Ever since Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the helms of the world's most valuable brand, he has made it his mission to bring smartphones to lower-income communities. Born in India, Mr. Pichai has created several programs to address the needs of the Indian market, particularly th ...more
There's no doubt iOS 13 has dominated the talk around the Apple community this month. Since the announcement and release of the first developer beta, we iPhone users have had a treasure trove of new features and changes to explore and discuss. Now the fun continues with iOS 13 ...more
As you're surely aware, your phone can be used against you. Thanks to our cameras and microphones, a clever hacker can obtain access to your device and invade your privacy. But spying isn't limited to just these two sensors — gyroscopes, proximity sensors, QR codes, and even a ...more
It's always a big deal when the company that makes Android releases a new phone. Google's Pixel series has made a name for itself in three short years behind its camera prowess, but now it's time to start competing with the major players. That said, Google should like how thei ...more
It's here! Apple just released the latest version of iOS today, Monday, March 25. Version 12.2 has seen six beta releases, spanning the course of fewer than three months. The new update sports 30+ awesome features, including new Animoji, air quality reports in Apple Maps, and ...more
Dark mode themes for mobile apps are all the rage these days, but YouTube is taking that a bit literally with its latest augmented reality experience. On Monday, to promote the release of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which debuts in US theaters on Friday, Disney released a v ...more
Despite the availability of a vaccine against it, almost 50% of men aged 18-59 in the US are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Why? A new study published in JAMA Oncology by at a team of researchers at the Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) in Fort Bragg discusses ...more
Haven't found all of the hidden Easter eggs in Call of Duty: Blacks Op 2 yet? Then the one you're probably missing is this one in Zombie mode, which is a pretty cool shout to Skrillex, whose music seems to fit in quite well with all of those zombies running around. This parti ...more
Creating a class in Black Ops 2 is kind of like an art form. Every player has an insane amount of options for creating a character for all sorts of situations. Combining perks, with secondary weapons, and attachments allows for a wide range of killing options. But in order to ...more
Throughout this NR50 series, we have talked about the incredible growth the augmented and mixed reality space has seen in the last year. More devices, software, developers, and use-cases seem to arrive daily. For this growth to have occurred, it took the work of many people, f ...more
This Photoshop video series is going to explain how to create a chiaroscuro lighting effect on an image. This art form was made famous by the Italian artist Rembrandt. Part one covers the origin of terms and how to create chiaroscuro dramatic lighting. Part two has instruction ...more
A messaging app that blows your mind doesn't come along very often. Yeah, there's WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, which are both good for what they are (web-based messaging platforms), but when it comes to interesting or unique features, they're somewhat lacking. Dasher Mess ...more
Luckily for us, human aging is a long, slow process. One day newborn babe... 36,500 days later, you're old. Really old. And how you looked in between is all but forgotten. To see a side-by-side mapping of the long and slow human mutation process, check out Danish photojournali ...more
Between school, work, and your personal life, there's a good chance you have multiple Google accounts. Most Google apps let you log into all of them simultaneously to receive applicable alerts when they arrive. Well, there's a dead-simple way to switch between these accounts, ...more
This tutorial walks you through how to set up a procedural night sky with twinkling stars in Autodesk 3ds Max. You will be creating a opacity material with noise maps, and using an phase animated noise behind this to illuminate the stars. To edit the star size and brightness, ...more
While the Play Store has a plethora of apps available for finding lost Android phones, Google came out with its own web-based application, Google Device Manager, earlier this year to help you keep track of all your Android devices and remote lock, erase, ring, and track if nee ...more
Augmented reality already seemed like the ideal technology to advertise for a movie based on the premise of being sucked into a video game world the first time around. For the sequel, how about two times the immersion? After previously working together to create a web-based a ...more
Unless you had a master of visual effects for a parent, you had to imagine the floor was actually lava when playing the classic furniture-hopping game. With a Microsoft HoloLens, however, you don't have to imagine anything. Video: . Don't Miss: The Red Pill Turns Any Space int ...more
There are more than a few exciting new Home Screen customization options available in the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 software updates, including some we've been waiting years for. Apple never mentioned a few of these new features and changes in the release notes, but you can see the ...more
Apple's Reminders app is essential for those of us with a forgetful memory. But a standard Reminders entry isn't foolproof. They aren't great if you need to do something right when you get somewhere, since it can be tricky to set a specific time for that reminder. That's why A ...more
Dungeon Defenders is the most exciting craft game on the Fall 2011 release schedule. I got a chance to play it at PAX in August and interviewed developers Trendy Entertainment last month. After more than a year of publishing difficulty and delay, the game finally came out on P ...more
Though not quite as agile as the world famous plump plumber Mario, Toad, the lovable fungus, is still one of the most fun characters to use while playing Super Mario Run. Thankfully, he is also by far the easiest character to unlock in the game, requiring no special tasks to c ...more
Are you familiar with Studio Ghibli? It's the dreamy Japanese animation studio responsible for anime classics Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Howl's Moving Castle. Regarded as highly inventive, serene, and spooky, Studio Ghibli puts out internat ...more
This session is tailor-made for advanced Studio users aiming to achieve ultimate quality surface creation. This in-depth tutorial goes through the build up of a sports car exterior at Class-A surfacing standard using the Autodesk (Alias) Studio tools. Class A Surfacing is the ...more
Nope, it’s not the McDonalds menu, but close enough. Jim Blackhurst has mapped 11 million deaths onto a 3-dimensional point cloud for video game Just Cause 2. The result is an amazing virtual heat map of a world where every white dot represents a death on impact: The millions ...more
Today isn't actually Pi Day, but I was unable to get this article out in time. Pi Day was actually yesterday, March 14th (3.14), so let's call this a post-Pi Day treat! I've usually stuck to computers and security in the past, so I thought I'd toss things up a bit and give yo ...more
In recent years, many software publishers have tried to sell the business community on remote meetings via VR, but if social media chatter is any indication, it hasn't taken off in a big way just yet. However, for some, the notion of holding remote meetings using augmented rea ...more
Pokémon, Google, and augmented reality go together like wasabi, soy, and ginger, and the trio has come together again for the release of the latest game from the Pokémon universe. As Nintendo released the eagerly-anticipated games Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield for the Swit ...more
Most indie game developers will never see a million dollars in their bank accounts, and I certainly doubt that Eul, the anonymous developer responsible for the original version of Defense of the Ancients (DotA), expected to. But now even the fans can earn a little green. Some ...more
Sounds like a false promise à la infomercial or typical spammy web headline—how can a 4.8 ounce gadget aid in weight loss? But, in truth, "who" better to act as a dedicated personal trainer and nutritionalist than the iPhone? The smartphone is completely and utterly tethered t ...more
I'll have to post up some pictures of astronomy-related papercraft models that I have made at some point, but for now here is a link to a few different papercraft models of the planets. I need to go back through my resources because I know there are a bunch of sites out there ...more
What is gluten, why do some people think it is pure culinary evil, and why are there more and more products devoted to being free of this mysterious substance? Here's what one person thinks: What Is Gluten Really? Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including lesser-known spe ...more
Survive to Round 40 and beyond! This tutorial focues especially on the Kino Der Toten map in Call of Duty: Black Ops. If you're fond of playing either one person or two person games, this video was made for you!
Epic Games just released update v3.4 for Fortnite Battle Royale on all four platforms. This new version brings a number of UI changes, performance improvements, and bug fixes, but the addition that will get the most players excited is a new weapon: the Guided Missile. The Gui ...more
Starcraft 2, like so many modern games in this age of modding, has a really robust level editor that's going to extend the lifespan of the game for years. You can edit almost anything about any of the game's many units buildings and maps, and make the game however you want it ...more
If you've ever wanted to live in the Matrix—or at least the iconic digital rain data visualization that Neo saw when realizing he was, indeed, the "one"—you can now do that with the Microsoft HoloLens. Just download The Red Pill. Video: . Depth-mapping cameras allow the HoloLe ...more
We're only years away from a complete Robot Revolution and Google Inc. will surely be leading the charge. Google knows more about me than my grandma and all my past girlfriends combined. I use Gmail for all of my emailing, Chrome is my browser of choice, and Google Maps is th ...more
As the official release of iOS 12 nears closer each day, Apple continues to update its betas. The company released the fourth beta of the upcoming software to developers Tuesday, July 17, exactly two weeks after the release of the third developer beta which came out just a few ...more
There is an awesome teddy beat (just made that up) Easter Egg song that you can unlock in the Ascension map in Black Ops Zombies that requires you to find and activate a series of teddy bears. This video will show you where they all are and how to make them work their magic.
If you’re unfamiliar with League of Legends, you’re either not into PC gaming or you haven’t spent much time on the internet. Riot Games officially released League almost two years ago, and since then it’s become a huge hit. In fact, the Santa Monica based company recently ann ...more
It's that time of year again. No, not the holiday season … the "share your year in music listening" season. And no matter which music streaming service you use, there's a way to find and share (or not share) your activity from 2022. Since Spotify unveiled its Wrapped campaign ...more
Ever since the announcement of the Razer Phone, a wave of gaming smartphones started to hit the market. With ASUS being such a big name in gaming, it made sense for them to throw their hat in the ring. The result is the ROG Phone. And with this first try, ASUS has topped the r ...more
This Halo PC Trial Halo Mapping Tools (HMT) tutorial will show you how to make weapons have infinite ammo.
The widely used expression "free as a bird" intimates an enviable existence: delicate, yet mighty wings transporting to destinations no human could so breezily venture. But despite their fanciful, superhero ability, in truth, the avian race leads one of the most difficult exis ...more
Right out of the box, iPhone is incredibly easy to use. If you want to get the most out of every feature, you’ve come to the right place. This video tutorial straight from Apple will teach you how to make calls and use voicemail on the Apple iPhone 3G. The iPhone redefines wha ...more
The HoloLens is the world's first untethered holographic head-mounted computer, which Microsoft has been rather proud of—and they have every reason to be. Of course, as soon as we developers get adjusted to the idea of keeping the scope of our projects inside the bounds of the ...more
You've had a hard day at work and need to get out of the house, have a few drinks, but you don't want to go just anywhere—you want the right crowd and the right bar. For those nights, barhopping just isn't the answer, it's SceneTap. It's a new free mobile application coming s ...more
What if, back in 2013, Google Glass had launched not as a Star Trek Borg-like eyepiece, but as a pair of seemingly normal shades, with the augmented reality lens and camera hidden within the frame? Google Glass has been almost permanently tagged with the "glasshole" moniker, ...more
After what appeared to be an issue with the Windows Store for HoloLens not showing many newer applications, including one that I had released over a month ago, Microsoft finally squashed the bug. So, at first glance, it would seem as if there were lots of new HoloLens projects ...more
The Digispark is a low-cost USB development board that's programmable in Arduino and capable of posing as a keyboard, allowing it to deliver a number of payloads. For only a few dollars, we can use the Digispark to deliver a payload to a macOS computer that will track the Mac ...more
With all the controversy around the Pixel 3 XL, the regular-sized Pixel 3 might be the phone of choice for most users. Thanks to the huge boost in screen size, the little brother is now an easier pickup for those who like a bigger screen. And once more, the internals are the s ...more
This video is an extensive and in depth analysis of how you can best play a four-person team on a multiplayer match in Call of Duty: Black Ops, especially on the Kino Der Toten maps. Always know where to look out for campers! Part 1 of 3 - How to Play 4-player multiplayer on K ...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
Whether you're a veteran augmented reality developer looking for a quick access point to add a new platform to your arsenal or just getting started with your first AR head-mounted display, get ready to start developing for the Meta 2. In this short breakdown, we'll use the Un ...more
See how to use a composite map to create a wet effect or a water presence effect over a surface in a very simple and fast way within 3ds Max 2010. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with t ...more
Now that everyone has an Android or iPhone in their pocket, there's no excuse for being late to an appointment or job interview. Thanks to that GPS receiver in your smartphone, navigating your way through city streets and highways is a cinch, in or outside of your vehicle. But ...more
Whether it's a chaotic family day meetup at the beach, barhopping with buddies, or getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with a dead car battery, being able to share your exact location with others using your smartphone makes life easier and less stressful. Apple is makin ...more
There’s no point to playing all of the different tower defense games available today. Most adhere to the original formula, so playing 2 or 3 really good ones (like those mentioned in my previous post) would be more efficient. But the tower defense genre isn’t going anywhere—t ...more
The PatchDeform modifier in 3ds Max deforms an object based on the contours of a patch object. This modifier works similarly to the PathDeform modifier, but uses a quad-based patch object instead of a spline shape or NURBS curve path. Patch Deform is a great tool for mapping g ...more
OnePlus is on track to deliver Android 8.0 Oreo to its flagship users by Q1 2018. Open Beta 1 was released for the 5T in late December, and we just received Open Beta 2. But this update isn't just tweaks and bug fixes, OnePlus has included a few new features to enhance the And ...more