How To: Personalize Mass Text Messages on Android
We've all received those impersonal mass text messages, whether we're getting invited out to a birthday party, graduation celebration, or just a group dinner or outing.
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How To: Use Vinegar & Baking Soda to Fluff Up Worn-Out Bath Towels
It feels great to wrap up in a big, fluffy towel after a steamy shower, but it's frustrating when that towel isn't quite up to the job. Over time, towels lose their ability to hold water and dry as needed thanks to daily use and the biggest culprit—laundry detergent.
How To: Turn Any Android Device into a Hidden Spy Camera
If Detective Alonzo Harris from Training Day taught me anything, it's that "It's not what you know, it's what you can prove." So when items mysteriously go missing from my room or my section of the fridge, it's up to me to figure out and prove which roommate took them.
How To: Get the Samsung Galaxy S6's Newer Smart Switch App on Any Galaxy Device
With only a month left until Samsung's highly-anticipated Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are released to the general public, it's only natural that some of the devices' features slowly trickle out, like Edge notifications, the new Smart Remote app, and, of course, wallpapers.
How To: Change Your Android's Screen Resolution Without Root Access
When I first received my HTC One M8, I was in love with the 5-inch screen size, but the icons and font just seemed too big, wasting valuable screen real estate. Phablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, have only slightly larger screens, but don't seem to have this problem since manufacturers lowered the device's DPI, or dots per inch.
How To: Easily Create Your Own Custom Font from Scratch
In general, we never really put much thought into fonts, but they comprise a huge portion of our online experience. A whimsical mood can easily be set by using something like Segoe Script, but switch it up to Sentinel and you've got a more sophisticated feel all of a sudden.
How To: Automatically Add Your Shazam Songs to a Rdio or Spotify Playlist
We recently showed you how to recover your Shazam history from Siri, which is a lot less intuitive than finding the songs you've tagged directly in the Shazam app. But with a subscription to Rdio or Spotify, there's no need to even locate your history. You can Shazam songs and have them automatically added to a newly created playlist titled "My Shazam Tracks."
How To: Install the Classic Windows 3D Pipes Screensaver on Your Mac
Back when CRT and plasma monitors were still a thing, screensavers served a purpose beyond just aesthetics: the moving images and patterns prevented static images from being burned into the display.
How To: Get More Bro Time by Automating Loving Texts to Your Girlfriend
Those of us with girlfriends understand that in order for the relationship to run smoothly, you have to keep your woman happy and let her know that you're thinking of her—even when you're not.
How To: Convert Almost Any File Type Straight to Your Cloud Account
Converting files from one format to another can be a pain. Sometimes you have to download software that you'll only end up using once. Other times you have to use a shady third-party conversion site that's riddled with ads. Not to mention that after a while, unless you're extremely organized, your converted files will be scattered all across your hard drive.
Unsubscriber: The Easiest Way to Get Rid of Annoying Emails in Gmail on Your iPhone
You've undoubtedly used your email address to sign up for a chance to win something online or to purchase something on sale. Often, these offers are too enticing to pass up, and you reason that you'll live with the consequences of handing out your information for the chance at making out big.
How To: Use Apps & Play Games on Your iPhone Using Your Computer
Getting caught using your iPhone at school or work (when you're using it for personal reasons) can be a little bit embarrassing. Even worse, it can be detrimental to how you're perceived by your teacher or boss. But sometimes you just have to beat that next level of Candy Crush, view a risqué photo on Snapchat, or send an important WhatsApp message.
How To: Swap the 'Back' & 'Recent Apps' Buttons on Your Nexus 6
Unless you own a Samsung device, your Android's navigation buttons have probably always been in this order (from left to right): "Back," "Home," "Recent Apps." But depending on which hand you use to hold your phone, this may not be the most ergonomic layout for you.
How To: Get New Playback Controls for iTunes, Spotify, & More on Your Mac
I just about always have iTunes running in the background when using my Mac, but switching in and out of the app to change songs and albums can make focusing on my main task difficult. To help keep my mind on track, I have a few extensions enabled to take control of my music playback.
How To: Change the Boot Up Sound to Anything You Want on Your Galaxy Note 3
Every time my Galaxy Note 3 boots up, I'm greeted by the monotonous and slightly annoying AT&T sound. If you're as tired of the stock boot up sound as I am, then follow along with me below to see how to change it to whatever sound you want, no matter what carrier version you have.
How To: Make Your Android Look & Feel Like Lollipop Right Now
The new Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 models will be shipping with Android 5.0 Lollipop preinstalled, and the Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10 will be getting the new OS update from Google very soon. But where does that leave the rest of us?
How To: Change the Color of Your OnePlus One's Lock Screen
As much as it pained me to lose lock screen widget functionality, I just can't bare changing out the sleek-looking lock screen that's standard on the OnePlus One. The latest OTA introduced a new transparent theme, and while that's a welcomed improvement, I need more options!
How To: Get Spotify's Desktop Beta App for Mac & Windows (Now with Touch)
Without much notice, Spotify launched Desktop Open Beta a few weeks ago, a program that allows anyone to download, test out, and provide feedback on the latest beta version of their desktop application for Mac and Windows.
How To: Ariana Grande Music Video-Inspired Costumes for Halloween
Pop princess Ariana Grande has had quite the year. She released her second consecutive number-one album and is on the cusp of her first headlining tour in the U.S. early next year.
How To: DIY Emoji Halloween Costumes for Singles & Couples
It takes a lot of time, effort, and cash to create a unique Halloween costume that will likely never see the light of day after the 31st. Not to worry: you can do it on the cheap and feel savvy and creative while everybody compliments your ingenuity.
How To: Use Snapchat from Your Mac
Who said you need a smartphone to use Snapchat? A new application in the Mac App Store, appropriately dubbed Snappy, allows you to send and receive Snapchats directly on your computer. Check out the guide below to learn how to go through all of your Snapchat stories, take and send photos with filters, and text just like you would on your mobile device.
How To: The Trick to Opening Up Directions in Third-Party Map Apps on Your iPhone
After a few unnecessary U-turns, I quickly realized that Apple Maps wasn't for me, which is why I hate that it opens as the default app any time I select a shared location or an address from Yelp. Copying and pasting the address to Google Maps isn't a huge deal, but it's certainly not as fluid of a process as I'd like.
Herb Slapping: You've Gotta Get Physical for More Flavor
Fresh herbs can be delicate, and it's not always easy to figure out how to cut, crush, or muddle them to make the most of their flavors. Get too rough, and you have a bunch of bruised and muddy-tasting herbs, which is due to too much chlorophyll being released. Don't do enough prep, and the herbs don't release the essential oils and volatile molecules that are the foundation of their flavor.
Horizon: The Solution to Crappy Vertical Videos on Android
If you hold your phone upright while taking a video, you've surely seen the horrific end results. When you try to play the video back on any other display, roughly 70 percent of the screen is occupied by black bars.
How To: Add Every Volume Slider to Android's Notification Tray
Your device has several volume levels that are regularly adjusted: the alarm, media, and ringer. Keeping track of the various volumes on a device can become an easy-to-forget task, potentially resulting in you not hearing an alarm in the morning, as you have to enter the sound options or trigger a volume change, then expand the dialog box that pops up.
How To: Type Less & Say More with Custom Text Replacement Shortcuts
I'm a long-time and loyal Android user, but one iOS feature that I'm truly envious of is their keyboard shortcuts, which lets you assign a short macro that inputs a longer phrase. For example, typing "home" can input your home address.
How To: Finally, an App That Forces Your Kids to Answer Your Calls
When a Houston mom got tired of her kids seemingly refusing to return her calls, she decided that she'd take action. Sharon Standifird's vision was to create an app that would somehow force children to get into contact with their parents. Having no experience with app development, Standifird quickly taught herself the ropes and hired an experienced developer to help with coding.
How To: Share Songs from Any Music Service on Your iPhone to Anyone Using Craaave for iOS
When I stumble upon a new song that I'm really into, I don't just listen to it repeatedly—I share it with family and friends that I think might enjoy it just as much as I do. Now, thanks to a new iOS app called Craaave, sharing those tunes are a cinch, no matter if I'm using Spotify, SoundCloud, or any other music streaming app on my iPhone.
How To: Install a Third-Party Keyboard on Your Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
With so many keyboard options available for Android, there's no reason to limit ourselves to the default one, or to just the ones available in the Amazon Appstore. While the Appstore does provide alternatives, such as SwiftKey, it doesn't come close to the selection available in the Google Play Store.
How To: Secretly Record Videos Using the Volume Keys on Your Galaxy S4 or Other Android Phone
Unlike the suave 007 that Daniel Craig portrayed, I am not a spy, nor am I that charming, but I do occasionally enjoy taking a stealthy video. Maybe I'm a jerk, but I often catch people doing ridiculous things and just think, "Aren't you embarrassed?"
Blue Screen of Death: Prank Your Friend's Precious Android Phone with Fake Viruses
It's time for another mobile prank. The classic pranks and practical jokes are always great, but let's hit your friends where it really hurts—their precious (and expensive) smartphones. And what better way to scare the shit out of them than making them believe their phone's been infected by malware?
Ingredients 101: How & Why You Should Always Brown Butter
Butter can be even more delicious than it already is. While that may be a shocking claim, it's most definitely true. Many new cooks and even seasoned chefs don't realize this, but the few minutes it takes to do these things will pay you back exponentially when it comes to that buttery taste.
How To: Prevent Kitchen Spills with This DIY Resealable Grain Dispenser
I love cheap, nutritious food: lentils, rice, toor dal, and other beans and grains. Even popcorn. The only problem is that they usually come in floppy plastic bags that make measuring ingredients more difficult. I usually open up one corner of the bag only to have everything come spilling out all at once whenever I try to pour out measured amounts.
How To: The Definitive Guide to Android Malware
Android enthusiasts have their own opinion as to whether you need antivirus software on an Android device. This debate will never end, provided that Android malware is in existence. This guide is not here to say, "Yes, you need antivirus," or "No, you don't." It's to give you all the facts, so that you can make a decision as to whether or not you need antivirus on your Nexus.
How To: Change App Icons on Your Galaxy Note 3 Without a Third-Party Launcher
Samsung devices may dominate the Android market, but that doesn't mean everybody loves TouchWiz, the user interface on all of their smartphones and tablets. It's difficult to modify, comes with lots of bloatware, and isn't much to look at, to say the least.
How To: Play Your Google Music Library in Any Music App on Your Galaxy Note 3
As great as Google's own Play Music app is, your MP3 library is restricted to Google's own app. There are much better music players that give Google Play Music a run for its money, but duplicating music files on your device for this reason alone is a waste of storage space.
How To: Update Your Rooted Google Play Edition HTC One to 4.4.3 Without Losing Any Data
The beauty of having a Google Play Edition HTC One is the ability to get as close to stock Android as possible while still getting some extra non-Google, proprietary HTC features. The newest version of Android, 4.4.3, has just hit the Nexus and Google Play Edition line of phones, but if you are rooted with a custom recovery, you will not be able to apply the OTA.
How To: Spot a Liar Through Text Messages
While text messaging has become one of the most frequent ways we communicate with our friends, the missing body language, tone of voice, and eye contact can make it difficult to tell when someone is being dishonest. That said, it's not impossible. There are a number of subtle hints you can train yourself to recognize that will to help you detect written lies hiding in your SMS and iMessages. Here's what you should look out for.
How To: Build Sawhorses. Easy, Cheap and Sturdy!
How to build a set of strong, stackable sturdy sawhorses. Let's face it, one of the most useful pieces of carpentry equipment would have to be a set of sawhorses. Every worksite, garage or workshop needs a set of sawhorses. They have numerous uses from stacking timber on, using as painting racks, to using as a temporary workbench by laying a door or some ply across two sawhorses. You can even use them as trestles for a dining table!
How To: Clean Tarnished Metal Using This Common Condiment
Most of you probably spread ketchup all over hamburgers and fries. Some of you may even drink it straight. But did you know that tame (and slightly addictive) condiment in your fridge is also a powerful cleaning agent?