Smartphones Features

Google Chrome 101: How to Play the Hidden Dinosaur Mini-Game on Your iPhone or Android Phone

While having no internet connection is definitely a bad thing when you need it, you can at least bide your time until you're back online with a hidden Easter egg inside of the Google Chrome browser. This gem unlocks a secret side-scrolling game that can keep you busy during your downtime.

How To: Add Invisible Hashtags in Your Instagram Story to Show Up in Search Without Uglifying Your Content

Spreading your reach to new audiences on Instagram takes time and effort. It's not only about taking unique photos and curating an exciting feed. You should choose the time of day wisely, connect with popular brands, and take advantage of hashtags. Unfortunately, hashtags can make it seem like you're trying too hard, but you can make them invisible — in stories, at least.

Instagram 101: How to Stop Stories from Being Archived Automatically

A new stories archive feature appeared in the version 25 update for Instagram on both Android and iOS. This means you no longer need to save stories to your phone for later viewing, if you like doing that, but it also means all those stories are saved to your Instagram account whether you want them to be or not.

News: Build Your Own AR Headset Using Leap Motion's Open Source Project North Star Design

Less than two months since unveiling Project North Star, Leap Motion has released the reference design that will allow developers, makers, and even manufacturers to build their own augmented reality headsets based on Leap Motion's work.

ARKit 101: How to Place Grass on the Ground Using Plane Detection

Ever notice how some augmented reality apps can pin specific 3D objects on the ground? Many AR games and apps can accurately plant various 3D characters and objects on the ground in such a way that, when we look down upon them, the objects appear to be entirely pinned to the ground in the real world. If we move our smartphone around and come back to those spots, they're still there.

ARKit 101: How to Detect & Measure Vertical Planes with ARKit 1.5

In a previous tutorial, we were able to measure horizontal surfaces such as the ground, tables, etc., all using ARKit. With ARKit 1.5, we're now able to measure vertical surfaces like walls!

Hot or Not: The Original Ego Scaler Is Now on Android, iOS, & Windows

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Besides being one of the most notorious misquotes of all time (the line is "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all"), it's a question that men and women probably have asked themselves more than once.

How To: Create new folders on an Android cell phone

It's really tempting to put every app and widget you can think of on your Android cell phone's home screen, but eventually you'll have a hard time finding anything in the clutter. That's where folders come in. Creating a folder on your home screen makes life a little easier, and a little more organized. Think about dragging all your games into a one consolidated folder. CNET shows you how to make a folder, how to rename it, and how to manage it on your Android smartphone.

News: Sephora's ModiFace-Powered AR App Gives Users Even More Makeup Combinations & Hands-on Tutorials

Listen up ladies, there's no need to go to Sephora and model a hundred different shades of lipstick anymore. Now with Virtual Artist, Sephora's award-winning app, for iOS and Android, you can virtually test thousands of shades of single and palette eyeshadows, lip colors, and even false eyelash styles from their new augmented reality-based feature.

How To: Slow Down Telegram Group Chats to Catch Up & Follow Along

The bigger the group chat, the harder it is to follow. Messages start flying one after the other, and before you know it, you're hopelessly lost in the conversation. With most chat apps, there's nothing you can do, other than telling your friends to slow down a bit. But on Telegram, you can make them slow down.

How To: Change Your Navigation Icon in Google Maps

For the most part, new features for Google Maps, such as Live View augmented reality walking navigation, come to Android first.

News: The Weather Channel Forecasts More Augmented Reality for Its Live Broadcasts with Unreal Engine

Just weeks after being acquired by comedian turned producer Byron Allen for $300 million, The Weather Channel has tapped augmented reality studio The Future Group to integrate immersive augmented reality experiences into its broadcast content.

How To: Create a 3D Cinematic Photo in Google Photos from Any Image in Your Library

The cinematic photos feature in Google Photos can create impressive three-dimensional views of normally flat images, turning ordinary pictures into life-like representations of the moment captured. Google Photos would automatically pick images from your library to apply the effect to. Now, you can choose images on demand from your library — it's just not super obvious that you can.

Outlook 101: How to Add Additional Email Addresses

If you work with multiple email addresses, you need an app that can organize and declutter your day-to-day messages. Outlook is a great choice, but if you only have one account attached, it somewhat defeats the purpose. Lucky for you, adding additional email accounts is both quick and simple.

News: Watch Mountains & Rivers Come to Life with This Sand-Based Map

Most sandboxes wait for children on a playground or the occasional zen garden raking. This one combines light, sand, and depth cameras to create a completely malleable topographical map you can alter with a brush of your hand.

How To: View & Leave Tips on Yelp (& Why It's Important)

Yelp reviews are great for getting a feel for how a business operates, but they can't always be trusted, and they don't always get to the point fast enough. That's where "Tips" come in, and you can view and make them whether you're on an iPhone or Android phone.

How To: Type capital letters on your iPhone

If you can customize your ringtones, you should know how to use capital letters! It’s so simple and easy, and in this video you will learn how to capitalize important names and proper nouns. Watch these two quick steps to successfully capitalize letters on your iPhone. Grammar never looked so good. Type capital letters on your iPhone.

How To: Download Google Maps on your Blackberry

Dana Strauss from Best Buy teaches you how to download Google Maps onto your Blackberry. Press your Menu button, click on "Applications". Find "Maps" and click on it and your Blackberry will pull up Google Maps for you. The application will show you exactly where you are and will allow you to enter the address of your destination. It will also give you exact directions to where you're going.

How To: Make Twitter Less Awful by Muting Words & Usernames from Your Feed

Twitter can be a wonderful place for people to express their emotions and chat with each other in brief. However, it can also be a breeding ground for hateful comments, foul language, and a whole lot of political talk.

News: New York Times Revives Its AR Storytelling on Instagram with Tokyo Olympics Experiences

Old school media stalwart The New York Times launched its augmented reality news content in 2018 with a feature on the athletes of the Winter Olympics.

How To: Set a Video as the Wallpaper on Your Android's Home Screen & Lock Screen

Android users have had access to live wallpapers since the Eclair days, but some newer apps have made this feature even more useful. Now, you have the ability to use GIFs as your wallpaper, and through the marvels of modern technology, you can even set a video as your home screen and lock screen background.

How To: View blocked phone numbers on your iPhone, Android, or other cell phone

Getting tired of prank phone calls from blocked numbers? Check out this video to learn how to view a blocked phone number on any phone. Visit Trap Call to learn more about the service described in this how to video.

Instagram 101: How to Share Posts & Stories to All Your Close Friends' Feeds Only

Instagram is a great platform to share photos and videos with the world, but sharing with smaller groups is near impossible. You can directly message pictures, stories, or post links to friends, but that only works for one person at a time or in group chats you create. To share your content with a small group of people you care about the most, you'll want to use the "Close Friends" list.

How To: Get Your 'Animal Crossing - New Horizons' Photos on Your Phone

We might not be able to hang out with friends in-person during a mandatory lockdown or self-quarantine, but we sure can in "Animal Crossing: New Horizons." Snapping pictures with the new NookPhone feels almost as personal as taking selfies in real life, so, naturally, we want those memories to live on our real phones as well. In pure Nintendo form, however, it's not easy.

How To: Turn Your Smartphone into a Wireless Webcam with These 5 Apps

Most newer computers come with a webcam, but if you're using an older system, you may not have one. If you only need to use a webcam occasionally, it may not be worth putting the money into, so why not just use your smartphone? There are a few apps out there that can help you turn your phone into a super-convenient wireless webcam and save some cash.

How To: Make an iPhone secret spy camera

This how to demonstrates how to use your Apple iphone as a spy camera to spy on others. If you're suspicious, paranoid or just downright creepy, this video can show you how to convert your Apple smart phone into a device for surveillance on others.

How To: The 5 Best Phones for Social Media Addicts & Influencers in 2020

The top five apps of the 2010s were all social media apps of some kind, and the fact that's not surprising to you says a lot. We may use them for other reasons here and there, but our phones are social media machines at their cores. The thing is, some make better machines than others.

How To: Get the iPhone X's New 'Reflection' Ringtone on Any iPhone

The new iPhone X sets itself apart from its predecessors not only as the first Apple smartphone to use an AMOLED screen, but also as the first iPhone to cost over $1,000. True to form as an exclusive device, Apple's latest flagship also features a distinct ringtone. With a little tinkering, however, you can make the new "Reflection" ringtone your very own, regardless of which iPhone you may have.

Instagram 101: How to Insert a Line Break in Your Instagram Caption

As you all journey along with me on my challenge to become some sort of Instagram expert, let me share with you one hack that is currently helping me out a lot. If you've ever wanted to put a line break in your posts, then keep on reading.

Spotify 101: How to Disable Volume Normalization

Back in 2009, largely due to the sheer number of users demanding it, Spotify added an amazing little feature — the ability to disable volume normalization. While the feature is nothing more than a toggle on the visual front, the audible difference is far superior and moons apart.

News: What's the Difference Between HoloLens, Meta 2 & Magic Leap?

Augmented reality is beginning to leak out into the mainstream world. This is thanks, in part, to ARKit and ARCore. These releases turned the current smartphones owned by millions of Apple and Android users into AR-capable machines. And while there are definitely some awesome use cases for mobile AR, the real future in AR is headworn.

How To: The Easy Way to Clean Up Your WhatsApp Chat Logs

One of the downsides of living in an unprecedented age of connectivity is the near-constant bombardment of information. WhatsApp, the go-to messaging app for people the world over, is just as susceptible to buildup of useless media files, thanks to awesome features that allow us to communicate in multiple ways, such as broadcasting to friends and family. Luckily, the app makes it easy to remove old and unwanted data from your iPhone or Android.

How To: Get free ringtones for slider and flip phones

This method works for anything except sidekicks. First open your browser then in the address bar go to MYXERTONES. Look through the site and choose a ring tone that you think you might like. Click the song and upload it, then type in your phone number, or edit the song to just get the part you like. Make sure you keep in mind that this is a free service. The song will take a while to download, but as long as you have a web enabled phone, it should work.

Instagram 101: The Quickest Way to Like All Photos in Your Feed (& Why It Matters)

The Instagram Explore page is one of the most useful tools available to users. It's also one of the easiest ways to discover new content and, if you use it right, to increase your own follower count.

How To: Enable MMS picture messaging on your unlocked iPhone

MMS is disabled on some iPhones. To enable it go to settings, and go into the general settings. From the menu select network and select cellular data in the network menu. In the Cellular Data settings go down to MMS options. Now set the APN as wap:voicestream.com, MMSC as http://mms.MSG.eng.t-mobile.com, and MMS Proxy as 216.155.165.50:8080. Once you do these settings go to the message settings and make sure that the MMS messaging is turned on. Now go to messages and create a new message. Add...

How To: Organize the icons on your iPhone

Learn how to organize your iPhone icons with categories.

Spotify 101: How to Save Cellular Data When Streaming Music on Your iPhone or Android Phone

While I love Spotify, I don't like it devouring my data plan when streaming music away from a Wi-Fi network. If you have the foresight or time to download Spotify tracks for offline playback later, great. For those of you who like to listen to your music more randomly like I do, based on your current mood, streaming is the only way to go, and there are settings you can tweak to use up less data.

How To: SSH into a iPod Touch or iPhone using Filezilla

This video tutorial from iTouchMaster2 shows how to SSH to iPod or iPod Touch using FileZilla application.

How To: Control iTunes via Your Android Device Using the Retune Remote App

For a long time, Apple has had Remote—an app that can be used on any iOS device in order to remotely control iTunes. Remote allows users to walk around their home and change the music by simply going through their phone. And now, Android has released its own version of the Apple Remote app! Retune is a free app found on Google Play that has the capability to control iTunes—change songs, TV shows, and movies—using your Android device. You can view the entire iTunes library on your Android devi...

How To: Install & remove an iPhone cover

Want to protect your investment and add some personal style to your cell phone, but aren't quite sure how to install that cool new skin? We've got you covered - just check out this quick video on how to install and remove an iPhone case. If only getting ready for work could be so easy!