After many beta builds, Apple has finally released iOS 7.1 to the public. It includes bug fixes for the old iOS 7.0.6, along with UI enhancements and even some new features. If you haven't gotten around to playing with iOS 7.1 yet, here are a few of the new features and impro ...more
Ringtones and text tones can be annoying, so my iPhone is almost always set to vibrate on silent mode. Unfortunately, that causes me to miss phone calls and text messages when the device isn't in my hands or pockets. While I hate missing alerts, I'm still reluctant to switch t ...more
Google just released the first version of the next major Android update. Early Android 11 builds will only available as developer previews, so you can't just sign up for the beta program and install the update as an OTA for the first couple months. That said, it's still pretty ...more
For many people, the two main advantages of buying a Nexus device are prompt updates and the ability to root without much hassle. But in a cruel twist of fate, these two features are almost mutually exclusive, since OTA updates will refuse to run on rooted devices. In the pas ...more
Root, TWRP, Xposed, Magisk, custom ROMs — before you can have any of these, the first thing you should do is unlock your bootloader. Thankfully, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are some of the most modder-friendly phones out there, so you only need to send a single fastboot command ...more
With Apple releasing the iPhone XR, it appears Samsung is looking to challenge this "budget flagship" option head-on. They brought their usual two phone releases this year, but also threw in another three for a total of five phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S10e. And for m ...more
The ESP32-CAM is a convenient little camera module with a lot of built-in power, and you can turn one into an inconspicuous spy camera to hide in any room. There's only one issue: it does omit a USB port. That makes it a little harder to program, but with an ESP32-based board, ...more
The sound your iPhone makes when you connect it to a power source has been the same for a long time. Unfortunately, it was never possible to change that chime to something different without jailbreaking first, which opens your iPhone up to malware and hackers. Thankfully, iOS ...more
After years of false rumors and abandoned hopes, the day has finally come. Verizon Wireless is finally getting the Apple iPhone! No longer does AT&T monopolize the iPhone market. Three weeks ago, Verizon Wireless and Apple announced the iPhone 4's arrival to the nation's most ...more
Need to protect a section of your overall flash content (say movie or slideshow) from unauthorized access, learn how to do so in this video. The basic steps to so consist of the following: 1) Select the timeline (section) of the flash content that you want to protect. 2) Ad ...more
There's nothing better than a cool logo design, except maybe a cool 3D logo design. A 3D logo might just be what you need to have your company stick out. Watch this Illustrator video tutorial to learn how to make a 3D logo. You may want to apply a glassy text feel to the finis ...more
In this Boris FX video tutorial we show you how to use an After Effects mask to define custom extrusion curves as well as the baseline for text characters in Boris Continuum Complete's Extruded Text filter. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, ...more
In this two part video tutorial, Eran Stern reveals the first text trick in his series and shows how to design an audio waves animation with the After Effects Text Tool. In part 2, Eran Stern explains how to design a Counting Circle Animation with the After Effects Text Tool. ...more
Using After Effects 3D layers and light sweep effect to create this text that moves in 3D space. For more Adobe software tutorials from Layers Magazine, search Layers Magazine on WonderHowTo. WonderHowTo indexes all Layers Magazine tutorials for Illustrator, InDesign, Photosh ...more
Shown here is another video tutorial made possible through TutVid. In this video, you are learning the basics of Action Scripting in Flash. This lesson is titled "Action Scripting:101." Action scripting is one of the coolest thing about flash. The thing that makes flash specia ...more
This is a two part video tutorial. Be sure to click on Chapters 2 as well to get the full tutorial. Taking a look at the popular technique of designing lower thirds and the process it takes to design these using Photoshop. Photoshop is the perfect solution for this task with ...more
Why make a flip book? Because all animation – even stick-figure Flash animation and multilayered, highly technical 3-D effects – is built on, and can benefit from, the basics of the craft first developed by artists working at the beginning of the last century. And while fancy ...more
Hack mybrute with this mybrute cheat. MyBrute hacks, cheats, tricks. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to cheat MyBrute for a bear (05/08/09). This is the easiest way to get a bear! 1. Get Mozilla Firefox 2. Install Tamper Data Add-On to Firefox 3. Go to aa130aa 4. Type ...more
In my free time, I like to program in an image programming language called Context Free. You can download it at www.contextfreeart.org for free. The first thing to know about Context Free is that there are three basic shapes to which the program will understand and respond. T ...more
Tasktutorial teaches you how to create a sound on/off button using Flash. Name the first layer Actionscript. Go to frame 1, then window - actions. Add stop(); Go to frame 2, then window - actions. Add stopallsounds(); Create a new layer and select the text tool. Write off on. ...more
In this video, we learn how to create a free flash website using Wix. First, log online and go to "www.wix.com" and either create a screen name or log into your account. Now, click on "create" and choose a premade template or make one from scratch. Now, change the background t ...more
Spent the weekend with Sprint's new phone, the HTC Evo G4. Specification wise, it's better than Verizon's Incredible and T-Mobile's HD2. Apple will be announcing the new version of their phone this week. If it's comparable to leaked phone shown over at Gizmodo, then to say whi ...more
In this Tasktutorial video, learn how to create a button for a website using Illustrator software. To begin, create a rectangle with the rectangle tool and then make the outline gray with a stroke of 3 points. Fill this box with a gradient and change the angle to 90 degrees. A ...more
There's no better way to learn or simply brush up on a scripting or programming language than using it. In keeping with that philosophy, this video tutorial will walk you through putting together a full-featured, dynamic clock app that keeps track of both the tdate and time. ...more
clipping mask Sponsored by SimpleRetouch.com Start by creating a task with the name Mask, then Choose a color and a font size. Create a new layer and move the Image to Layer 2, use control plus to zoom in and a use key frame 90 at frame Then Hit F6 Enter the frame at frame ...more
Written by JD Coverly of WonderHowTo World, LoadSave:We've spent the last week with Sprint's new phone, the HTC Evo 4G. Specification wise, it's better than Verizon's Incredible and T-Mobile's HD2. Apple has unveiled the new version of their phone this week and thankfully it's ...more
the ultimate: prank all audiences and theater employees: the lights dim, "please put on your 3d glasses now" flashes across the screen. jackass 3d begins with a ridiculously expensive and inspired opening setpiece. the audience is immediately confused, because despite wearing ...more
There's a handy new feature in Windows 7 called the Ease of Access Center, which brings together settings and programs that can make your PC easier to use. This is where you get quick access to programs like Magnifier, Narrator, On-Screen Keyboard and more. Learn about the acc ...more
First of all open adobe Firework CS3/CS4. Open the 'file', then 'new' and set a banner with 'width' as 900, 'height' as 100 and ‘resolution’ set as 72. It shall open a banner for you on the screen. Now from the side bar underneath the vector, select the 'ellipse tool' and then ...more
So you want to party with celebrities. Whatever you do, don’t cry. You won’t just look silly—you’ll look unstable. Follow these steps to get you one step closer to hanging with the stars. You Will Need: • Self-restraint • Composure • Discriminating taste Step 1: Be cool B ...more
Your BIOS, or Basic Input Output System, is the firmware on your motherboard responsible for initializing your computer's hardware when it is first powered on. It probes for video adapters, RAM, the whole works. The BIOS provides a small library of basic input/output functions ...more
Anonymity is something that doesn't exist today. Everything you do in the world is tracked, from the purchases you make to surfing the internet—even taking pictures on your iPhone. Everything you have ever said and done on the internet is still there—somewhere. This is called ...more
Permanently deleting files is something that a lot of people aren't aware of. Actually, most people think that once a file is deleted, it is gone forever. This is not the case. Hard drives write to the disk via magnetic charges, positive and negative correlate to 1s and 0s for ...more
Gil Adam, a student of Industrial Design in Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, Israel, has created a 3:1 scale model of his favorite plastic camera, the Holga. While the camera is just a model (non-operational), it's pretty fun to see the oversized object next to ...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
Gamers who have their Xbox 360's firmware flashed may have recently noticed an inability to play backups, or even make backups of newer games that have come out, such as Gears of War 3 and Dead Island, to name a few. This is because Microsoft has come out with a new disc form ...more
This article will show how to make a simple, fake computer error message. These message boxes are 100% harmless, and make for funny pranks. They will display any text you want them to. Required: - Windows XP/Vista/7 - Notepad Typing in the Code First, open Notepad, and ty ...more
Since the day of the Xbox 360 release, storage space for the device has been overpriced beyond belief. OEM 250GB HDD models still cost $110 USD! A 250GB hard drive should not destroy my wallet, Microsoft. Storage space, especially on HDDs, is cheap. You can buy a removable 2TB ...more
Grand Theft Auto 3 was the biggest video game of the last decade, by far, introducing open-world adventure games to consoles, a genre that now rivals shooters and sports games for market dominance. A huge map, decentralized narrative, and myriad of interlocking quests and obje ...more
No time for elaborate practical jokes this April Fool's? Not a problem, it's 2011—meaning, apps can do just about anything these days. Measure beauty, check for STDs, even fix late night drunken social media stupidity. So why not pranks? Below, 10 digital solutions for your Ap ...more
+Nik Cubrilovic discovered last week that Facebook could track your web activities even after you logged out of your Facebook account. After some blatant denials from Facebook spokespeople, Facebook decided to fix the logout issue, but not before +Michael Arrington, on his new ...more
I've seen numerous tutorials on how to create a "strong" password. This makes me laugh. These titles imply "one" password, which is wrong in and of itself. A person should have many passwords, all different, and all extremely long. People may ask how they're supposed to rememb ...more
There are seemingly endless photography apps for the iPhone—it is perhaps one of the most popular arenas for application developers. We've covered a few in Giveaway Tuesdays, but nothing comprehensive. We would be remiss to omit the two most popular frontrunners—Hipstamatic ( ...more
Spam is everywhere and Facebook is no exception. In fact, spammers are constantly stepping up their game by tricking unsuspecting Facebook users to participate in quizzes, games, apps, or "new features" that are actually dangerous computer viruses, spyware, or other trojan hor ...more
Okay, stop me if you've heard this one. You have a document that you want your co-workers' advice on. You attach said document onto a mass email. The first reply comes back with an edited version of the document. You begin to make changes, but another email comes in, with yet ...more
A lot of different places have computers with controls on them for several things; some have controls for installing software, some for running software, blocking websites, opening certain file formats, etc. Obviously, not all places use the same methods, and not all of the m ...more
Over the past few months I've written up several helpful How-To guides to help you with various FarmVille related issues. It's about time I put them all in one place so they are easy to find, learn from and share! It has been a pleasure writing for you all and I do hope I have ...more
This is a video tutorial on how to create a mouseover link (button) in Flash. According to the author, this is an extremely easy task, the first step of which is to select the file in which the button is to be made. Then, on the extreme right-hand side, in the middle of the co ...more
This is a very simple, but very funny prank to play on your friends using Windows. Creating the file Begin creating this prank file by opening up a text document in your word editor program. Once you have opened the text document copy this into the document: do msgbox"wha ...more
The newest version of macOS has arrived. While everyone's mind is being blown by Mojave's groundbreaking new Dark Mode, we'll be taking advantage of its insecure file permissions to establish a persistent backdoor with a self-destructing payload that leaves little evidence for ...more
The macOS 10.14 security update tried to make parts of the operating system difficult for hackers to access. Let's take a closer look at how its new feature works and what we can do to spoof the origin of an application attempting to access protected data. Apple introduced so ...more
Apple previewed new cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility tools for the iPhone back in May, and they've finally been realized with the iOS 17 release. But there are more accessibility features than that hiding in Apple's latest software update — and they're not just for ...more
The "Smart Keyboard" on the LG G3 has received a lot of praise for its ability to adequately analyze user keystrokes, provide adjustable sizes, and customize key placements, among other things. These features, combined with predictive text, swipe gestures, and autocorrect make ...more
It's easier than you might think to hack into Wi-Fi routers using just one unrooted Android phone. This method doesn't require brute-forcing the password, a Windows OS for converting PowerShell scripts into EXE format, a reliable VPS for intercepting hacked Wi-Fi passwords, or ...more
With an ordinary birthday card, we can introduce a physical device which contains malicious files into someone's home and deceive them into inserting the device into a computer. In my last series, we used a Post-it note to trick a neighbor into visiting a website that we cont ...more
Developed by Open Whisper Systems, Signal is a free, open-source encrypted communications app for both mobile and desktop devices that allows users to make voice calls, send instant messages, and even make video calls securely. However, a vulnerability was recently discovered ...more
As is the case with most smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2's screen turns on whenever you receive a text or picture message. While having the screen turn on when you receive a notification is handy to have (especially when the phone is on silent), it isn't always preferab ...more
Cases and stickers are always great, but they aren't the only way to customize an iPhone. The software on your device is full of customization options, from a better-looking home screen and cooler lock screen wallpapers to app icon changes and a system-wide dark mode. There's ...more
Safari has a convenient "Find" feature to search for specific words and phrases in a webpage, and Apple Books has a similar feature for e-books and PDFs. But those do nothing for you when searching text in the real world. Hardcover and paperback books are still very much a thi ...more
An invaluable button on your iPhone can do hundreds, even thousands, of amazing things, but most iPhone users don't even know it exists. You can't push it. You can't click it. You can't press it. But it's the largest button on your iPhone, more powerful than the versatile Side ...more