If you live in the US, it's pretty simple: The Google Pixel 4a is the best phone for rooting and modding in 2020. Its price keeps the risk-reward ratio nice and low, and its unlockable bootloader makes it easy to modify virtually any aspect of Android. But recent updates to A ...more
One of the best things about Android is the ability to customize your phone to your liking. From changing the layout of icons to finding the perfect wallpaper to reflect your current mood, there's a wide range of tools to make your phone yours. One of the easiest ways is to t ...more
Getting a new phone is exciting, but having access to its exclusive apps ahead of its release is what we're all about here on Gadget Hacks. If you have a Galaxy Note 3, you've probably only had it for a year or less, so upgrading to the Note 4 may not be a viable option when ...more
You've unlocked your bootloader and rooted your HTC One running KitKat, but there's still one lingering aspect of security you've yet to rid yourself of—S-On—the extra security measure HTC implemented into Sense. S-Off stands for Security Off and allows you to update your One ...more
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 Andr ...more
Most of us have never put much thought into this, but the question needs to be asked — what exactly happens to all of our online accounts when we die? No, the internet won't just know and delete accounts for you, so you need to plan for life's one guarantee. Because without a ...more
No more carrying around heavy laptops and thousands of Linux Live CDs and USBs to always be ready for pentesting on the fly! I hope you had a good Christmas and happy new year! Update1: Added the section "weaponizing your Android" where I talk about apps and fundamental Kali ...more
Apple has finally given us a decent file manager in iOS 11. The new "Files" app replaces the not-very-old iCloud Drive app that appeared in iOS 9, but you can still access your iCloud Drive files in the new Files app, as well as files from third-party cloud services. A nice im ...more
For its latest take on augmented reality-infused playsets, Lego is giving the young, and the simply young at heart, its twist on the viral lipsync format made popular by TikTok with Lego Vidiyo. The game remixes TikTok's video creation and curation features with a music busin ...more
After an update on Sept. 22, 2020, the Checkra1n jailbreaking tool expanded its compatibility to include iOS 12.0 to iOS 12.2, as well as iOS 13.5.1 to iOS 13.7. More importantly, however, it now can jailbreak iOS 14 on select iPhone models, with more support coming soon. The ...more
Is your smartphone eavesdropping on you? It's a question that will never go away because it's easy to envision hackers or malicious apps taking over your device to spy on conversations, snap photos, or even record video. But fewer people will be asking it, thanks to Android 12 ...more
You can feel it in your bones. You may die if you don't get this phone. There's just one problem — the price. Suddenly, you come across what seems like manna from heaven. That very device, at a deeply discounted rate, can be yours. The only thing that makes you pause is that ...more
|Choose Your View: Quick Bullet Points | Detailed Descriptions Android's newest major update is a special one — it's the tenth full version of the world's most commonly used operating system. The latest release, dubbed simply Android 10 (codename Android Q), was first showcas ...more
The idea of squeezing your phone might have sounded a bit out there when it was new, but it's now a hallmark feature on Pixel devices. As useful as it is for summoning the Google Assistant, however, it certainly would be nice to be able pick and choose what action is triggered ...more
For the first time in twenty years, Apple created its own custom font in late 2014. Dubbed "San Francisco," it combined elements from Helvetica and FF DIN to create a crisp, elegant, and highly legible font that is now used in iOS, macOS, and tvOS. With an open source Magisk ...more
Apps don't need to come bundled with an entire browser just to be able to display web pages — instead, they can call on the system WebView browser to render content for them. Android's default WebView renderer is Google software, which isn't quite as privacy-forward as some ot ...more
Google's legendary phone series fittingly ended with the Nexus 6 (P), and all the replicants that have come in its wake failed to unite the geek crowd quite as well. It might seem silly to think back on a smartphone with a sense of nostalgia, but if any Android phone deserves ...more
Android 11 is here. Prior to Google dropping the naming scheme, this would have been a dessert with an R name (maybe Rice Krispies Treat or Red Velvet Cake) — but nope, just plain ol' Android 11. And after months of betas and a global pandemic, it finally debuted a little over ...more
The OnePlus 6T is easily one of 2018's best value phones for many reasons, especially when it comes to rooting and modding. But like many new phones, it's plagued with the single bottom-firing speaker that left us wanting more in the sound department. The speaker is decent on ...more
The augmented reality smartglasses race is getting a major new entrant that could significantly change the entire landscape. On Tuesday, Qualcomm revealed its own XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design, a pair of smartglasses that are meant to give OEMs (original equipment make ...more
As we near the one-year anniversary of its release (and the inevitable unveiling of its successor), the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 remains a device that packs quite a punch when it comes to hardware. It boasts a 2.3Ghz CPU and was the first mobile phone ever to house 3GBs of RAM. S ...more
Despite concerns with SafetyNet, Google actually cares about root. Every phone they sell has an unlockable bootloader, so you can toggle a setting and send a Fastboot command, then start flashing custom firmware right away. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL continue this tradition, a ...more
One of the many perks of being a Nexus user is that Google bakes in all sorts of goodies for use on its dessert-themed OS. From an easily unlocked bootloader, to a smooth and well-crafted "stock" UI experience, to being one of the first devices to receive updates straight from ...more
As with most OEMs, HTC would like you to think that you can do virtually anything with your new HTC One M8, but as a softModder, you know that isn't true. To actually unleash the full potential of that device, you need access to the whole system, not just the parts that HTC de ...more
You watched the live stream, pored over the specs, and are now super excited for the Google Pixel 4. But specs don't tell you everything. After using the Pixel 4 XL for over a week now, we've found several things you wouldn't know without getting your hands on the phone. Most ...more
If you're a man and subscribe to podcasts or YouTube channels that cater to masculine interests, then you've almost certainly encountered sponsorships from Manscaped. And that means I don't have to explain what the company is selling you (for the uninitiated, it's a company de ...more
Instead of using a single APK, YouTube Vanced recently started being distributed as a bundle that requires a third-party app to install. Some fans found this too difficult, so the Vanced developers decide to make the process easier. The team behind YouTube Vanced created a ne ...more
Samsung has finally rolled out the Android Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and S8+. If you're just now getting the update, you'll be happy to know that your Galaxy just got upgraded with plenty of cool new features. Like previous updates, Samsung has improved upon its software b ...more
One of Android's most glaring weaknesses is its lack of an iMessage equivalent. That is, of course, until now. There's one app that will allow Android users to experience iMessage on their non-Apple phone, complete with end-to-end encryption, message effects, and group messagi ...more
If you've grown bored of day-to-day hacking and need a new toy to experiment with, we've compiled a list of gadgets to help you take password cracking and wireless hacking to the next level. If you're not a white hat or pentester yourself but have one to shop for, whether for ...more
Using a strong password is critical to the security of your online accounts. However, according to Dashlane, US users hold an average of 130 different accounts. Memorizing strong passwords for that many accounts is impractical. Fortunately, password managers solve the problem. ...more
Apple's latest iPhone software update — iOS 17.5 — is finally ready for prime time. Released on May 13, it includes at least 32 new features and changes you need to know about, from a new game and offline news access to new wallpapers and anti-stalking capabilities. The iOS 1 ...more
On its quest for online domination, Amazon.com continues to expand past its basic web marketplace to fulfill the needs of everyone and anyone with a little cash to spend. First, they battled the likes of Barnes & Noble and Borders Books with their online Kindle eBook shop. Ne ...more
For me, the idea of a smartphone with internet access was overkill for a cell phone. Wasn't that what my computer was for? Do I really need immediate access to the web? Must I update my Facebook every hour, from the palm of my hand? Do I need turn-by-turn directions from Googl ...more
Last week Amazon set their sights on the mobile app market, launching their Appstore for Android. This week they're attacking Android devices once again, but that's not all—they're getting into the online storage biz. On Monday, they launched Amazon Cloud Drive and Amazon Clo ...more
Now that the iPhone 4 is on Verizon, there's an increasing number of ex-Android users wanting to know how to take a screenshot on their new iOS device. We all know what a nightmare it was to take a screenshot on your Android device. You had to download the Android SDK, enable ...more
You've seen it in action before, but now it's finally got a solid release date, well... release month. The newest version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY was unveiled at MWC 2011 today and will be available for purchase globally in March 2011 (in selected markets), which is ...more
Remember those old vinyl records? Remember jumping on the 8-track bandwagon? Switching over to cassette tapes? How much money you spent converting your music collection to compact discs? To MP3s? How about your VHS movie collection? You probably emptied the bank switching ove ...more
The Google Nexus S smartphone is finally here! Well… almost. Nexus S is the first smartphone based on the Gingerbread OS (Android 2.3) and will be available for purchase online and at Best Buy store locations everywhere, come December 16th, with T-Mobile service. Aah… just ...more
Thanks to online music services like eMusic and iTunes, compact discs are becoming a far distant memory, turning local music shops around the country into desolate wastelands. The once mighty movie rental store Blockbuster is now bankrupt because of online streaming services l ...more
Google's much anticipated eBook Store has finally opened. As of today, the digital bookselling enterprise is awaiting your needs, with over 3 million eBooks to read directly on the web or on other platforms, like Android, iPhone, iPad, Sony and Nook devices. And the best part ...more
The Droid Bionic was rooted the same day it came out with the one click method used to root the Droid 3. This tutorial will walk you through the process of rooting Motorola's Android device so that you can unlock the full potential of Verizon Wireless's flagship device. Full ...more
The Droid 3 smartphone from Verizon has a great camera perfect for taking beautiful photos. If you want to learn how to perfect your on-the-go photography, take a look at this tutorial from Verizon Wireless that features instructions on all the different settings in the Camera ...more
The Droid Incredible cell phone by HTC brings the newest Google application right to your fingertips. With "Near me now" Google Search uses your current location to let you search for restaurants, ATMs, gas stations, and more! Verizon Wireless gives you tips on how to search G ...more
Getting to know your HTC Droid Incredible cell phone will help you fully experience its benefits. In this video tutorial, Verizon Wireless shows you some basic navigation tips for the home screen for getting started with your Android device.
NFC. It stands from Near Field Communication. And it's invading the world, one small step at a time. Perhaps its biggest jump into the mainstream is thanks to the new Nexus S from Google. It runs the new Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) software update, which takes full advantage of ...more
Thankfully, the wait for the much desired Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) update from Google is upon us. And the first Android device to take advantage of this new firmware is their Nexus S. This smartphone is going to be a killer. But the thing to look out for here is Google Voice. ...more
You've had a massive hard disk failure.. ...in your PC or laptop and like a large number of people who think it will never happen to them...you did not have a backup of those 2000+ family pictures, those hundred of important Word documents, those family videos that you downlo ...more
The iPhone 4 for Verizon is already old news, thanks to Sprint's unveiling of the Kyocera Echo smartphone last Monday. Sprint's Kyocera Echo is the world's first dual-screen Android device, with a 3.5-inch 480 x 800 touchscreen display hidden beneath the same-sized main displ ...more
My girlfriend was going away for a few weeks, but where she was going, there was no easily accessible Internet. She works mostly on the web, so it was imperative that she have a decent Internet connection during her travels. So, tethering her phone was the only real possibilit ...more
The PlayStation Phone is almost here, and the hybrid device from Sony Ericsson is rumored to have Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) as its mobile OS. YouTube user xxmajstor managed to get his hands on what is said to be the Sony Ericsson Zeus - Z1 PlayStation Phone. Below is the spy v ...more
Motorola's Droid Bionic has several Android apps built into the device that allow you to speed up your workflow. For example, with the MotoPrint app you can print from the Verizon Wireless smartphone to a printer. With it, you can print everything from photos, PDF's, documents ...more
To some, it's sacrilege. To others, just a bit of good fun. In this clip from the folks at Lifehacker, we learn how to install and use Google's Android OS on an iPhone 4 using iDroid. Learn how to run Android on your Apple mobile device with this hacker's how-to.
If you have a subscription with Verizon Wireless to use the mobile hotspot feature on the Motorola Droid Bionic Android smartphone, you can provide internet access to any nearby device with a WiFi connection by accessing the mobile hotspot application on your Bionic. This guid ...more
So, a lot of people seem to be having trouble rooting their Motorola Droid X smartphone from Verizon Wireless using ADB (Android Debug Bridge). Well, there is an alternative for those having problems with the ADB version. You will need to have a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth widget handy ...more
If you're using a Nexus One Android smartphone and a few bugs or glitches start occuring on your device, it may be time to restart it to factory settings. This guide will walk you through the process of resetting the phone back to the original Android OS settings.
Android OS version 2.2, otherwise known as Froyo, is a huge improvement over the current 2.1 system because of it's native Flash 10 support among other things, but unless you have a Google Nexus One phone then you are probably waiting for your phone manufacturer to make their ...more
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. Temporarily turn your iPhon ...more
Installing and managing ROMs on your rooted Android phone can be a pain. You have to connect phone to computer a lot, and every time you load a new one you run the risk of it not working and having to start all over again. Fortunately, there's even an App for that! This video ...more
Nowadays, there's a mobile app for just about everything—but that doesn't mean it should be on your smartphone. Not diggin' what SPB Shell 3D did to your home screen? Accidentally purchased Angry Sperms instead of Angry Birds? Want to try out the upcoming Smuggle Truck without ...more