An app can request a wakelock to prevent your Android device from entering sleep mode so that it can sync data in the background. This obviously drains your battery, because instead of running in low-power sleep mode, your processor is fully activated while it performs its tasks.
There are over one million apps in the Google Play Store, and many of them are restricted to certain device types, brands, and Android systems.
Safari has some cool new features in iOS 8, but the app that seems to have gotten the biggest update so far is Messages. A lot of the new Messages features were discussed during Apple's developers conference, but we found many others and picked out our favorite hidden ones below.
In the midst of furious finger typing on a small non-tactile screen, you're sure to make mistakes—so the majority of keyboards have autocorrect. Generally it works pretty well and is a welcomed feature.
Introducing a unique way to share photos and videos among friends and family, Snapchat was the big hit of 2013 (despite its many flaws). Thanks to its ephemeral nature and lack of third-party sign-in integration, it quickly grew into a multibillion-dollar company in the span of just 12 months.
Instagram recently released their new Instagram Direct messaging feature in their Android and iOS apps, which lets users share private photos and videos directly with individuals or groups of up to 15 users. However, there are no restrictions on who you can send private photos or videos to.
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.
Syncing photos onto your iPhone using iTunes can be a bit of a hassle. You have to connect the iPhone, create a folder with the pictures you want exported, and wait until it all syncs onto the phone. This is not only time consuming, but annoying with having to do it every time you want to transfer a picture.
Master your tennis serve: the kick serve. Be sure to click on all the video chapters to view the entire tutorial.
This tutorial shows you how to master the use of proprortions. Ignore most of the formulas given in professional books. Learn how to draw accurate and proportionate human faces directly from memory, and learn the most accurate proportions for the human face.
In this video, we learn how to use sidechaining in Logic Pro. The idea is that one sound will cancel out another. For example, when the kick comes then the bass will disappear. To do this, first set up an ultra beat using a multiple out with the preset kit. From here, you can send this to it's own channel on the mixing base. If you go back to the mixer, you will see the ultrabeat and can create a new channel that links directly from this. Do this by clicking the "+" symbol. After this, conver...
Sea bream is a type of fish that lives in tropical climates, prefering to live in shallow waters and typically dwelling at the bottom. It's not nearly as easy to find at supermarkets as salmon or tilapia, but it's worth a try because it has such a unique flavor.
Most email programs feature very basic text. So when you copy and paste a document directly into your e mail, much of the formatting is lost. Attach and send it as a file instead! You'll also have a much better looking file for both personal and business correspondence. Whether you're an Apple or Microsoft user, have Gmail, Hotmail or another email program, you can use this tech tip to send files quickly and easily.
Kane and Lynch are at it again, and this time the action's in Shanghai, China. This walkthrough series will take you through the gameplay of Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days on the PlayStation 3, but it's very similar for the Xbox 360 and Windows. Follow along as two of the most twisted protagonists in video game history take the Shanghai streets.
Millions of laptop batteries have been recalled because of the risk of FIRE. Get some tips from CNET to learn how to keep your laptop battery safe and secure. First, make sure your battery hasn't already been recalled. Second, don't leave the laptop constantly charging because it heats it up. One way to save your battery is to remove it completely when you plug in directly. Third, treat the battery as fragile. And finally, four, avoid buying knockoff batteries.
This video shows the viewer how to paint their nails to give them a blood stained look for Halloween. This is done by first putting a small amount of dark red nail varnish onto a sheet of paper. Then apply this in many coats to the nail using a foundation brush to give a layered effect. Then place a small amount of black nail varnish on the paper and using the same section of the foundation brush apply some of the black nail varnish to the ends of the nails. Then apply some of the red varnish...
If it's an emergency, sometime you just don't have enough time or energy to pick up your mobile phone and call 9-1-1. Sometime you just can't move and the only thing still working is your mouth. Ford's new SYNC system provides an option for hands free 911 Assist. In a crash involving airbag deployment, 911 Assist places a call directly to a 911 operator. Your bluetooth phone must be on and stored somewhere inside the vehicle.
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to compare regular ice with liquid nitrogen-cooled ice with Dr. Lithium.
IMVU is a 3D avatar chat, instant messenger, and dress up game. Get help with all of your IMVU avatar needs with these IMVU tips and tricks! Watch this video tutorial to learn how to clean up an IMVU avatar in Photoshop.
Want to make a Rubik's Cube just like Erno Rubik? Of course you do, but before you start making all of the intrinsic mechanisms of the classic Cube, maybe you should start out a little simpler.
Draw scary cartoon witches for Halloween cards and birthday cards. You might be able to use a dry erase marker to trace the drawing steps directly off of the computer screen. Of course, you can only participate in this practice if you have a glass computer screen. Otherwise, use paper.
Garry's Mod is a sandbox providing tons of content to play with for Valve games. This game allows you to manipulate creatures and objects in popular games such as Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike. AddOns in Garry's Mod will allow you to import your own models, vehicles, cities, and other game models.
Check out this how-to video to learn the basics of playing the tabla. A tabla is a drum that is commonly used in Indian Carnatic music. Learn how to strike a tabla and where to hit to produce specific notes.
Learn how to strike the shuttlecock across the net and down into the ground. Includes how to hold the racket and hitting technique.
There are few things peskier in the summer than an unexpected mosquito bite swelling up on your arms and legs. Fortunately, there are many ways to heal your body of its annoying itch, ranging from fruit (lemon slices and banana peels) to common household items (baking soda and apple cider vinegar).
Updating your Galaxy to the latest software version is optional, but you wouldn't know that from the persistent notification and status bar icon that are constantly reminding you to. Thankfully, you're just an app away from hiding these eyesores without the need to update your phone.
For the past few months, Fortnite has been one of the most-watched games on Twitch, and it's likely to keep a top spot on the live streaming platform once Fortnite Battle Royale becomes available for smartphones. While there are not any live streaming capabilities built directly into Epic's mobile version of the game, you can still live stream Battle Royale gameplay from your iPhone to Twitch.
If you have movies and videos stored on Box, Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, you should definitely be using the VLC app for iPhone. After setting a few things up, VLC will let you stream videos directly from any of these services with a proper video player UI, complete with gesture controls.
Launcher shortcuts, which let you skip directly to a specific function on an app when you open it, first appeared in a recent Android N preview build, and now we're getting a look at how the feature might look in action.
Although I am a loyal premium Spotify subscriber, I still regularly use Pandora in hopes of stumbling across new artists and songs. If I'm fortunate enough to come across something I enjoy, it's easy to use the Like feature in Pandora to locate the song later.
The Calendar app that ships with Windows 10 has a nice little feature that will help make your days more productive by showing the current five-day weather forecast.
Notes on iOS has never been a particularly great app due to a lack of overall features compared to other note-taking apps like Evernote or Microsoft OneNote.
The basic clock app on Android devices is functional and has a few nice features. One of these is a "World Clock" view, which lets you see the current time in different cities across the world, and shows the time in your location at the top.
Apple's iOS 8 ushered in a new way of typing with the addition of third-party keyboard compatibility. We've seen everything from keyboards with swipe gestures, customizable themes, different sizes, and even embedded GIFs. Now we've got one for all of you music lovers called AudioShot, which allows for easy sharing of music directly from the keyboard.
With intelligent grammar check, accurate predictive text, swipe gestures, and plenty of themes, it makes sense that Ginger Keyboard has well over a million downloads on the Google Play Store, making it one of the more popular keyboards available for Android users.
Whether you are just starting or returning to college, or have already been out in the real world for some time, it's always a good idea to stay on top of your game by keeping your intellect sharp. While it may be easy to just sit in front of your TV, watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory, why not use that time to brush up on some chemistry, calculus, or general learning strategies?
These days, phones are more like portable entertainment systems. It's a hybrid mobile device for gaming, texting, watching movies, and listening to music more than it is an actual "phone" that you talk on.
Podcasts have been around and popular for close to a decade now. For the uninitiated, podcasts are like radio shows that can be downloaded directly from the web and listened to on any device. Up until now, only paid apps allowed podcasts to be casted via Chromecast, but with the latest update to Xavier Guillemane's Podcast Addict, you can now do the same thing for free!
We don't typically cover games here on softModder, unless they have some special feature to offer like unlocking your device, but sometimes you've just gotta game. When you've only got a few minutes to do so, you've gotta choose the right game, and I've got just the thing for you.
Normally, your sound settings only let you change up a few of the sounds on your device—generally your ringtone and default notification sound. While some developers include the option to choose custom notification sounds within their app's settings, most of the time you are left with an ambiguous ringer for everything—not very helpful for identifying what app that alert just came from.
