With all of the productivity tweaks and usability enhancements that we cover here at Gadget Hacks, it's nice when we come across a unique and noteworthy app that's simply about having fun.
Lending someone your phone to make a call is always an awkward situation, as you closely monitor them to make sure they stick to a phone call rather than wandering off into private applications like your photo or messaging apps. You don't necessarily want to eavesdrop on their conversation, but trusting people with your phone is difficult, especially if you have some risqué or embarrassing pictures stored on it.
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.
When you misplace your Android device, finding it with the Android Device Manager, or even better, Whistle Me, can help you find it no problem. But what about when your phone is not just hiding under the couch cushions? Your worst nightmare just came true. It's officially gone.
How many times do you misplace your phone? Once a day? Twice? As much as you may hate losing your phone, it always seems to happen, and finding it isn't very easy if you left it on silent mode.
Extremely important calls have a way of coming at the most inopportune moments: when you're in class during an important lecture, at a big business meeting for work, or even when you're just enjoying a day at the movies.
We're not always near our phone, so Pushbullet made it easy to get your phone's notifications straight to your computer, like calls and text messages. But with their latest update, you can also sync alerts with other Android devices using their new cross-device mirroring feature.
A boring work meeting. A conversation with someone you don't like. A date that's going horribly. A run-in with an aggressive and intimidating stranger. These are all situations where you want to flee—and fast.
In the wake of the NSA controversy and its subsequent fallout, many dashed towards finding means of secure communication—using private internet browsing and encrypted text messaging applications—out of fear of being spied on.
Here are instructions to make an origami tarantula. Detailed visual instructions are on the video that contains a map and images of the origami.
Phone interruptions are commonplace, as is evident by my historically epic missed phone call list, ranging from annoying sales people to my mom checking in every five minutes to see if I'm still alive.
"Ahoy-hoy." If telephone titan Alexander Graham Bell had his way, we'd all be answering phones like Mr. Burns. Thankfully, frienemy Thomas Edison had enough sense to realize we weren't always on the briny. He preferred "hello" as our standard telephone greeting, which he is credited with coining in 1877. Fellow American pioneer Davy Crockett actually used it as a greeting first in 1833 (as compared to an exclamation)—but in print, not over the phone.
Need root on your Samsung Galaxy S3? Phone not getting the Jelly Bean update? Stuck on the Samsung screen? Phone bricked? Need to restore back to stock? Odin can help!
A lot of people text nonstop, but there are situations where it's either not allowed or considered rude to use your phone. Let's say you're in class or in a meeting at work, band you're expecting an important message or phone call. Rather than trying to check your phone discreetly, wouldn't it be better if you could just see your calls and messages on your computer?
Want to search through your Samsung Galaxy S III or other Android smartphone using only a web browser? Thanks to XDA-Developers member Metal Droid, you can now access and download anything from your phone through any browser on your computer using DroidXPlorer.
With the Samsung Galaxy S III being a hot commodity, it's no surprise that your friends might try unlocking your fancy password-protected phone. While some friends have good intentions when using your phone, there are those certain friends who get into the phone to do this... The worst scenario might be that you leave the phone around a group of friends, come back and find that all of your social media accounts have been hacked. When you yell out to your friends asking who did it, no one make...
It may seem like a trivial topic, but the majority of people don't use paper towels the proper way (just as they don't crap the proper way). The outcome of this improper usage?
We use smartphones for just about everything, and while that may be beneficial to us in our day-to-day lives, it can also be used against us in the court of law.
Tethering your Android phone basically turns it into a mobile hotspot, allowing you to funnel a 3G or 4G internet connection from your phone into your PC or laptop via USB. As you might expect, phone carriers brought the hammer down in an effort to stop users from getting around the fees they charge to normally allow you to do this.
Everyone loves using their cell phones for everything except actually making phone calls. Whether it's watching streaming video, listening to music or playing video games, it would seem that calling people is almost an afterthought to cell manufacturers in this day and age.
Verizon Wireless has a data cap on the 4G LTE connection that the Motorola Droid Bionic uses to connect to the internet and download information from its apps. If you want to stop your phone from hitting these caps and causing you overage fees, you can turn off the 4G connection by looking at this guide. It will save your smartphone's battery life as well!
If you've found alternatives that you prefer to the stock apps on your Android phone, delete the ones you don't use. It's easy, just watch this video and learn how to use root explorer to delete stock apps from your Android device.
If you're looking for an easy way to manage your AT&T phone bill and cut down on paper usage, this how-to is for you. Using AT&T Online Account Management portal for small business customers, you can manage your account and billing prefrences.
The makers of Call of Duty Black Ops clearly had a bit of a sense of humor about their work, as easter eggs are liberally scattered throughout the game's many maps. This video will teach you how to find the red phone easter egg in the Five map in Black Ops Zombies.
Organize your contacts list by merging duplicate entries. Learn how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Spice up your digital photos with filters and effects. See how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Get turn-by-turn directions and find places of interest with the Locations app on your HTC Desire HD. See how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
In this tutorial, we learn how to transfer music from your iPhone to iTunes. First, plug your phone into your computer and open up iTunes. From here, you will see the library of tunes that you have. Then, click on the 'smart backup' link that is on the top of the page. After this, your computer and your phone will start to backup the music and your phone music will transfer to your iTunes account. When it's finished, you will be able to access this music and listen to it whenever you would li...
Need a hand figuring out how the FaceTime video phone call application works? This home-computing how-to from the folks at MacMost will help sort you out. To learn more, and to get started making video calls to iPhones and other FaceTime-enabled iOS devices from your Mac, watch this video guide.
In this video we learn how to make a purse or handbag out of duct tape. Start out with your duct tape and a flat surface. each piece needs to be 8 inches long and laid out in front of you. Then, stick these on top of each other. Once you do this with two, take your other pieces and overlap them, then connect them together. After you have the four strips together, use a different color around the edge of this, making it with the same process. Now you will have a pouch, which will be your purse...
A slingbox takes content from your TV or cable box and then 'slings' it to another location - such as your smartphone or computer. This tutorial shows you how to set up a slingbox for your home entertainment network and then start using it!
Access your favorite FM radio station with your Motorola Q! This tutorial also shows you how to load your favorite music onto your cell phone, and then choose segments to turn into ringtones, which you can personalize further by assigning them to individual callers.
In this clip, you'll learn how to use Google's new VOIP (voice over IP) feature to make domestic and international phone calls from your Gmail inbox. For more information, including a complete demonstration of the process and detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started making calls from your own Gmail account, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to make VOIP (or voice over IP) phone calls over your Windows PC. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started making phone calls over your own Internet connection, watch this handy home-computing how-to from the folks at CNET TV.
The HTC Eris is one of the many smart-looking smartphones the company has released in it's short tenure in the US market, but it's a good one and you can get it for free from Sprint with many service plans. If you've got one, why not root it and start taking full advantage of its abilities! This video will show you how to do it quickly and easily, teaching your cute little phone some new tricks.
Learn how to use the various messaging features available on a BlackBerry phone. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're the proud owner of a BlackBerry smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video guide. For detailed information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Looking for a guide on how to tether your Android phone to your Windows PC, creating an ad-hoc Internet connection? This guide will teach you everything you'll need to know. It's easy! So easy, in fact, that this guide can present a thorough overview of the process in just over four minutes. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this clip.
Looking for instructions on how to take pictures with the camera on your Verizon Pantech Jest mobile smartphone? You're in luck. This free video tutorial will see that you need everything you need to know to take both snapshots and short videos. For thorough instructions, watch this cell phone guide.
Looking for instructions on how to use the various messaging features available on your Samsung Intensity II mobile smartphone? You're in luck. This free video tutorial will see that you need everything you need to know to send and receive email and SMS text messages. For thorough instructions, watch this cell phone guide.
It's really tempting to put every app and widget you can think of on your Android cell phone's home screen, but eventually you'll have a hard time finding anything in the clutter. That's where folders come in. Creating a folder on your home screen makes life a little easier, and a little more organized. Think about dragging all your games into a one consolidated folder. CNET shows you how to make a folder, how to rename it, and how to manage it on your Android smartphone.
