One of the many unique features that sets Android apart from other mobile operating systems is its live wallpaper system. Instead of the same old boring static image, this system lets developers create apps that provide dynamic home screen wallpapers.
These days, using the power button to lock your Android seems a little old-fashioned. Thanks to third-party apps and mods, you could seamlessly lock your device using a double-tap, a swipe, and even gravity, or you could just throw it in your pocket, all of which help prevent additional wear and tear on your power button. Now, we've got another method for you—just shake.
Problems with eyesight affect people of all ages and walks of life. And while it is possible to increase font sizes on Android, even the "Huge" setting is neither big nor clear enough for a lot of folks.
While having a ton of friends on Snapchat does wonders to stroke my ego, sending content to all of them at once becomes a hassle when I have to go one by one, checking each contact individually.
Aside from identifying songs with Shazam and using the "Hey Siri" feature while driving, Apple's personal assistant isn't something I regularly use on my iPhone.
I'm the type of person that rarely has an audible ringer enabled on my phone. Haptic feedback (vibration) is enough for me... most of the time. When my phone isn't in my pocket, I become the type of person who frequently misses calls and texts—and no one likes that person.
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is sure to get an Android 5.0 Lollipop update, there's no official confirmation on when exactly that will happen (rumors state January). In the meantime, there are a number of ways to get some of Lollipop's features on your KitKat device right now, but today I'll be focusing on the looks with a Lollipop-themed launcher.
Instagram is all about sharing and interacting with others, but sometimes we hide in the shadows and lurk. Whether their ex-lovers, current crushes, former high school classmates, or future coworkers, we silently view their content without them knowing. You can deny it all you want, but we've all lurked at one time or another.
While the "Hey, Siri" feature in iOS 8 is useful for hands-free multitasking, you can only use the command when your device is actually charging.
Whenever a picture is sent via MMS, a certain amount of compression needs to be done in order for a carrier's network to send it. That compression is meant to ease strain on the network, but in the end it leads to heavy downsizing and increased graininess in pictures.
Pie controls are navigation soft keys that can be displayed by swiping up or from the side of your screen, allowing you to navigate, search, call up the power menu, take screenshots, and a lot more. Not only are pie controls functional, they make using Immersive Mode a breeze since the regular nav bar was no longer required.
Oddly enough, stock Android does not come with a "do not disturb" function out of the box. Samsung has their own version built into to TouchWiz called "Blocking Mode," and Apple has had their "Do Not Disturb" feature since iOS 6, so why is stock Android so late to the game?
It's really amazing how much you can do with root access on an Android device. From various themes to porting exclusive funtionality from other devices, the power of Superuser privileges is truly awesome.
For some reason, when you're typing in landscape mode, Android extends the text input field to cover every bit of the screen that the keyboard's not occupying. This gets pretty annoying sometimes, especially with messaging apps where you might need to reference what the other person just said in order to properly form your response.
If you're anything like me, every time you travel you end up in a desperate panic for a decent W-Fi connection. Whether you want to post your photos, research the best beaches, or kill time during an overnight layover, a hotel's Wi-Fi quality is of paramount significance in making a reservation.
It's hard to believe it's already been a year since I was frantically searching every Best Buy in the Los Angeles metropolitan area to find one with a Chromecast in stock.
You may not have noticed it, but Google snuck a new feature into Glass recently. Called Notification Glance, this feature lets you view new notifications by simply looking up at the screen.
In an attempt to keep things simple, Snapchat has a limited amount of editing features, made up of "smart" photo filters, drawing pens, and special text captions. If you want more editing capabilities, you'll be pleased to know there's a way, no thanks to Snapchat, but you will need to be rooted.
YouTube makes money hand over fist every year selling ad space to companies, but unless you're reaping those benefits, they can be pretty annoying. Luckily, there is a simple way to get rid them on your rooted HTC One with Xposed and YouTube AdAway.
Since the introduction of LED flash to smartphones, there have been hundreds of flashlight apps flooding Google Play, since most Android phones do not have built-in flashlight apps, including the HTC One.
The outstretched arm, the perfectly positioned angle, the shot and the subsequent array of tinkered saturation, contrast and shadows. In almost every car, changing room, or Starbucks, these string of events happen—you might know it as the selfie.
Back when 4.1 Jelly Bean came out (boy, how time flies), Android introduced expandable notifications. Depending on the notification, a simple swipe down with your finger could expand it and show extra content, like Delete and Reply buttons for Gmail messages.
The sovereignty that's granted when we jailbreak our iOS 7 devices can only be described with one word—liberating. With this freedom comes countless themes and apps that let us manipulate our devices to really own them and turn them into something that is truly ours.
Ever since the early days of their existence, cell phones have been reducing the common wristwatch to nothing more than a fashion accessory. I'm not exactly a watch aficionado, but I do own a few that I wear on a daily basis. Since I have family in different parts of the world, I love my watches that have a second time zone, allowing me to see what time it is where they are.
These days, everyone's snapping selfies, taking pics of their latest meals, or sharing pet trick videos on Instagram for the whole world to see. It's not only fun to shoot photos and videos for Instagram, it's inspiring to look at everyone else's creativeness in your feed.
As enjoyable as Facebook can be at times, it can also be a great distraction and even better deterrent of getting work done. A quick "Oh, let me check my notifications" can turn into hours and hours of Facebooking, and before you know it, you're already on your 7th Wikipedia page, all thanks to that status your friend posted. The reason I mention this is because Firefox's new 17.0 update includes many features, but the one that's been making the rounds online is the integration of Facebook Me...
RFID chips are everywhere. They're in passports, credit cards, and tons of items you've bought in the last 5 years or so. Big retailers like Walmart started using tracking products with RFID as early as 2004, and today, they're used in everything from mobile payments to hospital record systems. Chances are, unless you're a hermit (in which case you wouldn't be reading this anyway), there's an RFID tag within a few feet of you. Photo by sridgway
If you're an owner of a BlackBerry smartphone, chances are you're going to want to use BBM, which for all of you newbie BlackBerry owners, stands for BlackBerry Messenger. BBM is an instant messaging application developed solely for BlackBerry device owners.
To some, sailing is more than just relaxing, it's a sport. When sailing at high speeds is races, you may find yourself in need of a way to get through a tack quickly. Being able to tack in sailing is good, but you need to perfect this into a roll tack. This allows you to turn more efficiently and with more speed. The ingredients of a good roll tack are a little hard to find. In this video, you'll learn the more straight forward things you can do to improve your roll tack.
This video shows a quick and easy way to create a drum loop using "MIDI MERGE". A stereo instrument track with expand 2 is used here. First, select a track, expand 2, and select session drums (you can take any other track) for the patch and also create a "click track" which will be available in the track menu. Open the transport window and select "loop playback". In order to create a looped playback, right click on the "play" button and select "loop". This is a loop, so make sure that you do ...
This is a great Halloween look for those of you who do not one to wear masks are a bunch of gory effects. You can even use this look for other dress-up parties. Princess Pinkcat shows you how to do her evil fairy makeup look.
The buttons are mid way up the wall and there is no visible redstone, which adds to the sexiness factor.
This is a really quick video I took of a moonrise last year. It has been sped up by a factor of 8 and was taken using a 2600 mm equivalent lens (75 times zoom for a 35 mm lens). The mountain it is rising over is about 40 miles away.
Look, Batman: Arkham City is a wonderful game. I mean, you really feel like Batman when you play it, and that alone makes it the best superhero game I've ever played. But you're not here for my rambling thoughts on video games! Let's talk achievements.
Contrary to popular belief, eliminating household pests from your home can be accomplished without completely bombing your living space with a mess of toxic fumes. Whether you have annoying fruit flies in the kitchen, fleas on your beloved pet or silverfish lurking around your bathroom, it is very likely that a DIY, non-toxic and super inexpensive solution exists for your household bug problem.
If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich? Although money and mental muscles may seem a natural match, brains, alas, may be more hindrance than help when it comes to getting rich, concludes a new study in the journal Intelligence.”It is still not well understood why some people are rich and others are poor,” writes study author Jay Zagorsky of Ohio State University. “Luck, timing, parents, choice of spouse and many other factors play important roles in shaping an individual’s circumstances,” he...
That would be a "Tarantula Sunrise", a deadly, nightmarish cocktail (by my book). Wayyy more than enough creepy-crawler-ick-factor to send shivers down my spine.
Via Motionographer: "Ben West wrote, directed and did the animation for this warming mockumentary promoting the 2008 Australian Directors Guild Conference. Ben’s witty script, combined with a bit of Christopher Guest meets Chris Cunningham is a refreshing change of pace from the über epic conference promos of late.
I'm somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to the "advantages" (the quotation marks should indicate the tone I'm taking) of a new ball. What's wrong with having a man made ball with slight imperfections and differences? So much of the game depends on the moment (of truth or shame) and everything leading up to it anyways, that to bring technology into different areas of the sport seems like tiny steps into that ever looming 5th referee and instant replays that will take the human factor out of th...
This video demonstrates the production process of the Jabulani ball that will make its debut at the World Cup this year.
