For some strange reason, not all variants of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have a menu option for changing the backlight timeout for their capacitive keys. According to user reports, only the AT&T variant of these phones has such an option.
Like its predecessor—and probably every device in the future—the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a fingerprint scanner that allows for a more secure lock screen, web sign-ins, and account verification. But unlike its brethren, the sensor on the S6 has been vastly improved. No longer does it require a clumsy swipe—all you have to do is place your finger on it for less than a second, much like Touch ID on iPhones.
Deep down at the core of Android lies the system kernel, which serves as a bridge between software and hardware. Custom kernels can be installed in place of the stock offering, and these are generally optimized for better performance or increased battery efficiency.
The Nexus 6 uses an Ambient Display notification system that was heavily inspired by the Active Display feature on the Moto X. Essentially, the device shows a black-and-white version of the lock screen whenever you receive a new notification or pick the phone up. This is all made possible by the N6's AMOLED display that doesn't have to waste any battery to power black pixels on the screen.
While it's not too hard to remember to watch your favorite TV show every week, it's almost impossible to remember to watch all of your favorite shows. Add on to that sports games, live music events, and new film releases and you'll find yourself in a disorganized mess with a lot of missing out.
Tired of playing old-school Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Nintendo, and Nintendo DS games on your iPhone? We've got another retro video game system for you to add to your arsenal of emulators—Super Nintendo.
You hand your iPhone to a friend to show them a picture. What happens? They swipe. Left, right, it doesn't matter. You don't remember what lies in either direction of the photo in question, and you don't want anything compromising exposed to the unassuming viewer. Luckily, Apple includes a safety net in iOS to prevent this scenario from ever happening, so long as you set it up ahead of time.
When the Samsung Galaxy S5 launched a few months ago, I was pretty envious of the new UI elements Samsung included on it, as I'm sure you were. The flatter interface provided for a more polished and less cartoony feel, bringing the device more in line with Google's design elements.
Mobile carriers have been the bane of my existence for as long as I've had a phone. First, they take away unlimited data, and then when you try and switch carriers, they hold your phone hostage for a up to a week before unlocking it from their network.
There are so many things to love about the Nexus 5, from timely updates to newer versions of Android to a terrific blend of price and specs. But while mobile phone tech keeps churning along, battery technology isn't quite up to snuff yet, and I find myself wishing that my phone's battery lasted longer on a single charge.
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.
The new Google Now Launcher has hotword detection and one-swipe access to Google Now, but personally, it's not enough to convert me away from other launchers like Apex or Nova. Just because it's Google's official launcher for stock Android doesn't make it better than all the rest.
"Enter your email address. Confirm your email address." I absolutely hate seeing those two sentences when I'm signing up for something online, especially on my Samsung Galaxy S3. The less keyboard work I have to do on my mobile the better. Luckily, there is a way to enter your email address without having to type it all out, and I'm going to show you how it's done.
Initially introduced as an Easter egg deep within Android's operating system, the Daydream screensaver feature turned official in the release of 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Now, it's been out for a few months, which means developers have already figured out how to take advantage of it in their own ways.
Need to clear you cache? This guide details how on any web browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Internet, and Dolphin) for any platform (Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android). What Is the Cache Exactly?
While Siri came up on the scene with hardly any competition back in 2011, Google Now has not only caught up to Apple's intelligent personal assistant, but also excelled in certain areas—with its ability to quickly answer questions, give recommendation, and even deliver information that it predicts a user will want.
While Siri has never been my favorite, after using her in the new iOS 7, I have definitely become a fan. If you want to know why, check out the newest cool features that Siri has to offer!
"Ain't No Sunshine" might just be a classic song to you, but for me and my Samsung Galaxy S3, it means so much more. For the most part, my GS3 does a decent job at automatically adjusting the brightness of the screen when I'm in normal lighting, but when I'm in little or no lighting, or there's just way to much, I usually have to switch over to manual to get the right balance. Luckily, we're not stuck with Samsung's built-in auto brightness feature. There are some really good third-party solu...
There are very few things Android users would want to borrow from Apple's iOS, but let's move beyond the fanboy/girl biases and admit that Apple actually does a few things pretty well. One of those things is looks, and the new iOS 7 looks pretty amazing to me.
Not having internet sucks! We do a ton online these days, from working, shopping, studying, and collaborating, to watching fail videos and endlessly clicking through memes.
You may remember this badass wall of flames photo... That's because last month I highlighted a tutorial by photographer Barry Elder that showed how to light paint with fire.
Keeping your operating system up to date is essential to keeping it bug-free and running properly. Windows regularly pushes out patches and security fixes through Windows Update, so making sure to turn on Automatic Updates or checking at least once a week is strongly advised.
If you want to clear up some extra space in iCloud with iOS 5, take a look at this guide to learn how to manage your data on an iPad or iPhone running the service. You will need to access the iCloud panel under "Settings" to do so.
Looking to manage and configure the new Notification Center in iOS 5? This guide will walk you through the options and settings available in Notification Center, and help you control what notifications you see on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
If you want to set privacy rules or moderate who has access to the different content that you share on Google+, take a look at this tutorial. It will walk you through the settings and features of Google+ that allow you to restrict who can view and see the information you post to your profile.
So you just got back from the local Verizon Wireless outlet with a brand new Droid Bionic Android smartphone from Motorola and you want to figure out how to go through the wizard at the start. Setting up the smartphone for the first time can be a bit confusing, but this guide from Motorola should help.
Shooting 1080p high resolution video is extremely easy with the Motorola Droid Bionic. You can start by accessing the Camcorder app from the Android app launcher or home screen. Then, take a look at this guide on how to film HD video and change the video settings on your Droid Bionic.
If you're trying to learn how to use Wi-Fi on your iPad, take a look at this tutorial on connecting your iPad to a wireless network so that you can access the internet. You'll need to use the settings and know the name of the wireless connection you want to use. Make sure you have the password handy, too!
Similar to the Wii, Nintendo frequently updates the apps and software on the Nintendo 3DS. These upgrades are always available using System Update under the system settings on the gaming handheld. Take a look at this guide on how to access the System Update feature, download, and install the updated software. Now you can always access the latest version of the Nintendo 3DS software and apps, such as the eShop and internet browser.
Is the battery on your Motorola Droid 3 getting drained fast? If you're tired of running out of battery life when using the Verizon Wireless smartphone, try out the Battery Manager located in the settings menu on the Android device. The utility features several different profiles including "maximum battery saver" and "nighttime saver." By changing a few options on your smartphone, you can drastically increase and improve the battery life of the device.
The flash is one of the most useful camera accessories you can have, but they also have a tendency to ruin perfectly good pictures, especially with digital cameras. This video will show you how to take shots with great depth and dimension even with a digital camera and flash by setting the flash length manually.
Learn the basics of video editing in this funny and informative clip from Vimeo's excellent Video 101 series of tutorials. This video provides a handy overview of the steps involved in editing video, including transferrring footage, organizing clips into video bins, editing using the timeline, trimming the footage & using transitions, saving frequently, and exporting videos to be viewed on various sites with various compression settings.
Learn to create the popular dubstep "talking wobble bass" sound using Operator and Ableton Live. Dubspot Instructor and Ableton Certified Trainer Michael Hatsis aka !banginclude explains how to create this popular sound. By combining settings on Operators with the Ableton Live device Redux effect, this video takes you through the process and shows you how it's done.
This half-hour episode of Hak5 covers several topics: Using a DSLR camera to create HD footage, building your own Google TV, unlocking & copying locked files with Lock Hunter, using PicPick for screen capture, using WinDirStat for analyzing & cleaning your hard drive, setting up a secure FTP server with Ubuntu Server, and secretly copying data from USB drives with USB Dumper.
EL wire is known as the Currency of Burning Man, and it's potential to create beautiful light in all sorts of settings is amazing. If you're tired of buying it and want to stock up on some DIY EL wire (which is more in the spirit of Burning Man anyway right?) watch this video to learn how to twist enamel and bare wire together to make your EL wire.
The Microsoft Kinect represents its attempt to steal the Wii's thunder, and it work pretty dang well. Watch this video for a guide to plugging the Kinect into your XBox 360 and setting up your gaming area so that you'll be able to play it.
Film Noir, or black film, is a type of film that can easily be attributed to classics such as the Humphery Boggart films of old (Maltese Falcon, King of the Underworld, ect.). If you're looking on how to create the effect yourself without a big budget, check out this video! John Hess gives you some basic tips to creating the effect with lighting and more!
Angle grinders are very powerful and useful tools, but like many such power tools they are extremely dangerous if you don't know how to use them. This video goes over a variety of must-know safety precautions that you should take before using an angle grinder to grind for your own construction projects. It covers proper eyewear, fire protection, and setting up the device for use.
The Spider-Man noir setting is all about stealth, and with that also finding some tricky hidden spiders. If you're missing a few stragglers in the Hammerhead level, and are looking for a detailed walkthrough, well, come within! In this great video you will get to see each location with commentary explaining each location and what you will need to do to get each spider.
Google is the most powerful search tool in all the land, and there are all sorts of setting to tweak and tricks to use that can make your search results better and more relevant to you. This video features Google Webmaster Help video personality Matt Cutts outlining some tips and tricks for getting better answers to your Google queries, including changing the boolean of your search.
