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Hack posts

Google Navigation hacked onto T-Mobile G1 (updated)

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 11th 2009 at 2:01AM

It's always a good sign when a device-specific product release becomes the focal point of the XDA development community: it means you've got a winner on your hands. Not that anyone ever doubted the intense demand for Google's new turn-by-turn Navigation introduced exclusively on Motorola's DROID. No more. Brave souls have now tweaked the original code to run on the original Android device, the HTC G1 running on T-Mobile. Anecdotal reports suggest that it's working great -- a good sign that we'll see a cooked ROM unveiled just as soon as feverish fingers can package the new code.

Update: Photographic evidence has arrived. Enjoy.

Gallery: Google Navigation hacked onto T-Mobile G1

[Thanks, Alex H.]

RFiDJ: the coaster-controlled HTPC switches playlists while you switch drinks (video)

by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2009 at 10:41AM

You know, RFID hasn't done much for itself in the consumer market. To most average Joes and Janes, the tech is really only around for use in complex supply chains and warehouses that they'd rather block from their minds. Thanks to Roteno Labs, we now have at least one glorious example of just how awesome RFID tags truly are, as the RFiDJ project demonstrates how tagged coasters can be used to instantly switch playlists stored on an HTPC. You simply set a designated coaster on top of the machine, and within seconds a new playlist is activated. We hear that videos actually do speak louder than words, so we'll just stop here and beg you to hop on past the break for a memorable encounter with splendiferousness.

[Via Hack a Day]

Continue reading RFiDJ: the coaster-controlled HTPC switches playlists while you switch drinks (video)

Dell Mini 9 modded into motion sensitive, touchscreen tablet (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 10th 2009 at 1:33AM

True, this ain't the first Dell Mini tablet hack we've laid eyes on -- but what we do have here is a pretty sweet mod by MyDellMini forum member "rock99rock" (must be his confirmation name). In addition to replacing his Dell Mini 9 display with a touchscreen kit, our man re-jiggered an ActionXL motion sensing controller to allow the screen to rotate as you rotate the device. Not bad, eh? Hit that read link for some real radical instrucciones -- but not before checking out the enthralling video after the break.

[Via Liliputing]

Continue reading Dell Mini 9 modded into motion sensitive, touchscreen tablet (video)

The NCube: probably the best portable Gamecube of all time (video)

by Darren Murph posted Nov 9th 2009 at 10:18AM

Oh sure, we've seen a few "portable" Gamecube systems over the years, but we've yet to set our eyes on anything as glorious as this. Not surprisingly, the NCube's creator is yet another Ben Heck apprentice, with the case being a heavily modded Datamax Kid's Delight and the display an unmodded Zenith PSone. There's a 2-way switch for running off of batteries or the AC outlet, a relocated memory card slot and a rear-mounted disc drive that's just begging to be broken. Hit the read link for a look at 90 grueling hours of work, or just jump past the break for a celebratory video.

[Thanks, Jonathan]

Continue reading The NCube: probably the best portable Gamecube of all time (video)

Autonomous Roombas do Pac-Man right (video)

by Tim Stevens posted Nov 9th 2009 at 8:13AM

We've seen mixtures of Roomba and Pac-Man before, but nothing like this. A team of developers have hacked five floor-cleaning bots to create a sort of OCD version of the game, with the Pac-Man bot sucking up little white rectangles whilst being chased by robot incarnations of Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde. But, when the Pac-Man vacuum finds a power pellet those ghostly rovers turn blue and start fleeing. The tech is supposed to be a demonstration of the developers' Unmanned Aerial System suite, designed for guidance of airborne vehicles, but we're too busy geeking out to care about potential real-world applications of this tech. Video below.

Continue reading Autonomous Roombas do Pac-Man right (video)

First iPhone worm rickrolls jailbroken phones

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 8th 2009 at 10:48PM

We sort of knew this would happen as soon as we heard about that iPhone wallpaper hack in the Netherlands -- a hacker named ikex has created what's apparently the first iPhone worm, and it's currently infecting jailbroken iPhones across Australia. The "ikee" worm, as it's being called, takes advantage of the fact that jailbroken iPhones with SSH installed all have the same default root password of "alpine," and once in the system it changes your wallpaper to an image of Rick Astley and then tries to install itself on other jailbroken iPhones on the network. Sophos says it hasn't confirmed any infections outside of Oz, and to be clear, this worm can't get to stock iPhones or jailbreak owners who haven't installed SSH -- but if you're running a hacked phone we'd say you should change that root password just to be safe right away. Get to it, kids.

[Via PMP Today; thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Latest iControlPad prototype bulks up, gets handled on video

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 8th 2009 at 5:29PM

It's been a while since we last got an update from ZodTTD on his iControlPad iPhone controller accessory, but this latest prototype looks like it was worth the wait. The controls have been moved from the sides of the phone to a more comfortable-seeming bottom placement with dual analog sticks and rear-mounted triggers, and the whole thing's gotten bigger and badder -- there's even an internal battery for charging your phone as you play. ZodTTD says actual shipping hardware is coming soon -- just make sure you change that default root password if you decide to jailbreak and grab one, mkay?

P.S.- ZodTTD says another video featuring psx4iphone and a "pretty sweet Wipeout XL demo" is coming shortly on his YouTube channel, we'll keep you updated.

Continue reading Latest iControlPad prototype bulks up, gets handled on video

Guitar Hero and Rock Band drums combine for ultimate MIDI kit (video)

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2009 at 9:09PM

We've seen our fair share of Guitar Hero / Rock Band drum kit mods, but without exception, this one is our fav. Tipster (and tinkerer) Jordan has taken the time to wire up a Guitar Hero kit and a Rock Band kit in order to create the most bodacious set of MIDI skins this planet has ever seen. Using a combination of Osculator, JunXion Lite and Logic, he was able to rig up the Rock Band pedal to operate as a high-hat pedal, while reprogramming some of the heads to act as cymbals. We'd bother explaining more, but we'll just point you past the break and advise you to watch (head to 2:20 if you're short on time!).

[Thanks, Jordan]

Continue reading Guitar Hero and Rock Band drums combine for ultimate MIDI kit (video)

DIY sewable iPod remote takes just ten minutes, will absolutely warm your heart

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2009 at 1:52AM

Okay, so we fully anticipate that creating the downright adorable object you see above will take far longer than ten minutes if you a) don't have a stash of circuits and fabrics laying around and / or b) you've never done anything like this before, but for seasoned DIYers, this is about as easy as it gets. The "10-minute sewable iPod remote" can actually be any character or design you feel like making, as the crux of this project relies on the circuit chip that is actually fitted inside the dock connector. From there, you just connect a few strands of conductive fabric, attach your kitty cat (or dragon, as the case may be) and begin to enjoy your homegrown iPod remote. Hit the read link for the full how-to, but only if you're immune to cuteoverloaditus.

Dutch hacker seeks out jailbroken iPhones for fame and fortune

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 8:23PM

Jailbreaking an iPhone certainly brings many benefits, but it's also fraught with some peril, as amply demonstrated by a Dutch hacker who decided to go snooping around for vulnerable jailbroken iPhones in the Netherlands. While he apparently didn't actually swipe personal information or cause any damage, he was able to find some jailbroken iPhones with SSH running, which allowed him to display a message saying "Your iPhone's been hacked because it's really insecure! Please visit doiop.com/iHacked and secure your iPhone right now!" A noble gesture of a white hat hacker? Not exactly, 'cause that site demands €5 for the "fix" to let folks go back to using their phone securely -- or it did until the hacker apparently had a change of heart and posted the instructions for free, along with an apology for his misguided moneymaking scheme.

[Via TUAW]

GSM Palm Pre unlocked with a little Rebel assistance

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:58PM

It's not exactly the native unlock we've been waiting for, but those of you in Europe dying for a Pre unshackled from O2 will be happy to know that the Rebel Simcard II is now compatible with Palm's first webOS device. The £10.99 / $17.95 accessory card slots in between your carrier's SIM and the Pre's SIM slot, bypassing the Pre's network locks and allowing full access to voice and data services including 3G. Sadly, the Pre doesn't have the radio support to make this work in the States on anything but EDGE, but at least it's a start, right? Video after the break.

[Thanks, Ji]

Continue reading GSM Palm Pre unlocked with a little Rebel assistance

Laziness on the move: robot plays Rock Band on the iPhone

by Paul Miller posted Oct 31st 2009 at 7:36PM

Why confine your nerdy sloth to your living room, where large robots mime fake guitar and serve you sloppy mixed drinks? Take that zest for the sedentary life with you on the road by having one of your robot ninjas steal this iPhone Rock Band robot from its ingenious creator, Joe Bowers. The Arduino-based device uses ambient light sensors to detect the falling notes and then taps out the music with some conductive foam attached to some squeaky fake fingers. Joe did a fairly detailed write-up, and even uploaded his code, so there's presumably nothing stopping you from actually doing something with your life and building one of these with all that free time you've saved up by hacking your way through all the console-based guitar games. Video is after the break.

[Via Daily Mobile]

Continue reading Laziness on the move: robot plays Rock Band on the iPhone

Print your own circuit boards with an Inkjet (and a modicum of skill)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 30th 2009 at 5:39PM

Remember yesterday, when one illustrious modder whipped up a head-mounted computer that featured a printed circuit board of his own design? The fabrication method he used was called direct-to-PCB Inkjet printing. An economical (if laborious) alternative to professional production, the process includes: designing your circuit, printing it out on a transparency, flickin' on some lightbulbs, washing things out in abrasive chemicals, and waving a magic wand. While it's not for the timid (nor simple enough to go through in great detail here) the kids over at Instructables have been kind enough to put together and post one of their award-winning step-by-step guides on this very subject. So, what are you waiting for? Hit the read link and get to work.

NVIDIA ION LE hack adds DirectX 10 support, raises interesting questions

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 30th 2009 at 12:04PM

If myHPmini forum member runawayprisoner is to be believed (and why not?), rather than featuring some sort of dumbed-down hardware, the sole difference between the NVIDIA ION and the XP-friendly ION LE is that the latter has DirectX 10 support disabled in the device drivers. Indeed, when the full-blown ION drivers are hacked to recognize the ION LE device ID, not only do you get to run DX10, but performance increases markedly as well. Of course, DX10 is Windows 7 only, but you should conceivably be able to take your ION LE machine, install Windows 7 and the driver hack, and get on with your life (and save a few bucks in the process). Why bother with the charade, you ask? Theories abound, but we think it's a pretty good guess that NVIDIA is merely adhering to Microsoft licensing requirements here, and that in the long run crippling an existing chipset is cheaper than developing an entirely new one for an OS that's likely to be phased out sooner than later.

[Via SlashGear]

Homebrew head-mounted Linux system for telepresence, looking silly

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 29th 2009 at 5:59PM

Sure, viewable eyewear (such as that made by Vuzix) might look like fun, but even with the display balancing on the bridge of your nose you need to find a place to wear that video source. What our man Pascal Brisset did is design a Linux system around a Gumstix Overo Fire computer-on-module, a Vuzix VR920 head-mounted stereoscopic 640 x 480 display (complete with 3D tilt sensor and 3D magnetic compass), WiFi, and Bluetooth modules -- the whole shebang resides in (and on) the eyewear, just the thing for secure telepresence and augmented reality applications (or just extra-private web browsing). And he did it all for under a grand. In order to implement his design, Pascal had to design and custom manufacture a digital-to-analog video converter board using direct-to-PCB inkjet printing. As Hack A Day notes, one can easily question the wisdom of "a pair of microwave transceivers and a LiPo battery strapped directly over one's eyes and brain," but that's the price of progress, right?

[Via Hack A Day]