Tossing old computers and electronics in the trash is bad for the planet. Techno-Guru Lloyd gives a smarter alternative. Some other helpful e-cycling links: HopeLine Phone Recycling http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/hopeLineRecycling.html Earth 911: Electronics http:/ ...more
Arachnophilia and technosexuals rejoice. This whimsical, skittering robot takes only 5 minutes of tinkering. This simple toy is made possible with a bit of solder, AAA battery, copper wire and an old mobile phone's vibrating motor. Like the EvilMadScientist's Bristlebot, this ...more
Craft a mobile phone holder for your car by bending and cutting an old CD. It doesn't actually hook up to your car but maybe with a little modding ...more
Who uses phonebooks these days anyway? Even if you still find some use out of your current Yellow Pages tome, it's more likely than not that you're searching up "Thai food restaurants" on Google than actually flipping through pages to find a listing. Make use of these big hun ...more
Here's a creepy weekend project! Take an old analog rotary phone (which you can easily find in an antique or vintage store). Unscrew the earpiece and then alter the parts according to the tutorial so you can start 'talking to ghosts'.
Cut and bend an old CD to make a mobile phone holder.
You know that big yellow book that's always sitting there in your closet collecting dust and sometimes acting as a nice door stopper? It's called a phone book. Yes, ladies and gents, there was a time when we flipped through pages to find a store's phone number rather than Goog ...more
Not sure what to do with your old cell phone? Best Buy has answers. There's a recycling program directly inside the store that allows you to drop off any old phone you may have so it can be reused or sent to a proper landfill. The Best Buy Mobile team explains how simple it is ...more
"Ahoy-hoy." If telephone titan Alexander Graham Bell had his way, we'd all be answering phones like Mr. Burns. Thankfully, frienemy Thomas Edison had enough sense to realize we weren't always on the briny. He preferred "hello" as our standard telephone greeting, which he is c ...more
Google Play has no shortage of Nintendo emulators: SuperGNES (Super Nintendo) Gameboy Color A.D. (Game Boy Color) My Boy! (Game Boy Advance) nds4droid (Nintendo DS) DroidEmu (SNES, NES, GBA, GBC, etc.) Those are just a few of what's available out there. The only problem with ...more
Considering how much smartphones cost in the first place, we're understandably reluctant to throw them out when we've bought a newer model. And this is probably the best practice, too, as there are many great uses for an old Android device. Don't Miss: Turn Your Old Android i ...more
As a former English major, I have a love/hate relationship with many books. And when I saw that this NFC-enabled charging dock project included a little book mutilation, I was suddenly more interested. Now, for those of you who have nothing against books, this is still a great ...more
The cell phone has come a long way. The very first "mobile devices" were made and used by the military in the late 1930s, with the first commercial mobile telephone service introduced by Bell in 1946. These devices were hardly what we'd call mobile today—some took up the whole ...more
Apple is notoriously cryptic when it comes to the reveals of its new products, and as usual, they've kept us guessing about the release of the iPhone 5 (or "New iPhone?"). It's expected to be officially revealed on September 12, and rumor has it that sales will begin on the 21 ...more
Your childhood "social networking" may have been to go outdoors to the neighbor's — and outdoors is a great place for kids to be. But these days, the terms educational, digital media, entertainment, and toddlers don't have to be mutually exclusive. Like most things in life, it ...more
The new iPhone 5 was just revealed yesterday, and it's 18 percent thinner and just 1/5 the weight of its 4S predecessor. It's also taller with a larger screen, which gives you a fifth row for apps now. As far as speed is concerned, it has a speedy A6 chip and can tap into wire ...more
Even though the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are only just now being released to the public, the software leaks have been rolling in for a while. Everyone seems to have gone crazy for the new look Samsung is pushing out with Samsung Experience, the successor to TouchWiz. As a result, the ...more
Now you can watch your old copy of Bridget Jones's Diary anywhere, anytime, on your smartphone. It's a dream come true! (Disclaimer: This dream may oddly specific to me.) Vudu, the digital streaming company owned by Walmart, has taken another step to make its disc-to-digital ...more
Give an 18-month-old a shoe, check back 10 minutes later, and it's a very big maybe he will have it on his foot. But give him your smartphone, and in a mere five minutes, he can take 100 pictures of the carpet, send weird messages, and delete essential apps. Imagine what your ...more
Need a good way to hold your iPhone up? There are a ton of smartphone stands out on the market, but they can be pricey or just downright ugly—and potentially phone damaging. But like the Une Bobine above, they do have their perks, like movability at almost any angle. But to al ...more
Believe it or not, there was a time when smartphones weren't the primary tool for taking photos. People actually walked around with bulky film-based cameras on their necks, and some even used cheap disposables. While photography wasn't introduced to the world when smartphones ...more
According to new rumors, Samsung, still stinging after the Note7 recall debacle, is determined to be the first to release a foldable smartphone. According to ET News, the company is going to begin prototype production of their always-rumored but never-seen folding smartphone i ...more
As far as logos go, few are as iconic and instantly recognizable as Apple's old-school rainbow emblem. No matter how sleek their products get, people are still nostalgic for the old, colorful logo, and this mod from Adafruit basically proves it. If you have some pretty decent ...more
If you're tired of your roommate stealing your Cheetos out of the pantry or simply want to indulge in something creepy, then keep reading. With the iPhone 5 finally released, many people will soon be selling or giving away their older iPhones. But should they? Instead of ditch ...more
Apple seems to want the public to perceive it as an environmentally-conscious entity, as evidenced by the company's recently published Environmental Responsibility Report. But as it turns out, they may be hindering recyclers from salvaging old iPhones and Macs by ordering the ...more
Many apps claim to record phone calls on Android, but very few actually deliver. There's just too many different devices floating around out there for one app to be able to support them all — or so it would seem. The development team at Boldbeast Software may have finally sol ...more
Night mode, which helps you snap great photographs in low-light environments, is a feature available only on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 lineups. It's a useful tool to have in your arsenal, especially if you're fond of nightlife photography. Still, you don't have to purchase a ...more
Now that Vision Pro, Apple's mixed reality headset, has been announced, Apple can free up some R&D resources to commit to its upcoming foldable iPhone, which has been rumored for just as long as Vision Pro has. Will it be a flip-style or a larger foldable? Let's see what all t ...more
Switching phones has never been easier. Google backs up most of your app data on the cloud, which can then be restored onto your new phone. Sadly, Signal doesn't use this feature since it could compromise your security. Instead, Signal stores encrypted backups locally, requiri ...more
Old people are usually perceived as wise and enduring, whereas an old smartphone, like my iPhone 4, becomes the butt of a joke every time I take it out of my pocket. I mean, come on, it's not like I'm still rocking one of these... And if I was, I guarantee you wouldn't beat my ...more
Prank Calls, Masked NumbersWho is calling your phone or your child's? Pranksters use a lot of tricks to make sure they can get on your nerves. Being able to trace prank calls is important because you're not going to learn much from your Caller ID, since most prank callers use ...more
It's been done for ages, but for most of us, "regift" entered our vocabulary after the 98th episode of Seinfeld—"The Label Maker." In this episode, Elaine calls Dr. Whatley (played by Bryan Cranston) a "regifter" after he gives Jerry a label maker—the same label maker that Ela ...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
There’s a good chance that you’ll be alone in life one day, and no... I’m not talking about a couch-bound, dateless loser with a pocket pussy and a bag of potato chips. I’m talking about alone. In the wilderness. Hungry. Cold. Lost. You can’t stay in one place too long, so it ...more
This video from AT&T describes the process for giving your original iPhone to someone else when you buy iPhone 3G. Don't let that old iPhone go to waste. Give it to somebody who needs it. You'll learn that you'll need to get a new SIM card to the old cell phone, then activat ...more
It's 1976. The hottest arcade game on the market is Blockade (or Blokade), an 8-bit maze game for 2 players. You and your opponent must move your characters around the screen in 90-degree angles, leaving a solid line behind them. Whoever runs into one of the solid lines first, ...more
The Moog is the original and arguably still the king of the analog synthesizers. It looks like an old phone switchboard, and can create a dizzying variety of unique, warm sounds. This video will show you some advanced features of the Moog, including how to use the sequencer to ...more
Learn how to use your BlackBerry smartphone's included software to transfer files from your old device to your new BlackBerry phone. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're the proud owner of a BlackBerry smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you'r ...more
Prank calls are almost as old as the phone itself, but have entered a beautiful renaissance in the digital era. No need for the phonebook or a pay phone service anymore! This video will show you how to make really good, funny prank calls in the 21st century, including a rundow ...more
Dr. Kiki, from popSiren, solves the age old cellphone reception question. The Rad Scientist has moved into a cell reception twilight zone. Lucky for her, she's well-versed in antenna-making! Video: .
Did you know that your iPhone will work without a SIM card, and your old phone will work with your iPhone's SIM card? Learn how to remove your iPhone's SIM card - it's easier than you might think.
Samimy is at it again. And this time, his ingenuity has tackled a clever way to take something old and broken and restore it to something new and useful. What are we talking about? Modding a broken hard drive and some busted cell phones into a useful rechargeable USB / solar-p ...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
The Motorola Droid is the reigning king of the Android family, but it's getting a little old and you're probably looking for a way to improve your phone's performance if you own one. Why not root the dang thing and install a custom ROM on it so it'll at least be organized the ...more
Tonight is the night. Christmas Eve. The night where Santa Claus and his trusty reindeer soar across the skies to deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls around the world. But tell me— do you know where Santa Claus is right now? No? But you could. Santa's work ...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
First off, don't be frustrated. YOU CAN DO IT! Contrary to the message in the image above, it's NOT over. It's just beginning. And when it comes to solving the New York Times crossword puzzle, the old cliche does apply: practice makes perfect. I've read quite a few books and ...more
Hack N Mod offers an incredibly simple cell phone camera mod that delivers striking results. All you need is a lens from an old DVD player and you can magnify your zoom by five times. "You’ll find the lens directly under the disk tray. If you’ve just upgraded to Blu-Ray, now ...more
Robotics company Festo Bionics has released footage of a robotic manipulator arm modeled after an elephant's trunk. The first video in the gallery below is the concept animation; click on the second video to see the real thing in action. (Love how the grabbers hand off "giant ...more
Ever wonder what's inside those old vintage typewriters and analog phones? Canadian photographer Todd McLellan dissects old electronics and then captures their innards— some assembled in a painstakingly orderly array, others caught in a mid-air explosion. More images and proce ...more
In photography, using filters over lenses is a common practice and provides a great way to set the mood or to create an artistic image. The only problem is that they can be quite costly and there currently aren't many available for cell phones specifially. Fortunately, there i ...more
This is a great way to repurpose your old covers! Tired of your old iPhone cover? Rather than spend $30 on a new one, why not just paint the old one until it suits you? It's way less expensive, and better on the environment! Things you'll need: old smartphone cover spray pa ...more
This easy-to-follow video tutorial walks you through steps of converting old VHS tapes to DVD. Roxio Easy VHS to DVD is a combination of software and hardware that allows you to easily and quickly digitize old analog recordings. You simply attach the included hardware to a fr ...more
An old wooden horse head keychain fell to its demise in my candle. Took the opportunity to finally use the Camera+ app on my iPhone 4. I haven't really used it until today, so I guess I'm just playing around at this point... experimenting. Phone: iPhone 4 App: Camera+ Filters ...more
Social networks like Facebook and Google+ are great for staying connected with family, friends and coworkers—even fans. But sharing and communicating with practically anyone in the digital realm has alienated us from most of the flesh-and-blood beings we see everyday—our neigh ...more
Tired of staring at the same old widget layout on your Android smartphone? Feel like mixing things up? This video explains how to reorganize shortcuts, including creating new ones and making pages for related apps. Learn how to customize your Android home screen. Organize widg ...more
The Nokia N97 is more than a year old, making it practically a grandad in cell phone terms, but it's still a great unit. If yours is having problems and you want to inspect it's internals, watch this video for a guide to disassembling the device completely.
Want to transfer all of your data from an old phone to your new HTC Desire HD? Learn how with this quick, official guide from HTC. Whether you're entirely new to the HTC Desire HD Google Android cell phone, interested in picking one up, or just out to learn a few new tips and ...more
In this clip, learn how to trade phones and iPads back and forth by customizing your SIM card. This video will walk you through how to size and cut your SIM into the right shape for different devices. By customizing your chip, you will be able to move your data from one device ...more
In this tutorial, learn how to install and set up emulators on your HTC EVO 4G so that you can play cool, old-school games on your phone. With these emuators you will be able to play your all-time favorites like Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games on your mobile phone. So, c ...more