Hasta La Gadget!

If you’ve spent any time on Engadget before, you’ll be aware that we’re big fans of Ben Heck and his tireless modding, tweaking and hacking (or is it Hecking?) of console hardware. The latest feather to his cap comes in the form of a customized Xbox 360 controller, which sees its D-pad and action buttons swapping places in an effort to help a handicapped gamer get his proverbial groove on. The trigger buttons are also flipped, but the pièce de résistance is the inclusion of four extra action buttons along the bottom of the controller that make one-handed gaming totally feasible. Check ’em out after the break.

Continue reading Ben Heck realigns Xbox 360 pad for improved awesomeness

Filed under: Gaming

Ben Heck realigns Xbox 360 pad for improved awesomeness originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Full-sized refrigerators are awfully easy to come by. Your average yard sale has one keg-sized example sitting in the corner (probably with the door removed), but what if you need something smaller? That’s when you turn to instructables and learn how to put together this peltier-powered mini fridge. It has a trio of coolers (under)powered by a 55 watt, 5 volt power supply sprouting enough exposed transistors, wires, and fans to make it all look like something the Department of Homeland Security warned you about. It’ll drop a can of soda down to a perfectly frosty 46F, but sadly nobody bothered to mention exactly how long that process takes — hopefully a little less time than was required to stick the thing together with expanding foam.

[Via Hack A Day]

Filed under: Household

DIY mini-fridge is just big enough for a can of soda, just odd enough to scare the FBI originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, we wish we could say that there was more to this DIY cameraphone macro hack than tearing the lens out of an old DVD player and duct taping it over that of the cameraphone — but there really isn’t. And you know what? That’s OK. Some of the best mods are simple — so long as they work. And this one seems to work quite well, at least judging by the “before and after” shots after the break. And if you hit the read link, there’s even more where those came from. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have an old optical disc drive to smash open.

[Via Make]

Continue reading DIY cameraphone macro lens requires one old DVD player, zero tech savvy

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

DIY cameraphone macro lens requires one old DVD player, zero tech savvy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Lord Byron had been hip to this newfangled computer thing way back in his day, this might just have been the sort of peripheral he’d have been sporting. Made from a real sheep’s skull — and real brass, though that’s somehow less interesting — this mouse has everything a megalomaniacal world conqueror needs to feel at home: fine ornamental detailing, the soothing texture of real bone, and the enticing mental image of crushing skulls every time you click. There’s not much wiggle room here, you’ll either love it or loathe it, but don’t fret about the sheep, it died of natural causes. More pics after the break.

[Via Technabob]

Continue reading Steampunk mouse, now with 100 percent more skull

Filed under: Peripherals

Steampunk mouse, now with 100 percent more skull originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As all you compulsive modders and gadget freaks know, there aren’t too many devices that a well-applied touchscreen kit won’t make even better. And while there’s nothing really earth shattering about a homebrew HP Mini 1000 tablet, we don’t see too many of them. As with many a similar hack, things are pretty straightforward: remove the keyboard, cram in some components (actually, the term this guy uses is “squeeze”) and then fit the shell back together. Oh yeah, he’ll need to cut a hole in the shell for the touchscreen itself, as soon as he gets the actual touchscreen in the mail. Did we mention that he’ll be laser cutting the window for the display, the webcam, and the speakers at his school? Regardless, he gets into all that (and more) at the myHPmini forums — be sure to hit the read link for some of that action. Who knows, maybe you’ll even be inspired to embark on a similar project yourself. But first, check the video after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading HP Mini 1000 hacked into touchscreen tablet

Filed under: Laptops

HP Mini 1000 hacked into touchscreen tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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