News: Smartglasses Maker North Picks Up Intel's Vaunt Patents
When wearables startup North officially unveiled its Focals smartglasses in October, the stylish frames strongly resembled, in form and function, Intel's canceled Vaunt smartglasses.
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How To: Enable Samsung's New Swipe Gestures on Your Galaxy in One UI
To give you a truly immersive experience on Infinity Display phones like the Galaxy Note 9, S9, and S8, Samsung added the option to hide the navigation bar when not in use, then easily reveal it with a swipe up gesture for quick access. If you've always found this process a little too cumbersome, Samsung has introduced a nifty feature in One UI that'll make it a lot more intuitive.
News: Intel Opens AR Portal to Smithsonian's Burning Man Exhibit via Snapchat
Burning Man 2018 is underway, but Intel and the Smithsonian American Art Museum are giving those not in attendance the ability to view the art from the event through Snapchat.
How To: Use Hulu's Improved Scrubbing Tool to Accurately Skip Through a Show
While Hulu offers users an easy way to catch up on the latest shows, it hasn't always given them the best tools to control that content. Scrubbing — or fast-forwarding and rewinding — had a history of inaccuracy, as well as a general uselessness. Luckily, Hulu has greatly improved this tool, updating it with new features to help you find your place quickly and accurately.
News: App from Japan Uses Apple's iPhone X to Transform Your Face & Voice into the Cutest Anime Character
Apple's iPhone X now has the power to turn anyone into a Japanese anime character, thanks to a new app that harnesses the device's TrueDepth camera.
News: OxygenOS Update Finally Brings Face Unlock to All OnePlus 5 Users
One of the best-received features of the OnePlus 5T was the relatively secure face unlock, which made it quick and easy to get into the phone. Unfortunately, this feature wasn't included with the slightly older OnePlus 5 at first, but now, face unlocking is finally out of beta and available to everyone with a 2017 OnePlus.
News: First Footage of Magic Leap's Music App with Sigur Rós Revealed
On Monday morning, secretive augmented reality startup Magic Leap revealed a collaboration with Icelandic music group Sigur Rós. But the story detailing the app didn't reveal anything more than a still image of the interactive Tónandi app, leaving most of us to use to our imaginations in terms of visualizing how it worked.
Galaxy Oreo Update: Samsung Adds Screenshot Labeling Feature in Android 8.0
Samsung has kept us busy with their Android 8.0 Oreo beta testing program for the Galaxy S8, and most recently, the Galaxy Note 8. As the beta continues to receive new updates, stability has improved continuously, and new features keep on creeping in for both devices.
Apple AR: Put 3D Emojis & Text in Your Videos with Holocam
People love emojis, it's a scientific fact. So an app that places poops, smileys, and ghosts into social media videos should, in theory, be the most popular app ever. That's likely the reasoning behind the new Holocam app, which is available for $0.99 in the iOS App Store. Sure, Snapchat and Instagram offer users editing tools to stick static text, emojis, and drawings on top of photos and videos. However, Holocam ups the ante by placing fully three-dimensional emoji, text, and drawings, as w...
How To: Avoid Tolls on Waze to Save Money While Driving
Discovering you're on a route filled with tolls while you're already on the road, with no cash on hand, is never a pleasant surprise. Fortunately, Waze has an incredibly simple solution to nip this potential headache in the bud and save you money while navigating.
How To: Restart Your iPhone in iOS 11 Without Using the Power Button
The new iOS 11 update provides an easy software-based solution to shut down your iPhone in case the power button, officially known as the Sleep/Wake button on all iPhone models except the iPhone X, goes bonkers. In addition to this, there's also a hidden setting that lets you instantly restart the device, and it's better than the "Bold Text" trick that's been around since iOS 7.
News: The Walking Dead Doubles Down on AR with Another Mobile App
It seems like it was just last week that AMC and Next Games unveiled their location-based zombie game based on hit TV series The Walking Dead. (Wait, actually it was just last week.)
Apple AR: Move the AR World with Your Gestures in New Demo
The future is here with a new demo made with Apple's ARKit and LeapMotion. Typically, since ARKit works through your iPhone, in order to move augmented reality objects that are appearing on your screen, you have to drag them with your finger. However, developer Arthur Schiller is now playing around with how you can move augmented reality objects on your phone with gesture recognition, rather than by touching.
Apple AR: Get a Detailed Look at the Killington Ski Trails Using a 3D Map
One of the latest demos made with Apple's ARKit is a new way of checking out maps, more specifically ski trail maps. When looking at possible ski trails to ride on, it can be difficult to tell what a trail is actually like. However, thanks to ARKit, you can view a 3D, detailed map of ski trails to decide which one is right for you.
Apple AR: Demo Teases a Camera App That Expands the Possibilities of Future Effects
A camera app demo that uses Apple's ARKit has been blowing up on Twitter recently and it very well might be the future of how we take pictures with our iOS devices.
How To: Hide Your Waze Location from Others by Going Invisible
Some of the things that make Waze such a great navigation app are also its biggest downsides. Real-time data shows where individual users are, and the app automatically gathers traffic info that other drivers may encounter. These elements ensure that road conditions are as up-to-date as possible so that everyone gets to their destination safely, but it's certainly not ideal if you're a privacy-minded user.
How To: Use Different Voices in Waze to Personalize Navigation & Direction
If you've been looking for an alternative to Google Maps, look no further than Waze. In addition to benefits like crowd-sourced traffic data, police trap locations, and road work avoidance, the app even lets you personalize the voices used for navigation and directions.
Apple AR: Developer Shows Us the Possible Future of Map Apps
Map apps, while incredibly helpful in our technology-centric world, can often be a source of frustration. No maps app is perfect, and things can get confusing fairly quickly when trying to navigate GPS mapping. iOS developer Andrew Hart has experimented with a new way of mobile mapping using Apple's ARKit that could make finding your way so much easier.
How To: Quickly Switch Between Alphabet & Numeric Keyboards on Your iPhone
The keyboard is one of the biggest weak points of iOS devices, in part due to the lack of an option to add a number row. Fortunately, there is a way to quickly switch between the numeric and alphabet layouts on your iPhone or iPad's keyboard.
News: Self-Driving Race Car Successfully Completes Full-Speed Lap
In a recently released video, it was revealed that Formula-E's partner Roborace has developed a driverless race car that can complete laps at full racing speed.
It's Official: CEO Cook Confirms Apple Is Developing Driverless Software
Apple is working on autonomous systems for vehicles, which could then be implemented with the help of car manufacturers.
How To: Get iOS 11's New Wallpapers on Any Phone
Apple's highly anticipated iOS 11 is ready for the public, and besides the obvious array of new features and improvements, the mobile OS also comes with stunning new wallpapers which would look amazing on any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch — even on Android devices.
News: You Can Now Send Web Links & Landscape Photos on Instagram Direct
Instagram Direct is fast becoming the end-all-be-all messaging app, and it just added some incredibly convenient features that should make it a bit more practical. These new additions have a clear purpose: To help Instagram Direct grow its base and take on more feature-rich messengers like Snapchat or WhatsApp.
News: Tango's Reach Is Being Limited by New Zenfone Exclusive to Verizon
Verizon will be exclusively selling the ASUS ZenFone AR, which supports Tango (Google's mobile AR platform) and Daydream VR.
How To: Access Bitcoin Gambling Sites from Your Phone — Even if They Ban Your Country
Bitcoin, the decentralized cryptocurrency notorious for its status as the currency of the dark web, seems to be shedding its shady past and is now enjoying soaring highs not seen since 2014. The highly volatile online commodity reached parity with an ounce of gold back in March amid speculation of a pending ETF approval from the Federal Trade Commission. Since then, Bitcoin has doubled in value and analysts predict a bitcoin could reach $100,000 in value in 10 years.
How To: Add a Number Row to Google's Gboard Keyboard
Google's Gboard is by far the most popular keyboard available right now. Gboard lets you search almost anything—from regular Google searches, to emojis, and even GIFs—just by using your keyboard. The app even lets you share search results, saving you a great deal of time, which would've otherwise been spent juggling between apps and programs.
News: 'Darth Vader's Theme' from Star Wars Masterfully Played on a Plastic Coffee Stirrer
If there's one thing you'd never think to play music on, it's probably a coffee stirrer, right? But that didn't stop this guy from playing one of my favorite theme songs on one — "Darth Vader's Theme," aka "The Imperial March."
News: This High Voltage Furniture Technique Burns Lightning Designs into Wood
Lightning is scary and powerful, yet when harnessed correctly, it can become a beautiful pattern for hand-crafted wooden furniture. Muchd like Zeus in ancient mythology, Canadian Woodworks is harnessing the power and beauty of lightning, but they're doing it for aesthetic purposes.
News: RCS Is Finally Here... If You Have the Right App, Phone & Carrier
The next generation in mobile communications has officially arrived. A new "Universal Profile" was just published to help carriers and OEMs enable Rich Communication Services (RCS) on any of their smartphones, and the standard hopes to replace SMS with a feature-rich, iMessage-like experience on all phones.
Quick Tip: Use Firefox to Play YouTube Videos in the Background
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.
News: Get Trippy on the Vive with OmniPudding's Cube-Based Particle Simulator
Want proof that user experiences matter? Look no further than the HTC Vive and Omnipudding's particle generator, GPU Cubes VR, which lets you interact with thousands of colorful, cubic particles in a black void. If this was a simulator for your computer only, controlled with a mouse or keyboard, you'd be bored in seconds—but it's just simple, instant fun on the Vive.
How To: Have Your Wine & Eat It Too with These 7 Boozy Dinner Ideas
From vodka to beer, booze is great for drinking, great for mixing, and, yes, great for cooking with. But there's really no alcohol better for bringing into the kitchen than wine. From savory dishes to sweet ones, wine is so versatile that it can make almost any meal better. And contrary to popular belief, it's easy to cook with.
News: Pokémon GO's Nearby Menu Is Lying to You—Here's Why All the Pokémon Have 3 Footprints
The easiest way to see which Pokémon are close to your current location in Pokémon GO is by checking the Nearby tracker in the bottom-right of your screen. At least this was the easiest way up until a few days ago. Initially, the Pokémon in the Nearby screen would be marked with between zero and three footprint icons—the more footprints, the further away a Pokémon is from your location. Pokémon with zero footprints should be visible to you.
News: This Guy Hacked Together DIY Haptic Gloves to 'Feel' VR—Here's How
Virtual and mixed reality experiences feel immersive because they take over your senses in various ways, but they still lack tactile feedback. Haptic gloves can change that, and you can make a pair yourself.
News: If You're Curious About Creating Software for Augmented & Mixed Reality, Start Here
If not the future of computing in general, augmented, virtual, and mixed reality certainly will change the world of gaming. If you want to try your hand at shaping this evolved medium, the Unite Europe conference posted a talk that explains the first things you need to learn to develop holographic games.
News: Magic Leap Will Bring Star Wars to Mixed Reality
The mysterious Magic Leap just partnered up with Lucasfilm's ILM xLAB to bring Star Wars to their mixed reality headsets. Based on the video demo making its way around the internet, it looks pretty impressive.
News: This Advanced Diver's Helmet Takes AR to the Depths of the Ocean
The headsets of tomorrow offer some amazing possibilities in both gaming and work, but what we've seen so far only begins to scratch the surface. The US Navy saw the potential to use augmented reality in a helmet to provide divers with an incredible amount of information we have so far only seen in Hollywood movies.
Beyond Snapchat: Test Out New Looks with ModiFace's Augmented Reality Apps
Augmented reality has a variety of applications, but lately the face has been a major point of concentration for many companies. We're all pretty familiar with face swapping by now, but ModiFace employs similar technologies for more practical purposes.
News: Voice Commands Let You Create & Edit Google Keep Lists Super Fast
If you use Google Keep, you'll be happy to know that you can add items to lists and even start new ones with "OK Google" voice commands on Android, and it works fairly well. (Hat tip to Reddit user rambantu for finding this trick.)
News: Chevy Annouces Free Update That Brings Android Auto to 12 More Cars & Trucks
Now that Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have finally arrived, the days of clunky in-dash infotainment systems are coming to an end. Instead of using software created by an automotive company to get directions, stream music, or take calls, we can now get the best user experience Silicon Valley has to offer—all while sitting comfortably in the driver's seat.