The new HTC One and Nexus series devices have already replaced their physical navigation keys with soft keys, and it's inevitable that we'll see more and more of this on future mobiles. Samsung continues to buck the trend entirely, but no manufacturer as gone as far as to remove the volume rockers.
There is and always will be a staunch anti-microwave camp, but they're a fact of life. The whole point of a microwave is convenience, right? But it's not so convenient when you pull out reheated leftovers and discover that your food is only partially warm.
With the introduction of the Control Center in iOS 7, we finally had a way to access common system toggles like Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode, and best of all, Flashlight. Of course, there were plenty of adequate flashlight apps in the iOS App Store, but none that made it available straight from the lock screen.
Last week, Apple issued an iOS 7.0.6 update that fixed a serious security vulnerability that could allow hackers to steal passwords, read emails, and get info from other SSL-encrypted communications.
One of the best things about iOS 7 is the Control Center, which gives you quick access from anywhere on your iPhone to turning on or off Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. It also makes it very easy to adjust the brightness of your display, and gives app shortcuts for your Flashlight, Calculator, Timer, and Camera.
I know all of you softModders love these little modifications, like enabling the hidden battery percentage on the Nexus 7 or getting the exclusive Google Launcher on your Nexus, so here's an easy one that lets you hide the soft-keys from your tablet, which will actually expand your screen to look a little bit longer.
Like insurance, it's always better to have a computer mouse and not need it than to need it and not have it. Honestly, I don't want to carry around a clunky mouse with my laptop, so I don't. I do something else, something more convenient. I use my Nexus 7. If you want to give it a try, I'll show you how it's done right now. All you need to is a Wi-Fi network and a specific Android app to control your computer with your Android tablet.
When you have to take four different freeways to go twelve miles, Google Maps becomes a very close and dear friend—especially in Los Angeles. Without my trusty Samsung Galaxy S3, I seriously don't know if I could make it back home half of the time. Of course, you'd probably get better directions using a Garmin, TomTom, or other GPS device, but when you already have a smartphone like the GS3, dedicated GPS units become nothing more than a luxury item.
With the explosion of food blogs in the last couple of years, there are more recipes available at the tip of your fingers than ever before. Craving chocolate chip cookies or Sriracha-flavored anything? You're guaranteed to have several thousand versions to choose from. So that's how they did it before the Internet...
A few months ago I was driving around trying to find a store using Apple Maps (a terrible situation in and of itself), when my iPhone decided to shut off in the middle of giving me directions. I had no idea what happened, and when I looked at the screen, I saw this: My phone had never overheated and I really didn't know what to do. Needless to say, I couldn't really get to where I was trying to go without those directions. I pulled over and waited for the phone to cool back down, which took a...
There is nothing worse than losing valuable information or programs on your computer. And if you've ever accidentally deleted a file or document, you know how agonizing that entire process can be.
I check my email every morning as part of my daily routine (usually while I'm brushing my teeth, if you really want to know). As a result, there have been many, many times where I've read an email on my phone or computer and forgotten to respond in a timely fashion.
In a previous how-to, I showed how to send and receive text messages by wirelessly syncing them from your phone to your Nexus 7 tablet. Some eagle-eyed users may have notice that the Nexus 7 with 3G actually has a SIM card slot.
Advancements to Android's open source OS come in the form of ROMs and mods, available all over the web for anyone to find. Installing any of these modifications tends to wipe your phone clean, causing you to lose all of the precious data on your device.
I think part of the reason why I don’t eat more vegetables or fruits is because there's always a process—a simple one, but a process nonetheless. Having to wash my fruits and veggies is just flat out annoying. I just want to eat them, not take a shower with them.
Having all of your stuff in the cloud is super convenient if you want to access it on multiple devices, or if you want a backup in case it gets lost or wiped. The biggest downside with services like Dropbox, though, is security. With everything sitting there in one place, the last thing you want is for someone to break in.
Most newer computers come with a webcam, but if you're using an older system, you may not have one. If you only need to use a webcam occasionally, it may not be worth putting the money into, so why not just use your smartphone? There are a few apps out there that can help you turn your phone into a super-convenient wireless webcam and save some cash.
Considering how easy and convenient Photoshop has become, even for the average computer user, it's nearly impossible to tell whether a photo is authentic, or if it's had some "improvements."
Even though we all know it's a bad idea, a lot of people still use their browser's store password function to keep up with all their accounts. While convenient, this shortcut also makes their passwords very easy to find if you have access to the computer they're stored on.
There are tons of situations that require you to give out your phone number, and I think just about everyone has regretted doing so at some point. It can be incredibly convenient to have a secondary or temporary number on hand, so if you don't want to provide your real digits, you can still get the call without revealing your true numbers. And that's where Burner comes in. Burner is a mobile app for iPhone and Android that lets you create alias phone numbers that you can take out of service a...
Taking screen captures is a standard feature on iPhones and newer Android smartphones, but for some reason it's not very intuitive. Screenshots allow you to share your phone's screen with your friends, document technical problems for customer support, and even make how-to guides easier to follow. So, it's definitely worth remembering. Here's how you do it.
Do you own an HP printer? If so, it may be vulnerable to malware attacks. Researchers at Columbia University discovered that 25% of Hewlett-Packard printers have significant vulnerabilities that put your printer in danger from hackers—even your home. With a budget of just $2,000, researchers Salvatore Stolfo and Ang Cui were able to hack into the printers using remote firmware to install malware, and in some cases even cause the printer to catch on fire. The main issue is with the printer's c...
Let's face it, pretty much everyone has an automatic dishwasher. They are super convenient and are becoming cheaper to allow the general public better access to them. With that being said, though, dishwashers are also becoming a lot smaller.
There are a lot of programs which allow opening archives. Alas, most of them are rather complicated to use. The process of the archive opening often takes much time. Hopefully, there are some programs which are simpler to use for regular users.
There are a lot of programs which allow opening archives. Alas, most of them are rather complicated to use. The process of opening of the archive often takes much time. Hopefully, there are some applications which are simpler to use for regular uers.
Cheese makes everything better. It's just a fact. Sandwiches, burritos, and even plain bread all get a benefited flavor quotient when cheese is involved.
The HTC Desire Z continues the HTC hit parade of awesome smart phones. It offers some awesome standard features that used to be hard to make on older Android phones, like flip-to-speaker and flip-to-silence. This video will show you how to use these features and take full advantage of your phone.
This tutorial goes over a few of the advanced features offered in the special effects and video editing software WAX 2.0. Specifically, you'll learn how to add particle effects (like snow) and create a picture warp for transitions to add to your films and projects.
Moog synthesizers can create a limitless variety of analog synth sounds, but making them make the cool, thick, full sounds you want to use in your music can be daunting. This video offers a variety of great tips for using multiple oscillators to create the types of sounds you want on your Moog. You lucky devil.
Tutting has taken the art of walking like an Egyptian to a whole new level. If you've already got some basic moves down and you're looking to improve the creativity and smoothness of your tutting, check this video out. It offers tips on positions, transitions, and improving you style to make your tuts more epic than ever before.
Krump is one of the most unconventional hip-hop dances, and there is a special emphasis on achieving a nasty sort of style while you're doing it. This video will teach you the basics of krumping, including stomps, arm swings, and buck ups. It also offers tips on achieving that nasty attitude you're going for when you krump.
When cars start to get older, their many fragile moving parts start to make noises they never made before. Sometimes, when your car starts making a new noise, it can be very difficult to identify what is causing the noise and what you need to do to repair it. This video offers some great tips for finding the source of different kinds of car noises, from engine noises to suspension noises.
Gmail is the incredibly popular, powerful, and free email program that Google offers, and stock, it works really well. It has all kinds of setting that you can change to make it work better though. This video features veteran Google video maker Matt Cutts walking you through his Gmail settings, explaining ways in which he has optimized it to work for him in order to give you ideas for improving your own Gmail experience.
Google is one of the most powerful forces on the Internet, and their technology can be the key to helping you find success in whatever your online endeavor might be, from web design to filmmaking. This video is a part of their Google Webmaster Series, offering help to webmasters the world over on how to best utilize Google in their work. This video will show you how to ensure that your Wordpress blog is safe from the hacker attacks that are so common for Wordpress users.
Google is one of the most powerful forces on the Internet, and their technology can be the key to helping you find success in whatever your online endeavor might be, from web design to filmmaking. This video is a part of their Google Webmaster Series, offering help to webmasters the world over on how to best utilize Google in their work. This video will show you how to optimize your deep web content, like databases and forms, to be crawled by Google using a few simple tricks.
Killzone 2 is the latest iteration of one of the Playstation 3's only reputable exclusive series. It's a great shooter, and has many guns that are well-balanced and each offer distinct advantages. If you want to master the game, you'd better know how to use each one properly. This video will teach you everything you need to know about the Helghast StA-14 rifle, a semi-automatic but powerful rifle for medium-range combat.
The browser on your Android-powered cell phone offers numerous features that enhance your overall web experience. Some of the great features include double-tapping to zoom in, searching for text on webpages, sharing websites with friends, and copying and pasting. There's a lot more, so watch this video tip from Google to see how to fully enjoy your web browser.
Half-Life 2 and it's brilliantly creative baby Portal refuse to die, offering the same great gameplay today that they did when they were released in 2004. This video will show you how to mimic, in After Effects, a very cool effect from the game called a portal storm. It basically looks like lightning on steroids, and will give any movie that you are compositing in After Effects some really legit sci-fi flair.
Motion tracking a movie scene in After Effects is a royal pain in the butt. It takes a long time, depends largely on the suitability of the footage you are working with, and is rather confusing. This video is here to shed some light on the subject, offering many tips and tricks for basic motion tracking in After Effects. If you're having trouble getting your own scum-sucking monster to wander the desert realistically, watch this video!
Interested in taking professional-caliber portraits but haven't time (or money) for a bulky light rig? Great results can be had by taking advantage of the available light from windows. This photographer's guide offers a number of pointers for you shooters out there. For more information, and to get started taking your own beautifully lit photos, take a look.
