Smartphones Features — Page 24 of 165 « Smartphones

How To: Record the Evolution of Your Face with an iPhone App

It's amazing how the years seem to slip by. One day you're a dreamy, starry-eyed college student. Hopeful intern the next. Before you know it, you're just a hard working stiff like the rest of them. Even though those college years don't seem too far in the past, it's always a shock when you come across an old photo and see a somewhat fresher, baby-faced version of yourself. Think about how shocking it would be to see a time-lapse recording of years gone by, each day incrementally displaying t...

How To: Edit Structures in Fortnite Battle Royale

One of the more unique aspects of Fortnite Battle Royale is the ability to create structures. Using in-game materials, players can create walls and ramps for cover and to extend mobility. But creating isn't limited to just the basic generic structures. To really maximize their benefits, great players edit their creations to fit their needs.

News: Google Authenticator Is NOT the Best 2FA App Anymore

If you want the best two-factor authentication app out there, our pick is Authy. A close second is LastPass Authenticator. If neither of those is to your liking, try Duo Mobile or Microsoft Authenticator. But if you're fine with missing out on great features, then and only then should you look at using Google Authenticator.

Snapchat 101: How to Share Custom Lenses & Filters with Friends That Won't Disappear

In late-2017, Snapchat debuted Lens Studio, a way for anyone to create their own augmented reality "world lenses" that can be shared to anyone with a Snapchat account. If you don't mind spending money, you can even create custom face lenses and basic overlay filters for special events. And while making lenses and filters have gotten pretty easy, distributing them is another matter entirely.

How To: 10 Roblox Settings You Need to Double-Check to Safeguard Your Child's Privacy

Among the younger generation, Roblox rivals major titles like Minecraft as one of the most popular online games out there. In fact, it's common to hear children tell new playmates to "friend me in Roblox!" so they can play together online. There's nothing inherently sinister here, but with all the online interaction, kids' safety becomes a factor.

News: The New Web-Based Snap Map Lets Anyone Watch Public Snaps, No Account Needed

When first released, Snap Map made a lot of users uneasy. Beaming their location to the world at all times isn't necessarily the definition of privacy, but Snapchat's map is nonetheless intriguing, offering users a view into the lives of people across the globe. Now, you don't even need to have an account to access Snap Map — you can view it right from your web browser.

Super Mario Run 101: How to Earn More Toad Rally Tickets

One of the best features in Super Mario Run is a multiplayer race that lets you test your skills against other players. Toad Rally, as it's called, pits you against other players in a battle for Toads. The more Toads you collect, the easier it is to build your kingdom and collect more rewards on your Android or iPhone.

How To: Use QR or quick-response bar codes with your cell phone

Have you seen odd, square codes on some specific merchandise? These are called QR codes, or quick-response codes, and they are a type of bar code which your smartphone can read and then take you to a particular website, give you coupons or even a business card. Here's how you can get the most out of QR codes.

How To: How Strong Is Your iPhone's Signal? Find the Exact Strength in Numbers with This Trick

If you've ever found yourself wandering about a room, holding your phone up to the sky searching for a signal, this is just the trick for you. Edward from Redmond Pie found a great way to configure the readout with just a simple phone call, making your iPhone display its exact signal strength in decibels (dBm). Step 1: Put Your iPhone into Field Test Mode

Twitter 101: How to Stop Getting Notifications from Anyone That You Don't Know

Twitter is a hotbed for abusive accounts. Because it's such an open app, strangers from all over the world can see your tweets. Obviously, not everyone agrees on everything, but sometimes things can escalate to the point where it's considered harassment from people you don't even know.

How To: Create Your Own Augmented Reality Filter for Instagram Stories Using Spark AR on Mac or Windows

There's a new trend on Instagram Stories: People are making viral AR filters where images of popular characters from TV shows, movies, and other mediums shuffle above your head until one sticks. The filters range from Disney and Pokémon characters to Harry Potter and Friends, but you're not limited to just that because you can create your own "which are you?" filter.

News: Inside the Future of Smartglasses: Vuzix CEO Paul Travers on What 2021 Holds for AR Wearables

We often discuss the augmented reality efforts coming from the biggest players in Silicon Valley like Google, Facebook, Apple, and others, but one name that keeps coming up when you really begin to dig into the AR space is Vuzix. Since the late '90s, the company has quietly but deliberately worked to build itself into a viable competitor in the enterprise space via its wearable display technology.

How To: Transfer Your Spotify Playlists to Apple Music from an iPhone or Android Phone

Music streaming services make it difficult to transfer your favorite songs and artists from one service to another and for a valid reason: they don't want you to leave. But when it comes to switching, playlists are a big concern, because who wants to do it all over again? Luckily, if you're moving from Spotify to Apple Music, you can use a third-party app to take playlists with you.

How To: Run a Really Old Version of Mac OS on Your Android Device

Remember these? Sadly, I don't, but I'm sure someone out there does. Anyone? This monstrosity, called the Macintosh Plus, was introduced in 1986 for the low-low price of $2,599. Wait...what? Almost three grand for that bulky baby?!? With a whopping 1MB of RAM standard?!? Whoa there...

How To: Completely Erase Your Smartphone of All Personal Data

When it comes time to sell your smartphone or trade it in for your annual upgrade, you'll have to make sure that all of the sensitive data the device accumulated while you owned it is properly erased so that no one else can access it. This process is referred to as a "Factory Reset," and regardless of if you own an iPhone or Android device, like a Samsung Galaxy model, HTC One, or Nexus, I'll show you how to do it below.

News: Magic Leap Acquires Augmented Reality Telepresence Startup Mimesys

Just months after we previewed the augmented reality, volumetric video conferencing powers of Mimesys, the company has undergone a major change — it's now a part of Magic Leap.

Hands-On: Magic Leap One First Hands-On Impressions for HoloLens Developers

In a surprising twist of expectation management, Magic Leap managed to not only ship but deliver the Magic Leap One I ordered on Wednesday by 4 p.m. PT on the same day.

Facebook Messenger 101: How to Keep Your Account When Deactivating Facebook

If you finally decide to take the plunge and delete your Facebook, you should know that your Messenger account may also go missing if that's how you log into it using your Facebook account. You can make a new Messenger profile without tying it to a Facebook account, but if you want to keep all of your old chats, you're going to want to deactivate rather than delete.

IFTTT 101: How to Create Custom Applets

IFTTT is a fantastic tool that lets you trigger actions on your smartphone that normally require more advanced hacking. With the help of its friendly user interface, turning your phone into a more personal device has never been easier. However, the app has some more intricate options under the surface, making advanced implementations of applets difficult for beginners.

How To: 4 Tips to Improve YouTube Music Recommendations — Make 'Discover' & 'Your Mix' So Much Better

Now that the transfer tool for migrating your Google Play Music library to YouTube Music is rolling out, more fans of the former, which will meet its end in 2020, are giving its replacement a try.

News: HeadsupAR Turns Smartphones into Mixed Reality Headsets

Three years ago, with VR enthusiasts prepared to throw their money at Oculus to get their hands on the yet-to-be-release Rift headset, Google surprised the audience for Google I/O with Google Cardboard, a seemingly late April Fool's joke that actually jump-started virtual reality.

How To: Play Music at the Highest Possible Quality with Tidal

As you might know, Tidal differentiates itself from the competition with its audio quality. Unlike Spotify and Apple Music, it aims to give its subscribers studio quality audio from any device. However, before you sign up for Tidal, be aware there are few steps you need to take in order to stream such high-quality music.

How To: Download HBO Max Movies & TV Shows in the Highest Quality on Your Phone

Whether you're binging "Friends," "Game of Thrones," or Harry Potter movies, if you want to watch HBO Max downloads in the highest quality possible, you can't just use the default settings. Without doing the legwork, the TV shows and films you download onto your iPhone or Android phone will be lower quality than the full HD version you can have.

How To: Use the web browser on Android cell phones (2.0)

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.

How To: Change Chat Thread Colors in Facebook Messenger Lite

You can now customize your chat experience in Facebook Messenger Lite for Android. You can change your chat bubble colors from steamy red to cool green depending on your mood or who you're chatting with. It's a great way to spice up your standard-issue Facebook blue chat theme.

News: Google Working on AR Walking Navigation Mode for Maps

At Google's I/O developer conference keynote on Tuesday, ARCore may have been absent, but Google did preview a potentially trailblazing augmented reality feature for Google Maps.

How To: Set Up a Private Facebook Room for Video Chat

It's open season on Zoom, the video conferencing platform that has grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic but has come under fire due to privacy issues.

News: A Timeline of Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Displays from 2009 to Present

The reveal of Magic Leap One: Creator Edition brought with it some insight into the path the device took from prototype to "final" design.

News: BAE Systems Uses HoloLens to Create AR Command Interfaces Straight Out of 'Minority Report' for British Royal Navy

The interactive displays of the future as visualized in Steven Spielberg's science fiction classic Minority Report, as well as the augmented reality interfaces used by millionaire playboy Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are now closer to becoming reality in the military realm.

How To: Insert or remove a SIM card from a Nokia N97 Mini mobile phone

Want to insert a SIM card into your Nokia N97 mini? It couldn't be easier. This clip will teach you everything you need to know. For all of the details, including complete, step-by-step instructions, watch this brief, official N97 Mini owner's guide from the folks at Nokia!

News: Airbus Previews Military Sandbox App for HoloLens

As Microsoft works toward fulfilling its $480 million contract to supply modified HoloLens 2 headsets to the US Army, Airbus is preparing to supply advanced augmented reality apps for the device.

How To: Hackers Can Remote Wipe Your Samsung Smartphone—Find Out If Yours Is Vulnerable (And Fix It)

Security researcher Ravi Borgaonkar from Berlin has discovered that hackers can hide an 11-digit code in a webpage that can wipe out all of the information on your smartphone—contacts, photographs, music, applications, and anything else of importance. The attack takes no more than a few seconds and nothing can be done about it. NOTHING. This begs the question—are you susceptible?

How To: Do a hard reset on a G1 T-Mobile HTC phone

This video is made specifically for G1 T-Mobile users. The author explains to us that there are no instructions in the manual on how to do a hard reset so this video will explain how. The first step to reset the phone is to power down the phone by pressing the end key and then Power Off. Then the next step is to hold the End key and the Home key at the same time when powering the phone on. Once that is done the reset graphic will show up. Once you see the reset graphic show up press the home ...

How To: Auto-Toggle Your Android Device's Wi-Fi On and Off When Near or Away from a Hotspot

Whether it's using precious data or wasting battery power, switching between Wi-Fi and cellular service on your Android device can be a hassle. If your Wi-Fi is off, you may not know about free hotspot networks in the area you're in, leading you to waste network data (which more than likely is not unlimited). If your Wi-Fi is on all of the time, this leads to quicker battery depletion. There are already a few Android apps, like Auto WiFi Toggler, that combat this problem, but they just period...

How To: How Your Smartphone Can Get You Fit in Just 7 Minutes a Day

We all want to be healthy, but in practice, it can be tricky, especially from the fitness angle. Our lives seem busier and busier, which makes hitting the gym quite the challenge. What if we told you there was a real way to work on your fitness in the comfort of your own home — in just seven minutes a day? All you need is a chair, a wall, and a 7-minute workout app.

News: The Weather Channel Uses Broadcast AR to Warn Residents in the Path of Hurricane Florence

If you've gone anywhere near a television in the US in the last 48 hours, you've probably seen some of the reports of Hurricane Florence and its devastating wind and rain making its way toward the Carolina coast.

How To: Find contacts via a shortcut on your Apple iPhone

You don't have to browse your entire contacts to find the one you're looking for anymore. There's a shorter way to find the contact of your choice on the iPhone. It's a nice little shortcut you can use when you know exactly who you're calling. So how? With the Search function. Best Buy has answers. The Best Buy Mobile team explains how simple it is to find contacts via a shortcut on your Apple iPhone.