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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]

Pentax rolls its own colorware for the Pentax K-x DSLR

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 17th 2009 at 5:54PM

Not content with the already generous black, white, red, or navy blue options Pentax is offering on its new K-x DSLR? Then it looks like your persistence has finally paid off for once, as Pentax has now rolled out its own Colorware-type service for the camera -- in Japan, that is. That'll let you choose from twenty different colors for the body of the camera and five for the grip (lens colors are apparently "coming soon") and, of course, any combination of the two (like the eye-catching number we whipped up above). Best of all, it seems that the customization options are available at no extra cost, other than the hours you'll spend agonizing over your choice of colors.

[Thanks, Rye]

Puget Systems' $16K Windows 2008 server

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 5:32AM

In this world of netbooks, "mini" this and "pico" that, it's nice to see someone taking things to the opposite extreme. When folks at Puget Systems mentioned that they were working on a "high-end" custom build, Tom's Hardware asked the logical follow-up question: "how high-end are we talkin'?" Let's just say that we'd be hard-pressed find someone who wouldn't be content with this beast: four quad-core 2GHz Opteron processors (that's a lot of cores!), 32GB of memory, two VelociRaptor hard drives in RAID1, and six 1TB hard drives in RAID 5. Of course, this guy generates a lot of heat: the system boasts both liquid cooling and a ginormous side-mounted radiator -- with so much surface area, the fans can be run at a low speed to keep things nice and quiet. Additionally, a Koolance pump and reservoir unit was installed in one of the CD-ROM bays, allowing the user to adjust the pump speed based on desired performance and noise levels. Including Windows Server 2008 Standard, a one-year parts warranty, and a lifetime labor warranty, the machine went for a mere $16,338.89. Go ahead, treat yourself. You deserve nice things too.

[Via Slashgear]

August House of Chanel designs Segway, for real

by Laura June posted Feb 20th 2009 at 4:03PM

The Vivienne Tam-designed Mini 1000 was a cute foray of high fashion into the uber-geeky tech world, but not necessarily completely out of left field. Well, this one is. The word that Chanel has designed a Segway comes as a horrifying surprise to all of us. There's not too much information floating around about this one yet, so we have no idea how many they're making or what they're going to cost (the Ferrari model runs about $12,000), but we know they won't be cheap. Looking good never is...

[Via Born Rich, thanks Jody]

Bacteria returns with IntoPlay, the expectant looking portable PSone mod

by Tim Stevens posted Feb 2nd 2009 at 10:43AM

We've seen plenty of semi-portable mashups from modder extraordinaire Bacteria, and now he's back with another luggable system that turns a PSone into a fully integrated handheld. The system is naturally made from a PSone console itself as well as a travel screen, a third-party controller, custom case, and, most importantly, a lot of skill and patience -- roughly 100 hours worth. You cay buy the tangible bits in a kit on eBay for £49.99 (about $70 US), then follow Bacteria's stupendously comprehensive instructions to build your own. Or, you can just watch the video below and live vicariously.

[Via benheck.com Forums]

Continue reading Bacteria returns with IntoPlay, the expectant looking portable PSone mod

PS3 gamer overcomes disability with custom controller, triumphs in l33t3st way imaginable

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 11th 2008 at 3:09AM

Yeah, we here at Engadget are hardened cynics -- our cold, black hearts have closed off to all but the most extraordinary tech-related stories, and we don't talk about the triumph of the human spirit a lot, but PlayStation 3 forum user KitsuneYume has us stepping outside our usual box today. With the help of an engineer, he made an "adaptive controller" that allows him to game with the pros despite serious disabilities. 20 out of 25 functions are accounted for by the system, and he uses his fingers, toes, and even his tongue to play -- your regular, everyday controller mod it ain't. The creator said he uploaded the pictures to make sure folks who might need it are aware the technology exists, as he contacted Sony a while back and they weren't able to tell him where to look. We hope this helps gets the word out, because we think everyone should have and chance to lie, cheat, and steal their way through Fallout 3.

[Thanks, Jason]

Condi Rice's custom DS lite: proof that G8 globalization is important

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 4th 2008 at 3:54AM

It really does pay to be a foreign minister representing the 8 richest countries in the world. This Japanese-lacquered DS lite is just one of the items presented to the G8 ministers participating in last week's talks in Kyoto. The other items included a scented perfume ball and manga-styled stickers for each of the participant to attach to their diplomatic tricycles.

Custom Illuminated Confusion Nikes light up the streets, your life

by Darren Murph posted May 17th 2008 at 2:03PM

Personally, we'd prefer slipping our feet into the WiFi-detecting Nike Dunks if given a choice, but it's hard to argue with the smooth factor bundled with the highly customized kicks shown above. Dubbed Illuminated Confusion, the shoes feature a pattern print with "neon green light-up lateral sides that either blink or glow." The lighting on each shoe gets powered by a single AAA cell, and you'll even get a free "custom box" with you order. And considering the $400 price tag and two to three week wait time, we wouldn't expect anything less. Vid after the jump.

Continue reading Custom Illuminated Confusion Nikes light up the streets, your life

Made-to-order cellphones: dubious quality included free of charge

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 5th 2008 at 2:57PM

If you're like us, you've probably brainstormed the "perfect" mobile phone in your head a couple hundred times, wishing you could just convince someone to make it for you. Well, now you've got your chance thanks to the unfortunately-named zzzPhone, which inspires fantasies of long naps rather than high-tech gadgetry. According to the company's website, you can build your own device made to order, using "the same high quality components as major brands Motorola, Nokia, Palm, and Samsung." Of course, the major brands don't offer you actual MP3 and video files pre-installed on your device -- which really makes our copyright sensors hit the red. Sure, the phone appears to emanate from a dubious Shenzhen-based manufacturer, but once you see all the succulent options available to you, your ethical concerns will melt away like ice cream on hot apple pie.

[Via Textually]

YourPND gets your voice on your navigation system

by Darren Murph posted Dec 20th 2007 at 9:49AM

Sure, those Mr. T / Dennis Hopper navtones were pretty humorous for a trip around the block or two, but seriously, how many times can you stand to hear "fool!" on a trip from Tuscaloosa to Fargo? That being said, we're not confident we'd want to listen to ourselves for that long, but for the folks who feel otherwise, YourPND is out to make your dreams a reality. Though the website wasn't created in our native tongue, it appears that TomTom owners (Garmin, Mio, etc. coming soon) simply record a select number of phrases to the site, after which they can cough up €7 ($10) and download the results on to their navigator. Sounds like the perfect gift for someone who just loathes hearing you talk, don'tcha think?

[Via NaviGadget]

NVIDIA introduces ESA standard for PC components

by Joshua Topolsky posted Nov 6th 2007 at 11:10AM

If you're a PC-builder / modder, you've probably noticed that while you're given options for monitoring and controlling your CPUs, GPUs, fan speeds, and voltages, you're typically left high and dry when it comes to overseeing the functionality of your power supply, casing, and cooling accouterments. Well, NVIDIA is endeavoring to solve your problems with a new set of specifications they hope will tie those disparate elements together, called the ESA (or Enthusiast System Architecture). The hope is that through the cooperation of other manufacturers, and the implementation of USB HID (Human Interface Device), those components will get a needed shot of operability and connectedness; in effect, they'll start "talking" to one another. The hope is that the new standard will make full control over your rig much easier to come by, thus allowing you to frag with the confidence that your system probably won't burn the house down.

[Via CRN]

NVousPC lets you ugly up your new laptop however you please

by Ryan Block posted Aug 28th 2007 at 5:15PM

We love a good brand gimmick-pastiche: take one part logo that looks NOTHING like Amp'd's branding, copious amounts of the Spider-man font, mix with skinned / colored laptop lids á la Sony or Dell, and you've got the oh so cleverly named NVousPC, a new portable computer business founded by a former Alienware employee. Out the door NVousPC's pushing what looks to be your run of the mill crappy Chinese 14.1-inch ("Mercury") and 15.4-inch ("Ether") models with 1GB+ RAM, Core 2 Duo, Vista, and custom paint jobs. Just be sure you choose it like you would a tat -- frozen bleeding ice-babies don't exactly scream "boyfriend material".

Crafty gamer builds PS2 Guitar Hero axe from scratch

by Darren Murph posted Jul 30th 2007 at 7:18AM

Itching for anything Guitar Hero-related to tide your over until the third iteration hits? If you just so happen to have two unwanted PS1 controllers, a whammy bar, a few screws, a motion sensor, some wood (or similar), cutting instruments, and whole slew of other random tools (seriously, it's a lengthy list), you've got a tremendous challenge ahead. An admittedly stouthearted and presumably resolute individual managed to not only create a fully-functional PS2 Guitar Hero controller from a fairly impressive list of scrap parts, but he actually took the time to assemble a how-to guide for anyone else with enough knowledge and vacation time to do the same. Put simply, this DIY endeavor ranks pretty high up there on the complexity meter, but if you think you've got what it takes, let this be the dare that gets you started. Check out the video of the axe in action after the break.

[Via HackNMod, thanks Joe]

Continue reading Crafty gamer builds PS2 Guitar Hero axe from scratch

The Xbox 360 PC ditches gaming for Windows and OS X

by Darren Murph posted May 25th 2007 at 6:34AM

Sure, we've seen the PlayStation 3 morph into somewhat of a desktop machine, but electric0ant decided that simply installing new software was just too easy. No fully functioning Xbox 360s were harmed in the making of the Xbox 360 PC, as the crafty modder snagged a cheap console that had been stricken by the Red Ring of Death, pawned off the DVD drive, and got to work. The build actually stuff an full-fledged PC within the confines of the Xbox 360's case, and aside from having to swap out a standard optical drive for a laptop rendition and refashioning a spare heatsink, there didn't seem to be many troubles. Of course, a side-mounted fan was necessary to avoid a thermal meltdown after extended use, and he didn't quite get around to rigging up the external graphics card that he had in mind, but the final creation does manage to run both Windows XP and OS X. As these things always go, the pictures tell the story, so click on through for a few more select snaps, and then hit the read link for the full skinny.

[Thanks, Paul]

Continue reading The Xbox 360 PC ditches gaming for Windows and OS X

A-Power's AP-Halo gaming PC dons Halo 2 outfit, beastly innards

by Darren Murph posted May 20th 2007 at 10:07AM

With Dell's XPS 720 getting ready for showtime, it's quite possible that a few of you out there are eying a slightly different kind of animal, and for the Halo faithful, look no further than A-Power. The AP-Halo machine sports a fully customized Halo 2 chassis to go along with the game's PC counterpart, but it manages to look fairly good on the inside as well. Beneath the metal you'll find an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, up to 640GB of SATA II hard drive space, Asus' P5K Deluxe motherboard, a Samsung dual-layer DVD burner, Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer sound card, gigabit Ethernet, a 768MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX handling the DX10 duties, a 700-watt power supply, and to cap things off, it also comes bundled with Microsoft's own Reclusa keyboard and Habu mouse. Of course, it'll come pre-loaded with Vista Ultimate and Halo 2, and deep-pocketed gamers can add on an Xbox 360 PC controller if they choose. The Halo 2-themed system is slated to launch on May 22nd, and while the base price sits at CAD$1,659 ($1,505) sans a monitor, those hardware upgrades will send that figure quite a ways north.