We live in a marvelous age, a time where technology is driving us forward as a species at a rapid pace, and tech-driven miracles are becoming more and more commonplace. While the human race may not be focused on building the largest wonders of the world, as it once was in history, the current order of wonders are much smaller in scale—even internal.
Crayon, a free 3D drawing application by the mysteriously named arkalian, showed up in the Windows Store recently, so I gave it a try like I do all new apps for Windows Holographic. Truthfully, I loaded it up not expecting much, but wow, was I wrong. It's a simple idea, but it's executed well enough to make it a truly great experience on the HoloLens.
When developing for the HoloLens, keeping a constant 60 fps (frames per second) while making things look beautiful is a challenge. Balancing the processing power to display complex models and keeping the frame rate where it needs is just a straight up painful process, but a solution seems to be on the horizon.
Beginners luck is a phrase I have always hated. But really, beginners luck comes down to not letting your experience in something get in the way of the idea.
A 2D film can show you something, but a 3D film in virtual reality can make you feel it. If done right, you'll feel immersed in a new world that surrounds you. If done wrong, you'll get nauseous and uncomfortable. SilVR Thread, a 360-degree VR video company, figured out a few important ways to get the feeling right.
The HoloLens opens up new, digital locales within our physical world, so it was only natural for the HoloLens Challenge to ask developers to create a portal into one. One developer rose to the task and gave life to wall art, turning it into an interactive game called Future Boy.
Most popular virtual reality headsets, like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, require a tethered connection to the computer and that imposes some obvious restrictions on how much we can move in our space. We'd all prefer a simpler, untethered option, and Intel wants to provide just that.
If you're tired of Google tracking you, but love how Chrome works, CyanogenMod has you covered. Their browser is called Gello, which is based off Chromium, Chrome's open-source counterpart. It's basically a souped-up version of Chrome—without all of the intrusive Google stuff. So if you're uncomfortable with Google displaying personalized ads based on your browsing history, or using your location to bring the "Physical Web" to your phone, you won't have to worry about any of that with Gello.
Microsoft's HoloLens is certainly a leap into the future of mixed reality interfaces, but it's not without drawbacks.
An app with overabundant features can make it more customizable, but too many options can also be overwhelming, even on a mobile web browser. If you're tired of Safari or Chrome on your iPhone, try out Frameless from developer Jay Stakelon, a simpler web experience using just the essentials.
If you've followed our guide on unlocking KitKat's real full screen capability using the immersive mode mod, then your status and navigation bars will be hidden when not in use, giving you a more expansive full screen experience.
Samsung and Microsoft do it out of the box, Google does it with a little tweaking, and they all do it well—multitasking. While we can hope for better (or simply any) multitasking integration for the next iteration of the iPad and iPad mini, a new jailbreak tweak eliminates the wait.
The movie Her is getting a lot of love from viewers and critics alike. While I find it kind of creepy to fall in love with a computer program, if Scarlett Johansson talked to me every day, I'd probably fall in love too.
BioShock: Infinite just came out today, and some people will no doubt play the game all of the way through with the object of beating the game. Others, though, will not only want to beat the game, but will want to earn every single achievement (or trophy) possible—and the A Real Pistol achievement is one of the very first (and easiest) ones you can get. In order to complete this task, you will need to kill 25 enemies with the Broadsider Pistol. You can pick up a Broadsider Pistol in the first...
Having to read a bunch of articles and tweets everyday can be tiresome, but if you can have a sweet-ass personal assistant read them for you, you're pretty golden.
Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has been one of the most successful film series of all time, so it comes as no surprise that everyone wants their own real-life versions of the Dark Knight's gadgets and vehicles.
If you're having trouble staying connected to Battlefield 3 on LAN, or if you're experiencing time outs or disconnects, take a look at this fix. You will need to follow several steps, including accessing the "services.msc" file and stoping the UPnP Device Host.
The last challenge of Batman: Arkham City is the Extreme version of the Funhouse Brawl Challenge Room. While the first wave isn't that bad, the second wave ramps up real quick with stun stick enemies and more. This Giant Bomb tutorial should help you unlock all three medials.
If you're interested in seeing what it would be like to run Android on a real computer rather than a tablet or smartphone, you don't have to wait. This Android project has now made it possible to run Android in a virtual machine on either a PC or a Mac computer. You'll need the following command to merge the ISOs:
The Windows 8 Developer Preview is available for download and can give you an early look at what Windows 8 will look like, including the new Metro UI that will replace the normal desktop experience for many computers and tablets. Here's a guide on how to install it on various kinds of computers.
Trying to act out a fight scene with real weapons can be dangerous, so this foam rubber crowbar is the perfect prop for theatre or film. This Backyard FX segment by Indy Mogul will guide you through making your foam weapon. So grab some rubber latex, foam, and a few other tools and start constructing your crowbar.
If you have owned a lot of hard drives, you probably have experienced the clicking of death that indicates that your hard drive is having serious problems. This video will explain why the click of death happens and show you some processes you can try to fix the problem yourself.
If you're looking to hook up your iPhone 4 to a TV, this video will let you know how it's done. Turn that 3.5 inch screen into a 40" monster with this helpful how-to.
WHen above ground in Minecraft finding true North is relatively easy. But just like in real life, figuring out what direction you're going underground isn't easy. This video will show you an easy way of figuring out which way is North underground in Minecraft.
The customizable perks in Call of Duty Black Ops multiplayer make the whole experience much bigger and more dynamic, and choosing the right one for a given map or game type can be the difference between pwnage and utter shame. This video discusses a number of the perks and the situations in which you should use them.
Gliding is one of the most important parts of hip-hop dance. It basically means sliding around the dance floor in a rhythmic, stylish way, and this video will show you how to do it like a pro. You don't have to be advanced already, it breaks it down real slow so you can make sure you learn the move properly and then dance you butt off!
The knee float is one of the most recognizable moves in both breakdancing and popping, and might be the slickest way to get up off your stomach ever conceived in dance or martial arts. It's hard to pull off smoothly, but this video will show you how to do a perfectly smooth knee float, and breaks it down real slow so anyone can learn it.
Carving Jack-O'-Lanterns is actually one of the safest parts of Halloween, despite the sharp knives involved. There are all kinds of techniques and styles, and this video will give you some great tips to help your pumpkin carving. It includes tips for keeping your pumpkin from getting mold and making it smell nice, and also advice on the use of foam pumpkins for those who want to eschew the mess of using the real thing.
Miranda from Mass Effect 2 is one of the sexiest femme fatales to show up on the game scene in a while. If you find yourself wanting to translate her icy good looks onto your real face, watch this video. It will show you how to create a makeup look inspired by the character. Now all you have to do is work on your Afrikaans accent and you're good!
One of the most distinctive parts of the anime-style characters that most cosplayer prefer is the spiky, multicolored anime hair. Most people need a wig to execute one of these styles in real life, and this video will show you how to do it! The example in the video is a wig for Gokudera from the manga Reborn!, but these lessons can be applied to lots of other anime wig styles.
Having a successful rushing attack is the key to good offense both in real football and virtual. If you play Madden NFL 11 and are having trouble running the ball, this video will give you all sorts of great tips and tricks to help you out getting your offense moving and scoring touchdowns.
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.
Light painting (or light writing) is a relatively new art form combining flashlights and long camera exposures to create amazing still images with designs literally drawn on them in light. This video features an experienced light painter teaching you the basics of the at in only 2 minutes! He covers what you will need, how to use it, and demonstrates the painting of a simple happy face. Now get out there and try it yourself!
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.
The lasers from Halo might not be quite as famous as the assault rifles form the games, but they are still a very cool-looking and integral part of it. This video will show you how to make your own replica of the Spartan laser from Halo out of a toy gun called the Belt Blaster. The end result looks so real it might get you arrested by any cops from the future that you may run into, so be careful.
If you've watched our video on solving a Domino Rubik's Cube, you know that asymmetrical Rubik's "Cubes" exist and are readily solvable. If you haven't, go watch that video and come back, because this one is going to teach you how to solve the mother of the domino cube, the 3x3x4 MEGADOMINO (not it's real name). It takes a while and requires some pretty sophisticated Rubik's skills, but if normal Rubik's Cubes are too easy for you go buy one of these!
Flash and Actionscript can be used together to create damn near any sort of animation or website feature that you could want. This video will teach you how to do just one thing: generate a random frame using Flash CS4 and Actionscript 3. This is handy if you want to create a button that will link to several different objects randomly. Fun if you want to add the zest of unpredictability to your user's website experience.
Check out this tutorial and learn how to jump off of..nothing! This trick is the kind you see in a lot of video games and now you can learn to do it in real life. The double jump takes some practice but once you get the hang of it this illusion is sure to impress. Jump over anything like a video game hero with the double jump!
Tire treads may not seem like a terribly important thing to model properly, but they are intricate and learning how to do it is a valuable experience. This video will walk you through creating a 3D model of a tire tread using Maya, specifically brutalizing a bend deformer.
Head wounds are among the very worse types of wound, and as a results are very fun and popular subjects for representation in film. This video will teach you how to create an open gash wound on the head of your actor without taking a bottle to it. The wound looks very real, make sure you don't let your actor get near a hospital!
