Filed under: Gaming

Good news homebrewsters, the Homebrew Channel has been updated and is now compatible with Nintendo’s Homebrew killing (for new installs) October 23rd update. While the previous exploit was closed by Nintendo, Beta 9 of the HBC exploits a different flaw and works just fine with the latest system software. They’ve even tossed in SDHC support to make the brick risking maneuver a bit more enticing.

[Via HackMii, thanks Glen G.]

Homebrew community takes back the Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

Aigo’s P8860 MID was already a potent, handsome piece of machinery in its factory form, but adding in 3G is like adding melted chocolate to a glazed hot doughnut from Krispy Kreme — it’s just better, even though it’s tough to accomplish and potentially harmful to your health. Far-reaching metaphors aside, our pals over at jkkmobile have put together an all-telling 18 minute video that explains how to add 3G HSDPA to this here MID. For seasoned DIYers, the process of opening it up, soldering a mini PCI-e connector / SIM card slot and tossing in a 3G card / antenna won’t seem that difficult. For everyone else, we’d recommend watching thrice to make sure your confidence level is at the appropriate position before delving in. Vid’s after the break, per usual.

Continue reading How-to video shows 3G implant into Aigo P8860 MID

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Filed under: Gaming

Oh Nintendo, did you really have to go and crush the dreams of so many homebrew faithful? Seems a Wii System Update released last night blocks new installations (existing installs are unaffected) of anything fakesigned like the Homebrew Channel. Perhaps the increased corporate vigilance comes in direct response to the very real threat posed by the Wii Backup Loader to run pirated Wii games. Regardless, this isn’t the first time that homebrew developers have had to work around Nintendo’s meddling. We’ll let you know what they come up with — until then, however, you might want to hold of on the IOS51 update if you’re thinking of going homebrew anytime soon.

[Thanks, Matthew P.]

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Filed under: Gaming

Hackers, like life, will find a way. Sony knows that all too well thanks to the PSP, but so far the PlayStation 3 has stood strong in the face of legions of nerds trying to find a way to exploit it. A potentially major breakthrough may have been made, though, as well-known PS3 hacker StreetskaterFU (we’ve no idea what he’s going for with that name — really) has managed to decrypt the beta client for Sony’s PlayStation Home service. Curious devs can now poke around in the files looking for a way to exploit the newish in-game XMB functionality, potentially allowing homebrew apps and game backups without hard drive swapping. There’s no guarantee it will lead anywhere in the end, but you don’t care either way, right? Our upstanding readership would never participate in such heinously illegal activities.

[Thanks, James]

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Filed under: Peripherals

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/security/Hackers_spy_on_your_keyboard_by_reading_electromagnetic_data’; We always knew those electromagnetic emanations would amount to no good, and now here they go ruining any shred of privacy we once thought to possess. Some folks from the Security and Cryptography Lab at Switzerland’s EPFL have managed to eavesdrop on the electromagnetic radiation shot off by shoddy wired keyboards with every keystroke. They’ve found four different ways to listen in, including one previously-published general vulnerability, on eleven keyboard models ranging from 2001 to 2008, with PS/2, USB and laptop keyboards all falling to at least one of the four attacks. The attack works through walls, as far as 65 feet away, and analyzes a wide swath of electromagnetic spectrum to get its results. With wireless keyboards already feeling the sting of hackers, it’s probably fair to say that no one is safe, and that cave bunkers far, far away from civilization are pretty much our only hope now. Videos of the attacks are after the break.

[Thanks, Dave]

Continue reading Keyboard “eavesdropping” just got way easier, thanks to electromagnetic emanations

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Look out Ben Heck, you don’t want to be overcome by one of your own followers, now do you? Merely months after the clearly talented hailrazer churned out a mighty impressive portable Nintendo 64, the guy has done it again by creating an on-the-go Dreamcast — using the same style of Lazer Doodle shell, to boot. After acquiring another chassis, a Dreamcast, a Quantam controller, PSOne LCD, power supply and some serious battery power, the DarthCast was created. Reportedly, the thing can go for around three hours before puckering out, and you’ll know your time is short when it starts sighing heavily in a muffled tone. Check the vid after the break, and pay your respects in the read link, son.

Continue reading Ben Heck apprentice strikes again with DarthCast

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Aw, how convenient! Now, when you purchase your next ATM skimmer, you don’t even have to risk being arrested when you wander out to retrieve it. For those outside of the know, an ATM skimmer sits on credit / debit card machines and swipes information as unsuspecting civilians pass their cards through. In the days of old, scammers would have to physically retrieve the skimmer in order to acquire all that precious information; now, models with built-in SMS notification are becoming available, meaning that numbers, expiration dates and that easy-to-forget three digit code on the back can be shot out instantly after the data is snatched. Word on the street has these devices going for $8,500 a pop, and they can dish out around 2,000 texts. Just another zany hack to be aware of in the wide world of ATM shenanigans.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

A fellow named Stuart Lowe installed Leopard on his Gigabyte M912X netbook / tablet hybrid, and we like the results. Though this isn’t the first Mac tablet hack, it’s a tightly wrapped little package: the interface seems smooth with either fingers or a stylus, and Inkwell’s onscreen keyboard allows complete functionality when the computer is folded into its slate configuration. Much of the necessary software functionality existed in Leopard already, and since installing OS X on something other than a Mac isn’t the challenge it used to be, we’re envisioning a pretty smooth ride for other would-be-hackers. We’ve embedded a video on the other side of the jump — take a look, and then cast your vote on what to call this niche category of netbook-like tablets.

[Via Slashgear]

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Continue reading Gigabyte M912X hack makes a smarter, cheaper Modbook

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Filed under: Desktops

Oh sure, Stealth could’ve just phoned up NextComputing or ACME in order to acquire a beastly (albeit portable) LCD-infused desktop, but seriously, where’s the joviality in that? Instead, this clearly skilled individual decided to concoct a custom rig of his own, complete with two 22-inch LCDs, lots (and lots) of diamond plate and “zero compromises.” Dubbed the CinematographHD after a Lumière Brothers device from the 1980s, this massively potent video editing system also packs a Blu-ray drive, inbuilt speakers and a storage compartment for mice, keyboards and copious amounts of BAWLS. Check out the construction video just after the break.

[Thanks, Justin]

Continue reading CinematographHD case mod conceals monster video editing rig

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Filed under: GPS, Laptops

Word is that Dell’s Mini 9 is a modder’s paradise, rife with precious little alcoves in which to squeeze teeny-tiny new stuff. The confirmation: MyDellMini forum user Tom Beauchamp bought a USB GPS receiver (not much larger than a quarter) and snugly fit it inside his Mini’s case. He’s provided images and instructions so you, too, can illegally navigate with your notebook computer in the passenger’s seat of your car. We can’t recommend that sort of irresponsibility, but if you want to mod it just because you can, hit the read link for the instructions and images. Beware, of course, that a minimum amount of technical savvy is required to avoid breaking a perfectly good little laptop. Like that was ever going to stop you.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming, Peripherals

Remember that PlayStation Eye you purchased way back when? You know, that PS peripheral you used for all of 12 minutes before shelving indefinitely? It’s time to break that bad boy back out, as a detailed hack from the NUI Group shows how to convert it into a working webcam within Windows. Make no mistake, this isn’t the simplest hack in the whole wide world, but the long-winded instructions ought to guide you right through. What are you waiting for? Head on down and get to work!

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_up_and_running_on_Pandora’; All kinds of exciting things are happening in the Pandora universe, and now one enterprising individual has succeeded in getting Ubuntu 7.04 up and running on his development model. Things move pretty slowly, and no luck yet with Firefox, but the thrilling video does catch him playing with GIMP and the Xfce desktop environment. See for yourself after the break.

[Thanks, Stern]

Continue reading Ubuntu up and running on Pandora

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Those of us old enough to remember crap games like E.T. and Sssnake have every right to be thrilled by the relative quality of modern gems like Guitar Hero. We’re guessing modder Conner Flynn over at SlipperyBrick feels that way too, melding the old with the new by inserting an Atari 2600 console into the body of a faux-Gibson from Guitar Hero. This meant adding two controllers to the body (an eight-way joystick plus a paddle-style controller for Breakout), wiring up the green button on the neck, and adding a small screen where the strum bar would normally reside. It’s a layout that makes this axe best suited for play Jeff Healey-style, and with a pocketful of AA batteries you can game your Angel Eyes out wherever you like. No, it’s not the most ergonomic portable 2600 we’ve ever seen, or most practical, but is certainly is the most badass.

[Via technabob]

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Filed under: Gaming

Continue reading Bacteria’s “Mini-Platform” gets GBA’d

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Filed under: Desktops

After discovering the Scan Toaster a few days ago (and who can forget the Nintoaster?) we had really high hopes for Gordon Johnson’s Toaster Computer Project. Unfortunately, though it sounds exotic (like some sort of WiFi, dual-core, programmable toaster oven), the Toaster Computer turns out to be little more than a PC housed in the classic Black & Decker Toast-It-All 4-Slice Toaster enclosure. There are a plethora of photos — and a YouTube video — to take you through the process (complete with a stomach churning trance techno version of “The Final Countdown” on the soundtrack). According to Johnson, the next step will be to replace the machine’s “regular cooling method” (also known as a “fan”) with a thermoelectric cooling process he calls the “Passive Laxative Copper Cooler Concept.” We look forward to seeing how that turns out. Video after the break.

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading Toaster Computer is fine for email, useless for Pop Tarts

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Filed under: Transportation

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Filed under: Transportation

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

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Filed under: Gaming, Robots

Not that we haven’t seen robotic Guitar Hero masters before, but Cyth Systems’ egotistically named Cythbot is just a full cut above the rest. Boasting some of the most advanced, high-dollar equipment known to mankind (okay, so maybe that’s a stretch, but just barely), the creation uses a highly sophisticated viewing method to determine which notes to hit, and it can even decide whether slamming the whammy bar is a good idea or not. Too bad you’ll be entirely too distracted by the introverted hosts to even notice how awesome this thing is, but the video’s in the read link if you care to try.

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