Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Calvin, who needs a replacement for his recently broken Switztool 6-piece screwdriver kit. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’ve always used a Switztool 6-piece screwdriver for my computer work. I love how it retracts all the bits into the screwdriver. But it just bit the dust after a very heavy fall. Just want to know from other fellow readers: what’s the best screwdriver (or kit) out there for DIY computer work and electronics hacking?”

Quite an interesting question, indeed. We’d probably recommend a kit with a 00-sized Philips screwdriver for getting those laptop bolts out from the casing, but desktop-specific ones are certainly allowed. And… go!

Ask Engadget: best screwdriver kit for DIY computer work? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Despite a temporary victory stopping PS Jailbreak sales in Australia, Sony’s PS3 headaches are far from over. With PS Jailbreak’s code in the wild, lawsuits may be too little too late.

PSGroove claims to be an open source PS Jailbreak. Users download the code and install it on an AT90USBkey or Teensy++ USB development board to get the modchip up and running.

While the PSGroove is not as easy as the PS Jailbreak for the average gamer, but an entrepreneurial hacker can easy sell pre-assembled PSGroove kits to the average Joe PS3.

A USB drive, PS Jailbreak lets you run unsigned software, including legitimate backups, on the PS3. You can run the backups from the internal hard disk drive, or use PS Jailbreak to backup the games to external storage devices. Once saved, you can run the games from the external drive as well. Despite the lawsuit in Australia, PS Jailbreak is already available in Canada, US, and Europe.

With this code, you don’t even need the original game disc anymore to play. Imagine emulators to the PS3. The possibilities are endless. What’s next, Sony?

via PS3Hax

If you love Nokia hardware but wish for a better operating system, consider what some enthusiastic developers have done.

As part of a project called NITDroid, the developers have created a compatible version of the Android operating system for Nokia’s internet tablets. The result is a device that has the body of Nokia and the brains of Android.

“Nokia’s hardware is fantastic but their software is suboptimal, slow, buggy and not always the best user experience,” says Terrence Eden, a U.K.-based mobile consultant who installed Android 1.6 “Donut” on his Nokia N810. “Android is a much better software environment for Nokia hardware than what Nokia provides.”

Eden’s Nokia-Android hybrid works well except for access to Google Market and apps, he says.

Meanwhile developers have created a stable version of Android 2.2 Froyo for the Nokia N900, which ships with Nokia’s Maemo operating system. They have been able to get calls, data and Google apps going on the hacked device. The only missing feature is camera support.

This is not the first time a phone has been hacked to run an entirely different kind of operating system. Eager to experience Android’s features, some intrepid smartphone users hacked their Windows Mobile phones to run Android.

With Android for Nokia phones, the NITdroid project has had varying degrees of success. So far, they have attempted to port Android for Nokia’s tablet range of devices — which means the Nokia N770, N800, N810 and N900.

“On the N810, everything is pretty much functional. It isn’t a phone so there’s no call functionality to deal with,” says Eden.

But with the N900, users have found themselves unable to use the Android-powered device to make calls on a 3G network or change the screen brightness.

Tweaking the Nokia phones to change its operating system to Android isn’t for everyone, says Eden.

“It’s not something anyone off the street can do,” he says. “It’s a bit like installing Linux on the PC that you bought off Best Buy.”

But for those who are willing to take the risk, Eden has written a step-by-step guide on his blog for getting Android on the N810. The NITDroid wiki also has an installation guide for other Nokia phones.

See Also:

• DIYers Hack Windows Mobile Phones to Run Android
• Bloatware Creeps Into Android Phones
• Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market
• Social Networking Meets Apps in New Android App Store

Photo: Terence Eden

The NITDroid project has been slogging along this year in an effort to get Android fully ported to Nokia’s N900, and the progress has been promising so far — but wouldn’t it be nice if you could, you know, make calls? Looks like these guys are making some solid progress there with a new video showing both incoming and outgoing calls doing… well, something or another on the N900 side. Cellular data’s coming along nicely, too, as you can see on the video after the break — so here’s the million-dollar question: when this is rock-solid and ready for prime time, are you jumping ship or sticking with Maemo?

Continue reading Fully-functional Android port for N900 threatens to beat N9 to market

Fully-functional Android port for N900 threatens to beat N9 to market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  NITDroid  | Email this | Comments

Even if you can look beyond the SIM lock and the aging Android 1.6 OS on the Dell Streak, there’s still one irksome problem: the lack of a mini or micro-USB port (Dell clearly missed the USB party last summer). Dissatisfied with this state of affairs, John from Linux Slate decided to build an adapter for his tabletphone’s dock connector, which he confirmed to be PDMI instead of a proprietary design. The procedure was simple: John cut up his Streak’s cable plug, soldered a mini USB socket onto the board, and housed the new assembly within the Streak’s cable clip. Voilà! Until third-party USB-to-PDMI cables start to show up in the stores, it’s either this mod or cough up $20 for a spare cable from Dell. See the adapter in action after the break.

Continue reading Dell Streak procures a hacked-up mini USB adapter, gets friendly with your dusty cables

Dell Streak procures a hacked-up mini USB adapter, gets friendly with your dusty cables originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Streak Smart  |  Linux Slate  | Email this | Comments