lines. Sure, quad-LED flash and dual cameras are nice—but dual-SIM would've been much better.
News: Play Games & Share Live Experiences in Virtual Worlds with AltspaceVR
People fear virtual reality will isolate us, but the right experience can prove it does the opposite.
News: Apple's Dual-Lens Camera May Serve as the Foundation for Their Future VR & AR Tech
Apple announced their new iPhones today, and the 7 Plus features two camera lenses on its backside. That could push smartphone photography ahead in a major way. It may also serve as the basis for their foray into virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.
News: Here's What the iPhone 7's IP67 Waterproofing Rating Really Means
When Apple announced its new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models in San Francisco, one of the biggest new features was an "IP67" water-resistance rating. Couple that with a few official renderings that show the new iPhone covered in water, and you'd probably arrive at one logical conclusion: The iPhone 7 is waterproof.
News: Everything You Need to Know About the New iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus
The big day has finally come—the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have been officially unveiled. Apple debuted their new flagship devices at a keynote event in San Francisco on September 7, and as we've grown to expect, there are tons of changes in store for the world's top-selling smartphone.
News: iOS 10 Will Be Released on September 13, but the Gold Master Is Available Now
It feels like forever, but the wait is almost over. In less than a week, everyone will be able to try out all the cool new features in Apple's new iOS 10. This new update will be available on September 13 to most iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users via the "Software Update" section in Settings.
News: What the iPhone 7's New 3D Touch Home Button Means for You
Among the many new changes ushered in by the iPhone 7, only one has the potential to completely change the way you interact with your smartphone—a new 3D Touch-enabled home button. Instead of the mechanical click we've grown accustomed to, your home button will now behave like the rest of the phone's touch screen interface.
News: You'll Need New Accessories for the iPhone 7, Even Though It Looks the Same
In years past, Apple has always waited two years before redesigning the iPhone, but this year they broke the trend. Aside from a few minor changes, the overall design and style of the iPhone 7 models is the same as last year's iPhone 6s models, and the iPhone 6 ones before that, so it's almost as though they've switched to a three-year cycle—just as early reports suggested.
News: The iPhone 7 Comes in an All-New 'Jet Black' Glossy Finish with a Matte 'Black' Counterpart
Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, and now, Black and Jet Black—these are the available colors for Apple's all-new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Or, if you prefer regular colors instead of marketing terms, then your options are gray, yellow, pink, black, and shiny black, respectively.
News: Preorder & Release Dates for the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus
Apple just unveiled the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at their September event, which means we're inching closer to traffic jams, parking lot fights, and day-long lines at Apple Stores, as well as those inevitable, dreaded words: "sold out."
News: Why Apple's New Dual-Lens Camera on the iPhone 7 Plus Is Awesome
For photographers, the "plus" in the iPhone Plus models used to mean optical image stabilization, but now that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both have OIS on board, that "plus" has moved onto something else—the dual-lens camera. Actually, the new dual-lens setup on the iPhone 7 Plus is a much bigger deal than OIS ever was. While OIS stabilizes the image before it's converted to digital information from the sensor, creating a much cleaner photo, two lenses working together in unison unleashes...
News: Shocker—The iPhone 7 Doesn't Have a Headphone Jack
We've heard the rumors for months, but it's finally official: The iPhone 7 will not include a traditional 3.5 mm headphone jack. Instead, you'll need to hook your favorite headphones up with a Lightning adapter (or use ones with a Lightning connector built-in) and connect to your phone using the same port that your charger occupies.
News: The New V20 May Take the LG Flagship Throne from the G Series
LG announced their latest high-end device on September 6 and its specs are pretty amazing: The new V20 sports three cameras, two displays, three microphones, four DACs for high-end sound, and it's all powered by a removable battery.
News: HoloStudy Teaches Science in 3D Using the HoloLens
Humans learn best by doing or through an experience, and so the holographic environments provided in virtual and mixed reality are ripe with educational opportunities. HoloStudy took this to heart and created an educational science app that teaches you with animated models you can explore in your own space.
News: TouchWiz by Any Other Name—Grace UX May Not Be Official, but the Bloat Sure Is
During the lead up to Samsung's Note7's release, rumors swirled about a leaked "Grace UX" interface replacing Samsung's maligned TouchWiz Android skin. In the end, this seems to have been nothing more than an internal code name that Samsung was using to test a few new icons and a slightly-redesigned Settings menu, because not much else has really changed.
News: The Crazy Process Behind the HoloLens Optics That Make Mixed Reality Possible
Tricking your eyes into seeing 3D images isn't all that hard in movies or even in virtual reality, but when you start projecting holograms into the physical world, you run into some difficult problems. Microsoft obviously figured them out with their HoloLens, but how? The process is pretty amazing.
News: Aircraft Explorer on the HoloLens Takes You Inside a 3D Model Airplane
Sure, sites like SeatGuru can show you which seats are the best—but in a 2D graphical form that doesn't really show you what the plane actually looks like inside and out. Aircraft Explorer contains 3D models you can peer inside of to check out what the next plane you catch will actually look like.
News: These Devs Are Making Awesome Voice-Activated Magic Spells for the HoloLens
LARPing, or live action role-playing, can look a little silly because it requires a lot of imagination to suspend reality. But mixed reality technology like the Microsoft HoloLens can change all of that with voice commands and special effects.
News: See a Fully Realized Mixed Reality Future in This Award-Winning Short Film
It's impossible to predict the future, but it's fun to try. Adapted from Daniel H. Wilson's short story of the same name, filmmaker Giacomo Cimini's short film "The Nostalgist" shows a futuristic world where mixed reality serves as an escape from a less-desirable physical world.
It's Official: Worldwide Recall of Samsung's New Galaxy Note7
As first reported by Korean media outlet Yonhap News Agency, Samsung has issued a global recall for all of its Galaxy Note7 models (except China, it seems). This unprecedented move will surely do serious damage to the Note brand, and even Samsung itself.
News: Apple Just Patented This Silly Sunglasses-Lookin' VR Headset for the iPhone
Apple's plans for virtual, mixed, and augmented reality have remained a mystery for some time, but now we at least have some idea of what they're thinking about. UploadVR uncovered a patent showing a VR headset design that looks like a thick pair of sunglasses and utilizes an iPhone to provide an experience similar to the Samsung Gear VR.
News: N3S Brings Classic NES Games to Life on the HoloLens
Video game emulation has saved arcade and console classics from obsolescence, and that wonderful hobby has found its way onto the Microsoft HoloLens—with some three dimensional upgrades, of course.
News: All the Apps You Need to Install on Your New Galaxy Note
Whether you made the switch from iOS, or you came from a different Android device, there's a lot to learn about your new Galaxy device. Samsung does things a bit differently, and thanks to their TouchWiz interface, there are tons of added features to take advantage of—though some folks might find these extras to be a bit too much.
News: Get Trippy on the Vive with OmniPudding's Cube-Based Particle Simulator
Want proof that user experiences matter? Look no further than the HTC Vive and Omnipudding's particle generator, GPU Cubes VR, which lets you interact with thousands of colorful, cubic particles in a black void. If this was a simulator for your computer only, controlled with a mouse or keyboard, you'd be bored in seconds—but it's just simple, instant fun on the Vive.
News: Leap Motion's Interaction Engine Brings Natural Gestures into Virtual Worlds
Leap Motion created gesture control for all sorts of things, including virtual reality, long ago, but developers must build in support for their tracking peripheral to use its full potential. As a result, they've created an "Interaction Engine" for Unity, the primary platform for developing virtual and mixed reality experiences, to try and take gesture interaction to the next level.
News: Huge iPhone Security Flaw Reveals One Big Benefit iOS Has Over Android
A human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates recently stumbled upon three gaping security loopholes in iOS that work by enticing you to tap a link sent to your iPhone. Ahmed Mansoor received a text message from an unknown number roughly two weeks ago, but instead of following the link it included, he sent the message over to a security researcher at Citizen Lab.
News: WhatsApp Is Now Sharing Your Data with Facebook, but Opting Out Doesn't Solve the Problem
When Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $19.3 billion back in 2014, we all knew this was coming—it just took longer than we thought. But starting today, the data mining became official, and now, information from your favorite messaging app is no longer out of reach for the world's biggest social media site.
News: Touch & Feel Things That Don't Exist with Dexmo's Exoskeleton Gloves
One of the disadvantages of the digital world is that you can't pick it up and touch it. While that can feel like less of a problem in virtual reality, where you're already holding controllers, mixed reality environments—like the one you'd experience in Microsoft's HoloLens—suffer from a lack of physical connection with the digital objects that appear in your real world. Dexmo aims to solve that problem with a relatively intimidating new controller that encompasses your hands.
News: Google's Daydream May Materialize in Just Two Weeks
We've heard a bit about Google Daydream—the new smartphone-based virtual reality platform that is supposed to provide a markedly better experience than Cardboard—but don't really know what it'll look like. Engadget claims we could find out in just a couple of weeks, since Android Nougat is already out, a necessary component of Daydream.
PSA: Updating to Nougat Through the Android Beta Program Is Risky
Google just released Android 7.0 Nougat, and as usual, they're doing a staged rollout. This means that most users won't actually get the update on their Nexus devices for a few weeks—that is, unless they take matters into their own hands.
News: The World of Horror Just Got Real with the Augmented Reality Game 'Night Terrors'
Augmented reality allows for all kinds of experiences to happen just about anywhere, and that creates some incredible potential for entertainment. While games like Pokémon GO take you out into the world, one crowd-funded game wants to keep you inside—to scare the crap out of you in your own home.
News: Everything You Need to Know About Nougat's Awesome Multitasking Features
When Google issues an Android update, the changes are usually all over the place—fixing issues, adding functionality, playing catch-up with the latest thing Apple added to iOS. It's how the smartphone wars have evolved, where the two competing operating systems continually match and one-up each other.