Google Play Services has been near the top of every Android user's list of battery-sucking apps for years now. It's a core system app, so you'd expect some battery drain, but for many folks, it runs rampant. This is partly due to the fact that Google has exempted Play Service ...more
If your phone has an AMOLED display, it doesn't waste any battery to power black portions of the screen. This is because the individual pixels that make up an AMOLED screen emit their own light, which means the backlight you'd find behind a traditional LCD screen is not presen ...more
If there's one thing that iPhone and Android users can agree on, it's that playing mobile games can drain your battery like nothing else. But it doesn't always have to be this way. If the game you're currently addicted to is Super Mario Run, there are two settings you can chan ...more
You can do a lot more with playing cards than you'd think, like turn them into gift boxes, fling them like throwing stars, and make them levitate or disappear. You can even make them recharge your batteries. Instructables user Shawn Frayne was sick of having a bunch of dead ba ...more
The Nexus 6 is one of the few devices on the market that sports a 1440p "QHD" display. This means that the amount of pixels displayed is higher than almost any other smartphone, which sounds great on the surface, but is not without its drawbacks. For one, most apps and games ...more
Live wallpapers, like the classic Mario-themed one we previously covered, is a great way to spruce up your device and get some simple amusement. Unfortunately, they also drain more battery than conventional wallpapers. Which brings me to ASUS LiveOcean. With their ocean-theme ...more
Screen mirroring was a long-awaited feature for the Chromecast, now available for select devices (and even more with root). While great news for those who couldn't wait to play games, watch movies, and browse pictures on a big screen, it did mean that you had to keep your devi ...more
When it works, Android's Smart Lock feature is incredible. There's no need to enter your PIN when your phone "knows" it's in your hands — just unlock and go. But Smart Lock, particularly its Trusted Places feature, can be finicky sometimes. Most of Smart Lock's features are r ...more
Musical boxes are best known for their kitschy designs and somewhat trivial renditions of musical masterpieces. They tend to frequent the dresser of young girls or elderly woman hanging on to their youth, and for the most part, they remain cutesy and harmless, but when feature ...more
It's that time a year when winter storms begin causing havoc across the United States, and when "rotating outages" are common to help sustain the electrical grid during intense cold periods. That means pretty much anybody with snow and ice in their backyard can succumb to powe ...more
You're lost. You're cold, thirsty— you're hungry. What if you're not much of a hunter? Maybe you're a gatherer. So, then you'll eat plants. But what if you eat something poisonous? What if you're allergic to it? Okay, so not many people will find themselves in a situati ...more
Watch as Kipkay from MAKE Magazine shows you how to make something really cool for your music skills, with parts from RadioShack. Everybody's heard of them, but nobody has one or knows how to play one... a theremin. You could be the exception as you see how to build your very ...more
Nintendo 64. It's the classic video game console and probably houses a bunch of your fond childhood memories. Well, now you can relive those tender moments AND play Super Mario Brothers on the go by hacking your Nintendo 64 just a wee bit. Check out this video to learn how to ...more
Christmas decorations aren't cheap. From outdoor lighting to fir trees, decorating for the holidays can break the bank. That's where ingenuity comes into play, like hacking battery-operated Christmas lights, modifying lighting patterns and building Christmas tree ornaments fro ...more
Interested in amplifying your ukulele? Provided your ukulele has an electrical pickup, it's quite easy. And this free video ukulele lesson from Live Ukulele will show you how it's done. To plug in your ‘ukulele you need three things: * An ukulele with a pickup * An instrumen ...more
Take one vintage, British made, 20 year old stock mardave meteor car and stick a 11.1v Li-Po battery up it's jacksey! It almost doubled it's speed and didn't seem to melt anything (although I didn't play with it for long, so if you want to try it yourself use extream caution)!
It isn't a new gadget, but the EyeClops Mini Projector still makes a great stocking stuffer for Christmas Day. It's great for kids to play with, but for techies— it's sure to be something fun to hack and mod this holiday season. The EyeClops Mini Projector looks more like Wal ...more
According to Amazon.com, Kindle was their best-selling item this year, which means many, if not all of you are playing with a brand new Kindle on Christmas Day. Of all of Amazon's Kindle models, the Kindle 3 (6") will be the most common eReader in everyone's hands, either the ...more
Hacking the PSP requires some unique tools and procedures, including the infamous Pandora Batteries and Magic Memory Sticks. This video will show you how to hack both the fat and slim versions of the PSP with firmware version 5.03 and below. This will allow you to play all sor ...more
Hacking the PSP is a complicated process, and there has been some demand for a software tool that would make the process easier. This video has that solution. It explains how to use a program called PSPtool to create the magic memory stick and Pandora's battery much more easil ...more
These days, eReaders are everywhere. For die-hard book nerds, eReaders offer the convenience of a full library without having to sacrifice shelf space. Sure, there are the paper buffs who swear that you just can't take an eReader with you into the bathtub, but when's the last ...more
The PSP has never had the software support that it needed to be a really commercially successful system. Since Sony blew it already, you may as well go the extra mile to make this expensive little thing you bought more useful right? This video will teach you how to hack a PSP ...more
This video gives a step by step tutorial how to service a Porsche 944. The service is demonstrated on an S2, but most steps are very similar for other versions. The video has a German soundtrack but English subtitles are available at YouTube. Working under the car Remove engi ...more
Join the Pilot program and learn how to fly! But you're not going to be flying airplanes in this Pilot program, you'll be trying your hands at Google's first laptop computer. It's called the Cr-48, a black notebook wh ich runs an extraordinary operating system— Google Chrome. ...more
I am writing this quick post in response to the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that are affecting Japan. As soon as the news broke, and we began to hear of tsunami warning for our area, I immediately realized how under prepared I was for a natural disaster. The thing that dro ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a somersaulting robot. You will need: a gear box, 1.5 v DC motor, battery holder for AA, and a few gem clips. First, glue the gear box onto the battery holder and then glue the motor shaft in. Next, glue the gem clip on the pistons of the ...more
MAKE and Collin Cunningham brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. Make Magazine celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will. In this Make video tutorial, you'll see how to calibrate and play the Gakken Premium ...more
Learn how to play "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry, an acoustic guitar tutorial. Follow along with this demonstration, tabs and lyrics here: Standard Tuning: Intro/Verse/Chorus: G D Am C Bridge: Em C9 G D You change your mind Like a girl changes clothes Yeah you, PMS Like a bit ...more
Before you go running off to the Apple store, you may want to educate yourself. DVICE is kind enough to compile the 20 biggest complaints about the iPad from a whole slew of reviewers. 1. Upscaling makes old iPhone/iPod Touch apps ugly. "Here's the problem: It looks terrible ...more
With Tim Burton's revival of Alice in Wonderland, throw one of the hottest parties in town with a "mad tea party" themed party. Recreating one of Alice in Wonderland's most famous adventures is a great theme for all kinds of celebrations. Set the scene with these suggestions. ...more
It's not just for playing video games! Strap a Kinect to a Roomba and wire it together with an embedded wireless-N computer, a range finder, voltage distribution board and an external Li-Poly battery. And voila, you have your own custom made robot!
Flash video. It's what all smartphone users have been waiting for. Why has it taken sooo long? And why is Apple still resistant? Here's the scoop, via Wired: "Adobe is releasing Flash Player 10.1 for mobile phones and desktops today. And it is piggy-backing on Google’s fast ...more
Use a cell phone, batteries, CD, card, tape, and a dime to make a playing card magically jump.
How to change the internal battery in a Sega Dreamcast game console. The system must be played for a minimum of two hours a week to keep the battery fully charged as it only will only charge when the console is turned on but the battery should last up two 20 days after the bat ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to levitate any object. You will need four batteries, two empty cans, a playing card, and a ball of tin foil to do this trick. Tape two of the same batteries on the side of each of the cans. Then place the cans on opposite sides of the table fro ...more
I love making beeps and bloops with the Arduino pitches library, but sometimes archaic 8-bit tunes just don't cut it. Whether you want your robot to terrify your enemies with a demonic synthetic voice, you just need a pocket boom box on the go, or you want to a miniature guita ...more
Advancements in technology usually lead to the miniaturization of old technologies, and video games are no exception. Since at least 1990, game hardware manufacturers and enterprising DIY electronics enthusiasts have poured their efforts into making full-size video game consol ...more
Nope, this isn't a flash game version of SCRABBLE. There's already one of those (and a multitude of imitations) for the Apple iPhone, iPod, and Facebook. This is an electronic game, and it's not a "handheld" game like the SCRABBLE Pocket Pogo Touch Screen Game (pictured right) ...more
Michael Weisner guides us through syncing a Wiimote with a Wii. You will need a Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Wii remote to do this. First, you will need to open the front hatch door on the console and you will see a red button, don't press it yet. Now, look at the back of your Wi ...more
The battery-operated, Bluetooth-controlled pieces use downward-facing sensors to read grids built into the individual squares on the board. They then communicate with the controlling computer to keep track of their location in relation to other pieces. The computer tells each ...more
Modder Bacteria presents his iNto64, a mini portable handheld of the classic Nintendo console. The iNto64 features: Official Sony PSone 5? LCD screen 4 amps of battery power yielding a little under 3 hours play time between recharging SuperPad 64 Plus controller Nintendo 64 c ...more
Ready to play scientist? This video will show you how to make a cool electro magnet out of a 9 V battery, a 9 V battery connector and parts from a Nokia phone charger. Use a fully charged battery for stronger magnet. Then solder the two parts together and plug in your battery. ...more
You can add full iso roms on your PSP to play on the go, for free! This video will demonstrate exactly how to download and enter full free PSP games onto our handheld. Okay this is a tutorial on how to put psp games on your psp. you will need a psp running custom firmware 3.7 ...more
The guy in the video starts out explaining that, over time, his guitar has started to sound a little funny. He thought maybe it was a cord or wire shorting out, but it turned out to be the battery. He shows us how to change that battery. You are going to need a Philips head sc ...more
In an old video posted on YouTube, about how to make a speaker in a tissue box, they got a Kleenex box, foil, motor, and battery. Of course the motor ran off the battery and it made a sound, but there's no way to just plug in the audio jack from your Apple iPhone into the Klee ...more
Apple has locked down the iPhone battery, which means that once it can’t hold a charge, you need to send it in. If you’d rather just buy your own battery and replace it yourself, we’ve got your hookup. Nate and I got together to film this this tutorial, which shows how to repl ...more
WonderHowTo is made up of niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. Thanks to all of our active moderators and ...more
The developing team Techland gets a free pass. Having thoroughly enjoyed their previous title, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, this sequel was bought on day one by good ol' fashion blind faith. After playing for most of today, it's still to early to tell if the game is a mess ...more
Electronics seem to fail on you at the worst moments, don't they? Luckily, if your iPod freezes, there is a quick and easy fix. Check out this video and learn how to reboot your iPod on the spot and solve many issues. You Will Need • An iPod • A power adapter Step 1: Make s ...more
Congratulations! You're the proud new owner of an Xbox 360. But before you can play, you need to hook it up. You Will Need * An Xbox 360 console * A component HD AV Cable * An HD TV * 2 AA batteries * A wireless controller * A power supply * A power cord * A non-HD TV (option ...more
Learn how to decorate your graduation cap. Customizing your graduation cap is a way to stand out among the sea of identical, ill-fitting graduation robes. You Will Need * Time * A crafts store * Money * A needle and thread * And artistic flair * Battery-operated lights Step ...more
K'NEX is one of the most popular construction toys on the market, right next to Lincoln Logs and LEGOs, but what makes K'NEX stand out is the fact that children can build mechanically derived toys. Instead of blocks or little logs, kids use interconnecting plastic rods and con ...more
WonderHowTo is made up of niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. Thanks to all of our active moderators and ...more
Whether you're in an airport, restaurant or waiting room, the insidious grip of televisions on human life is omnipresent. Sometimes it's nice to talk to other human beings while looking at them directly—actually hearing what they have to say. Thankfully, there's a DIY device ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to make a simple touch-triggered switch. This is very useful for various electronic projects, from a simple bedside light to a flat panel touch keyboard. The circuit can vary in switching power depending on the transistors you use. For exampl ...more
Low battery – two words you never want to hear. Banish them with these tips. You Will Need * An iPhone * A computer with internet access * An external battery extender Step 1. Lock iPhone Lock your iPhone down when you’re not using it. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button ...more
When I was attending college, my friends had a phantom thief in their dormitory. Almost every night, a different item of food would go missing, never to be seen again. There was constant speculation as to whom the thief was and how to catch them. Security cameras were deemed t ...more
I'm back with the third part to my laser weapon series (see part one and two), and I'll be explaining the function, application, and potential of semiconductor lasers, aka laser diodes. Surely, most of you have used a laser pointer at some point. Whether purchased at a dollar ...more
Grab your thinking caps and get your hack on. Null Byte is officially seeking contributors on a weekly basis who are willing to take the time to educate the Null Byte community on anything, from hardware hacks to life hacks. Contributors that write tutorials will be featured o ...more
General Tips for Exercising in the Heat -Schedule workouts for the cooler times of the day. -Allow overweight, out of shape or unacclimated kids time to acclimate to the heat. -Schedule timed water and rest breaks every 30 minutes during activities. During these breaks, do ...more