The vast majority of Android apps use background services to sync data, check for location updates, and perform various silent tasks. These background services can start up whenever they'd like, and they continue to run in the background even when you're not actively using the app that they originated from.
Using shortcuts to control the playback of your music on your computer makes life just a little bit easier. Instead of needing to open up an app, we've shown you how to use keyboard shortcuts, a Notification Center widget, and even Siri to control music on your Mac. Now we're going to show you how to use your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch as a remote control.
TWRP is hands-down the best custom recovery out there. Its interface, on the other hand, is... well, let's just call it utilitarian. The guys over at Team Win made sure that their product was robust, functional, and easy-to-use, but they didn't put a tremendous amount of effort into polishing the looks.
With Nexus devices already enjoying Android 5.0 Lollipop, most other manufacturers are scrambling to get their flagships updated to Google's latest operating system. While HTC has promised Lollipop by the end of 2015, OEMs such as Motorola and Sony have already issued updates to their latest models. Then there's Samsung.
Voicemails are like chores for me. I have to listen to them, but never really feel like doing it. When I finally do, most of them get deleted right away, but every so often they'll be one I save and listen to over and over again, whether it's a cute birthday wish from grandma or a hilarious joke from my friend.
App switchers are a great way to conveniently access your favorite applications from any screen, but most limit the number of apps you can use. That means that whenever you want to switch over to another app, you have to leave your current one, and either find the one you want in recents, on your home screen, or in your app drawer.
If you're like me, then you've got an incredibly complicated Wi-Fi password with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
Surely you've heard of the wildly-popular custom ROM CyanogenMod, right? As the longest-tenured third-party firmware for Android devices, CM has been able to maintain its popularity by supporting a wide array of devices and offering many customization options.
Having an open-source platform like Android is great, allowing manufacturers and developers the ability to make their own skins and apps to truly customize the end-user experience. The only downside is that when an update comes to vanilla Android, many of us are left in the cold, unless you have a Google Play Edition HTC One.
As it is right now in iOS 7, there is no quick way to delete all of your message threads in the Messages app at the same time. They can only be deleted one by one. If you followed our guide on jailbreaking, you could add a "delete all" option, but this is no longer necessary with the iOS 8 update.
The Moto X introduced tons of cool features that have slowly been ported over to other phones, like Peek notifications and always listening "OK, Google" detection. Another such feature allows you to twist your wrist to bring up the camera app from any screen—even with the display turned off.
Back in August, Google introduced Android Device Manager. This new service allowed you to locate, lock, or wipe a lost or stolen Android device from either a companion app or a web interface. Effectively, this is the "kill switch" that legislators are clamoring for.
Multitasking has traditionally been one of Android's strengths. As the first mobile operating system to introduce true multi-process management, it even took things a step further after version 4.0 by dedicating a button to your recently-used apps.
With the Galaxy S5's root bounty over $18,000 and climbing, there's still no Superuser in sight. That doesn't mean we can't tweak and personalize our shiny new toys, though. Several customization options are available just by virtue of the S5's Android base, and installing a custom launcher is one of the fastest ways to get a fresh look.
Aside from the newer HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5, the Nexus 5 still has one of the fastest processors on the market today. However, despite its superpowers, some graphically intensive games can still have a bit of lag to them during gameplay.
If you've ever used the automation app Tasker, then you know exactly how powerful the tool can be. If you haven't, suffice it to say that there's virtually nothing on your Android phone that Tasker can't automatically do for you.
The act of viewing a new notification on your Nexus 5 can feel a bit clunky and cumbersome at times. When a new message comes in, you hear the notification sound, you see the LED blinking, but you can't see what the actual notification says without waking the device and opening the notification tray.
Your new HTC One M8 has a ton of really cool features, some of which relate to waking the device up. A swipe up to unlock to your last active screen, a swipe down to access the voice dialer, and a double-tap (or knock) to wake the device and bypass the lock screen.
I still remember when I had to get up from my comfy spot on the couch to change the channel on my old television. So for me, the remote control may be one of the most underrated inventions of the last century. These days, remotes take on all sorts of shapes, not just the typical brick, but also in the form of watches and cell phones.
Back in college, there were many instances where I'd have to meet up with a partner that I was randomly paired with in order to work on a project or to study for an exam. Besides the awkward interactions, the most difficult part was always figuring out where we would meet off-campus. I live here and they live there, so what's reasonably halfway?
Sometimes you need more than just your brain to split the bill at a restaurant or to calculate how much your cable company is ripping you off.
The app formerly known as Google Experience Launcher is now officially called the Google Now Launcher in honor of its most prominent feature, Google Now. Only problem is, this launcher is still exclusive to the Nexus 5 smartphone.
Instagram recently released their new Instagram Direct messaging feature in their Android and iOS apps, which lets users share private photos and videos directly with individuals or groups of up to 15 users. However, there are no restrictions on who you can send private photos or videos to.
Browser customization is one of Firefox's best attributes. You can personalize your Firefox with extensions, add-ons, themes, and so on. And if all of that still doesn't cut it, you can even customize the Firefox Menu button to say whatever you want. To start off, you'll need to download a user file editor called ChromEdit Plus. Click Add to Firefox, then hit Allow when prompted and wait for it to install. You will need to restart Firefox afterwards.
Even though iOS 6.1 was only released a couple of weeks ago, hackers released evasi0n a couple days after. Evasi0n, the only iPhone 5 jailbreak currently on the market, is the most popular jailbreak in history—with nearly 7 million iOS devices already hacked in the mere four days after its release. Well, now it seems that iOS 6.1 is being taken advantage of again, this time with a simple exploit figured out by YouTube user S1riOS6, which lets you bypass the lock screen on an iPhone running iO...
For the most part, keyboard shortcuts are great. They save you some time and make it easier to do everything right from the push of a button. But like most things in life, there is always a caveat, and in this case, for me—it's a huge one.
Can't play your DVD movies on your brand new Windows 8 system? That's because Microsoft decided to omit Windows Media Center from Windows 8 this time, instead making it available as an extra download—and it's not free anymore. At least, it won't be next year.
Think you can't play any modern songs (i.e. the ones you hear on the radio) just because you're new to the piano? Well, we're here to tell you that mentality is SO five seconds ago. Because now that you've stumbled upon this piano tutorial, you'll learn all the essentials you'll need to play Miley Cyrus' hit single "The Climb" on piano. This tutorial is intended for beginners.
Okay, so how cute is this chubby fondant panda bear? While the ltitle dude makes an adorable cupcake or cake topper for your kid's birthday party, you should definitely also find excuses to pop it on top of your own baked creations - we're thinking for baby showers or for a spring bash.
Anytime you hit the grocery store you can find an entire aisle dedicated to quick fixes, meals-on-the-go, and pre-mixed cake batter. While these options are great if you're looking to add polysorbate 60 and red 5 to your diet, if you're looking for a more natural foodstuff then you should make it at home.
Remember Pamela Anderson's "Baywatch" days? Yeah, Pamela Anderson is a little washed up now, but back in the day there was no one hotter in a one-piece swimsuit. And whether she was rescuing a very thankful (and probably turned on) teenage boy from the water or simply hitting up the grocery store, she always wore her signature smoky eye with buxomlips.
Before Bon Jovi caused teenage girls to spontaneously and simultaneously burst out of their clothing at his concerts he was just a kid in his basement, strumming chord after chord until his fingers turned red.
The sirsha angushtha yogasana sounds pretty simple - it's a bending forward pose - but it's actually among the more intermediate yoga poses you can try. In a sort of lunge position, you clasp your arms behind you and bend forward as much as you can, until your head hits the floor if possible.
In this tutorial, we learn how to get the Phoenix achievement in Soul Calibur IV. To do this, you will need to win with all your equipment destroyed. Hit high and do low attacks to help you get the advantage. Don't fight and just stand there until all your equipment is gone. Go to the Tower of Lost Souls and do this on Floor 11 to help you get this achievement more easily. After the opponent knocks off your equipment, you will be able to start fighting and hurting the other person until they ...
Gus shows us how to do all of the executions in Godfather II in this video. First, run around and try to kill as many people as you can. Use different execution styles so you aren't doing them all the same way. Use choking, hitting, punching, kicking, and anything else to help you execute the people around you. After you kill them, you will learn how to do all of the different executions in the game. Use these while you are playing all the different levels so you can kill people different way...
Beyonce makes just about any hairstyle look damn good and worthy of imitation. While she generally rocks a glamorous loose mane of hair, sometimes curled, sometimes not, when she hits up more formal events she likes to style her locks into a bun.
Honestly, we think Katy Perry is pretty without any makeup on (as she says in "Teenage Dream"). The girl does know how to work a makeup brush, though, and enjoys doing pin up looks with high intensity pigmentation.
In this video we learn how to make a hip hop beat in FL Studio. First, load up your drum sounds from the browser to the interface. After this, change the hits on the drums to make the beat sound different. Edit how high the volume is on the snare drum and then change the ghost kick so it's not too loud either. Once you have this figured out, add in the high hat and the shaker patterns. Once you have these added in and you like the volumes that they are at, you will have your very own hip hop ...
Looking to hit up DragonCon, GenCon, ComicCon, or any other sort of con and want to dress up? Well, if you're going as your favorite Dungeons and Dragons character (there's others, but this one was first to mind) and that character happens to use an axe, there's a cheap way to make your own with a broom handle, some cardboard, spray paint and time! In this video you will learn how to construct a battle axe, a pole axe AND a war axe, pretty cool right?
If the only way you've ever had meat balls is coated in a sea of marinara or meat sauce at an Italian joint, then you haven't even hit the tip of the iceburg when it comes to meatball recipes. If you love your balls of meat and are interested in trying a spicier, alternative take on traditional meat balls, then check out this recipe.
