These are all the crazy things you can hire a hacker to do for you

Ever wanted to get access to your spouse’s Facebook account without them knowing? Are you looking to order some shady products from the “deep web?” Interested in clearing your record, or improving your grades? There’s a hacker for that, or at least a site where you can list such requests and appropriate rewards, hoping that hackers will be interested in helping out.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:30PM, January 31

How to have fun rooting for the evil sports team that everyone else hates

The Super Bowl is on Sunday and, unlike the majority of my fellow Americans, I will be rooting for the New England Patriots. As a native Bostonian, the Patriots are in my blood, although I fully admit that if I weren't from New England I would probably hate them as much as the rest of the country does.

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Posted in 2015 at 03:00PM, January 31

Third-Party Tesla App Provides Look at Opportunities and Limitations of Apple Watch Development

Apple made its WatchKit SDK available alongside the release of iOS 8.2 and Xcode 6.2 beta in November, enabling developers to begin creating apps and software for the wrist-worn device. Looking beyond mockups and conceptual apps, however, a new third-party Tesla app designed by Eleks Labs offers insight into both the opportunities and limitations that developers face with the first-generation Apple Watch.





According to Eleks Lab mobility business developer Markiyan Matsekh, the technical capabilities of WatchKit do not match the expectations set during the Apple Watch keynote. In developing a prototype Tesla app that allows users to control a Model S over the Internet using a web-service API, the team of software engineers found a lot of functionality to be unavailable to developers at this time.

"If you look at the opportunities available for smart watch application development, you’ll also see a quite pessimistic picture," wrote Matsekh. "Apple does not indulge developers with an abundance of functionality and tools. However, we can hope that the available functions are limited because this is only the first beta version and it will get much better towards the release."

Matsekh claims that developers do not have access to the Apple Watch's gyroscope, accelerometer, built-in speaker and microphone or Taptic Engine system of tactile notifications for development. Additionally, despite the Apple Watch display being touch sensitive, he claims that only Force Touch, which displays the shortcut menu, is available for developers, while GPS is restricted to a paired iPhone.



Even with its current limitations, this Tesla app provides an early look at the opportunities that Apple Watch apps make possible. The multipurpose software brings a lot of Tesla car control functionality to the wrist, such as an overview of the car's battery, temperature and mileage, a controls menu for opening or closing the car and activating the headlights, and various screens related to charging, climate, location and the car's condition.






Despite claiming that the Apple Watch has "weak potential for programmers" based on its current emulator-only development environment, Matsekh recognizes that his assumptions are based off of the first WatchKit SDK available to developers. As with the iPhone and iPad, the first-generation Apple Watch will inevitability have some developmental hiccups that are ironed out over the years.



Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed at the company's quarterly earnings call on Tuesday that the Apple Watch is on schedule to ship in April, likely alongside a new version of WatchKit. MacRumors also learned that Apple has asked some developers to have Apple Watch apps ready for mid-February. In a short few months, a clearer picture should emerge of just how much potential Apple's first wearable device has for developers.

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Posted in 2015 at 02:53AM, January 31

Researchers may have found the most ingenious way yet to generate solar power

Solar energy is definitely taking off and now researchers may have come up with the absolute best way to generate cheap solar power by installing solar panels in public parking lots.

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Posted in 2015 at 02:00AM, January 31

iPhone App Helps Fans Get More Yardage Out of Super Bowl Weekend

Fans can use iPhone and iOS to personalize their Super Bowl weekend experience, reports The New York Times’ Nick Wingfield in an article about the NFL’s iBeacon integration with the NFL Mobile app. At Times Square and MetLife Stadium, mobile technology can lead fans to the nearest stadium entrance, the closest place to buy merchandise, or where to view the Lombardi Trophy. Mobile announcements and alerts based on location are not new, but the article notes that experts say, “Apple is further along with its version of the technology, which is why most alerts of this kind are now sent to iPhone users.” Manish Jha, the NFL’s general manager of mobile, says, “The power of this is it really is able to connect the real world, the brick-and-mortar world, with the virtual world with a level of granularity that hasn’t existed before.”

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Posted in 2014 at 06:53PM, January 31

It’s time to embrace the future of phone networks – and the death of telephone numbers

If you've been on pins and needles waiting for HD voice calls to become the norm, the wait is apparently almost over. The Washington Post reports that the FCC voted to begin rolling out a trial program for fiber-optic telephone networks later this year. According to the report, phone carriers will set up the trials in designated test areas all over the U.S. as the FCC prepares for a full-scale transition to Internet Protocol networks in the future. Interestingly, that may also eventually lead to the death of traditional phone numbers.



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Posted in 2014 at 11:15PM, January 31

Video: Steve Jobs biographer takes back Apple criticism after calling Google more innovative

Walter Isaacson, who is best known for writing the authoritative biography of Steve Jobs, is walking back some of his criticisms of Apple. A couple of weeks ago, Isaacson said that Google had taken over Apple's role as the tech world's biggest innovator and suggested that Apple would have already released another game-changing product by now if Jobs were still the CEO.



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Posted in 2014 at 10:30PM, January 31

Middle school student forced to 'stop, drop and roll' when her iPhone burst into flames in her pocket

Walking and texting might not be the only risk associated with smartphone ownership. According to the Portland Press Herald , a middle school student in Kennebunk, Maine had to stop, drop and roll after her iPhone spontaneously caught fire in her pocket. She reportedly sustained minor burns during the incident and was quickly taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. Thankfully, the injuries were insignificant enough that the student was told she could return to school the same day.



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Posted in 2014 at 09:45PM, January 31

What can we learn from the iPhone 5c and Windows 8 flops?

Whenever an exciting new trend in the tech world arises, analysts are quick to declare that every other company must quickly follow this trend or else be left in the dust. We're seeing this right now with analysts declaring that Apple "needs" to release a phablet and we've seen it in the past with analysts declaring that Microsoft "needs" to build a more touch-centric version of Windows to compete with the iPad. I admit that I've certainly fallen for this line of thinking many times myself since it's easy to get caught up in looking at sales trends without taking a step back to look at the bigger picture.



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Posted in 2014 at 09:10PM, January 31

LEAK: This is the red Nexus 5

All things considered, the Nexus 5 is the best Android phone in the world. We explained why when we named it the best Android smartphone of 2013 last month, but it boils down to a great design, solid specs, terrific performance and a shockingly low price tag. While Google undoubtedly has a new Nexus phone in store for us at some point this year, the company isn't yet done with the 5. We've seen the rumors surface over the past few days but now the deal is apparently sealed — a new leak from @evleaks shows the Nexus 5 with a fresh new coat of red paint. No other details were provided in this most recent leak, but we'll likely see the red Nexus hit virtual store shelves soon enough.

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Posted in 2014 at 08:35PM, January 31

Commercials are about to get personal as targerted ads expand to TV

It's time to accept the fact that targeted ads are no longer restricted to your browser. Facebook is stuffing them inside your mobile apps, Apple might put them in your thermostat, and now The Washington Post is reporting that Comcast and NBC Universal are bringing targeted advertisements to your television. Much like the intelligent political ads that Dish and DirecTV announced earlier this week, the newly-minted NBCU+ service will "allow marketers to target groups of consumers that fit certain demographic and interest profiles."



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Posted in 2014 at 08:10PM, January 31

How to tell if your Gmail account is hacked without waiting for it to start spitting out Viagra emails

The recent breach of Yahoo's Yahoo Mail servers is the latest in a string of high-profile hacks that have taken center stage in the tech media lately. It seems that no service is safe from malicious hackers, who constantly come up with terrifying new ways to steal your data. Of course it's not just wide-scale hacks we have to be afraid of — our various online accounts are always at risk. Google's Gmail service is hugely popular so it's often a target for hackers on the prowl. And considering how awful our passwords often are, hacking into Gmail isn't always much of a challenge. As Tech2 noted on Friday, however, there's a pretty easy way to find out if your account was hacked without waiting for your friends to email you asking why you're suddenly peddling Viagra on behalf of a shady Vietnamese pharmacy.



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Posted in 2014 at 07:35PM, January 31

iMessage on Windows, Android? There’s an iOS jailbreak app for that

iOS users who want to have access to their iMessages on devices that aren't supported by Apple including Windows computers and Android smartphones can now do so with the help of a simple iOS app, Addictive Tips reveals — but the application requires an iOS jailbreak, of course.



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Posted in 2014 at 06:35PM, January 31

Aereo, the online TV service terrifying broadcasters, is out of capacity in New York

Aereo is either a brilliant online TV streaming service that could potentially revolutionize the television industry as we know it, or a dastardly thief profiting from what broadcasters claim amounts to stealing their services. The courts haven't yet decided, but what we do know conclusively is that consumers love the idea of being able to stream all the TV programming they want to their PCs, smartphones and tablets for just $8 per month. For people in the New York area looking to cut the cord and give Aereo a try, however, we have some bad news: The service is now operating at capacity in New York City and can no longer accept new customers.



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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, January 31

Microsoft finally realizes that people hate Windows 8′s live tiles

It's official: Microsoft realizes that most desktop users have no use for the Live Tiles interface. The Verge reports that the next update of Windows 8.1 will make the platform boot up to desktop mode by default, which means that people who buy new Windows 8.1 PCs with the latest update won't have to look at Live Tiles when they first flip on their computers.



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Posted in 2014 at 05:45PM, January 31

This is the best computer you can buy for $499

Microsoft's Surface Pro is a pretty incredible machine. When we reviewed the Surface Pro early last year, we said it was very fast, surprisingly smooth, and that it featured a gorgeous design. We also said it was priced very fairly at $899, which was perfectly in line with Apple's 11-inch MacBook Air once you added on the cost of a Type Cover. If the Surface Pro was a fair deal at $899, it's an absolute steal at $499. A BGR reader alerted us to a Best Buy sale taking place right now, and it offers Microsoft's 128GB Surface Pro convertible tablet for $400 off its original launch price. The specs are a bit old and a newer Surface Pro 2 is now available, but a beautiful and capable 2-pound machine with a full HD display and a case that's just 0.5 inches thick is a steal at $499. The sale price is only good through the end of the day on Saturday, so those interested in the sleek slate should act fast.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:20PM, January 31

How to fix the most annoying thing about Sony’s PlayStation 4

Sony's Dualshock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4 is pretty awesome. It takes everything we loved about the Dualshock 3 and adds on a touch pad, a sharing button and a nifty light bar that is used as an indicator to quickly convey game information in real time. The light bar can definitely be useful, but it can also be unbelievably annoying. Sony has said that it has no plans to dim the Dualshock 4's light bar, so an eBay merchant in the UK named "knrgrafix" has come up with a simple yet fairly brilliant solution of his own.



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Posted in 2014 at 04:55PM, January 31

Here’s how desperate BlackBerry really is

Amid reports that BlackBerry’s market share in the U.S. has reached an unbelievable 0% there’s also a rumor (backed up by a leaked apk) that the company is going to soon launch a BBM build for devices that still run Gingerbread, an Android version that was launched in late 2010. N4BB (via MobileSyrup ) reports that BBM for Gingerbread is already available unofficially, providing a link to the apk file that can be sideloaded on compatible devices.



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Posted in 2014 at 04:34PM, January 31

How to make a million stunning iOS 7 wallpapers yourself

I get a tremendous number of messages from BGR readers. So many, in fact, that I recently had to destroy email. Some are looking to thank me for an analysis, some are looking to berate me for not bathing their mobile platform of choice with praise, and many just want to further discuss a topic they saw on the site. A common theme has emerged recently, though. Each time I publish anything that includes original photography of an iPhone, a dozen or so people email me asking about the wallpapers pictured on my device. I respond to as many as I can and I'm happy to keep giving a man a fish, but I've decided it might be a good idea to teach you all to fish.



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Posted in 2014 at 04:09PM, January 31

Video: Just in time for the Super Bowl, T-Mobile unleashes best ad yet

To indoctrinate more Americans into its "Uncarrier" cult, T-Mobile has enlisted the help of Tim Tebow, the legendary college football quarterback who really, really, really wasn't cut out to be a passer in the NFL. T-Mobile's Super Bowl ad released on Friday plays on the fact that Tebow hasn't received a contract offer from an NFL team since being cut by the New England Patriots in August and has him talk about the benefits of going without a contract for his wireless company. The ad shows that Tebow has been able to do more productive things with his time without a contract this year, including helping deliver a baby, tracking down Bigfoot and addressing the United Nations. At the end of the ad, T-Mobile plugs its latest "Uncarrier" initiative and says that "Contracts are limiting... switch to T-Mobile and we'll buy you out of yours." The full video follows below.



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Posted in 2014 at 03:48PM, January 31