Hasta La Gadget!

Meet any seasoned techie, and they’ll likely spin whimsical tales of computing’s early days, and the challenge of finding a practical use for a device with seemingly limitless potential (you know, like feeding your cat while you sleep). A new product from SparkFun promises to bring this old-school awesomeness into the smartphone age: introducing IOIO (pronounced yo-yo), a breakout box that enables any Android 1.5+ device to control electronic circuits from within Android’s applications. Designed in collaboration with Google, Spark’s PCB connects to your phone over USB, working its magic through a Java library that hooks into your apps. This DIY paradise will begin shipping in a few weeks, and can be yours for $49.95 on pre-order. We’ve already witnessed some clever mods with IOIO, and when it sent a real alarm clock ringing, we couldn’t help but smile. Crack one yourself after the break.

Continue reading SparkFun intros IOIO for Android, a hack-free breakout box to get your mind spinning

SparkFun intros IOIO for Android, a hack-free breakout box to get your mind spinning originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Microcontrollers, Electronics & Robotics, Android Community  |  SparkFun  | Email this | Comments

They thought it would be easy, but they were wrong — AndIRC developers reportedly spent the last 72 hours readying the new HTC Thunderbolt for custom ROMs. Today, they emerge victorious, but that victory is bittersweet, because it may signify the end of a generally hacker-friendly era from the folks at HTC. While devices from the Taiwanese manufacturer have traditionally been easy to modify, the hacker community found Verizon’s LTE flagship fully locked down, with a signed kernel, signed recovery image and a signed bootloader. FOF. Of course, if you’re just looking for a way to overclock your Thunderbolt, you probably don’t care about all that. You’ll find all the (exceptionally lengthy) instructions you need at Android Police. Just be careful out there!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading HTC Thunderbolt rooted for real, locked files nearly soured the deal

HTC Thunderbolt rooted for real, locked files nearly soured the deal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android Police (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

You knew this was coming — it was only a matter of time — and here it is, Apple’s latest creation sans the iOS 4.3 chains. The development community credits @comex with installing Cydia on this white iPad 2, and he’s apparently already hard at work on a public jailbreak. According to his Twitter feed, the hack required a brand new exploit, as previous bugs were squashed in iOS 4.3. We’ll keep you posted on when the hack’s ready for you to use, too.

[Thanks, Henrique and Vassilis]

iPad 2 jailbroken, no ETA on public release originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  @chpwn (Twitter), @comex (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Motorola’s got a fine smartphone in the Atrix 4G, but a mildly unsatisfactory pair of modular docks. Good thing, then, that you can gain the most intriguing functionality they add without buying one! Fenny of xda-developers reportedly figured out a way to modify the phone’s APK files to activate Webtop mode over a standard HDMI cable — with no dock needed as a go-between — allowing you to experience the Atrix’s PC-like functionality when connected to any HDMI-ready computer monitor or TV. Of course, you’ll need a rooted and deodexed phone to give it a try, but we hear those aren’t monumentally difficult to come by.

While Fenny’s hack could potentially make the desktop dock obsolete — assuming you’ve got a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard handy — Motorola’s LapDock is still something else. It’s razor-thin, it doesn’t require a separate monitor, and it charges your phone. So, before you write it off entirely, you might at least want to indulge your morbid curiosity about what’s inside, and thus there’s a complete teardown video after the break to show you what the guts look like. Enjoy!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Motorola Atrix docks literally and figuratively torn apart, hack enables Webtop over HDMI port

Motorola Atrix docks literally and figuratively torn apart, hack enables Webtop over HDMI port originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  xda-developers, Tinhte.vn  | Email this | Comments

Just last week Sony said that those found to have hacked their PlayStation 3 consoles would have their PlayStation Network access “terminated permanently.” Harsh words that, unsurprisingly, weren’t too warmly received by the hacking community. Destructoid is now reporting that not only have those tinkerers found a way to unban themselves, but that they can in turn ban any other console they want. There’s apparently a catch, though, with the hackers having to know the unique ID assigned to the other console that they’ll be banning, which makes this sound like perhaps the hack is simply swapping a “good” ID onto a “bad” console, but at this point we have no details on the supposed procedure here. Regardless, if some random girl with a cute avatar hits you up on IM and, after a few minutes of casual conversation, asks you for the serial number on your PS3, think twice before handing over those digits.

Update: We were a little leery about this given Destructoid‘s lack of a source, and thanks to a note from reader Omega we now have what looks to be the actual source — indeed this all is sounding rather theoretical.

PlayStation hackers reportedly able to unban selves, ban others, turn tables originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Geek.com  |  Destructoid  | Email this | Comments