News: GDC Survey Says Developers Are Bullish on HoloLens, Slow to Mobile AR Versus VR
A new survey of game developers paints a somewhat less than rosy future for augmented reality gaming, but there's still some hope for its long-term prospects.
Visual Appeal Search Results
Action Launcher 101: How to Use the New Adaptive Folders Feature
Chis Lacy's Action Launcher is easily one of the best third-party home screen apps for Android. If you're interested in the basic feature set of this impressive app, check our our overview of the top five launchers on Android. Today, we're taking an in-depth look at the brand new Adaptive Folders feature included in the latest update.
Apple AR: Tayasui Blocks Gives iPhones & iPads a Knock-Off Lego AR Experience
If building with Lego blocks in AR appeals to you, rest assured that an app is on the way for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.
Dev Report: Microsoft Unleashes Trio of Updates & Meta 2 Supports SteamVR
It has been an interesting few days in developer news. The Microsoft blog has been busy with information relative to the augmented reality space. Meta 2 has also announced an interesting development this week. Here is a collection of various tidbits that have been collecting up.
Hulu 101: How to Customize Captions & Subtitles on Your Phone
We use subtitles when we can't understand what's being spoken on screen, but most of the time it seems like those subtitles are out of our control. Maybe we find them too small, or even too large. Maybe the color is too faint, or the background too distracting. If only we could change the subtitles to reflect our own needs and styles ...
How To: Enable the Hidden Grayscale Mode on Your Pixel or Nexus — No Root Needed
Most newer phones come with a grayscale mode that you can activate when you want to save some battery life. The way it works is simple: If your graphics chip only has to render elements in black and white instead of full 32-bit color, it won't consume as much power.
News: Instacart Will Soon Deliver Wegmans Right to Your Door
Wegmans recently partnered with Instacart, an online grocery-delivery app, to bring your groceries right to you. The collaboration will begin in the suburbs around Washington, DC, and Wegmans plans to expand to other areas later on.
News: Magic Leap Founder Says Launch 'Not Far Away'
At the eMerge Americas investors conference in Miami, Florida, Magic Leap founder and CEO Rony Abovitz previewed details of the launch of their highly-anticipated device.
News: Here's Everything We Know About That Nasty iPhone 8 Delay Rumor
Updated 5/2/17: CultofMac reports analysts at Deutsche Bank are confirming the delays. The analysts believe the delays are due to "component shortages and technical challenges." This would corroborate the rumors listed below. We here at Gadget Hacks will bring you more on this story as it develops.
News: Facebook Copies Snapchat Again by Putting Augmented Reality Camera Filters in the Main Facebook App
Facebook is aware that Snapchat is killing the social media game amongst the youths, which makes sense, because in 2017, video is king in social media currency. Facebook has continually shown that Mark Zuckerberg and crew seem to think the best strategy to keep up is to simply copy them.
News: 2 Exciting New Features Coming in Apple's Clips App for iOS
Apple has yet to create a successful social networking app, but that doesn't mean they want to be left out of the social video conversation. Case in point: Today they announced a new video app set to debut for iOS in April called Clips.
How To: Get Nintendo's Fire Emblem Heroes Game on Your Android Phone Right Now
Nintendo's first ever game for Android has finally touched down (unless you actually count the abomination that is Miitomo). Fire Emblem Heroes, a classic turn-based RPG optimized for mobile gaming, has come out for Android and iOS in Australia, Europe, and Japan, and is due out in North America and other worldwide locales very soon. Due to Nintendo's staggered release, the game isn't available to us in the United States at the time of this writing, but fret not—there's another way to downloa...
News: These Beautiful Chairs Are Grown, Not Made
For anyone who has spent an entire afternoon attempting to assemble a set of IKEA chairs, these wooden masterpieces probably seem pretty appealing.
Have You Seen This?: HoloChess Is a Great Example of How to Make a HoloLens App Without the Hardware
I am often asked about getting started with HoloLens development and most of the time my answer, in short, is: Install Unity, install Visual Studio, install the HoloLens emulator, and make something.
HoloLens Dev 101: How to Install & Set Up the HoloLens Emulator
Don't let the lack of owning a HoloLens stop you from joining in on the fun of creating software in this exciting new space. The HoloLens Emulator offers a solution for everyone that wants to explore Windows Holographic development.
News: The Latest Pairing for Your Cookies: Cockroach Milk?
In the Western world, the only time you'd associate food with cockroaches is health code violations. And while other cultures and countries are more open to cooking with and eating these and other little buggers, insects are probably not a food trend that will be adopted by the West anytime soon.
News: No, You May Not Pumpkin All the Things [DEBATE]
Guys, this has got to stop. It's not funny anymore. I'll defer to one of my all-time favorite people when it comes to my feelings on this unsavory subject:
How To: Calculate Quick Math Problems Right from Android Nougat's Quick Settings
Android Nougat has a new API that lets apps create their own custom Quick Settings tiles. A similar feature was buried in Android Marshmallow, but that required a hacky workaround, and most manufacturers disabled it in their custom versions of Android 6.0. But since this is an official API now, all phones that run Android 7.0 and higher should be able to use custom Quick Settings tiles going forward.
News: Virtual Reality Will Change How We Experience Music
Virtual reality, along with its siblings, has the opportunity to profoundly change the way we interact with all things digital. As a visual medium, we often don't think about the impact on audio, but it plays a significant role nevertheless. When it comes to music—and music videos—the possibilities are enormous.
How To: The Fascinating & Disturbing Story of How Yogurt Was Accidentally Invented
You probably don't give much thought to buying yogurt in the store. You have your favorite brand, or maybe you like trying new varieties each week; either way, you just grab it and go.
How To: Transform a Loaf of Bread into a Stuffed Sandwich Fit for a Picnic
We like picnicking of all sorts, from picnics in bright, sunny weather to grey or rain-drizzled picnics. So it's not a stretch to say that we've become quite good at packing sandwiches to enjoy later. But we're always looking for a better way to do things, and that includes our sandwich making—and we think we've found the best way to make a sandwich ever.
News: Put Your Waffle Iron to Good Use by Creating a Pizza Waffle
Chicken and waffles are so yesterday. Well... it's not that we won't always love them, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things, such as the pizza waffle.
How To: Make All-Natural Green Food Dye for St. Patrick's Day
When we were kids, Saint Patrick's Day was a green-hued holiday that promised green eggs in the morning and green mashed potatoes in the evening... along with some traditional corned beef and cabbage, of course.
News: Windows 10 Gets Its First Major Update—Here's All the Cool New Stuff
Microsoft's "Fall Update" to Windows 10, code named Threshold 2, has a lot of new tricks up its sleeve. It's the biggest update we've seen since Windows 10 was released this summer, and it's rolling out to all users right now.
How To: Stop Butt-Dialing All Your Contacts with This App
With a slab-style touchscreen device, butt dialing is always going to be a problem. While you're moving about, your phone can unlock itself and give your most recent contact a ring, leading to an awkward one-sided conversation where the other person gets to eavesdrop on everything you're doing or saying at that moment.
How To: Make Your Own Bad USB
Hello, everyone! Many of you don't even know about my existence here on Null Byte, so I thought of contributing something rather interesting. Recently, someone asked how to make your own "Bad USB," and I promised to make a how-to on this topic. In addition, it would be nice to have something related on our WonderHowTo world. So here it is!
How To: Make Easy Imitation Caviar at Home
At first glance, caviar doesn't seem overly appealing to the masses; not very many people would be willing to spend upwards of $1,000 on a tiny spoonful of salty sturgeon eggs from the Caspian Sea. Caviar truly is the ultimate symbol of luxury and fine dining.
How To: Sushi + Burrito = The Ultimate Handheld Meal
Sushirrito offers burrito-sized sushi rolls that are on the cusp of becoming the trendiest handheld snack to hit the foodie world. According to its website, Peter Yen created the Sushirrito brand, trademarked it in 2008, and opened his first restaurant in 2011 in the Bay Area with Ty Mahler, executive chef.
How To: 5 Surefire Tricks to Getting a Free Drink at the Bar
When you finally turn the privileged age of 21 in the U.S. (or 18 in most other countries), the first thing you'll probably do is sprint to the nearest pub, order a drink, and revel in your new freedom. Congratulations, you've survived two decades on Earth, you've earned that drink.
How To: Cast Music (Or Any Audio) From Your Mac to Chromecast
Although I know it will never happen due to Apple and Google's tempestuous relationship, I sometimes wish I could cast iTunes or Apple Music from my Mac to Google's Chromecast. When you don't have speakers to blast your music, the television is a great alternative to amplify your music.
Weird Ingredient Wednesday: The Mushroom That Tastes Like Candy
Mushrooms are glorious: they're nutritional powerhouses, add meaty savor to just about any dish, and are cheap and plentiful (mostly). But just when you thought you knew best how to use edible fungi (in gravies, as portobello burgers, stewed and served over pasta, just to name a few uses), you learn something new: there's a mushroom out there that tastes like maple syrup. Yep, maple syrup.
How To: 5 Tweaks That Make "Reachability" on Your iPhone Even Better
Due to their large size and added screen real estate, Apple included a new feature for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus known as "Reachability." Essentially, this function makes reaching the top part of the display easier by double-tapping the home key to shift the screen down closer to your thumb.
How To: One Thing You're Not Doing That You Should for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have a theory that chocolate chip cookies are the gateway drug to cooking. The recipe is easy, no special equipment is required, and at the end, you get warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookies that are simply irresistible. It's how I got hooked on baking and cooking, and anecdotal evidence (i.e. me asking my other kitchen-obsessed friends and a few culinary students) supports me.
How To: Pimp Out Your iPhone's Lock Screen Music Player
The lock screen music player in iOS 7 has all the controls you'd ever need from a lock screen, but it's not as visually appealing as I hoped it would be. Yes, it does show you the album cover art, but the way everything is presented makes it feel cluttered.
How To: You've Been Wasting the Best Part! 5 Delicious Uses for Your "Empty" Nutella & Peanut Butter Jars
Some food jars seem like they're actually designed to prevent you from enjoying every last bit inside. The remnants of sticky foods like Nutella and peanut butter are almost impossible to scrape out with a knife or spoon, and it's a shame to throw out something that tastes so good—especially when it's the best part. A spatula could help you get that last drop out from the walls or bottom easier, but that's just ruining your chance at maximizing the full potential of those remains into somethi...
How To: Get Complete Control Over System Audio & Alert Sounds on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
The sound I get when receiving a new text message is the camel from that Geico commercial yelling "Hump Day!" Sure, I could find a less obnoxious notification sound, but it makes me laugh every time, and that's important.
How To: Get Sleek Ubuntu-Style Lock Screen Notifications on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Ubuntu isn't just a cool sounding name, but pegs itself as the world's favorite free operating system. It gained its popularity for being lightweight, fast, and visually appealing, and now that great look and speed can be placed right on the lock screen of your Samsung Galaxy S3.
How To: Make Your Samsung Galaxy S3 Dynamically Adapt to Whatever Mood You're In
There's no shortage of cool customizations for my Samsung Galaxy S3, except when it comes to the launcher. Sure, there a ton of Android launchers out there, like Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher, that allow you to customize app placement, app grouping, infinite scrolling, etc. There's even Facebook Home for those who are Facebook addicts.
How To: The Number One Way to Persuade Anyone to Do Practically Anything You Want
The art of persuasion is a very crucial characteristic that anyone can learn, and it has countless benefits. Whether it's at work, home, or in social situations, the ability to be veritably persuasive can have an unheralded impact on your daily life.
News: Post-TIFF Micro-Blurbs
Every year the fine folks at Row Three do a post-TIFF mega-wrap up, collecting the micro-blurbs of a bunch of attendees into a giant meta-analysis of what everyone liked, loved, hated, etc. etc.. We'll link to that post when it goes up on the weekend, but in the mean time, here's my contribution: