PSA: Unlocking Your Pixel's Bootloader Does NOT Void Your Warranty
As we first reported here on Gadget Hacks, Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones come with an unlockable bootloader, with the exception of models sold by Verizon.
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News: Everyone Wants a Slinky, Especially This Chocolate One You Can Eat
The winter holidays are right around the corner and that can only mean one thing—dessert. Leave it to the French pastry chefs to come up with something totally unique, like this glittery, chocolate Slinky by Amaury Guichon of Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
How To: Don't Wait for Google—Get Night Mode Right Now on Android Nougat
It's now common knowledge that the blue light emitted by phone screens makes it harder to get a good night's sleep. Apple's Night Shift in iOS and its steamrolled predecessor, f.lux (still available for desktop computers), are attempts to combat these harmful effects by limiting the amount of blue light from the screen at certain times of day (nighttime, say). For Android users who installed the Developer Preview build of Android 7.0 Nougat, the included "Night Mode" feature was all set to do...
News: A New Project Lets Scientists Strap on a Vive & Walk Right into a Cancer Cell
Cancer is a complicated illness, but the more we understand it, the likelier we are to beat it. The 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab at the University of New South Wales took to virtual reality to help improve our odds by allowing scientists to walk through virtual representations of actual cancer cells.
News: The Floor Is Actually Lava on the Microsoft HoloLens
Unless you had a master of visual effects for a parent, you had to imagine the floor was actually lava when playing the classic furniture-hopping game. With a Microsoft HoloLens, however, you don't have to imagine anything.
News: Here's How the Weather Channel Is Using Augmented Reality to Make Us All Safer
The Weather Channel, by virtue of its name, has always been tasked with the difficult problem of making the weather interesting. As Mashable notes, they've turned to augmented reality for a solution and can now render a 3D storm in their studio, as well as help us understand how bad a storm might be with 3D forecasts.
News: Magic Leap Will Bring Star Wars to Mixed Reality
The mysterious Magic Leap just partnered up with Lucasfilm's ILM xLAB to bring Star Wars to their mixed reality headsets. Based on the video demo making its way around the internet, it looks pretty impressive.
How To: Get the Nextbit Robin's Camera & Gallery Apps on Any Android Device
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, a new smartphone manufacturer named Nextbit emerged, then released its first flagship device—the Nextbit Robin. The headlining feature of this colorful gadget is its cloud-based app storage, but the phone itself comes with a very polished and sophisticated suite of software.
News: This Device Can Turn Your Smartphone into a 3D Printer
3D printers have been surging in popularity for both professional and personal applications, and now OLO is on the verge of making 3D printing practical wherever you go. Their eponymous 3D printer is battery-powered and uses the light from your smartphone's screen to create 3D objects out of special "daylight" resins.
How To: Enable Google's Material Design in Chrome's Desktop Browser
Google's design chief Matias Duarte has gained fame and acclaim for his recent visual revamp of the Android operating system, and now, Google's starting to incorporate this Material Design styling into more of its products.
How To: The Easiest Way to Cast from Chrome
Previously, you'd need to install the Google Cast extension to cast webpages from your Chrome web browser to your Chromecast-connected TV, but as of March 24th, you don't need it anymore. Casting now works natively in Google Chrome (which had been available in the Beta version for a few months), and you can activate the hidden feature right now.
More Proof Emerges: iPhone 7 Will Not Have a Headphone Jack
It's looking more and more likely that rumors stating that the iPhone 7 will not include a 3.5 mm headphone jack are true. Chinese websites Wei Feng and Anzhuo.cn reported that anonymous sources on the supply chain confirmed that the controversial design choice is a reality.
How To: Apps & Extensions You Should Be Using Right Now in Chrome
If you use Google Chrome as your default desktop/laptop browser, then Chrome OS will be pretty easy to get up and running if transitioning from Windows or macOS. Google has created an operating system that is fast, lightweight, and versatile enough to be adopted by pros and novices alike.
How To: Shoot Retro-Style VHS Videos on Your Phone
Technology can move really fast. Just consider the format for which we consume videos and movies, which has transformed from film reels to VHS to DVD to Blu-ray to steaming with nothing physical at all. But for some odd reason—maybe because it strikes a nostalgic chord or it's just the new hipster trend—VHS is in again. Yes, shaky, grainy, low-quality videos with timestamps are cool again, and I dig it.
How To: Make Any Cutting Board Non-Slip with This Easy Hack
Between sharp knives and slippery produce, basic meal prep can be an absolute massacre. Even the most professional knife-wielders don't stand a chance if they're working on unstable surfaces.
How To: Dull Knife? Use Your Car Window to Make It Sharp Again
Although wear and tear on kitchen knives is unavoidable, it's extremely frustrating when I can't cut through tough, fatty tendons in meat or even make a clean slice through an onion. If you don't have a steel rod or water stone to sharpen your knives, or even a cheap knife sharpener, you can get creative by using a coffee mug and even a newspaper.
How to Fix Car Dents: 8 Easy Ways to Remove Dents Yourself Without Ruining the Paint
Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and getting a dent in your car or truck. Even if you're as careful as possible, you can't always account for runaway shopping carts, wrongly thrown footballs, out-of-nowhere light posts, and other real-life annoyances.
How To: Matte Any Lipstick in Three Easy Steps
Let's face it ladies and make-up wearing gentlemen, cosmetics are freaking expensive. The only thing that is more expensive than makeup is super-trendy makeup, and nothing is trendier than matte lipstick.
How To: Use Snapchat's Hidden Filter to Add Color Overlays to Your Photos & Videos
Snapchat has built upon the photo-sharing service it once was to become a money-sending, commercial-shelling, video-messaging giant. They improved their user experience by adding Stories, Geofilters, and even the rarely-used Snapcash feature, but why isn't there something as simple as color filters? Yes, they have filters for black and white, saturated, and sepia, but that's it as far as color goes.
How To: Extend Your iPhone's Battery Life by 3 Hours Using Low Power Mode in iOS 9
One thing Apple users universally complain about is battery life, whether it's on an iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch. Apple did include a Battery Usage feature in iOS 8 to help us monitor which apps suck up the most energy, but it's too big a pain to deal with. Now, in iOS 9, there gave us something that actually matters—Low Power Mode.
How To: Sharpen Kitchen Knives with a Newspaper
Just like skinning a cat, there's more than one way to sharpen a knife (disclaimer: while I advocate sharpening your knives daily, please don't ever even consider skinning a cat). There's a stone, for an uber-sharp finish; the underside of a mug, for an awesome makeshift sharpening tool; the chef's daily ritual, honing with a sharpening steel; and then there's the remarkably simple, old-school Japanese trick—using a newspaper. Step 1: Grab a Newspaper
How To: Restart an iPhone Without Using the Sleep/Wake Button
Apple's iPhone is one of the most popular, most expensive smartphones in the world, yet with a broken Home or Sleep/Wake button, it might as well be a doorstop. There are many different DIY ways to fixing a busted Home button, but the Sleep/Wake button (aka Power button) is a little more averse to DIY trickery.
News: Flash-Freeze Anything with the Anti-Griddle
Essentially, the Anti-Griddle does exactly what its name promises: it turns things almost instantaneously cold when you drop them on its "grilling" surface. Unlike home methods of flash freezing, its staggeringly low temperatures (-30°F/-34.4°C) allows ingredients that normally can't be frozen—like oil or alcohol—to turn into solids in the wink of an eye. As you might imagine, this allows chefs to play with textures and tastes in a way that was previously unimaginable.
How To: Theme Your iPhone's Home Screen with Falling Snow for the Winter
Just in time for the holiday festivities, iOS developer Tristan Kennedy has created a snowy HTML widget for your jailbroken iPhone's home screen called SnowScreen. Simply apply the widget and you'll have a falling snow animation layered over whatever wallpaper you already have. Without further adieu, let's show you how to apply this tweak.
How To: Take Full Control Over “Low Battery” Alerts on Your iPhone
The prevalence of smartphones has had profound effects on how we communicate, view media, and preserve memories, among other things. But all of these new forms of doing things are snatched away from us as soon as our phones lose power. While work is constantly being done to stretch and extend battery life, it hasn't moved fast enough for the vast majority of us.
News: Google Search for iOS Updated with Material Design, In-App Maps, & More
Google has updated its Search application for iOS with their new Material Design aesthetic, taking cues from Android's redesigned look with refreshed colors, depth effects, and new animations. But the update doesn't stop there; there are several new and useful features added to the mix. Download Google Search for iOS for free from the iOS App Store to check out all the new goodness for yourself.
How To: Add a Full "Reboot" Menu to Android 5.0 Lollipop
If you're someone who likes to customize their user experience, stock Android is a lot like a blank canvas. The firmware that comes preinstalled on Nexus devices is just Android—no manufacturer skins or carrier bloat involved. This simplicity opens up the door for many root mods and flashable ZIPs that can be installed in a custom recovery.
How To: Enable the Hidden "Double Tap to Wake" Feature on Your Nexus 6
During initial reviews of the Nexus 6, the "double tap to wake" feature was something originally slated to be present on the device, since Motorola built it and it's been a key feature of the Moto X. However, the feature was scrapped for Ambient Display, which wakes up the screen when the device is picked up or a notification arrives. So while having both could be seen as overkill, it doesn't mean we shouldn't have the option.
How To: Add the Apple Pay Animation to Your iPhone's Lock Screen for Touch ID
Unlocking our iPhones with Touch ID isn't something most of us pay any mind to; it's quick, simple, and gets the job done. Today, I'll be slowing things down for a second and showing you how to add the Apple Pay checkmark animation to your Touch ID-enabled lock screen. It looks awesome and doesn't add any additional unlocking time than normal.
How To: This iOS 8 Shortcut Lets You Toggle Brightness Using Your iPhone's Home Button
Automatic brightness adjustments are supposed to make it easier to maintain good visibility on your phone, but it really never works as intended. It usually doesn't adjust properly, leading you to manually pull up the Control Center to adjust brightness via the slider.
How To: Turn the Maze Runner into an Easy Halloween Costume
The Maze Runner tells the story of an unpredictable maze designed to kill. If you're looking for a Halloween costume that's both dark and deadly, the film offers a great option.
How To: Add Thumb-Friendly Pie Controls to Chrome on Android
Pie controls are navigation soft keys that can be displayed by swiping up or from the side of your screen, allowing you to navigate, search, call up the power menu, take screenshots, and a lot more. Not only are pie controls functional, they make using Immersive Mode a breeze since the regular nav bar was no longer required.
How To: Install TWRP Recovery on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (Sprint or T-Mobile)
As we near the one-year anniversary of its release (and the inevitable unveiling of its successor), the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 remains a device that packs quite a punch when it comes to hardware. It boasts a 2.3Ghz CPU and was the first mobile phone ever to house 3GBs of RAM. Suffice it to say, it can handle any software you throw at it with no discernible lag. Even Samsung's notoriously bloated TouchWiz ROM seems lightning fast.
How To: Trick WiFi-Only Apps into Working with Mobile Data on Your HTC One
For any multitude of reasons, some apps require you to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to function properly. This could be because they would rather you have a stable connection to enjoy their content, or that they don't want users complaining about the amount of data being guzzled from carrier data plans.
How To: Install iOS 8's New Notification Center on iPads & iPhones Running iOS 7
Unless you are or know a developer, you'll have to wait until sometime in September for the official iOS 8 to hit your iPad or iPhone. However, that doesn't mean you can't get some of iOS 8's new features on your iOS 7 device right now. For example, the new Notification Center, which I'll show you how to install below.
How To: Unlock Android Lollipop's Hidden Battery Percentage Icon in the Status Bar
When a big company (Google) concentrates on big things (Auto, TV, Wear), some of the smaller aspects of their design can be overlooked. Just as we saw in Android KitKat, battery percentage information is absent from the status bar. While we were able to enable a hidden setting to show that all-important number in KitKat, you could see why it was never enabled—the white text on the white battery icon made it nearly impossible to read.
How To: Keep Your Screen Awake for Specific Apps on Your Galaxy Note 3
Screen timeouts serve mostly as security measures and energy savers, but they can also interrupt you when you're reading a book or editing a document. There is no built-in way to manage screen timeouts on a per-app basis, but if you've got root access, you can do just that using Never Sleep from Android dev Hamzah Malik.
News: Xposed Installer Gets New Features & UI in Massive Update
Over the weekend, rovo89 and the guys behind the wildly-popular Xposed Framework released a huge update. Leaving practically no UI element untouched, this new version brings a lot of polish and functionality to the revolutionary root softModding tool.
How To: Tint Your Status Bar's Color to Match Apps on Your HTC One
The little black status bar at the top of your screen is great for at-a-glance info, but let's face it—it's pretty ugly. If you want to hide it completely, only showing it when you need it, check out our guide on using Immersive Mode in KitKat. However, if you want to keep the at-a-glance convenience and have it blend in with your apps, try out Tinted Status Bar.
News: Google Releases "Dogfood" YouTube App to Google Play
If you watched a YouTube video on your Android device today, you may may noticed something just a little different. If you haven't, go check out the app in your drawer or homepage. Google today pushed out an update to their YouTube app, but by all accounts, it was never meant to hit the public. This is labeled a dogfood build, which is a term used to describe products going through in-house testing, in effect "eating their own dogfood".