TECH PROMISE UPDATE (unlimited)

It's a done deal. KitKat is the shit, and everyone wants in on it. Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy S3 won't see any of Android 4.4's features incorporated into TouchWiz for some time, as we're still on a 4.1 version. Still, we can throw a few of KitKat's features onto the device ourselves, like the  home launcher  and  new keyboard . And now, we can even get a feel for its smarter phone app. The phone has been redesigned to provide as much relevant information as possible when receiving phone calls, and it automatically prioritizes your contacts based on the people you talk to the most. If you want to try out something very similar on your GS3, you can with Calchas , a free app by  Andreas Komninos  that takes the "smarter phone" concept from 4.4 and runs with it.  Calchas speeds up the calling process by predicting the contacts you are most likely to call based on your previous and frequent dials. The app will gather information from your calls, ...

Since the release of  Windows 8 , Microsoft has been heavily encouraging users to use Windows with a Microsoft account.  According to Microsoft , the main benefit of using a Microsoft account is the ability to sign in and sync your information across various Microsoft devices and services. Furthermore, you have access to a  singular cloud storage solution  which can contain documents, pictures, settings, and more on whatever system you're using with the Microsoft account. In short, a Microsoft account certainly has its share of benefits for some users in making their workflows more continuous. But for various reasons, including privacy concerns, others might have no need for a Microsoft tie-in, preferring instead to use a local account on the computer as Windows has done for ages. So if you'd rather not opt-in to Microsoft's services, here's how to use Windows 10   with a local account. Create a Local Account During Windows 10 Setup Windows 10 does offer ...

Out of all the new features in  iOS 9 , the two most important ones specific to iPads are split screen multitasking and floating video windows. The latter is truly great, since you can watch movies or use FaceTime while you use different apps. The feature is called Picture in Picture, and here's what you need to know about it. You can use Picture in Picture to minimize videos from iTunes in the corners of the iPad. All you have to do is press the Home button while watching a video (doesn't work with videos taken from your device) and the window will minimize into the corner. Once there, you can use your iPad like normal, checking messages, browsing Instagram, etc., all while your video continues playing. Move the window around to any of the four corners by holding down on it and dragging it across the screen. You can also pinch in and out to resize it. Finally, pause, close, or maximize the video through icons that appear at the bottom of the minimized window. How ...

We recently began an  exploration of ways to hack using the Bluetooth protocol . As you know, Bluetooth is a protocol that connects near field devices such as headsets, speakers, and keyboards. Its minimum range is a 10-meter radius (~33 feet) and maximum is at 100 meters (~328 feet). I already explained the basics of Bluetooth technology in  my first article in this series , and even showed off  how Elliot used Bluetooth hacking in Mr. Robot . In this article, we will examine the use of the MultiBlue Dongle. This dongle is capable of connecting to any Bluetooth device and enabling you to use your computer keyboard to control the device. Ostensibly developed and sold to enable users to use their computer keyboard and mouse on their mobile device, as you can imagine, it can be used for more surreptitious activities. It's available from many retailers including Amazon.com  for about $35 In this tutorial, we will need physical access to the device, but as w...

In response to the success of Apple Pay and an attempt to stave off the appealing Samsung Pay service, Google is completely revamping Android's mobile payments system. Instead of just using Google Wallet as an app to make payments with your phone, a new service called Android Pay , with an extensive underlying framework and API, will soon make its debut—and maybe even sooner than you'd think. Android Pay's official launch date is unknown, but the underlying elements that make it all tick are already starting to roll out to Android devices. In fact, Android Pay is so far along in its development that you can give it a test drive right now. Step 1: Make Sure You're Running Play Services 8.1 or Higher Android Pay functionality is built into the latest version of the Google Play Services app, which gets updated silently in the background on Android devices. This means you may already have the latest version, so to check, head to Settings -> Apps -> Al...