Texting has become the king of communication—gone are the days where everyone called each other. These days, it's down-right weird when someone calls first. Whether it be on a phone or on a computer, SMS and MMS messages are the most common way people keep in contact, so why not make sure your app of choice is the best possible one out there?
No one is perfect, and this goes double for software developers. All of the quality assurance testing in the world does nothing when you put a new OS in the hands of everyday users, since we all use our devices in different places and for different reasons. Recently, Cyanogen released their version of Android Lollipop, Cyanogen OS 12, and with it came a whole lot of great features, but some bugs also slipped in.
These days, we truly have a world of knowledge at our fingertips. Trouble is, a large portion of that information is not something you'd want your five-year-old learning about quite yet.
OnePlus changed the way we think about high-end phones. Their "Never Settle" motto led me to ditch my high-cost smartphone for their flagship One, which not only packs some pretty impressive hardware, but won't break the bank. Now that OnePlus has made a name for themselves with the One, they're trying their hands at ROMs, too.
For those of you who have been taking full advantage of the jailbreak for iOS 8 that's available, you can understand and appreciate what this really offers iPhone users—sovereignty.
As carriers finalize their variations of the Android 4.4.4 update, we're left with only brief glimpses of what the new "Eye Experience" holds in store for us while we wait. However, thanks to a system dump of an updated European HTC One M8 and some clever hackery by donmarkoni, we can now install the new camera app on any variant of the HTC One M8.
With hundreds of pictures accumulating on my device, it's a daunting task to devote time to sorting through which are worth keeping and which I should discard. Not all of the images on my device are winners, so the losers not only take up space, they make it difficult to find the good ones as I wade through the crap.
Copy and paste keyboard shortcuts are beautiful gifts from the gods, and any website that blocks such an offering can burn in hell. But really, Cmd+C and Cmd+V (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V for Windows folks) are second nature to most of us, so it's very frustrating when sites like PayPal don't let us use them.
When looking at weather applications and widgets, one major characteristic I look for is efficiency; something that will separate it from the rest of the herd. The stock weather widget looks great on my home screen, but I have to exit whatever app or game I'm in when someone asks me about the weather.
HTC pulled out all the stops when designing the HTC One M8. From it's sleek body, to it's incredible sound quality, this thing just oozes sophistication. While all of these add-ons are great, they can be incredibly taxing on the CPU, in turn causing some serious lag.
Let's say you're watching a video and everything's going great, but you feel the need to raise the volume a tiny bit. You hit the volume button on your Nexus 5, and all of a sudden, a giant volume slider appears that obscures half of your video for 3 seconds.
Battery life is precious to all mobile device users, and nothing is worse than running out of it. The only thing that can save a device from the dreaded low battery warning is the charger, but who carries those around?
Accessing notifications and quick settings from the lock screen just makes things move quicker and more efficiently, unless of course we're using a secure lock screen. It makes sense that if we have face, pattern, or pin security enabled, we may not want notifications accessible, but really, that should be something we decide for ourselves—and now we can.
I've said it before, but there are few things quite as annoying (or embarrassing) as having your smartphone go off at a time where it just shouldn't happen. Imagine a nice, intimate evening with your significant other; you dim the lights, snuggle up, and "this classic" comes on. Or, your phone goes off in a meeting, and your boss gives you that look.
Before adding advanced yoga poses and twists to a yoga routine, make sure the postures are safe for your fitness level. Learn advanced yoga poses and twists from an instructor in this free yoga video.
Be a better painter! Advanced painting techniques like dry brushing and scraping are just moments away from your repertoire in this free online art lesson video series about painting taught by expert Matt Cail.
In this video series you will not only learn many of the basics for Jazz dancing but how to put them all together.
iOS 5 introduces an incredible feature that isn't very well known called "Shortcuts." It allows you to use automatic text expansion for whatever abbreviations you want. This is a great way to type several letters into your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and have them immediately expand into whatever phrase you want. Find out how to configure text expansion in this guide.
Facebook recently unveiled its latest set of upgrades for Facebook profiles. If you want to get the new Facebook profile looks early, this trick will help you turn on the new features so that you can showcase that big picture front and center.
The Hangouts feature of Google+ allows you to interact with and talk to different Google+ users and circles via your webcam. Hangouts is a great way to have a video conference with several different individuals and is similar to the Group Call feature of Skype.
If you have a subscription with Verizon Wireless to use the mobile hotspot feature on the Motorola Droid Bionic Android smartphone, you can provide internet access to any nearby device with a WiFi connection by accessing the mobile hotspot application on your Bionic. This guide from Motorola will walk you through the process, but be careful because the hotspot feature will drain your battery!
One of the many features of the webOS tablet, the HP TouchPad, is a full featured mail app. Before you can use the app however, you will need to setup your email account on the tablet. Take a look at this guide to learn how to setup an account using the automatic method, or the more customizable manual mode.
Curious about Google's new social network, Google+? Get the rundown by watching this video and learn the ins and outs of Google plus, including the circles feature, the chat feature, photos and more. This is your video guide to Google+.
In this Android user's guide, we learn how to use the Internet calling feature new to the OS 2.3 (Gingerbread) release of the Google Android mobile operating system. For step-by-step instructions, and to get started using this feature for yourself, take a look!
The days of Skype 2.8 for Mac are over! Mac users can now rejoice and make calls with ease using the new beta version: Skype 5.0 for Mac OS X (available here). It was well worth the wait, with a revamped look and feel that simplifies navigation and provides a more Mac-like experience.
In FIFA 11 there's a feature that's a first for the series called "Be The Goalkeeper" which allows you play an entire match as the keeper, all 90 minutes of it! You can do things such as call out plays and also defend the goal and perform various goalkeeping techniques. In this video you will get a basic overview of how to play the mode and what you can do in it.
In this clip, you'll learn how to use the Springs feature in MAXON C4D. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free video software tutorial. For more information, including complete instructions, watch this 3D modeler's guide.
One of the new features of Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the content-aware fill feature. For instance, if your photograph was taken at an angle, but you want to level it out without losing any of the image, this tutorial will demonstrate how you can achieve this effect.
Is your Windows Vista PC running kind of slow? Well, the easiest thing you can do to speed up Vista's performance is by simply disabling some of the standard, preset features built-in to Windows. This video will walk you through the process of turning these unneeded features off, which is as easy as unchecking a box.
In this clip, you'll learn how to make use of Motion 3's optical flow retiming feature. Whether you're new to Apple's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
Learn how to take advantage of the Address Recognition feature built into the BlackBerry Bold 9650 phone. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're the proud owner of a BlackBerry smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video guide. For detailed information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Need a primer on how to use the Camera RAW feature in Photoshop CS5? This clip will teach you what you need to know. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular raster graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
The browser on your Android-powered cell phone offers numerous features that enhance your overall web experience. Some of the great features include double-tapping to zoom in, searching for text on webpages, sharing websites with friends, and copying and pasting. There's a lot more, so watch this video tip from Google to see how to fully enjoy your web browser.
Most people refer to "long press" as "touch and hold", but no matter which way you say it, it's an awesome feature for Android cell phones. Long pressing lets you get more information, download photos from the web, edit pictures and more! Watch as Google teaches you about long pressing, a nifty feature that reveals additional functionality on your Android-powered phone.
See how to work with the new digital zoom feature built into iOS 4. Apple's new iOS 4 for the iPhone and iPod Touch brings with it a host of new features. While that's certainly a cause for celebration, there's also, believe it or not, a downside: learning how to take advantage of them. Happily, the web is awash in helpful video tutorials like this one which make the process a pleasure (and a simple one at that).
Nowadays, stoves and cook tops have more features to them than ever before. Features that make cooking much easier for you and others in your household. But in this tutorial, you'll be finding out about one feature that many may not know about: Sabbath mode.
This quick clip demonstrates how to use the toolbar feature in QuicKeys to automate menu bar items in an application. QuicKeys toolbars are a great way to add more functionality to an application. Whether you're new to Startly Software's popular macro and automation application or are merely looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're certain to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this video g...
In this tutorial, learn everything you need to know about how to use the new iOS4 on your iPhone 2G, 3G or 3GS. In this clip, get a walkthrough of the update and learn how to use all the new features: multitasking, folders, wallpapers and so much more. If you are unsure how to get up and running or would like to see if updating it right for you - have a look at this helpful video.
Installing a water feature in your yard is a great way to boost the value of your home. It's also a great way to create a nice and relaxing environment for you and others to enjoy. So in this tutorial, if you're looking for half of the work needed to create a large water feature, you'll be finding out how to make a small one. So check it out, good luck, and enjoy!
Whether you're new to Adobe's Creative Suite or a seasoned graphic design professional after a general overview of Adobe InDesign CS5's most vital new features, you're sure to be well served by this from the folks at Lynda, which presents a detailed, step-by-step overview of how to create documents with dynamic features within InDesign CS5.
