Hasta La Gadget!

This isn’t the smallest portable Nintendo 64 we’ve seen, nor the most elegant, creative or complete — in fact, it’s pretty much a straight clone of Bacteria’s iNto64, but with a spiffier paint job and one critical improvement. Yes, that is an extra controller port you see in the foreground of the image above, and if you click your way below, you will indeed be able to watch its creator engage in some wonderfully retro split-screen Mario Kart 64 and F-Zero X races, not to mention the obligatory GoldenEye death match and a wee bit of Quake 2. Ahhh, memories.

[Thanks, Alon T.]

Continue reading Bacteria’s disciple improves upon technique, crafts N64 handheld capable of GoldenEye split-screen

Bacteria’s disciple improves upon technique, crafts N64 handheld capable of GoldenEye split-screen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Twitter-enabled kitty door it is not, but this RFID-equipped soda machine is by far one of the most practical DIY projects we’ve seen in sometime. A Canadian tinkerer picked up this pop pusher a few years back, and has been using it to sling drinks in his building ever since. Unfortunately, finding the right change to feed the machine proved an issue for his neighbors, so he did what any logical hacker would do, and built in a contactless payment system. Using an Arduino, an Ethernet shield, an LCD screen, and an RFID reader, he created a system that allows customers to swipe a card and easily add funds from an online account. Best of all, every time you press that little blue button you get a Mario Bros. sample. Big ups, PopCARD. Video after the break.

Continue reading RFID-enabled vending machine ditches coinage, gets Mario Bros. tone (video)

RFID-enabled vending machine ditches coinage, gets Mario Bros. tone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been waiting for a nice, easy jailbreak solution for iOS 4.3.1, then today’s your lucky day: Dev-Team’s just released redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 for both Windows and OS X, allowing us mere mortals to free our supported devices — iPhone 3GS, 4 (GSM); iPod touch 3G, 4G; iPad 1; and Apple TV 2G — with a few simple clicks. Alas, there are a couple of caveats: the iPad 2 isn’t supported here, as Cupertino has somehow managed to tighten up its security to fend off hackers (for now); and ultrasn0w users have also been told to hang tight until there’s a compatibility fix — Dev-Team will announce on Twitter when this becomes available. As for those who are eligible for this new jailbreak, head over to Dev-Team’s website for the download links, and make sure you have the corresponding IPSW files handy as well — you can find them over at iClarified or on your favorite search engine.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 released for Windows and OS X, lacks iPad 2 support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re subscribed to any of TiVo‘s email-based communiqués, now would be a good time to make sure your spam filters are up to scratch. Epsilon, TiVo’s email service provider, has reported the discovery of a security breach that has compromised the privacy of some customers’ names and / or email addresses. A rigorous investigation has concluded that no other personal data was exposed, however it’s not just TiVo that’s affected — other big names, such as JPMorgan Chase, Citi, US Bank, Kroger, and Walgreens have also seen their users’ deets dished out to the unidentified intruder. As we say, no credit card numbers or any other truly sensitive data has escaped, so the only thing you really have to fear is fear itself… and an onslaught of spam.

Update: Best Buy and the US College Board have also joined the extremely broad list of affected organizations now, judging by the warning emails they’ve been sending off to our readers. Valued Best Buy customers should expect an email similar to the scawl posted after the break.

Update 2: You can also count Chase Bank customers among those also affected — not their bank accounts, mind, but their e-mail addresses.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Epsilon breach exposes TiVo, Best Buy email addresses, spambots stir into action

Epsilon breach exposes TiVo, Best Buy email addresses, spambots stir into action originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect quadrocopter gets a new mission: 3D mapping (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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