Enabled from the moment you first booted up your device, there's a feature deep in the iPhone's settings that automatically backs up your device in the background. As long as you're connected to Wi-Fi and a power source and your screen is locked, your photos, text messages, apps, and everything in-between gets safely stored to your iCloud account.
Sony's Xperia line of smartphones are beautifully crafted and have many great features. But considering the fact that Sony has evolved into a media company over the last two decades, it's their media-related apps that stand out the most.
With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat available for anyone to take advantage of, I'm all about differentiating from the mundane and repetitive images we see on social media everyday.
If you are anything like me, you have a knack for taking silly selfies of yourself, i.e., taking scotch tape and wrapping it around your face to make yourself look like the blob, or perhaps you like taking selfies of yourself in weird or unusual situations doing weird and unusual things.
One of the many unique features that sets Android apart from other mobile operating systems is its live wallpaper system. Instead of the same old boring static image, this system lets developers create apps that provide dynamic home screen wallpapers.
It's been a long-awaited feature since being announced at Google I/O in June, but Backdrop for Chromecast has finally started rolling out. With an update to the Chromecast app for Android and iOS, users will be able to personalize the background images that appear when Chromecast is idle.
The updates keep coming for iOS 8, and we've got our hands on the developer release of iOS 8.1, currently in beta, which was released shortly after the iOS 8.0.2 update (and 8.0.1 failure) for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
Sony's latest flagship, the Xperia Z3, comes with some pretty high-end hardware, but what really draws me to it are the aesthetics of its ROM, Xperia UI. Even though my HTC One M8 can still go toe-to-toe with the Z3 in a performance matchup, there is something about Sony's UI that is simply missing from my HTC.
You hand your iPhone to a friend to show them a picture. What happens? They swipe. Left, right, it doesn't matter. You don't remember what lies in either direction of the photo in question, and you don't want anything compromising exposed to the unassuming viewer. Luckily, Apple includes a safety net in iOS to prevent this scenario from ever happening, so long as you set it up ahead of time.
It has been a long while since I last came here to write an article. Graduate school keeps you busy. After I looked over what I had written previously, I decided that I should introduce another fun topic from cryptography. In this case, steganography.
Videos are great for catching fleeting moments, and photos are insanely easy to share with anyone, but how can you get the best of both worlds?
It's been a great week for Chromecast owners. First, Google released the development kit, allowing devs to install the casting code into their apps. Then, CyanogenMod dev Koush updated his AllCast app to support the Chromecast. That means you can shoot personal movies, music, and photos directly from your Android device over to a Chromecast-connected display.
For those of you who have (or had) and iPhone, one of the cooler photo apps for iOS was VSCO Cam, an extremely popular camera with pro-quality filters and effects. Now this app is available for Android on Google Play for your Nexus 7 tablet and any other devices running Android 4.0 and up.
Initially introduced as an Easter egg deep within Android's operating system, the Daydream screensaver feature turned official in the release of 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Now, it's been out for a few months, which means developers have already figured out how to take advantage of it in their own ways.
There are a ton of cool things you can do with your iPhone's camera in iOS 7, from taking burst photos to bouncing the camera open and taking nice parallax-friendly wallpapers. However, nothing tops the camera's super secret hidden feature—turning you into a spy photographer.
There are definitely some great things about iOS 7, but like any good piece of software, it's got some things to kink out—and how wallpapers work seems to be one of the biggest issues, since it's so much different than in previous iOS versions.
Have you ever noticed how your home screen and lock screen wallpaper moves underneath your notification, app icons, really anything on display? It's a cool effect, but to some, might be a bit jarring. On top of that, it also uses up precious battery life. If you're sick of seeing this parallax effect on your iPhone, here's how to turn it off.
The new Moto X is still a couple of weeks from being released here in the United States, but that doesn't mean we can't play around with a few of its cool features.
I've already covered how you can automatically save Snapchat photos and videos to your Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and how to take screenshots of Snapchats sent to you without the sender knowing, but there's one other thing about Snapchat that could use some softModding.
What is your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 running? More than likely, you're still rocking Jelly Bean 4.1.2, which is already pretty outdated. My grandma uses 4.1.2.
Welcome back, my tenderfoot hackers! This is the third installment of my series on basic Linux skills that every hacker should know. Although some hacking tools are available for Windows and Mac, every real hacker uses Linux—for good reason.
I've taken a few photography classes back in the day, so I'm pretty confident in my abilities with a DSLR, but my iPhone is a completely different story. Lighting makes all the difference, so unless you're outdoors in the sun, it's hard to take a good snapshot with a mobile.
You may remember this badass wall of flames photo... That's because last month I highlighted a tutorial by photographer Barry Elder that showed how to light paint with fire.
Even though I am not cool enough to use Instagram on a daily basis, I still try to stay in the loop. I did take photography in high school, so I know a thing or two about picture taking. I just can't seem to find the motivation to take a picture of random crap during my daily routine, but I guess that's why I'm Instalame.
This may seem like an odd subject, because what do Steampunks and iPhones even have to do with each other? Actually, more than you might think!
Wish your home wireless network was faster? You can always buy a signal booster, but if you'd rather not spend the money, here are a few tips and tricks to speed up your wireless connection, including how to make a homemade signal booster with things you probably already have lying around.
Did you know you can help protect yourself when traveling with a gun? No, not like that; and not in any way that's going to land you in prison. Simply by packing a gun, you can ensure that not only will your luggage be safer, but that the airline will make certain that it reaches its destination. Photo by Alamy
Want to prank a friend by making them look like a punk? Or get revenge by showing the picture to their parents? Or maybe you just want to see what you would look like wiht an eyebrow piercing yourself. Start with a photo of your subject, one with the eyebrow prominently shown, and then follow the steps in this tutorial to add a fake eyebrow piercing using the tools and techniques in Adobe Photoshop.
If you're using Photoscape you already know what a cool and free alternative it is to more costly photo editing programs such as Photoshop. You also likely know that the program only comes with so many fonts, but this how to video will show you what to do to install more fonts to expand all your graphic editing goodness. Check it out and learn how to do it! You'll want some sort of zip program such as winzip or winrar to unpack the zipped font files after you download them.
The Nintendo Dsi is a powerful little machine, packed full of cool features. If you're not familiar with all the things you can do, check out this video and see what other things can be done. From moving or removing icons, making cool sounds, set custom music, upload photos to Facebook and more! Don't just sit there watch this video and expand your knowledge of all the cool things your Dsi can do. Oh, and learn how to do a very important system update too!
Bras are such wonderful inventions. Without them, our twins would stray and wander right out of our clothing, and cold weather would prove rather uncomfortable - not to mention awkward - anytime we take our sweater off (if you catch our drift).
In this video, we learn how to do night photography with your kids. Glow sticks. flash lights, and ghost images are great for night time! First, put your camera in the manual mode and then learn how to set the shutter once you're in manual mode. Put the pop up flash on your camera, then get started taking pictures! Use glow sticks to take pictures of the children, giving a cool effect on the photos. Use different shutter speeds on the camera to capture the sparks on the glow sticks and with s...
In this video, we learn how to create a memorable birth video. You will first need to buy a video camera or use a digital camera that takes movies as well. Make sure it has a microphone so you capture all the action. Make sure you have a large memory card to capture everything as well. Also, purchase a triPod that will allow you to take photos of the family and you will get steady pictures. Make the movie into different acts, but make sure to be with your wife during the process. Take lots of...
In this tutorial, we learn how to create a warm grunge background in Photoshop. First, create a large circle on a burnt orange background in Photoshop. Now, go to layer, adjustment layer, then levels. Hit "ok" then the level's adjustment layer will be masked. Now, go grab the bottom black slider and brighten up the middle. Use the overlay to create a center glow. Next, bring in texture using a brushed metal texture from this photo. Now, even the image out by going to image, then image rotatio...
In this video, we learn how to use the polygonal lasso tool in Photoshop. This will allow you to create a selection on your photo in a freehand style. First, select the tool from your toolbar, it's the third selection down. Once you select this, go to your picture and find the piece you want to cut out or copy. Press and hold the control and space bar, then highlight the area you want to. This is great to make a selection that has a straight edge. If you just click with it, it will have a dia...
In this clip, you'll learn how to adjust your privacy settings to prevent your friends from sharing your personal information on Facebook. Share pictures with your friends by making photo albums on Facebook. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're completely new to the Facebook's popular social networking site or simply require a small amount of clarification on how to perform a particular task on Facebook, you're sure to benefit from this helpful video guide. For more informati...
This tutorial shows you how to turn a photo into a cartoon that has a pop art feel to it using Photoshop. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular raster graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
An image of a human head can consist of a single penstroke or a thousand polygons. The head model that you will be learning to create in this three-video series leans very much towards the latter. The videos will teach you how to create a 3D model of the human head using 3D Studio MAX from a photo. It assumes some knowledge of 3DS MAX, but not too much, so don't be scared! Watch this baby and start modeling!
If your little youngster is celebrity his first Fourth of July and you want to get him decked out for the occasion without posing any potential choking hazard with beaded necklaces or bracelets, then this fuzzy hat is the perfect way to get him in the spirit.
Photoshop CS4 and Maya do very different things, but can be combined very effectively to create photorealistic 3D images. This three-part video will teach you how to combine a photo and a 3D model of a head to create a 3D model with photrealistic textures overlaid on it. This is much easier than painting your UVs, and creates really brilliant-looking images.
