Two PowerBooks spliced into one epic snowboard (video)

We don’t know that this requires much more explanation than the title. A couple of rad dudes from the German-speaking parts of Europe have taken up tools against their old titanium PowerBooks G4s and produced the righteous bit of snow-surfing kit you see above. It was done for a competition asking for creative ways to re-utilize old gear, though judging by all the flopping and crashing that ensued in their tests, this isn’t exactly useful. See it on video after the break, and if it really catches your fancy, the PowerBook snowboard can be found on eBay, though no one has been mad enough to bid for it yet.

Continue reading Two PowerBooks spliced into one epic snowboard (video)

Two PowerBooks spliced into one epic snowboard (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Silicon Alley Insider, Gizmodo  |  sourceZweckentfremder.at  | Email this | Comments

The titanium iPhone is real, really real (video)

You came, you saw, some of you were not convinced. So what’s a gadget blog to do when picture evidence isn’t enough? Why, get those pictures moving, of course, right up to 30 frames a second. The stunning titanium iPhone 3GS from this morning is back, proving not only its existence in the corporeal realm, but also its much-disputed ability to place a call — something that even the default plastic-backed units sometimes struggle with. Look, we’re not in Austria and therefore can’t lick it and tell you if it really tastes of titanium, but on the evidence we have the thing looks legit. Judge for yourself after the break.

Continue reading The titanium iPhone is real, really real (video)

The titanium iPhone is real, really real (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3GS mod ditches plastic cover in favor of titanium vestment

Engadget reader Martin Schrotz is a man after our own hearts. He’s taken the editors’ choice for best smartphone of 2009 and tricked it out with a handsome new back cover made out of titanium. Not sufficiently pleased with the plastic casing provided by Apple, Martin opened up his favorite CAD program and refashioned his phone into the much hardier and indubitably more awesome machine you see before you. The new backing is built out of a titanium alloy that allows RF waves through and therefore requires no plastic parts to let the wireless communications flow. Check out the gallery for more before hitting the link below to bug Martin to provide you with a video or a price estimate.

iPhone 3GS mod ditches plastic cover in favor of titanium vestment originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stimmmopped lets you tune your axe with LEDs

Look, that BOSS TU-2 has served you (and eleventy billion other guitarists) well, but isn’t it time for something a bit different in the pedal board mix? Stimmmopped is that very thing, which is a darling little contraption that uses LEDs rather than a microphone in order to tell you if your strings are tuned as they should be. Put simply, the device illuminates a string with a pair of lights, both of which are flashing at the frequency that the string should be vibrating at if it’s in tune; if you’re off, the illuminated part of the string will appear to be moving (thanks, stroboscopic effect!), and if you’re on the money, the lights will appear fixed. Have a peek at the source link for more, but don’t go building one yourself without a steady hand and a few vacation days to spare.

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Stimmmopped lets you tune your axe with LEDs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 gets ported onto Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1

Not even a fortnight after we saw Android 2.0.1 slapped onto Sony Ericsson’s all-but-forgotten Xperia X1, along comes a port that makes the other look like child’s play. A dedicated coder over at XDA Developers has managed to stuff Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 onto an X1, and while the functionality is limited (as you’d expect), the amount of fun to be had is restrained only by your imagination (and available vacation time). Go on and peek that source link to join the discussion — but be warned, you’ll be sucking down over a gigabyte worth of data before the first installation process.

[Thanks, Jules]

Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 gets ported onto Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digicam hack simultaneously captures stills and high speed video on the cheap

When researchers at the University of Oxford needed to precisely sync high-speed video with high resolution stills, they had a hell of a time finding an off-the-shelf solution that worked with any degree of accuracy. Instead, the crazy kids hacked together a home cinema projector and a consumer-level digicam to split every frame of video captured by the camera into sixteen frames (albeit with lower resolution). Once that goes down, the frames can either be played in succession for up to 400 fps video, or assembled into one high-res still image. Although originally designed for research purposes — to capture images of cells or the human heart in action, for instance — the team is betting that the tech has applications ranging from CCTV to sports photography. For more info, check out the video after the break. [Warning: source link requires subscription]

Continue reading Digicam hack simultaneously captures stills and high speed video on the cheap

Digicam hack simultaneously captures stills and high speed video on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink New Scientist, PhysOrg  |  sourceNature Methods  | Email this | Comments

PlayStation 3 controller used for N900 gaming (video)

Is the N900 the most hacker-friendly phone ever created? All sources are pointing to “yes.” Just two short months ago, we saw one determined code monkey turn his N900 into a PS3 controller; today, we’re looking at someone who did the exact opposite. If you’ve memorized the Debian source code and aren’t afraid to dabble in the wild and murky world of N900 modding, you too can one day use a spare SIXAXIS controller in order to dictate gameplay on your Nokia handset. All the instructions you need are there in the source link, and for everyone else just looking to have a watch from the sidelines, hop on past the break and mash play.

Continue reading PlayStation 3 controller used for N900 gaming (video)

PlayStation 3 controller used for N900 gaming (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Redpark announces serial and RJ-11 cables for iPhone/iPod touch/iPad

It’s not like we spend much time with serial cables and RJ-11 jacks these days, but we do appreciate that they have their uses, especially among industrial customers and hobbyists — so it’s no surprise that the enterprising folks at Redpark have cooked up adapters for the iPhone / iPod touch (and, presumably, the iPad). Approved by Apple as reference designs, they’re not yet commercially available, but they do signal the continued expansion of iPhone / iPad functionality that we’ve noted with things like SD card readers, keyboard docks, and GPS car kits. So what do you think — contemplating any iPhone mods involving RS-232 communication? PR after the break.

Continue reading Redpark announces serial and RJ-11 cables for iPhone/iPod touch/iPad

Redpark announces serial and RJ-11 cables for iPhone/iPod touch/iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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N900 gains PS3 Sixaxis control over SNES gaming (video)

Even if the N900 isn’t quite ready for mass market appeal, that doesn’t mean that it’s not the perfect device for many of the Engadget elite. With impressive power and out-of-the-box hackability, this QWERTY handset is a tinkerers dream. In fact, Tomasz Sterna has already recompiled the kernel to add joystick (and mouse) support. He then pieced together enough code to turn the N900 into a portable Sixaxis gaming console that brings SNES gaming to any TV. Fire up the N900’s Bluetooth, then kick back and immerse yourself in a land of 16-bit dinosaurs and chubby Italian plumbers — good times. See the finished product after the break.

Continue reading N900 gains PS3 Sixaxis control over SNES gaming (video)

N900 gains PS3 Sixaxis control over SNES gaming (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceAberration  | Email this | Comments

MSI Wind modded with sliding keyboard and touchscreen

The original MSI Wind is so two years ago, but an Insanely Wind forum member with the handle of ac0ff33 figured out a way to make it so two years from now. Taking a cue from slider phones, the modder has managed to flip the Wind’s 10.1-inch display around, fit it on top of the keyboard, and add a resistive touchscreen. He appears to still be working on getting it to slide up to reveal the keys, but from the comments in the forum he’s got a pretty solid plan to make it all happen. And if all that isn’t good enough, he’s also added a plastic power button next to the screen, along with a key for choosing either Win 7 or OSX when booting. We’re looking forward to seeing how this project comes along, but in the meantime check out the two videos below of the touchscreen performance in both Win 7 and OSX.

Continue reading MSI Wind modded with sliding keyboard and touchscreen

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MSI Wind modded with sliding keyboard and touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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