How-To Guides from Gadget Hacks: Page 113

Flappy Bird is the extremely difficult, overly frustrating, strangely similar, yet highly addictive smartphone game from .GEARS STUDIOS that has catapulted its way to the top of the charts on both Google Play and the iOS App Store—seemingly out of nowhere.

There are plenty of apps on Google Play for customizing your Samsung Galaxy S3 with wallpapers and new lock screens, but to be honest, you're not really customizing until you root.

One of the lesser known features brought along by the roll-out of Android 4.4 KitKat is the ability to screen record from within the device. This features isn't overtly obvious, nor is its implementation the most streamlined, but if you were ever looking for a way to capture video of what's happening on your screen, this is now the best way to do it.

One of the biggest reasons we jailbreak our iPads and iPhones is to add and change themes. Apple locks down a lot of how we can personalize our devices, and while the stock look is easy on the eyes, sooner or later we may realize how boring it can be. Now, it doesn't have to be.

The @DesignGears guys have been busy today, leaking an unofficial KitKat build (Android version 4.4.2) for the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The latest is a peek into what the international variants are beginning to see, although this build is far from official. Still, if you want to give it a shot, I'll show you how to install it, but make sure to check out the details below the how-to to see what you can expect, good or bad.

Texting something as simple as "What up, bruh?" can be transformed into something way more baller by adding emojis, emoticons, GIFs, and textspeak. Some people would even argue that texting is a form of art, similar to Shakespearean sonnets, but it still has a ways to go if you ask me.

So, you find an interesting article online, but there's something you don't quite understand about it and instinct kicks in. Open new tab. Go to Google. Enter keywords. Search. Find information. Understand.

As an avid reader, I come across a plethora of words I don't know, but my iPhone is always right there to help figure out their meanings.

Ever since its introduction back in iOS 6, AirPlay has been helping us iOS and Mac users stream content over to an Apple TV or third-party speaker system. It's an incredibly useful feature. However, it's also severely limiting. The few compatible products out there are extremely expensive, making wireless streaming a not-so-easy task.

Closing apps in iOS 6 was different that what is now in iOS 7. Shown in the video below is the old clumsy way of closing apps on the old iPads.

Modern smartphones can easily handle anything you throw at them, but it's always good to keep a tight grasp of what your phone is actually doing and how well it's doing it. System information can be viewed by looking through your Application Manager, but this process makes it difficult to keep an eye on usage in real time.

Those of you using iOS 7 probably know by now that swiping down on an app's preview screen in the multitasking menu does absolutely nothing. Swiping up force closes the app, but down is useless—unless you're jailbroken.

Having quick and immediate access to your notifications is one of the most important features for any modern day phone, but these alerts can be easily missed when your device isn't in the palm of your hand.

To say that there are a lot of app switchers and launchers available is an understatement. We've covered a few ourselves, including Loopr and Switchr. But why not check out one more?

Winterboard for iOS 7 allowed us to use some pretty great-looking themes. Circulus and Space BlueBerry are both great, but a little too "fun" for me. If you want something serious, yet appealing to the eye, then M'flat is for you.

Apple and Google are not only two of the biggest names in the tech world, but also two of the biggest competitors. So, it's no surprise that you can't watch movies or TV shows purchased from iTunes on an Android device. Likewise, you can't watch any videos purchased on Google Play with your iPad or iPhone—until now.

I know that after seeing 8 Mile for the first time, you and your friends tried a few freestyles yourself. Nothing to be embarrassed about. As one person dropped the beat, you started your stuttering flow, and everyone else nodded their head. And for a second you probably thought you sounded pretty good, until the beat maker started coughing and threw you off.

Apple's implementation of blurred backgrounds was met with mixed reception in concurrence with iOS 7's release. Some viewed the design as rather dull and headache-inducing, while others like myself enjoyed it because the translucency created a more focused and noticeable foreground.

One of the most frustrating things about full touchscreen phones, especially for those coming from one with a physical keyboard, is typing and editing text. Whether it's a quick text message, or Swyping out a full e-mail, it sucks realizing you've messed up a few words and have to go back and fix them.

There are definitely some great things about iOS 7, but like any good piece of software, it's got some things to kink out—and how wallpapers work seems to be one of the biggest issues, since it's so much different than in previous iOS versions.