Smartphones Features

How To: Buy a Microsoft HoloLens

Microsoft's HoloLens project is shaping up to be the forerunner of augmented reality. With jaw-dropping features that would allow you to bring entire football games into your living room and control software with your eyes, there's plenty to be excited about with the upcoming AR headset. Up until now, HoloLens has been seen as potential vaporware, considering that the technology it brings to the table is so futuristic that some folks have thought it wouldn't be possible any time soon. But a r...

How To: Get better battery life on DROID smartphones

Battery life is a constant problem with cell phones today, and the Droid smartphones running Android software are no exception. If you want to learn how to get the most out of your Droid battery, then check out this helpful video that provides 8 tips on cutting battery-eating apps and features. If you want more battery life and are willing to sacrifice the cool features of the Droid cell phones, then you have to do these things. Don't let you Droid battery get drained!

How To: Increase Touch Responsiveness on Your Rooted Google Nexus 4

While the majority of reviews for the Google Nexus 4 have been positive, there are a few things that have irked customers. Two of the most common complaints are the lack of 4G LTE on the phone (which you can activate yourself) and the touchscreen's less than stellar responsiveness. Thankfully, XDA developer trter10 has come up with a solution for this issue by fixing the driver that improves the touch responsiveness of the Nexus 4. All you have to do is download and install an older version o...

News: Inputs for the HoloLens Can Be from Any Device... Even a Smartphone

We've highlighted the projects of Wavelength Studios a few times over recent months for their work in the augmented and mixed reality space. Since receiving their HoloLens headsets, they've been hard at work on both development community projects as well as efforts for clients. This brings us to their latest work—a way to control holograms on the HoloLens with our pocket-based modern miracles, also know as smartphones.

News: Augmented Reality Cinema App Takes You to the Movies—in Real World Locations

The yet-to-be released Augmented Reality Cinema app is sure to make avid movie fans across the world drool. The concept is genius and appears to be quite seamless as well: Simply install the app on your iPhone, take a stroll through your city (supported cities have not yet been released, but the video below shows London), and aim your phone at various locations to view movie scenes that have been previously shot there.

How To: Beat level 15 of Angry Birds Seasons with three stars

Beat the fifteenth level of Angry Birds Seasons with three stars! On December 1st, Rovio released their version of an advent calendar—Angry Birds Seasons (aka "Angry Birds Christmas"). Each day leading up to the Christmas holiday, a new level will become available to Angry Birds enthusiasts worldwide. Stuck? No problem: YouTube's 23hathman has pledged to post a three-star walkthrough for each of the game's levels. In this, the December 15th installment, we learn how to beat level 15.

News: Will It Bend? iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3

With the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, comparisons to the Samsung Galaxy Note series have been circulating like crazy, and it's only natural. The Note was panned as an oversized gimmick when it was released, but after its enormous success, Apple caved and built their own "phablet," something that Samsung took little time to call them out on.

How To: Hack an Apple iPhone running 2.0.2 firmware

There is a security flaw with any Apple iPhone running firmware version 2.0.2. This flaw potentially gives a person access to your email account and contacts when you have your iPhone locked. This video demonstrates a simple, but impermanent, fix for stopping others from accessing your private information. To protect your own Apple iPhone, watch this tutorial.

News: 27 Best Productivity Apps to Make Working from Home Less Stressful

In the last decade, the number of people working remotely in the US has increased dramatically, and so has their need for technology and software to supplement that remote work. Whether you work from home or a coworking office space, the requirement for highly compatible and helpful productivity apps is a must if you want to get things done successfully.

HoloLens Dev 101: Building a Dynamic User Interface, Part 7 (Unlocking the Menu Movement)

In the previous section of this series on dynamic user interfaces for HoloLens, we learned about delegates and events. At the same time we used those delegates and events to not only attach our menu system to the users gaze, but also to enable and disable the menu based on certain conditions. Now let's take that knowledge and build on it to make our menu system a bit more comfortable.

News: Watch the Red Bull Air Race in a Whole New Way with Flight Deck on HoloLens

At Vision Summit 2017, UK-based Rewind, one of the recent additions to the Microsoft HoloLens Agency Readiness Partner Program, showed off a HoloLens application called "Flight Deck" that genuinely blew me away. The idea of watching a live-action sports experience on a coffee table has been explored and mocked up, but Rewind not only has done it, they will be releasing it later this year.