Apr 27

Floppy drives, Arduino board mangled into audio delay effects (video)

Posted in: delay, diy, hack, mod, Music, Today's Chili, video
If you’re a DIY music hardware developer, there’s a pretty good chance you’re familiar with the charms of the Arduino. In this space alone we’ve seen it used for everything from controlling Max/MSP effects to an entire robot band. The above jumble of parts, however, might be our fave yet. Part of an ongoing project by a certain Daniel McAnulty, the Floppy Audio website details the use of the magnetic media inside a floppy disk for looping analog audio. The most ambitious of the lot even combines three floppy disk drives and the aforementioned Arduino to create a continuous tape delay effect! Things are still really rough, but he does have working prototypes, and he’s not at all shy about sharing his methods and results with the rest of the world — so feel free to hit the source link to get started yourself! If you’re not the type to get your hands dirty, at least peep the videos after the break.

Continue reading Floppy drives, Arduino board mangled into audio delay effects (video)

Floppy drives, Arduino board mangled into audio delay effects (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Create Digital Music  |  sourceFloppy Audio  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 27

iRetrofone Base: perfect for homes with cutting-edge GPRS reception

Posted in: diy, mod, Retro, Today's Chili

Still looking for that perfect iPhone dock? Struggling to convince ma and pa that ditching the landline really is the best thing to do? Freeland Studios is up for helping with both quandaries, as the handmade iRetrofone Base provides both a perfect resting place for your iPhone (or any phone, really) and a pinch of vintage to boot. Cast from resin with the utmost care, this here adornment can be ordered in both black and clear, though you’ll have to wait around a fortnight for one of the $195 devices to actually ship. Up next? A resin-based bag phone holster for those who constantly lose their smartphone between the seat and center console. Thanks for repeating yourself, history.

iRetrofone Base: perfect for homes with cutting-edge GPRS reception originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Retro To Go, Engadget German  |  sourceEtsy (Freeland Studios)  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 26

Bacteria’s back with portable Nintendo 64, complete how-to guide

Posted in: diy, hack, Hacks, handheld, mod, mods, portable, Today's Chili, video

The quest to build the perfect portable Nintendo 64 continues, but we imagine we’ll stop seeing so many disparate designs soon. That’s not because Bacteria’s latest bulbous handheld has achieved perfection — far from it — but rather because he’s provided a 2.5-hour, step-by-step video guide to help you build it from the ground up. And hey, the system isn’t too shabby, either. The “iNto64” portable features integrated Controller, Rumble and Expansion Paks for complete N64 functionality, built-in speakers and a headphone jack, rechargeable batteries for up to three hours of play, even a video-out port if you get tired of staring at the ubiquitous 5-inch Sony PSone LCD. The only obvious oversight is controller ports for more inputs — seems our buddy Bacteria wasn’t a big fan of GoldenEye. See it play some of N64’s other best games after the break, while we dust off our gamebit screwdriver. Obvious though it may seem, know what you’re getting into before you do likewise; ripping up classic cart-based consoles isn’t for the faint of heart.

Continue reading Bacteria’s back with portable Nintendo 64, complete how-to guide

Bacteria’s back with portable Nintendo 64, complete how-to guide originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo, Retro Thing  |  sourceBacteria (1), Bacteria (2)  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 26

Apple IIe hacked into Twitter station, still looks better than most digiframes

Posted in: Apple, hack, mod, Today's Chili, twitter, video
This project has all the hallmarks of a classic hack: obsolete hardware, a somewhat frivolous function, and thrilling 8-bit graphics. As you can imagine, getting to the point where this Apple IIe could display Tweets was no mean feat! Custom 6502 assembler code on the PC sends Twitter updates (and user avatars dumbed down to 8-bit) over a custom USB-to-joystick port interface on the Apple. One can even save the data to a 5.25-inch floppy — you know, because most Tweets are worth archiving for later, even if you must do so in a dead storage format. See it in action after the break!

Continue reading Apple IIe hacked into Twitter station, still looks better than most digiframes

Apple IIe hacked into Twitter station, still looks better than most digiframes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink UberReview  |  sourceAtoms & Electrons  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 26

Landscape orientation with physical iPad keyboard possible, thrilling

Posted in: Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, hack, ipad, keyboard, mod, Today's Chili
When “Joe,” our favorite bloggin’ anesthesiologist, sat down for his daily Twitter session (he takes social media very seriously) he couldn’t get past the fact that Apple’s hardware iPad keyboard was oriented in portrait mode. Pretty weak, right? Well, fear not, iPad users! It seems that your basic dock extender cable will let you attach the keyboard and orient the screen however you desire. Now all of you proud iPad users can get back to worrying about things like protecting your phalanges and Flavor Flav wannabes.

Landscape orientation with physical iPad keyboard possible, thrilling originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBook of Joe  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 26

Alex e-reader rooted, five users overwhelmed with joy

Posted in: Android, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Google, hack, mod, reader, review, Today's Chili
Well, it was only a matter of time before the Alex e-reader got it’s Android sportin’ self hacked, right? According to e-reader enthusiast (and oddly named pirate) Bluebrain, this is exactly what he did over the weekend! You’re psyched, right? Want to see pics? Get instructions? Try it out for yourself? What else are you going to do on a Monday morning — work? Hit that source link to get started.

Update: Bluebrain sent us a brand-new direct download for the zip file, with 100 percent less irksome advertising. Check it out!

Alex e-reader rooted, five users overwhelmed with joy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUpdate.zip, Instructions (Android Forums)  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 25

Here’s how to install Android on your iPhone 2G

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

Last week, planetbeing claimed he’d ported Android to the iPhone. This week, Android A Lot says you can, too. If you’ve got an original iPhone 2G handy, there’s now a 68-step guide that can walk you through the entire process. In a nutshell, you’ll use iPhone Explorer to copy over the Android files, then turn your Mac or PC into an Ubuntu virtual machine to install the OpeniBoot software. When you’re done, you’ll probably have a dual-booting iPhone that can swap between iPhone OS and an experimental version of Android 1.6 at startup, but don’t quote us on that — we haven’t had a chance to test the unholy matrimony for ourselves. We’re going to try to give this a shot next week, and we’ll report back from the other side… if there is another side. Blurry video walkthrough after the break, useful step-by-step text at our source link.

Continue reading Here’s how to install Android on your iPhone 2G

Here’s how to install Android on your iPhone 2G originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Never Know Tech  |  sourceAndroid A Lot  | Email this | Comments

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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.

Permalink Switched  |  sourceMake  | Email this | Comments

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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.

Permalink QuickPwn  |  sourceLinux on the iPhone  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 21

Olympus E-P1 outfitted with Rollei EVF

Posted in: camera, micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, mod, olympus, Today's Chili

Looking to add even more retro flavor to your Olumpus E-P1? Then you might want to consider taking after Flickr user Lok Cheung, who was inspired by the Rolleiflex TLR to create this Rollei EVF (of sorts) for the Micro Four Thirds camera. While the setup isn’t actually anything more than a viewfinder for viewing the screen, Lok nonetheless says the results are “really good,” with the viewfinder resting almost right behind the lens, and the manual focus “almost as fast as you can get on a true manual camera.” Not the most practical camera mod, perhaps, but certainly one of the more interesting ones.

Olympus E-P1 outfitted with Rollei EVF originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLok Cheung (Flickr)  | Email this | Comments

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