Skip to Content

Don't miss Joystiq's up-to-the-minute live coverage of E3!
AOL Tech

Posts with tag mod

PSP phone mod is really exactly what we were waiting for

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 8th 2008 at 9:24AM


Call it off Sony, no need to throw any precious man hours into making your perennially #2 handheld into some sort of amazing featurephone hybrid, some hacker has already done it for you. Through the amazing wonders of modern thinphone technology, soldering irons and probably a bit of glue, some hacker has managed the slap a Haier touchscreen phone onto the back of his PSP -- killing the UMD drive in the process, but we'd say it was well worth it.

Pleo roundup: spy cam / XBee hacks, dino visits the day spa

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 8th 2008 at 8:02AM


Oh Pleo, it's been far too long since we've seen you out and about! Thankfully, we've stumbled upon a handful of Pleo news all at once, so we hope you're ready to catch up with your favorite dinosaur. First up is a pair of useful hacks from GRIP: a spy cam hack -- which transmits images from the pet to a PC sans wires -- and an XBee hack, which allows users to monitor Pleo's sensors and control its servos in real time. For those looking for less work and more laughs, you'll definitely want to venture on past the break. Wondering what's there? Pleo visits the day spa -- need we say more?

Read - Pleo hacks
Read - Pleo's day spa adventures

Continue reading Pleo roundup: spy cam / XBee hacks, dino visits the day spa

DIY 9-cell battery defeats the Wind's purpose, keeps it going and going

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 1st 2008 at 5:55AM


Sick of your puny 3-cell battery? Not really kosher with paying absurd premiums for a 6-cell edition? Do what any self-respecting, entirely fearless netbook owner would do -- create your own 9-cell while simultaneously sticking your tongue out at MSI. We wouldn't go tinkering with a battery pack unless you're a) quite skilled and b) well protected, but those looking for extra long battery life at the expense of (severely) uglifying your machine can dig into the how-to guide waiting in the read link below.

[Via jkOnTheRun, thanks Joe]

Dell Studio 17 quickly hacked to run OSx86

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 30th 2008 at 10:56AM


Usually it's "only a matter of time" before some new-fangled laptop destined for a Windows kind of life up and gets OSx86 installed on it, but for the Dell Studio, that matter of time was extremely short. Witness a Studio 17 running Leopard out of the box, save for a few minor problems like lack of full video support, sound, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet. Still, it's pretty encouraging to see the system working at all with such little time and effort put into it. Kind of makes you wish we lived in a super-magical fantasy world where you could run whatever OS you wanted on your laptop, doesn't it?

Update: We had to pull the read link here due to the "Engadget Effect" -- sorry Ken!

NES Belt Buckle: most inelegant, awesome NES-in-a-whatever mod out there

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 24th 2008 at 10:33PM


Just as Mr. Adams wrote of the summer of '69, some heralded pop star decades from now will pen a smash hit recalling the summer of two-thousand and eight. Oddly enough, the tune will likely focus on the revitalization of the Nintendo Entertainment System, which has somehow wiggled into just about everything imaginable over the past few months. The latest concoction is a bit different, though, as the NES Belt Buckle doesn't really shove NES capabilities into a buckle; rather, the NES is the buckle, which is sort of weird to be frank. Still, for $300 you can have your very own, but we'd recommend boosting your self-esteem and saving your cash by just making your own with that dusty system that's still in your attic. Tons of laughs await you in the demonstration vid just past the break.

[Thanks, Harrison]

Continue reading NES Belt Buckle: most inelegant, awesome NES-in-a-whatever mod out there

NES gets crammed into third-party light gun, plans a 187 on Bowser

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 7:02PM


Okay, okay -- we get it. So maybe there's just not enough room in a genuine Zapper to fit all the necessary innards of a Nintendo Entertainment System into, but it's just a bit weird to see the Big N's antiquated console crammed into some other light gun. Similar to the NES-in-an-NES-controller mod we peeked earlier this week, this unit includes a plethora of games and all the controls you need; just plug it up to a TV, pop a few batteries in there and you're golden. Is it any surprise this guy was tracked down on Ben Heck's own forums?

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Crafty iPhone dock mod supports iPhone 3G, saves $29

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 7:57AM


If you're an owner of the first generation iPhone then one of the (many) annoyances you've discovered with your new curvy and slightly chubbier 3G sib is the fact that it won't fit your existing dock -- be it the dock bundled with the iPhone or with the Bluetooth headset. To make matters worse, Apple chose not to bundle a compatible dock with the iPhone 3G -- you have to purchase that separately for $29... you know, assuming you can find it. Fortunately, that old dock can be made into a suitable charging base for your iPhone 3G with just a bit of simple Dremel action and elbow grease. Sounds like a bargain to us.

Modder shoves emulator, ROMs into actual NES controller

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 20th 2008 at 4:37AM


This one has been around the block a time or two, but considering you have absolutely nothing else to do on a Sunday, you might as well dust off that DIY kit and get to work. What you're looking at above is a genuine (albeit modified) NES controller playing a bona fide classic on a laptop. Amazingly, all of the software required for such a marvelously good time is stuffed tight within the controller itself. Take a step back and digest that -- your very own NES emulator (with ROMs), shoved inside a Nintendo Entertainment System controller. Does it get any more awesome than that? Hit the read link to start building your own and let us know. Video of the action after the jump.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Continue reading Modder shoves emulator, ROMs into actual NES controller

Case modder crams PC into homegrown Team Fortress 2 sentry

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 14th 2008 at 9:57AM


We find it impossible to think that anyone in attendance of a local LAN party wouldn't be awestruck when this rig waltzed in, and truthfully, we'd be a little distracted by its boyish good looks all the while. TiTON -- the same mastermind that brought us the Team Fortress 2 Dispenser -- has recreated a TF2 sentry that (unfortunately) fires no real shells at enemies. On the upside, it does pack enough hardware to enable gamers to light up rebel forces within a digital realm, but just like your 16th birthday cake, this one may be too pretty to indulge in. Tap the read link for lots more images and a breakdown of the build.

3,000 LEDs used to build glitzy SMS-controlled UFO

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 13th 2008 at 9:08PM


Hey France, we've got one more for your sophisticated UFO archive. Dreamed up by artist Peter Coffin and crafted in conjunction with London-based Cinimod Studio, this 7-meter structure was built from aluminum and covered with 3,000 shockingly bright programmable LEDs. Furthermore, there's an on board 6kW generator to provide power, and the overall UFO can be remotely controlled via SMS. There are even assertions that this thing flew along the coast of Sopot, Poland on July 4th (and even a video to "prove it," posted after the jump), but we all know how dubious such proclamations can be.

[Via Hack N Mod]

Continue reading 3,000 LEDs used to build glitzy SMS-controlled UFO

Microvision 360 hack slaps an Xbox on the back of an old TV for no good reason

by Paul Miller, posted Jul 9th 2008 at 7:11PM


A familiar face on these pages, primarily for his PSP work, PvP_LostKnight seems to have decided his Xbox 360 was lonely and cold, so he stripped off the case and strapped the thing to the back of his old HD LCD. PvP has never been heavy on the instructions, but he's got a few shots of the "Microvision 360" setup, plus a video of all the excitement (embedded after the break). We can only hope that insane fan noise is from some sort of warehouse cooling fans in the background, and isn't coming from this little heat sandwich he concocted.

[Thanks, Tony H]

Continue reading Microvision 360 hack slaps an Xbox on the back of an old TV for no good reason

Power Pad hacked into musical controller, DDR trembles

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 3:12PM


We're not quite sure how Seth Sternberger, one member of 8 Bit Weapon, was able to pull this off, but he somehow compiled a number of old parts from local shops and eBay in order to transform an NES Power Pad into an instrument of awesomeness. Click on through for a video of Micro Boogie being performed on said Pad, and don't be shocked to find yourself immediately overcome with the need to get one of these in your own house (only to remember that you can't dance).

Continue reading Power Pad hacked into musical controller, DDR trembles

Team Fortress 2 Dispenser case mod completes Orange Box trifecta

by Paul Miller, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 1:42PM


Well, we suppose the first two Orange Box mods we saw were Portal-related, but a love for Half-Life 2 is really implied in anything Valve-related, and this here Team Fortress 2 case mod feels like the end to a beautiful, Orange story -- or perhaps the beginning of another. We'll confess, we got our ass handed to us enough times in TF2 to make it a rare incident when we'd even make it to a Dispenser, but there's love for this glorious blue box all the same, and TiTON has certainly done his homework in building the thing. Props all around. Now can someone swap to medic and give us a little backup over here?

Modder shoves NES into an NES cartridge, makes us feel sort of uneasy

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 11:31AM


Looking to put those dust-collecting tools of yours to use here on Independence Day? Then we've excellent news, you introvert you. Rather than grilling up some red meat (or chicken, or tofu, whatever) and handling highly volatile explosives, we have no doubt that modder "darkeru" is spending his day playing with his brand new toy: a Nintendo Entertainment System... crammed within an NES cartridge. We'll be honest, this one does feel a little incestuous for some odd reason, but we greatly appreciate the ingenuity. Hit up the read link for more pics.

[Via MAKE]

ASUS Eee PC 900 gets livened up with touchscreen

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 7:10PM


If you're tired of waiting for ASUS to offer a touchscreen option for the Eee PC 900 (or you're the proud owner of an existing unit), jkkmobile is happy to show you their shortcut to touchy-feely nirvana. As we've seen on all those other Eees, installing the touch panel into the 900 doesn't seem to be extraordinarily difficult for those with a few mods under their belt and a reliable Chinese parts supplier. For those who'd prefer to simply watch from the sidelines, you can peek the video after the break and lots more photos in the read link.

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 900 gets livened up with touchscreen

Play Pause



Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Xbox 360 Fanboy
Autoblog
Big Download Blog
Fanhouse Backporch