— -- In the spirit of having a little fun, here are five ways to prank your friends on April Fool's Day.
Ninja Remote Jammer
A longstanding American tradition, the inability to share the remote, often erupts in tension among siblings, roommates and significant others. If you're an extreme control freak (get it?), then exact revenge on April Fool's Day. The Ninja Remote Jammer, available for $29.99 from ThinkGeek, helps you take over the TV without notice. Not only does this stealth device let you change the channels from up to 400 feet away, but it also jams nearby remotes so you're the only one in control. When turned on, the device's "bomb" mode randomly changes the TV's channels and volume for periods of five to 15 minutes. So next time you don't feel like wasting brain cells on the Kardashians, whip out this nifty device. I feel it's necessary to inform you that if you get caught with this remote, not only do you lose your ninja status but your friends might come after you with pitchforks. You've been warned.
Darth Vader voice changer
Voice changers are often used in pranks, but let's do one better. Hasbro's Darth Vader model is a full-fledged mask that disguises your voice, even emulating the "Star Wars" character's breathing. This voice-changer helmet is made of hard plastic and includes plenty of ventilation. Because of small parts, it is recommended for kids 5 and up, but most adult heads should fit as well. An included soundboard hangs off the mask, so you can easily program the right byte ("The Force is with you") for your best James Earl Jones impression. A fun Halloween costume for "Star Wars" fans? Yes. A great way to freak out an unsuspecting coworker, partner or pet? Definitely. The toy retails for $29.99.
Dvorak keyboard
When your coworker leaves the computer unattended, it's time to scramble. Head straight to system preferences and get ready to make a quick setting adjustment. Changing the keyboard language is an easy way to flummox someone, but the prank will be short lived because it is so obvious. Instead, try a more subtle hack, like changing the keyboard input to the Dvorak layout, which is an alternate typing design created in the 1930s. August Dvorak came up with the patented layout to type more efficiently than the QWERTY keyboard that dominates today, but it never caught on . The advantage is that most keystrokes are concentrated in the middle row. The disadvantage is that outside of Silicon Valley engineers, this layout is pretty obscure, so it might take your coworker a bit of time to wise up.
Phone hacks
Like computers, phones can easily be manipulated to stump their owners. But first, a word of warning: Don't change the time. Not only is that not funny, but it's a massive inconvenience. Since timepieces are about as rare as Dvorak keyboards these days, it's likely the person being pranked relies heavily on a phone to wake up, get to work on time and attend meetings. The goal of April Fool's isn't to infuriate someone; it's to create mild amusement. With that out of the way, it is a day for having some innocuous fun. The following features are available for tweaking, depending on the phone: turning caps lock on by default, inverting the phone's screen colors (so black is white and vice versa), increasing the default text size to 40 pixels or changing the phone's language.
iFool
Does everything above seem like too much work? For the lazy prankster, there is an app for that. iFool is a silly iOS app that can queue visual and sound effects to confuse your friends. You know that annoying chirp the smoke detector makes when it's low on battery? iFool can emulate it to drive your roommate mad. The app can also manipulate the iPhone's display. For example, you can show a screenshot of Angry Birds to lure in an unsuspecting mark. When the decoy screen is tapped, that can trigger a funny or terrifying image to pop up. In short, this is a well-rounded app for the person who doesn't feel like setting up an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine. iFool is free, but additional effects can be purchased within the app.
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E-mail Alice Truong at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter: @alicetruong.
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