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Privacy is a big topic when it comes to mobile devices. iPhones and iPads show little orange and green indicator icons when apps access the device’s camera or microphone. Here’s an Android app that can do the same. Like the LED light on a webcam, the iPhone and iPad show colored dots in the status bar when an app is accessing the camera or microphone. Android shows when apps are accessing your location, but it lacks these indicators. RELATED: What Are the Orange and Green Dots on an iPhone or iPad? The app we’ll be using to bring this functionality over to Android is called “Access Dots.” It mimics the colored dots that are present on iPhone and iPad. The app is easy to set up and gives you more information about what apps are doing in the background. First, install “ Access Dots – iOS 14 cam/mic access indicators ” from the Google Play Store on your Android phone or tablet. When you first open the app, you’ll be greeted by a toggle to enable Access Dots. … [Read more...] about How to See When Apps Access Your Camera and Microphone on Android

Before iOS 11, iPhone users had to download a third-party app in order to scan a QR code. However, this functionality is now built in and you can use the stock Camera app on the iPhone to scan as many QR codes as your heart desires. RELATED: QR Codes Explained: Why You See Those Square Barcodes Everywhere If you’re not familiar with QR codes, they’re a special kind of barcode . When scanned, they can take you to a specific website, lead you to a file to download, and even just show a bunch of text about something. For example, if you were at the zoo and there was a QR code next to the lion exhibit, you could scan it to bring up more info about the lions on your phone. QR codes are pretty great, especially since you can make your own . However, if you just need to scan a QR code, here’s how to do it with your iPhone without needing to download a third-party app. Start by opening up the Camera app and make sure that it’s set to “Photo” or “Square”. Either of these … [Read more...] about How to Scan QR Codes with the iPhone’s Camera App

CES looked a bit different this year after going all-digital, but that didn’t stop companies from unveiling new products. After careful deliberation, the How-To Geek and Review Geek teams have awarded the following 11 products with How-To Geek’s Best of CES 2021 awards. Before jumping into the awards, Review Geek has been hard at work covering all of the CES 2021 announcements that you need to know about. Head on over there if you’ve missed anything from the internationally renowned trade show. Best in Show: Kensington StudioDock In order to stand out from everything announced at CES 2021 and win Best in Show, a product needs to make an entrance. The Kensington StudioDock did just that, causing most of the team to say, “I want that.” Using the StudioDock in conjunction with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you can turn your iPad Pro or Air into an iPadOS iMac. Use the two built-in wireless chargers and the optional Apple Watch charger (which is coming soon) and … [Read more...] about Best of CES 2021: The Top Products Coming This Year

Computational photography is responsible for most of the amazing strides our smartphone cameras have taken in the last decade. Here’s how it works, and how it makes our photos so much better. The Magic of Computational Photography Computational photography uses digital software to enhance the photos taken by a camera. It’s most prominently used in smartphones. In fact, computational photography does the heavy lifting to create the great-looking images you see in your smartphone photo gallery. The rapid improvement in smartphone cameras over the last few years can largely be attributed to improving software, rather than changes to the physical camera sensor. Some smartphone manufacturers, like Apple and Google, continuously improve the photo-taking capabilities of their devices year after year without ever drastically changing the physical camera sensors. Why Does Computational Photography Matter? How a camera digitally captures a photo can be roughly divided into two … [Read more...] about What Is Computational Photography?

You can’t believe everything you read—or see. Social media is rife with manipulated or “Photoshopped” images. Here are some telltale signs you’re looking at an altered image. Airbrushing Is Easy to Spot Have you ever seen an image that just doesn’t look right? Trusting your gut might not be the most scientific approach, but you’re probably better at spotting a fake than you realize. If you see an image that sounds alarm bells, you might want to look a bit closer. You’ll probably spot some telltale signs that it’s been manipulated. Airbrushed images often fall into “ uncanny valley ” territory. Even if you have perfect skin, most light sources cast small shadows on fine wrinkles, pores, and other slight imperfections. When these imperfections are digitally removed, so is the appearance of natural lighting. Professional retouchers often strike a balance between perfection and realism, but amateurs and mobile apps rarely do. Apps, in particular, depend on existing skin tones … [Read more...] about How to Tell If an Image Has Been Manipulated or Photoshopped