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Nintendo DSi LL gets DS-ected
[Image Source] The Nintendo DSi LL (DSi XL here in the West) may be big, but it's still susceptible to being dissected by anyone with the proper screwdriver and no qualms about potentially ruining a 200-plus-dollar piece of electronics. In this case, it's the daredevils at PC Watch who had the guts (and spare yen) to pop open the Big N's newest handheld offering. The site has posted step-by-step photos documenting the teardown, the highlights of which include a look at the system's larger capacity battery and downright mammoth mainboard. Rumors that a member of the site's staff fell into the device and got lost during the process remain unsubstantiated. [Via Andriasang]
Motorola Droid torn down despite desperate cries of 'no disassemble'
If you were thinking of tearing apart your own Droid, let us direct you first to this quote straight from the folks at phoneWreck: "no easy task." It seems that even finding some of the screws involved in holding the mess together was a problem, but at the end of the day, good old-fashioned human ingenuity prevailed over... well, other human ingenuity, and the phone fell asunder into the 16 pieces you see here. As you might imagine, there's a bit of industrial magic involved in fitting a full QWERTY slide into a package this tight -- but just as Moto was up to the challenge of putting it together, some dude with a little time on his hands was up to the challenge of asploding it. Needless to say, we won't be doing this to ours.
HTC HD2 ripped to shreds, probably in the name of science
Hello there, HD2. To be honest, it's a bit soon in our relationship to be seeing all your inner workings -- not that we mind. The folks on the xda-developers forums have done the duty of tearing down HTC's impressively skinned Windows Mobile 6.5 device. Not much to glean from the snapshots, but if you do harbor some strange technologically-inclined curiosity and would never consider ripping up the phone yourself, hit up the read link for more pictures.
27-inch iMac torn into tiny bits for the greater good
You've seen the outside of what the new iMacs look like, but do you know what's inside them? If you guessed "lots of tiny components," you win! The folks at iFixit are always on the bleeding edge when it comes to taking big things and turning them into series of smaller things, and they don't disappoint us here. No real surprises, just a few notes, like the external display won't be able to be powered without the integral one being on as well, that the lack of a Blu-ray drive is described as a "bag of hurt," and that "the SuperDrive just doesn't seem so super anymore." Like we said, no surprises, but lots of fun pics.
Magic Mouse post-teardown loses some of its dark arts charm
Were you expecting unicorn tears or something? iFixit keeps working to finish its list of teardown to-dos, this time with Apple's new Magic Mouse. It probably comes as no surprise, but just under the top surfaces lies a considerable number of capacitive sensors, and other than that, there really isn't a lot to gaze upon. Then again, if you tend to fancy the ins and outs if gears and gizmos, this should be right up your alley.
iFixit shamelessly molests the new White MacBook with screwdriver
You have to admire, and fear, the eager curiosity of the folks at iFixit. When they come across a cool new product, they immediately tear it into bits and pieces -- I just pray they never launch a site devoted to domestic pet care. iKilledit. This time they've taken their scalpels and screwdrivers to Apple's newly released white MacBook polycarbonate unibody laptop and posted photos of every gory detail. Like all iFixit teardowns, the process is thoroughly documented and designed to provide users with a guide for upgrading, repairing, and otherwise disassembling the hardware (in hopes the process is reveresable). And judging from the looks of things, this MacBook is very easy to upgrade, once the bottom plate is removed. If you're curious to learn what makes this MacBook tick, check out iFixit's detailed teardown.
MacBook strips off its polycarbonate unibody shell for the expected teardown
That thumbs up means exactly what you think, and just like all the other new MacBook (Pro) models, that "non-removable" battery in the new polycarbonate unibody MacBook is more of a guideline than an actual set of rules. iFixit's currently doing its traditional teardown process -- so far, other than the battery and hard drive swapping places, the internal geography looks about like its predecessor. Letting your eyes venture into forbidden territories is just a mouse click away at the read link below.
VAIO X spotted in champagne, propped up by extended battery, ripped apart
While the price might be the most notable -- and welcome -- aspect of Sony's VAIO X showing tonight, we were also privy to our first look of the laptop in champagne, the incredibly odd extended battery, which actually creates a bit of a gap between itself and the rear of the laptop, and even Sony's own little teardown of the components. We'd be a bit more grumpy about that big "14 hour" wedge, given that the regular battery only gets about 3 hours of quoted battery life, but since Sony is selling the laptop with both of them in the box, we can't complain too much. %Gallery-74988% %Gallery-75003%
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj torn asunder, L-shaped projector module examined
ifixit's gotten ahold of Nikon's new camera - projector hybrid, the Coolpix S1000pj, and done what they do... meaning they've ripped it apart. Okay, they slowly and carefully disassembled it while painstakingly photographing the proceedings. Most interesting to us, of course, is the Nikon developed, L-shaped projector we just heard about that makes the whole set up possible, and we have to say that the internal layout of the S1000pj is terribly impressive to behold. There's another shot (and video!) after the break -- but hit the read link for the entire, time consuming project in all its tedious glory!
PlayStation & Xbox hardware gets the Body Worlds treatment at Japanese museum
For some people, the sight of a gaming console broken open, exposing its parts to the world, can be something of utter agony. Not for the Museum of Game Science in Tokyo, where you can find the entire line of PlayStation and Xbox consoles disassembled and dissected for all to see.Seen in Engadget's video above, one thin layer of glass is all that prevents the intrepid cameraman from reaching into the displays and pulling bits from here, bobs from there to assemble the world's first supermega-gen console: XStation 720. Knowing better, he chooses instead to give us a piece-by-piece visual rundown of what the museum offered for display at this year's Tokyo Game Show. We appreciate your self-control, kind sir.
Video: PSP Go torn down, owners counseled on warranty violation
Sure, most of you are interested in the playability and durability of your gaming devices -- that's why we do our extensive, award-winning reviews (for instance, our latest PSP Go review is quite a page-turner). But sometimes you just want to rip into a device and see the chips and the solder -- that's why we're grateful that the kids at iFixit have provided us with a complete tear-down guide, featuring step-by-step instructions and plenty of pretty pictures. Apparently, the Go owes its diminutive size to the fact that it eschews an internal metal framework altogether (instead relying on the external plastic shell to provide structural integrity). But don't take our word for it! Check out the full video below -- it's basically Hostel with a handheld gaming device.
Mac Portable gets a 20th anniversary vivisection
In September 1989, Apple made its first stab at a portable Macintosh computer. The name? "Macintosh Portable." Kind of has a ring to it, huh? This 16 pound behemoth packs a 10-inch (640 x 400) monochrome display, 16MHz Motorola CPU, 1MB RAM, 40MB HDD, 3.5-inch floppy drive, and a 2400 baud modem into a handsome clamshell design that features (and this is our favorite part) a modular design that allowed the user to position the trackball on either end of the keyboard. Lefties of the world unite! Originally yours for $6,500 - $7,300 (that's $11,288 - $12,677 when adjusted for inflation), but we're guessing you can find someone on eBay (or at Goodwill) to cut you a deal on one at this late date. Hit the read link to celebrate this momentous anniversary in the manner of a true gadget-head: by watching someone gut the thing and take pictures of it. You'll be glad you did.
Microsoft's Zune HD already cracked open and photographed (updated)
Considering that even now only a swath of Zune HD owners are able to update their software in order to -- you know -- have a working device, we can understand Anything But iPod's eagerness to stop trying and just crack open Microsoft's newest entrant into the portable media player market. Without getting too gushy, we can definitively say that the innards look just as sexy as the exterior, but unfortunately the make and model of the internal WiFi chip (amongst other things) remains a mystery. Hit the read link for a nice gallery of closeups, but be sure and shield your screen from any lingering cube passers.Update: iFixit just went live with their teardown as well!Update 2: The iFixit teardown is complete. While there aren't any 802.11n WiFi or vacant camera-space surprises like those found inside Apple's iPod touch, the Zune HD doesn't need any to pique our interest. What you will find photographed in exquisite detail is the NVIDIA Tegra SoC, SiPORT HD Radio module, Toshiba-sourced flash NAND, a 2.45Wh battery, Wolfson MIcro WM8352 audio subsystem, and Foxconn logo confirming its manufacturing origin. There's also a "for our princess" inscription meant as a tribute to a Zune team member who passed away during development. Check the gallery for a tease or head over to iFixit to get knee-deep in it.%Gallery-72950%
3rd gen iPod touch teardown: 802.11n potential and room for a camera?
Just this morning, we linked to the results of iFixit's iPod nano teardown. Hours later, we have the opportunity to dive into their 32GB iPod touch teardown. There are definitely a few interesting tidbits about what Apple did and did not do with the iPod touch this time around... and possibly some hints of what could happen in the future. Here are the highlights: The ARM processor in the iPod touch is a newer revision than the iPhone 3GS's CPU. We still don't know its exact clock speed but it's a definite upgrade from the 2nd Generation iPod touch. It has a 1080 mAh battery; what does that mean? Well, it'll get pretty good battery life. Apple's website lists it at 30 hours of music playback. The NAND flash memory is manufactured by Samsung and has been split into two chips to achieve the 32GB capacity. The wireless chip is from Broadcom. According to their documentation this chip supports 802.11 n as well as 802.11 a/b/g. This is a new move from Apple. Until now, all of the mobile devices have only had g-capable wireless chips. It's possible that this would be enabled in the future, but I wouldn't put money on that. Mark this one as rumor fodder: iFixit claims that there is room for a camera at the top of the device. The empty space measures 6mm x 6mm x 3mm. That could easily fit the same style camera as the 5th gen iPod Nano, but they don't believe an iPhone-quality camera would fit because of the limited space. If that's not enough iPod touch news for you, read on.
3rd gen iPod touch gets torn down, 802.11n and possible camera slot found
There's no denying that Apple let the entire world (yes, even the native Easter Islanders) down by not shoving a camera of some sort into its iPod touch, but if a delicate teardown completed by the screwdriver-wielding fiends over at iFixit is any indication, a seasoned modder could certainly add one. A 6- x 6- x 3-millimeter space was spotted between a Broadcom chip and the wireless antenna, which is reportedly not enough room for an iPhone-esque sensor, but just enough space for the video camera module found in the 5G iPod nano. In potentially more interesting news, the aforesaid Broadcom BCM4329 chip actually supports 802.11n. For the nerds in attendance, you'll recognize that even the iPhone 3GS can't handle those high-speed airwaves. Furthermore, the chip supports FM transmission, so at least theoretically, the device could stream tunes to your old school stereo through an open FM station. Eager for more? Tap that read link, buster.
iFixit tears apart the 5th Generation iPod nano...nicely
The pioneers at iFixit are at it again, this time exploring the Loop's newest, coolest gadget -- the iPod nano. According to their measurements, this iPod is as thin as it could possibly be, and more densely packed than any previous Apple device. I work on iPods at my day job, but I'm afraid to start working on this one because there is very little wasted space and LOTS of glue. Here are some facts worth highlighting: The iPod nano uses flash memory manufactured by Toshiba. Apple would not be able to put a larger camera into it without reducing the footprint of other components. It uses the same style speaker as the iPod touch. The sound exits through the dock connector. The display has 17.5% more real estate than the 4th Generation iPod nano. Read on for the nitty gritty, "I want to tear it apart" information...
iPod nano 5G gets a teardown
Dying to know what that tiny VGA video sensor in the new iPod nano looks like? As usual, the folks at iFixit have it covered -- hit the read link to follow along with all the gory action as it proceeds. (Seriously, they're posting the teardown pictures live as they do it.)Update: It's all over, and the findings are interesting, if not too shocking: the 8GB of flash is from Toshiba, the processor is an Apple-branded ARM unit manufactured by Samsung, and the camera's VGA resolution is probably explained by its 3mm thickness -- the iPhone 3G's camera is 6mm, and the nano is only 6.2mm thick at its fattest.
SanDisk Sansa Clip+ gets torn down, presumably built back up again
No need to twist our arm to get a confession: we absolutely enjoy seeing ultra-complex hardware getting dissected bit by bit. But sometimes -- particularly on cold and unwelcoming mornings with no coffee in the cupboard -- we prefer to keep things simple by just cracking open a shockingly rudimentary MP3 player. The spartan Sansa Clip+, which you may know as the Sansa Clip plus a microSD slot, turned out to be a doddle to undress, and its insides were about as uncomplicated as they come. Two SanDisk chips dominate the miniature motherboard, and the fabled marathon-running battery also makes an appearance. If you're not 1) disgusted or 2) confounded by the details we just discussed, you owe it to yourself to check out all the bare naked circuitry in the read link. [Thanks, Yuki]
PS3 Slim gets torn asunder
If you're wanting some quality analysis of what's under the PlayStation 3 Slim's hood, you're still gonna have to wait for that. However, if you're the sort that just needs to see hardware broken down into as many simple pieces as possible, boy have we got some pictures for you. Update: The results are in and well, there isn't a lot of excitement to show for it except for maybe the large 17-blade fan that stretches 95mm in diameter. There's also a video slideshow of the process, seen after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Read - Tech Powerup forum Read - iFixit teardown Read - Rapid Repair teardown
Video: ASUS Eee Keyboard gutted, soldering secrets revealed
Oh the carnage! A prototype ASUS Eee Keyboard made a wrong turn at Albuquerque only to end up gutted in a French orgy of gadget terrorism. Nine screw removals later and we see the stand-alone PC with its 5-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen splayed, 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor and all. Unfortunately, easy access does not mean easy upgrades as the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. Other notables are the Silicon Image HDMI transmitter that allows 1080p playback over HDMI and 1880mAh battery that should provide an estimated 1 hour and 40 minutes of use before hitting the mains. Blogeenet also has a pretty thorough video overview of ASUS' customized UI running on XP; after the break, son.
