Apr 22

Drozid: the tune-playing, gun-toting, unmanned autonomous mini-fridge (update)

Posted in: diy, hack, mod, Today's Chili
When Katie Wilson, media designer with our friends at Make, went to pick up her pup recently, she was greeted not by the dog-sitter. Instead, it was Drozid — part electric wheelchair, part refrigerator, part robot, wielding a laser-scoped air rifle — that arrived with her change (and a cold beer). Technical details are scant, but it appears to have some obstacle avoidance capabilities (it deftly maneuvers around the parking lot, and even engages in a little soccer with a blue ball) and sports a front-mounted camera for POV monitoring from the inventor’s remote compound (garage). Hit the coverage link below to see the thing in action.

Update: Just got a pretty awesome email from Shawn, the man behind the robot. He says it’s currently being controlled remotely (as demonstrated in the video), but he is working on “a micro-controller brain with ultra sonic sensors and all that other stuff (compass, IR proximity, X-Bee, and more cameras).” And the impetus behind this project? “To fetch beer from the store around the corner.” Brilliant!

Drozid: the tune-playing, gun-toting, unmanned autonomous mini-fridge (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 22

Blasphemy: Dude Runs Android on an iPhone

Posted in: Android, hack, iPhone, Today's Chili

Here’s a pairing sure to make all parties involved slightly uncomfortable. iPhone hacker David “planetbeing” Wang has managed to get a version of Android running on Apple’s popular handset. As the above video demonstrates, switching on the phone gives the user the option to boot into either Android or the iPhone OS. Doing the former will load a Linux boot screen, penguin and all.

What’s particularly impressive about Wang’s hack is the fact that the phone can surf the Web, take calls, and send SMSs through Android. The whole thing works using Rogers’s wireless network.

As Wang points out, the whole thing is still pretty rough. He refers to the hack as being in its alpha stage. Still, neat, I suppose. Finally: a way to combine an appreciation for Apple hardware with a passion for Flash and desktop-based porn apps. Add a sliding keyboard, and you’ll have a great little phone.

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Apr 22

Super PreKernel is the one-touch way to make your Pre or Pre Plus fly (video)

Posted in: hack, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, Today's Chili, video
Super PreKernel is the one-touch way to make your Pre or Pre Plus fly (video)

If you’re a Pre or Pre Plus owner who has been watching longingly as we’ve covered the recent spread of overclocking hacks for the thing, but didn’t quite feel up to wading through page after page of forum discussions to figure out just how to apply them, the process just got a easier. Like, a whole lot easier. Super PreKernel enables you to go to 550, 600, 720, and even 800MHz with just a single tap. And, when it’s time to put on those fake glasses and play Clark Kent, you can drop back down to 500MHz just as easily. It’s all thanks to a number of Palm-loving hackers who have put together a truly moving video demonstration of the whole process that’s embedded below. We encourage you to enjoy it now, because the selection of copyrighted musical accompaniment for the clip will probably result in it surviving about as long as a bottle of Superman’s chosen hair product.

Continue reading Super PreKernel is the one-touch way to make your Pre or Pre Plus fly (video)

Super PreKernel is the one-touch way to make your Pre or Pre Plus fly (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

Android ported to iPhone?

Posted in: Android, hack, Hacks, iPhone, Linux, mod, mods, Today's Chili, video

If you’re a diehard iPhone user waiting for a similarly-gorgeous Android phone before you jump ship, you could spend time pining for a new HTC or Dell. Then again, the Droid you’ve been looking for might be right under your nose. Intrepid Linux fan planetbeing claims to have ported a debug version of Android to the iPhone itself, drivers and all, and you’ll find a thoroughly convincing demonstration of his bona fide dual-booting Apple device taking calls, playing music and even surfing the web after the break. While the iPhone isn’t the speediest Google phone around, it’s not all that sluggish, either, and with the iPhone’s hardware buttons remapped to Android controls, planetbeing seems to get along just fine. Now, let’s see him work on some pinch-to-zoom, eh? Video after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Android ported to iPhone?

Android ported to iPhone? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 20

Zune HD: yes, it plays Doom

Posted in: hack, Hacks, Microsoft, Today's Chili, video, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

No matter how weak or powerful the gadget, one brave soul will always broach the all-important question: can it play Doom? Just four days after hacking the Zune HD and unleashing the OpenZDK, the Zune community has received its answer. ZuneBoards forumgoer Netrix has opened the portal to the familiar alien hell, where gamers will writhe in agony as they struggle with tilt and touchscreen controls. Those who persevere regardless will find the app runs any of the original Doom WAD files. Full installer available at the source link; see OpenZDK’s power in action after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Zune HD: yes, it plays Doom

Zune HD: yes, it plays Doom originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 19

64 Boy might be the smallest N64 mod yet (if not, it’s pretty close) (video)

Posted in: hack, mod, Today's Chili, video
Sure, we’ve seen more polished N64 handhelds (literally), but we’re hard to pressed to find one that’s more… well, portable. And its small size doesn’t mean that Mod Retro forum member Bentomo’s creation is anything less than featured-packed: 3.5-inch display, external docking station (for up to four controllers, stereo audio outs, and both composite and s-video outs), external memory / transfer / rumble pack slot, a charger, up to four hours of battery life, and a full compliment of controls. Not bad for a 65m x 110mm x 53mm package, eh? Interested? Our man is letting this go, and he’s taking bids — though if you offer him $1,000 it’s yours. Hit the source link for the details… but not before you check out the epic video after the break.

Continue reading 64 Boy might be the smallest N64 mod yet (if not, it’s pretty close) (video)

64 Boy might be the smallest N64 mod yet (if not, it’s pretty close) (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 18

GSM Palm Pre SIM unlock now available, unofficially

Posted in: developer, hack, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, Today's Chili



If you’re itching to put a webOS device on your AT&T account and don’t mind having half the now-standard RAM, the developers at jictechnology have released what they’re claiming is an official, permanent SIM unlock for the original Palm Pre. A few bugs to get through, but it’s apparently legitimate enough (we haven’t tried, but the happy customers in the forums seem to suggest success) for the group to charge around £25. Great news all around, but if you’re the sort whose fixation on Palm hasn’t been so grand that you resisted switching to Sprint or Verizon, you can probably wait for the AT&T’s Plus-sized model.

GSM Palm Pre SIM unlock now available, unofficially originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 16

Zune HD hacked, OpenZDK now available to developers

Posted in: hack, hacked, Microsoft, PMP, Today's Chili, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd
Well, it looks like the first 64GB Zune HDs landing in customers’ hands may not be the biggest Zune news today after all. As proudly announced the ZuneBoards website, the Zune HD — and all earlier Zunes, although the potential there is a tad more limited — “have been hacked.” While obviously not the first hack of any sort for the devices, this is described as the “first true hack,” and it has made the concurrently-released OpenZDK possible. That effectively gives developers “access to everything XNA withheld before,” which more or less opens to doors to any type of application that can run on the Zune hardware — games, emulators, app stores, you name it. Of course, there’s not a ton for average Zune users to play with at the moment, but developers can find all they need to get cracking at the source link below.

[Thanks, jhoeforth & Dilpickle1]

Zune HD hacked, OpenZDK now available to developers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 15

Winscape virtual window features Wiimote headtracking, absolutely made of win

Posted in: diy, hack, Hacks, Today's Chili, video

We have not modified the above picture in any way — Scout’s Honor. That’s a real baby, wearing a real IR necklace that interacts with a real Wiimote. What’s not real, of course, is the view of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. That is generated by Ryan Hoagland’s DIY virtual window, a brilliant pastiche of interior design, RED ONE footage and Johnny Chung Lee-style headtracking, all directed to your eyes by a Mac Pro feeding a pair of plasma screens. As the viewer moves around, dual 1080p images move the opposite direction, providing the convincing illusion of looking out a real pane of glass at the incredibly detailed scenery beyond. Exciting? Then you’ll be giggling like Jr. when you hear it’s for sale. After spending a year figuring out how to mount, drive and cool the whole shebang, Hoagland would like you to have one too; he plans to have basic kits ready by July for under $3000. Watch baby-powered plasma in motion after the break, as well as a sweet time-lapse video of the build process.

[Thanks, Andy, ArjanD]

Continue reading Winscape virtual window features Wiimote headtracking, absolutely made of win

Winscape virtual window features Wiimote headtracking, absolutely made of win originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 13

MMFixed’s Magic Mouse fix hands-on, literally

Posted in: Apple, diy, Features, hack, hands-on, mod, mouse, Today's Chili

Apple haters, cherish the moment while you can. The Magic Mouse’s odd ergonomics aren’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea — including some of us at Engadget — so we were more than a bit stoked when our silicone lump from MMFixed arrived in post today. Installation was straight-forward and mess-free thanks to the small suction pad underneath, and despite the fairly strong attachment, we were able to easily slide or rotate the soft cushion on the mouse for adjustments. We’ve had no problems with multitouch input thus far, and the old wristache-after-prolonged-usage seems to now be a thing of the past. So yeah — it’s safe to say that this squidgy fix was well worth the $10 investment (although it has gone up to $12 now, which is hardly the end of the world). You could say that it’s rather silly to fix something that’s supposedly magical, but we suppose even the best tricks could stand to be improved.

Gallery: MMFixed’s Magic Mouse fix hands-on, literally

MMFixed’s Magic Mouse fix hands-on, literally originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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