Hasta La Gadget!

What you’re looking at above is a real, actual object found in the material world. It’s an Etch-a-Sketch so modified, as to look like a glorious leftover from a bygone era that never was. What era, you ask? Oh, the Victorian era — so named for the United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch — with a great dash of fancy added into the mix. We’re talking alternate history, people! A history so wonderful, so beautiful, that a lowly red plastic Etch-a-Sketch could end up both complex and inordinately heavy looking. Made by an industrious youth as a Christmas gift for a chum, we couldn’t imagine a better way to make this boring old gadget look so jolly well festive. Hurrah!

We know you didn’t get this Steampunk Etch-a-Sketch for Christmas, but you probably want it now, don’t you? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, the joy of getting something for nothing — that’s what this time of year is all about, right? The techPowerUp! guys seem to think so, and they’ve got the perfect gift for all you thrifty PC gaming enthusiasts: a BIOS flash for the Radeon HD 6950 that unlocks the full potential of its hardware (in other words, it turns it into an HD 6970). We already knew the two retail SKUs were built on the same Cayman core, but this hack confirms that all the 6950’s performance handicaps have been enacted in software rather than hardware, leaving you all to flip a switch, click a few confirmatory dialogs, and get your game on. You should be aware that the retail 6970 card uses an 8-pin and a 6-pin connector for its auxiliary power whereas the 6950 only has a pair of 6-pin intakes, which might cause trouble under extreme loads, and there’s also the fact that you’ll most likely be hacking your warranty away together with your GPU’s limitations. But hey, you can’t make eggnog without cracking a few eggs.

AMD Radeon HD 6950 can be turned into an HD 6970 using a BIOS hack originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Got a leftover head unit sitting about? How about a PC power supply? Add a few old speakers, a oval bookshelf, a sewing machine box handle and some carefully prepared wooden panels, and you’ve got a beautiful retro radio that looks like several hundred bucks. User iminthebathroom built this one for a daughter’s Christmas present, but isn’t keeping the formula to him or herself — you’ll find a full walkthrough at Instructables if you’re in a MacGuyver mood, and a video after the break to show you what the cherry-red contraption can do.

Continue reading Oval bookshelf is the perfect case for this DIY car stereo radio (video)

Oval bookshelf is the perfect case for this DIY car stereo radio (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Gingerbread freely distributed to the open-source masses, it probably won’t surprise you to hear there already a custom ROM for Google’s darling Nexus One. But what if we told you Android 2.3 is now available for the HTC HD2 as well? That’s right, the Windows Mobile 6.5 powerhouse can now snap off a sugary piece of the same Android code, and from what we hear in the XDA-developers forums, it works pretty decently, too. Like the Samsung Galaxy S we saw getting the green tie treatment this morning, the HTC HD2 and Nexus One don’t exactly have stable, fully functional builds, but as long as you know what you’re doing and don’t need petty luxuries like cameras, GPS receivers and official Google apps, you’ll probably be just fine. Find files and a modicum of instruction at our source links below.

Update: While these cookies are half-baked, unconfirmed and potentially dangerous to those not well versed in the art of Android hackery, we’re hearing that the HTC EVO 4G, original Motorola Droid and HTC Desire are now sporting early Gingerbread ROMs too. It seems the source code is relatively easy to compile for other phones, so with any luck there’ll be a compatible build for your device soon.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC HD2 and Nexus One get some Gingerbread crumbs (update: EVO, Droid and Desire, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modder creates robotic Level 10 case, intimidates fellow gamers in the process originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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