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.
In the past, some of Google's Nexus devices have had root methods even before the phones hit shelves. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL are basically Nexus devices from a software standpoint, so why have we gone more than a week since release without a working root method or custom recovery?
For some strange reason, Google left several of the Pixel's best software features disabled by default. One of the more interesting tweaks that fall into this category is a gesture that puts your fingerprint scanner to use after you've unlocked your phone.
Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have a feature that puts their fingerprint scanners to use after you unlock your phone—just swipe down on the scanner from any screen, then you'll see your notifications. It keeps you from having to do hand gymnastics to reach the status bar at the top of your screen, and it gives you easy access to quick information, so it's a win-win.
If you took your favorite search engine, gave it a witty personality, and bundled it together with a messenger-style interface, you'd have the new Google Assistant. It's great for getting fast answers—even on your follow-up questions—but its flair for fun might just be the standout feature.
Google's new Pixel phones will ship with Android 7.1 Nougat pre-installed, but early reports stated that Nexus devices wouldn't be getting the new version until "end of year" 2016. For people that purchased a Nexus 5X or 6P under the assumption that Nexus devices get Android updates first, the fact that the Pixels could be getting 7.1 a full two months ahead of them felt like a slap in the face.
After updating your iPhone to iOS 10, you may have noticed that your screen will wake up whenever you pick up the device to look at it, or even when it's just in your pocket or dangling in your hand.
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.
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.
Over the years, we've covered many different methods for enabling background playback for YouTube videos on Android, but none have ever been as easy as this: Simply watch the videos with Firefox for Android, and they'll continue playing when you leave the app.
Apple has been aggressively smashing bugs with its last few updates to iOS 10, so it seems like all of the major work is done. With the iPhone 7 release date approaching fast, it's a good sign that the only remaining hurdles are relatively minor and cosmetic tweaks (though they still need to add the song lyrics they showed off a few months ago).
The iPhone 6s models introduced Live Photos in iOS 9, a cool new camera feature that takes a GIF-esque moving image every time you snap a pic, but the cool factor pretty much stopped right there. You couldn't take them on older iOS devices, share them with non-iOS users, or even edit them.
While filters were technically available in Mail for iOS previously, you would have to hit "Edit" on the main Mailboxes view and add them as folders, which made your already crowded main screen even more crowded.
Most newer Android devices manufactured in 2014 or later have a built-in pedometer for tracking your fitness activity. This step counter is a great way to keep yourself in shape and motivated, but developer Leonardo Cavaletti has come up with an even better way to put it to use.
Google's Chrome browser comes pre-loaded on the vast majority of today's Android devices, and it's one of the fastest, most stable, and useful browsers out there. But it does have one major annoyance—while a page is loading, you'll see a link, then reach to tap it, but an element further up the page will load, and the link will jump out from underneath your fingertip.
In the revamped Messages app in iOS 10, you can now send animated GIFs from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch without a third-party keyboard like Giphy or GIF Keyboard.
Facebook Messenger has another secret game for you to play in both the Android and iOS versions of its app. This time it's a soccer-themed game to tie in with the Copa America and Euro 2016 tournaments currently underway.
Your iPhone's lock screen is about to get a major upgrade in iOS 10, as shown off by Apple at WWDC '16, and it will make dealing with notifications and apps a breeze. The new lock screen has been fully redesigned to give users better and faster interaction with the apps they need. It's also snappier and more aesthetically pleasing with notifications no longer darkening the wallpaper.
Music is definitely more immersive when it's accompanied by a bit of visual stimuli, which is why CyanogenMod and other custom ROMs have started integrating music visualizers into elements of the Android system UI. It's a great effect, but it's not necessarily something that's worth replacing your stock firmware over.
Instagram is the world's biggest photo-sharing site, narrowly edging out competitors like Imgur and Flickr. But unlike the competition, Instagram doesn't make it easy for users to download a full-resolution copy of any of the images hosted on their servers, as the site's main intention is to keep folks coming back and using the social media aspect of it all.
Android phones may soon be able to send and receive iMessages thanks to a new open-source app called PieMessage.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 is an incredible piece of technology, but the Skype app that's preinstalled on some models may have some nasty issues, such as video and audio that freezes. Luckily, the fix for these problems is a simple one, although somewhat buried in the phone's Settings app.
I held the orange packet in my hands and presented it to my friend, Seth, as though it were a plastic-wrapped jewel—rather than three ounces of dehydrated noodles.
Unlike in the physical world, on the internet you're actually able to shut people up and block spoilers of newly-released movies, your favorite TV shows, or a sports event you've yet to watch on your DVR.
The Xposed Framework is a very powerful platform on top of which smaller modules can run to make changes to the Android system and various other apps. Installing modules is just as easy as sideloading any Android app, but afterwards, you'll need to activate the module and reboot your device.
With over 1.5 billion people on this planet without electricity, it's hard for those of us in developed nations to even fathom how anyone can read, write, repair, or do anything else that we take for granted without any lights. While some of our First World problems pale in comparison, they remain issues nonetheless, one of the biggest being constant battery drain from portable electronics.
Sometimes it's not the look of a product that makes it unique, but the thought that went into it. That's what struck me about TobyRich's SmartPlane—it isn't the most elegant toy on the market, but its simplicity and function make it a winner.
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.
When lending our iPhone to our kids, siblings or friends, it's not uncommon to have it returned with what seems like a million apps open in the background. What's worse is being too lazy to close all those open apps, in turn having our battery drain much faster than normal.
Rounded rectangle icons are so 2007. Sure iOS 7 tweaked them a bit, but with the clean new approach to design that software is taking today, they're starting to look dated. Today I'm going to show you how to go full circle with your iPhone's icons, and the results are actually pretty awesome.
This goes out to all of the Tweeters out there looking to get a little more creative with their Twitter accounts. My page has always been extremely basic, because I just never bothered to pretty it up. I just had one of the stock backgrounds and the good ole Sacramento Kings logo for my profile pic. So, if you want to add your own cool photos and backgrounds to your account, the folks over at Twitter made this funny cartoon video just for you. It's not the most complicated of tasks, and every...
There's nothing like buying an awesome new gadget, but it leaves you with one problem (besides an empty wallet)—what do you do with the ones you already have? There are plenty of ways to put your old gadgets to use, but if you'd rather get rid of them, you may as well get something out of it, right? Here are five places where you can recycle your electronics and replenish your cash stash.
Even in the MP3 world, vinyl is still king among music lovers. Unfortunately, making your own record is nowhere near as simple as burning a compact disc or throwing some files onto an MP3 player. One clever inventor isn't letting that stop him though, putting together his own homemade vinyl cutter out of old parts. The end result—CD records!
With Thanksgiving just a week away and Christmas arriving steadily, you're going to inevitably get stuck in the kitchen rolling dough, baking pies, and using a bunch of food processng gadgets.
Each year, new gadgets and features are being put into cars to help the overall experience when driving. Massagers, seat warmers, and mp3 player jacks are just a few of the new things. One thing that remains true, but has gone through a bit of a change, is the car radio. People can still tune in and listen in to their favorite stations with just a push of a button. But setting the radio stations is easier than ever. Instead of always switching back and forth from AM to FM, there are ways that...
This how-to video shows you how to use a corn zipper. This is a fun and useful gadget for the kitchen. The corn zipper takes corn off the cob, quickly and efficiently. Just put it on the corn and pull. This will take it off easily. Not everyone can eat corn on the cob. It will also make eating corn easier for kids. It is much safer than knives as well. You can also turn the zipper on the side to milk the corn for creamed corn. This video shows you how useful a corn zipper is for your kitchen.
Penny Halgren demonstrates how to use a handy little gadget known as a bias tape maker. First make the bias binding by cutting strips of fabric on the bias and stitching them together. Then press all the seams in the same direction. The fabric will go through easier if the strips are fed through the bias tape maker with the seams facing away from the front of the tape maker. Put the bias tape maker on the ironing board and start feeding in the fabric. The handle allows you to pull the tape ma...
Danny Lipford shows us how to create a simple jig to hang picture frames. He believes that all the complicated gadgets many people use-including lasers and special levels-are unnecessary for successfully hanging a picture frame. All you really need is a strip of wood and a single nail. He shows us a single lath with a roofing nail in it, which he prefers for its broad head. Simply slip the nail onto the wire on the picture's backside. Then set the picture wherever you would like it to be. Sim...
Know a little bit about film lighting, but can't quite grasp the concept of using light meters to measure light for proper exposure? You can't rely on your video camera to accurately capture what you see, so you need light meters to properly and accurately capture what you have created on set.
In this video Dionne from the Gadget show explains how to improve your digital photos easily using widely available free software. The first thing she instructs us to do is to download and install Google's free photo editing software Picasa. Next, once Picasa is installed you can use it's one click settings to easily remove red eyes from photographs or increase the brightness of a photo. The next thing we learn to do is to adjust the white balance of a photograph. This makes the photo appear ...
