If we had an “utterly awesome” tag here on SlashGear, you can bet I’d be using it for this. Pocket Lucho has a history of making incredible miniature arcade cabinets, and his latest fully-operational model is a Neo Geo cabinet complete with illuminated marquee and false coin slot.
Video demos after the cut
Netbooks generally fall flat when it comes to high-definition video playback, with Intel’s GMA 950 graphics chipset struggling even with 720p clips. Broadcom’s BCM70012 video accelerator changes all that, though; a mini PCI-e card, it can handle up to 1080p video with minimal CPU strain on the host system. So far it’s tough finding a netbook with the Broadcom card as an option – HP offer it as an option for their Mini 110 XP – but that didn’t stop Terracode from upgrading their 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One with the HD accelerator.
Video demo after the cut
An acoustic instrument bristling with buttons and knobs is always off to a good start, but Patrick Sébastien Coulombe’s “la Guitare à crayon” goes a few steps further into strangeness. Taking the body of an acoustic guitar and then strapping a Wacom digitizer to the front, the unusual instrument translates sketched images into sound.
Video demo after the cut
We’re seldom impressed with LED flashes on cellphones, but it’s arguably better to have one and use it sparingly than not have one at all. That’s why we can understand Ryan’s frustrating with his iPhone 3G: he decided to mod his Mophie Juice Pack to add an LED flash
The iPhone Dev Team have updated their redsn0w jailbreak and ultrasn0w carrier unlock tools to work with the iPhone 3GS, citing the release of rival app purplera1n as forcing their hand. The Team had originally intended to wait until iPhone 3GS adoption was more widespread before distributing their tools, in the hope that it would give Apple less time to close the security hole on which the unlock depends.
We’re used to our mobile devices flashing at us to let us know when there’s a missed call to be addressed, new SMS message or battery problem, but it’s less common for a notebook or netbook to blink for attention. JustBlair decided to change that, adding a three-color LED to his Eee PC 901 that flashes whenever a new Twitter, email or IM message comes in.
The iPhone Dev Team may have held off on releasing their ultrasn0w iPhone 3GS jailbreaking and unlocking tool, but that hasn’t stopped long-time Apple hacker George Hotz. He’s released a tool called purplera1n which, while not unlocking the iPhone 3GS, does at least jailbreak it so that unofficial third-party apps can be installed.
More and more notebooks and netbooks are getting multitouch-capable touchpads, but if you’re chugging away with your existing machine and you want some straightforward multi-directional scrolling then you may need to take things into your own hands. As you can see from the newly-acquired nubbin in the right palm-rest on this Eee PC 901, modder Dave Astolfo decided to extract the trackball from an Apple Mighty Mouse and implant it into his netbook.
Video demo after the cut
Take the bodywork of a Fiat 500, throw in the mechanics of a second-hand tractor, and you may end up with this: the Fiat Cinque Tank. The handiwork of Kogoro Kurata, a Japanese ironsmith, the distinctive vehicle’s one main flaw is its somewhat pedestrian top-speed of just 3kpm (less than 2mph).
Video after the cut
We can’t say we looked at the Sharp Mebius NJ70A netbook – with its nifty touchscreen trackpad – and thought “what this needs is a second touchscreen”, but then we’re not SKY at UMPC Fever. After unboxing the N270-based netbook, he loaded up Windows 7 and then installed a touchscreen layer so as to use handwriting recognition direct onto the 10-inch display.
Video demo after the cut
Chrome OS: Waiting Is The Hardest Part…Though Necessary
Apple is no longer the Nordstrom of Tech, they’re the “New Nordstrom”
Can Anything Replace Windows XP As the Best Netbook Operating System?
Hey, Premium Notebooks or Netbooks, Get the Basics Right!
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