Thanks to a couple of photoshopped images that made rounds across Twitter last year, iPhone users were duped into thinking that iOS 8 included a security feature that would lock individual apps. Of course, none of it ended up being true, but we covered other features and apps ...more
Your iPhone's home screen is a tricky thing. You can sort your collection of apps in any order you'd like, but where you place those apps is a totally different story. App and folder placement follows a strict grid on iOS from left to right, top to bottom. No exceptions, and t ...more
With over a billion monthly active users, it seems that Facebook is nowhere close to being dethroned as the most popular social media service in the world (sorry, Ello). While their stats may be impressive, it doesn't mean that Facebook is as good as it can be. Complaints abo ...more
We use the cameras on our phones to become Instagram-famous, direct Snapchat videos, and post pictures for all our Facebook friends to gander at. Needless to say, camera technology in smartphones has come pretty far in a fairly short amount of time. In fact, a film shot entire ...more
Having trouble falling asleep? Using coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, and essential oils, you can easily concoct your own DIY, nice-smelling sleep salve that will help you drift off to slumber with minimal effort. Simply heat together 1 cup coconut oil, 1 cup olive oil, and 4 ...more
Need to add more space in your small closet? For a simple organizational hack, simply connect two clothes hangers with a metal soda tab so that you can hang two articles of clothing on a closet rod slot instead of just one. On the flip side of the coin, if you don't have spac ...more
Stop buying hummus from the grocery store. If you have a food processor and ten minutes to spare, you can easily whip up your own super-delicious, super-cheap hummus that will taste a million times better than whatever you can buy from the supermarket. For a lazy (but still d ...more
If baking soda can be used to deodorize your refrigerator, it can also be used to keep your general living space smelling nice. Simply fill a glass mason jar about one-third of the way full with baking soda and add 5 to 10 drops of your favorite essential oils. Cover the jar o ...more
Creating giant, reusable bubbles at home is easy, and it's a fun project for children. Just dump a whole bottle of non-toxic Elmer's Clear School Glue into a bowl, add fine glitter and watercolors (or food coloring), and slowly mix together Sta-Flo Liquid Starch to form a plia ...more
Chase the winter blues away by adding bright splashes of color to your boring winter tights. Using inexpensive nylon tights, fabric paints and basic craft supplies, you can do pretty much anything to transform your neutral-colored tights into something more colorful and fun. ...more
By donating a dollar for every image you post to a designated charity of your choice, Johnson & Johnson is rendering those narcissistic selfies a little less selfish by bringing social awareness and responsibility to social media. Using their app called Donate a Photo, availa ...more
Want to wrap your Christmas gifts in a memorable way? Give your gift recipient a DIY super-secret book safe, and while you are at it, hide a small gift inside the the secret safe. Or, if you plan on giving a gift card, create a snow globe out of a mason jar and water and glitt ...more
Are you expecting a lot of guests for an upcoming holiday party? To make your home smell like the holiday season, simmer orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, and cloves with water on a stovetop for several hours to make your indoor space smell really good. You can also ...more
Probiotics are microorganisms in the form of bacteria or yeast that live in your gut and help your body absorb beneficial vitamins and minerals. When consumed live, they help boost your immune system and maintain your overall body health. Listed below are 9 probiotic-rich foo ...more
You can find chili peppers in practically every cuisine. From the sweet Italian variety to the spicy Thai bird's chili and the smoky Mexican chipotle, peppers are ubiquitous and universally loved. But if you find the range and scope of these little fireballs overwhelming, you' ...more
iOS 8's third-party keyboard functionality is one of the best new additions to Apple's mobile operating system, allowing us to use swipe gestures, custom backgrounds, minimal designs, and many other features that the stock keyboard lacks. As if GIF keyboards weren't already f ...more
Using copper pennies (be sure they are older than 1983), lemon juice, paper towels and sandpaper, you can construct your own DIY battery that generates enough juice to light up an LED. The process is simple: simply sand down one side of a penny with sandpaper (be careful not ...more
Living in a densely populated city means that I usually have a strong cell signal, but that isn't always the case when I start driving out to the boonies. When I do get that occasional dropped call, it makes more sense to shoot off a text or email instead of trekking around tr ...more
While it can be argued that Google Chrome is generally a better browser, iPhone users tend to remain loyal to Safari. But one feature that gives Chrome the upper hand is its ability to recognize the language on any given page and offer you an option to translate it to your nat ...more
The updates keep coming for iOS 8, and we've got our hands on the developer release of iOS 8.1, currently in beta, which was released shortly after the iOS 8.0.2 update (and 8.0.1 failure) for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. You'll be able to install the 8.1 update later this m ...more
You may be surprised to know that the wildly popular and seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks actually does not contain any pumpkin in its ingredients. That, and making your own pumpkin spice latte at home is actually not very difficult at all. To make the pumpkin spice ...more
I hate to break it to you, but you're probably here because you were trolled. Thanks to a Photoshopped image making rounds across Twitter, Apple fans were tricked into believing that iOS 8 allowed them to lock individual apps, accessible only through a passcode or fingerprint ...more
Originally discovered in dry lake beds in Tibet, borax is a mineral and a salt of boric acid, and is usually sold in white powder form in drugstores. Like baking soda, borax has many household cleaning uses, and can also be used to get rid of insects and pests from your living ...more
Despite being one of the largest and most feature driven companies on the planet, Google can sometimes come up short. I have my Chromecast running 24/7, and while I use my phone to cast most of my content, I sometimes find a video while browsing Reddit or LiveLeak on my laptop ...more
While the legality of recording phone conversations varies from state to state, it's still a sought-after feature for most people. How else are we going to shame all of those bad Comcast customer service reps? Since it's a legal gray area, HTC and other smartphone manufacturer ...more
Trying to explain something difficult over the phone can be pretty frustrating if the other person doesn't understand you. Using text messages can be useless for auditory learners, and a phone call won't do much good for a reading or visual learner. Now there's a way to satis ...more
Got a clogged toilet on your hands? Before you call the plumber or bust out the plunger, try one of the five DIY methods listed below, all of them incorporating common tools or ingredients easily found in your closet, kitchen or medicine cabinet. If you already have liquid di ...more
Canvas fingerprinting is the web's trickiest privacy threat, but it's not impossible to stop. With all the media attention it's gotten lately, it's time we lay out exactly how to detect and prevent this invasive tracking technique. What Is Canvas Fingerprinting & Who Uses It? ...more
So long as you have a popsicle mold, making your own popsicles is ridiculously easy and the possibilities are limitless. For example, you can mix together gummy bears and Sprite, or for a more alcoholic treat, simply add Corona beer to the popsicle mold with a dash of lime jui ...more
Make your summer memorable by whipping up some ice-cold, homemade soda in the comfort of your own kitchen, then take it along with you during your next picnic or beach trip. So long as you have seltzer water and a few key ingredients to create the syrup, you can essentially m ...more
Unless you're a bartender or a hardcore drink aficionado, understanding the different types of carbonated water and their best uses can get confusing. This is especially true since most people use the terms "club soda," "sparkling water," and "seltzer water" interchangeably wh ...more
If you ever need to wash your beanie and need some sort of hat mould to retain the shape of the fabric while it is drying, blow up a party balloon until it is about the size of your head. Place the beanie on top of the balloon until it dries. Other than adding festive flair t ...more
Just the fact that you own an Android device means you're privy to an entire world of third-party development. Many of the mods you'll see here on Gadget Hacks can be performed fresh out of the box, but with root and Xposed, the list grows longer. But to truly be able to take ...more
Got a bottle of inexpensive, unopened red wine and some citrus fruits lying around in your kitchen? If you plan on throwing an outdoor summer party, you really can't go wrong with a pitcher full of homemade sangria. For a basic sangria recipe, all you need to do is to combine ...more
To optimize your day, chug down 16 ounces of water first thing in the morning. Your body is already dehydrated after a full night's sleep, and studies have shown that drinking water immediately after you wake up increases your metabolism by a significant amount for the first 9 ...more
You suck at karaoke. Most of us do, but that doesn't stop any of us from hitting up the karaoke bar. It's not about who sounds best; there's American Idol for that. It's about having a great time without incurring negative judgement; the worse you are the better time I'm havin ...more
While it may be tempting to rely on canned beans to save time, going through the process of preparing dried beans for cooking can actually be better for you in the long run—for both your physical and financial health. Canned beans may contain preservatives and sodium detrimen ...more
The official Google Hangouts app has been around for a while, and is the standard messaging app on Nexus devices, but Google didn't make each version equal. On the iOS version, you get the feature of adding "stickers"—GIF emoticons—but Google left that out of the Android versi ...more
Scrambled eggs may seem like the easiest breakfast dish to whip up in the kitchen, but in order to make them truly perfect, several details in the cooking process are important to keep in mind. Make sure to use fresh eggs that are less than a week old. Use the right-sized pan ...more
Who doesn't want to decrease time wasted looking for misplaced car keys or remembering a long-forgotten computer password? Keep your memory in prime shape by regularly eating fruits, vegetables, and proteins that are known for boosting memory and decreasing your risk for Alzh ...more
If you've just upgraded to an HTC One M8, chances are you've got some media files you want transferred over from your computer or previous phone. Even after you've done that, there will be times when you want to transfer content back to your computer for safe keeping. The old ...more
Bored of eating Oreo cookies on their own? Stick a jumbo marshmallow and a Hershey square in-between the cookies and melt in the microwave to make Oreo s'mores. For a savory-sweet snack, crush them into small pieces and mix with a bag of freshly popped popcorn. For an even mo ...more
They may not be the coolest looking things in the world, but Google is addressing some of the shortcomings of its Glass hardware by announcing a partnership with Luxottica Group. The company, with over 5000 retail stores in the US, has a strong portfolio of brands under its be ...more
Cultured dairy products are great for topping chilis and soups, stirring into dips, and adding tanginess to breads and pancakes. They're extremely versatile and often interchangeable, and they contain probiotics that offer a long list of health benefits. They're also super eas ...more
Want to boost your dog's immune system and skin health? Add some extra flavor to your dog's food bowl with a few pieces of cooked salmon, deboned and unseasoned, which is an excellent source of fatty omega-3 acids. As dogs are omnivores just like humans, dogs are capable of e ...more
The Samsung Galaxy S5 was just officially announced at Mobile World Congress. The new flagship device will be available worldwide beginning April 11, 2014, including all major U.S. and international carriers. With over 200 million Galaxy devices sold to date, the S5 doesn't st ...more
Whether it's for Valentine's Day or you simply want to send a note to someone in a unique way, a secret message inside of a seemingly untouched raw egg is the perfect way to go. Simply poke holes on both ends of the raw egg (make sure to make a bigger hole on the wider end) a ...more
The iPhone 5S may be the most popular Apple phone to date, but I'm still rocking my iPhone 4. No disrespect to the 5S, but I'm not upgrading until I can unlock with a retina scan or get Siri to sound like Scarlett Johansson. However, I wouldn't mind making my aging iPhone loo ...more
That didn't take very long! Yesterday, after a lengthy delay, Google opened up the development kit for their Chromecast HDMI dongle. And as of very early this morning, renowned CyanogenMod dev Koushik Dutta, or Koush, re-enabled Chromecast support for his AllCast app: AllCas ...more
To make your own fabric softener at home, simply mix together six parts water, three parts white vinegar, and two parts hair conditioner into one solution. Once you're done mixing, use ½ cup of the solution for every load of laundry during the rinse cycle to soften your clothe ...more
Living in Los Angeles so long has perhaps spoiled me a bit. The only time I check my weather apps is to send screenshots of my 70 degree Decembers to my friends in Chicago and New York. So for these bragging occasions, I like to have a good looking app. I've already covered t ...more
Here are instructions to make an origami tarantula. Detailed visual instructions are on the video that contains a map and images of the origami. You will need 186 black, 83 dark brown, 10 light brown and 3 orange triangles. You'll also need: 8 large black square papers: 3.5 ...more
To make your own sinfully delicious chocolate peanut butter cups in the comfort of your own home, all you need are chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, and sugar. Melt chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl in a microwave and spoon the melted chocolate goodness at the bottom ...more
Gardening hose starting to leak? Don't throw it out just yet. Cut it up into smaller lengths and slice it open to use the hose as a protective barrier for outdoor electrical cords, or as added grip on a metal paint can handle. If your home has a very small garage, you can use ...more
Enjoy the deliciousness of a peanut butter sandwich without the artificial chemicals that comes in store-bought jars. To make your own peanut butter at home, all you need are pre-roasted peanuts, peanut oil, and a little bit of salt and sugar. Roast the peanuts in the oven fo ...more
If you want to keep the inside of your car smelling awesome, don't buy commercial air fresheners. They contain toxic synthetic chemicals which can be harmful to your health. Using recycled cardboard, fabric, a piece of string, a hole puncher, and some natural essential oils, ...more
If you can't stand the idea of tying a birthday present with a wrinkled piece of ribbon, all you need is a slightly warm light bulb that hasn't been lit for more than five minutes. Simply run the length of the wrinkled ribbon across the top of the warm light bulb until the wri ...more
If you missed out on the Chia Pet craze from the '80s and '90s, don't worry—it's never too late to build and make your own weirdly head-shaped thing with grass hair growing on top. Using potting soil, chia seeds, an old nylon stocking, an empty terracotta pot, and a little im ...more
Commonly used for washing and scrubbing dirty dishes, the ubiquitous kitchen sponge can also be used to sprout seeds, loosen wallpaper, remove oil leaks, deodorize your fridge, and more. The porous, absorbent nature of the sponge also makes it perfect for keeping your vegetab ...more
Guacamole is one of those things that tastes far better than it looks. To someone who isn't a huge fan of avocados, guacamole's texture can appear slimy, and on top of that, its chunky green appearance brings up visions of Nickelodeon-style slime. What's even worse is the brow ...more