News: Archer AR App Deputizes Viewers as Detectives
The producers of FX's animated series Archer have devised a plan to introduce augmented reality hijinks into its eighth and penultimate season with a new app for iOS and Android devices.
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News: The Virtual Reality Developers Conference at GDC 2017 Is Underway
This year's Game Developers Conference, better known as the GDC, is underway at the Moscone Center in San Fransisco, California, and lasts until March 3, 2017. More importantly for us here at NextReality, the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC)—a new GDC sub-conference geared toward augmented, mixed, and virtual reality—has begun.
News: Smart Home Proof of Concept Uses a Raspberry Pi to Control Air Conditioner with HoloLens
Empea Berlin, a Germany-based company specializing in augmented, mixed, and virtual reality software, released a Facebook video a few months back showing off their experiments in smart home technology. Using a Raspberry Pi and a HoloLens unit, they were able to make a virtual remote control for an air conditioning unit. The remote is complete with various modes, temperature controls, timers, and other features. There have been no updates on this project since they first showed it off, but hop...
Video: PokéLens—A HoloLens Concept Game with Project Downloads
Ready to finally play some Pokémon on your HoloLens? Here is your chance! KennyWdev has released a video showing off his newest build of PokéLens, a Pokémon clone for the HoloLens similar to Pokémon GO. In the video, you get to see two Pokémon battle it out on what appears to be an office floor. Apparently, Pikachu is "super effective." This coincidentally appeared online the same day that another developer, Sky Zhou, showed off his Smash Brothers-style Pokémon game.
News: Make Movie Magic on the HoloLens with Microsoft's New Actiongram Fantasy Contest
Want to go to Seattle and meet the Actiongram team?
How To: Tell if Someone Has Read Your WhatsApp Message—Even if They Have Read Receipts Turned Off
We've all been there... admit it. You sent a couple messages, but your friend had the "Read Receipts" option turned off in WhatsApp, so after a few minutes, you start wondering if they're away from their phone right now or just flat-out ignoring you.
News: Can You Play Pokémon GO While Driving?
Do I really need to tell you that it's a bad idea to play Pokémon GO while you're driving? I really hope it's not necessary, but just in case it is, here you go: It's a bad idea to play Pokémon GO while you're driving.
News: Get Up to 2 GB of Free Data from Verizon Just for Using Android Pay
If you tend to go over your data allotment each month, or are constantly afraid you will, Verizon Wireless is giving you chance to relax a little bit with up to 2 GB free data for two months.
News: VR in the OR—Watch Live Surgery on April 14th in 360 Degrees
If you've ever wanted to be right in the thick of an operating room, you're about to get your chance. On Thursday, April 14th, you'll be able to watch a VR live stream of a tumor removal surgery. With their 360-degree camera, you'll be able to see the entire operating table and its surroundings.
News: This Device Can Turn Your Smartphone into a 3D Printer
3D printers have been surging in popularity for both professional and personal applications, and now OLO is on the verge of making 3D printing practical wherever you go. Their eponymous 3D printer is battery-powered and uses the light from your smartphone's screen to create 3D objects out of special "daylight" resins.
From 0 to 100% in 15 Minutes: The Fastest Phone Charger Ever
Chinese tech company OPPO has been on the cutting edge of smartphone battery charging since it released its VOOC Flash Charge in 2014. Using VOOC, you can charge your battery from 0-75% in 30 minutes.
News: LG G5 to Be Unveiled at Mobile World Congress, Stealing Samsung's Thunder
February 21st is going to be a busy day for Android smartphones. Samsung has already scheduled its "Unpacked" event to show off their new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge handsets, and now LG is joining in on the action, as it will unveil the G5 on the same day, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
News: Sony Developing Longer-Lasting Smartphone Battery
Sony Corp. is working on new battery technology that the company says would have a 40% longer life than a lithium-ion battery of the same size. Sony is planning to have the higher-capacity batteries on the market around 2020.
News: Android 6.1 Rumored to Include Native Split Screen Support
Google seems to be following Apple's and Microsoft's lead, as the "point" update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow (6.0 -> 6.1) will reportedly allow multi-screen support. Android 6.1 is expected to debut in June 2016.
How To: Make Any Cutting Board Non-Slip with This Easy Hack
Between sharp knives and slippery produce, basic meal prep can be an absolute massacre. Even the most professional knife-wielders don't stand a chance if they're working on unstable surfaces.
How To: Fix Stuck or Dead Pixels on Almost Any Screen
If you've noticed a tiny discolored spot on your computer screen that just doesn't seem to go away, chances are you have a stuck pixel. With modern LCD and OLED screens, there are millions of incredibly small dots (pixels) that make up all of the contents of your display—and within these pixels, there is a set of red, green and blue subpixels. These mix together at various levels to create all of the different colors you see.
Weird Ingredient Wednesday: The Alien Melon from Star Trek
Mother Nature's creativity is infinite, especially when it comes to fruit. We've got black sapote, which tastes like chocolate pudding, and Buddha's hand citron, which looks like Freddy Kreuger's digits merged with a lemon. How could she possibly top herself?
How To: Apple Flaw Lets Thieves Completely Reset Your Apple Watch & Get Away with It
There's a recently discovered flaw by iDownloadBlog that lets thieves reset a stolen Apple Watch without a hitch, which is the result of Apple not including the Activation Lock feature that iPhones have had since iOS 7.
How To: Make a High Velocity, Aerosol-Fueled Vortex Cannon
For a number of years, I have had a vortex cannon on the top of my list of projects to attempt. Creating a sturdy cone for the barrel has always been a hurdle in the design, one I finally found a solution for in this video.
How To: Personalize Sound Quality for Headphones on Your Galaxy S6
Chances are your hearing isn't the same as the person next to you. Personally, I have moderate hearing loss, so I tend to turn the volume nob towards the loud side. For others, it may be that one ear is slightly better or worse than the other, not only in perceiving volume, but tone as well. Considering this, is it possible for smartphone manufacturers to ensure the best sound quality on their devices?
How To: Make Android's Clock App Open Directly to the Alarm Tab
The basic clock app on Android devices is functional and has a few nice features. One of these is a "World Clock" view, which lets you see the current time in different cities across the world, and shows the time in your location at the top.
How To: Set an Alphanumeric Lock Screen Passcode for Stronger Security on Your iPhone
A four-digit passcode is what protects your iPhone, and the sensitive material within it, from strangers or nosey friends. Four digits are the only thing preventing someone from snooping through your pictures and posting them online for the public to see, and that's if you even have passcode security enabled.
How To: Turn Gmail into an Instant Messenger for Faster Emailing on Your iPhone
If you've had your Gmail account for awhile, it's probably a cluttered mess thanks to unread messages, out-of-control newsletters, and never-ending email threads. This is one of the main reasons for the creation of Google's streamlined Inbox service, but the adoption rate for it hasn't indicated a huge shift over for most of us yet (partly because it's invite-only still).
News: You Can Now Grab Free TV Show Episodes & Songs in iTunes
Apple is offering free full episodes of popular TV shows and free songs from artists with its most recent update to the iTunes Store. In the Music section, "Free on iTunes" seems to have replaced "Single of the Week," which used to give lesser-known independent artists a chance to give their music away in hopes that it would increase their popularity.
Food Tool Friday: Make Fast Espresso on the Go
Coffee lovers take their beverage of choice seriously. Some even go out of their way to find their own kopi luwak (cat poop coffee) just to see if it lives up to all the hype.
How To: Blend Your Android's Status & Nav Bars to Match Any App's Color Scheme
While we wait for our chance to get our hands on Android Lollipop, Google has already released Material Design updates to most of their apps. I love the new direction of the updated UI, but something just seemed to be lacking in tying everything together.
How To: The Easiest Way to Record Your Screen in Android Lollipop
Native screen recording was initially introduced on Android 4.4 KitKat and, although useful, was primarily utilized by developers to showcase their apps. It required either a rooted device and an app or a non-rooted device with some ADB commands, which, while totally doable, wasn't necessarily ideal.
How To: Create Collaborative Reminders on Your iPhone or iPad
Reminding a spouse or roommate to pick up some last-minute groceries is typically done with a quick message that can easily go unnoticed or unseen. Your feeble attempt of a reminder won't work unless it's conveniently sent at the right moment, like when they're on their way home. Chances are, you'll forget to text them and they'll forget the earlier reminder you sent.
How To: Shazam for Mac Makes Collecting New Songs Easy
Shazam has ushered in an age where any song we like, but don't recognize, can be almost instantly identified. While the whole process is easy enough—just pull out your phone and hit a button—there are still moments where we might miss those quick and fleeting tunes.
How To: Add Widgets to Your Chromecast's Home Screen
The idle screen for the Chromecast is certainly beautiful. Full of many high-definition pictures taken of various parts of the world, it's almost a shame that we have to dismiss this screen in order to cast content.
News: On the Fence About Something? Anonymously AskInternets for the Answer
There will always be a time when you're not entirely sure what you're doing with a certain subject. But the days of weighing the pros and cons yourself are coming to an end. Whether it's a common quandary like "Where should we eat?", or a more specific question along the lines of "Should I buy this shirt or not?", you can now simply AskInternets.
News: Hitchhiking Robot to Travel Through Canada This Summer
Imagine this: You're driving on the freeway in Canada, enjoying the view and sipping Tim Horton's, when all of the sudden you see something out of the corner of your eye. You expect it to be a moose, obviously, but instead you see a robot with his thumb hitched up. So, after insuring that you didn't accidentally take some hallucinogens a few miles back, do you pick it up?
How To: Use Slingshot, Facebook's New Snapchat Competitor
It looks like Snapchat, it feels like Snapchat, but after using it for a few minutes, you realize there is a huge difference between Facebook's new Slingshot app and the Snapchat we've all grown so accustomed to.
How To: Save & Search Through Your Entire Notification History on the Samsung Galaxy S4
While viewing notifications, I have a nasty habit of accidentally hitting Clear and getting rid of them all before I actually have a chance to read them. There is an easy way to view the notification history on Android, but if you turn off or reboot your Samsung Galaxy S4, the history is wiped clean.
How To: Use Your "Wrong Hand" to Relieve Anger
Since picking up your first crayon, chances are you've had a favorite, or dominant, hand. That hand gets you through the day, taking care of everything from writing to eating. If you've ever been forced to rely on your "wrong hand", you know how uncomfortable and unwieldy it feels.
How To: Catch Pokémon Using Google Maps
April Fool's has come early, with an update for Google's Maps application for both Android and iOS that's geared towards finding their next big hire: Pokémon Master.
How To: Make Your Own Nestlé-Style Butterfinger Candy Bars at Home
Look through the dessert recipes on any food blog and there's a pretty good chance you'll find something with chocolate and peanut butter. It's one of the most common combinations in candy bars and other sweets (not that I'm complaining).
Food Chemistry: The "Ingredients" in Organic, All-Natural, Fruits & Eggs Are Not What You'd Expect
If you look at the label on your favorite processed snack, there's a good chance you have no idea what half the ingredients are. It's nothing new, but with natural and organic foods becoming huge trends, we're hyper-aware of all the "chemicals" we eat.
How To: Your Starbucks Habit Could Be Putting Your Personal Data at Risk
Starbucks' app is the most used mobile payment app in the U.S. because it's well-designed and convenient. But if you use the iOS version on your iPhone, your username, email address, password and location data could be compromised because the app stores them in plain text.
How To: Snapchat Lost Your Trust? Here's How to Completely Delete Your Snapchat Account
Snapchat is like that very attractive girl at the bar that has one too many shots and ends up slobbering on the bouncer as she gets led out. Of course she can still recover since she is hot, but you only get so many chances before you just become a complete failure. And that's where Snapchat has been treading these past few weeks.