Hasta La Gadget!

All it took was a little love from Sony Ericsson and now CyanogenMod’s latest official release includes support for a happy cohort of 2011 Xperias as well as the X8. The same goes for Samsung, which doled out a free GSII and some employment and now finds that the Galaxy smartphones are on version 7.1’s list too. Wondering if your particular Droid, Optimus or Incredible can run the cyan shade of Gingerbread and its attendant perks? Then check the source link for the full roll-call of newly supported devices — but remember, despite the increasingly friendly overtures from manufacturers, installing a custom ROM comes with certain pitfalls and can void your warranty. Got that? Now go and play some juicy FLAC files on that Arc.

CyanogenMod 7.1 brings support for Xperias and 20 other handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The security system built into the 360’s motherboard has more layers than an onion, which is why previous hacks have generally focused on the optical drive instead. But a couple of circuit breakers named Gligli and Tiros claim to have finally freed up the console’s CPU, allowing all 360 variants to boot homebrew software while also making them invulnerable to patches sent out by Microsoft. The video after the break purports to show the fruits of their labor, including an N64 emulator running on a version of Linux. It doesn’t really prove anything, except perhaps the lengths these guys have gone to: they use various hardware tools to slow down the console’s CPU and then confuse it with so-called ‘glitch’ pulses in an effort to make it forget its normal boot-up checks. Certainly not a trick for the average F-Zero X racer, particularly when speed-boosting around copy protection like this may be shady in the eyes of the law. (One more thing: don’t be put off by the video’s soundtrack — starts out weird but gets better, baby.)

[Thanks, Rodolfo]

Continue reading Xbox 360 modders claim CPU hack, make it party like an N64 (video)

Xbox 360 modders claim CPU hack, make it party like an N64 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The myth of the unhackable Wii has long since been put to rest, but that hasn’t stopped intrepid homebrew enthusiasts from coming up with new exploits. Case in point: LetterBomb. This particular Wii hack is a follow-up to BannerBomb, which was billed as a replacement for Twilight Hack — all of which are capable of launching the homebrew channel sans hardware mods. BannerBomb stopped short at Menu 4.2, but LetterBomb is carrying the exploit banner, so to speak, for the next generation. Utilizing the console’s Message Board, the hack requires an SD card, a Wii running System Menu 4.3, and a Wii MAC address. If you’re looking to get your game-free Wii hack on, check out the source link for the full rundown.

LetterBomb does game-free Wii hacking for System Menu 4.3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arduino, meet .NET Gadgeteer — your newest homebrew hacking rival. Born from Microsoft Research engineers’ desire to build prototypes quickly and easily, the two-and-a-half-years in the making ARM7-powered mainboard packs 4MB Flash, 16MB RAM, Ethernet, WiFi, an SD card interface and USB ports. Novice mods might wanna put the Netduino down because this homespun alternative also runs atop MS’ .NET Micro Framework, and thanks to its IntelliSense feature, makes auto-coding a breeze for first-timers. If you’re interested in what Ballmer & co. are offering, you can head to the project’s site now to pre-order its GHI-made hardware: a $250 Spider Starter Kit and the $120 Spider Mainboard. Both will be available by the end of September, but if you need a preview of what this burgeoning open source community has to offer, peep the stop-motion making mod after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft Research’s .NET Gadgeteer steps out into the light, shoots daggers at Arduino (video)

Microsoft Research’s .NET Gadgeteer steps out into the light, shoots daggers at Arduino (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, build full-scale Portal gun replicas), then you’ll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix, the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. With only a fortnight to work with, the DIY, prop-making hobbyist took the made-for-cosplay gun from a glued wood, styrene and PVC-detailed master concept to paint weathered, final collector’s edition mold. It’s an impressive feat you can view in heavily photographed detail at the source, but there’s still one thing we’re waiting on Krix to bring to life — that space-skipping SSV Normandy.

Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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