What can we say, we're big childish geeks and we love remote-controlled gadgets that beam back video footage. That's why Wild Planet's Spy Video TRAKR camera-enabled tank proved so appealing (in a Rovio sort of way), and why Hack A Day's review of the $130 toy is so interesting: turns out, Wild Planet left plenty of fun for mod-friendly geeks to enjoy.
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‘mods’ Stories
Wild Planet Spy Video TRAKR gets reviewed: good for kids, great for geeks
Overclocked 2008 Mac Pro gets custom liquid-cooling [Video]
Apple's Mac Pro is a beast of a machine, and more so when you overclock it, but the fan noise you end up with can be pretty intrusive. The guys over at Asetek decided to see what they could do with their liquid-cooling components, taking a 2008 dual-CPU 2.8GHz Mac Pro - overclocked to 3.16GHz - with custom cooling and comparing it to a newer, stock 3.2GHz air-cooled model straight from Apple.
Video demo after the cut
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Dell Streak miniUSB dongle is DIY workaround [Video]
After the discovery that, beyond a few apparently unconnected wires, the Dell Streak's seemingly proprietary charging/docking port is in fact a PDMI connector, John from Linuxslate took it on himself to mod a suitable miniUSB adapter dongle. It's crafted from an original Dell USB charge/sync cable and, for the housing, the USB cable clip Dell supply.
Video demo after the cut
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AT&T Captivate, T-Mobile Vibrant & Galaxy S simple unlock unearthed
Unlocking a cellphone can be a headache, so we're pleased to see Samsung has done its users a service with the Galaxy S - and the US versions, the AT&T Captivate and T-Mobile Vibrant, based on the phone - by including the unlock codes in a file on the smartphone itself. Unfortunately they've not made them easy to access, and so the team over at xda-developers has stepped in with a simple tool that takes a locked Galaxy S family handset and spits out an unlocked version.
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Keyboard-Mac DIY project pairs MacBook Air guts with Magic Trackpad
Given the trouble ASUS had getting their Eee Keyboard onto the market, we're not really surprised that Apple aren't planning an all-in-one PC and peripheral combo themselves. Still, Steve Jobs' omission is a gap for a modder, and over at the MacBook Air Project Bart Reardon has taken it on himself to craft a custom keyboard PC based on the guts of a first-gen MacBook Air, an Apple keyboard and a new Magic Trackpad.
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Android 2.2 Froyo for HTC HD2 is ready for mainstream [Video]
Since Microsoft and HTC basically confirmed that they were abandoning the HD2 in the move to Windows Phone 7, the developer community has instead turned their attention to getting a solid Android build on the 4.3-inch smartphone. Last we saw, Froyo was working on the HD2 but with some conspicuous issues; now, a new ROM promises an almost 100-percent functional experience, suitable for daily use.
Video demo after the cut
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JailbreakMe gets FaceTime/MMS tweak; iPhone 4 unlock due shortly
Yesterday's news of a simple, webpage-based Jailbreak solution for the iPhone 4, iPad and iPod touch took most of us by surprise, but the fact that over-demand crashed the JailbreakMe.com servers didn't. Now they're back up, but if you managed to run your device through the jailbreaking process early yesterday then you might find a few issues remaining: namely, problems with FaceTime video calling and MMS messaging.
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JailbreakMe site hacks iOS on iPhone, iPad & iPod touch
Jailbreaking your iOS device may be officially permitted under the DMCA, but that presumes there's a jailbreak out there to run. Happily, anyone with an iOS 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 4.0, 4.0.1 or iPad 3.2.1 device now has a super-straightforward way to jailbreak, thanks to comex's new JailBreakMe site.
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DIY wearable computer uses Beagleboard & wireless keyboard
Perhaps it makes us unbearably geeky, but we do have more than a soft spot for wearable computers. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for what little sartorial dignity we have left these days) manufacturers are proving more reluctant to put out suitable products, and that leaves the niche clear for DIYers. Martin Magnusson pointed us in the direction of his own project, taking a Myvu Crystal eyepiece and hooking it up to a Beagleboard fanless computer and four AA batteries.
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Apple: despite DMCA, jailbreaking will void your warranty
After yesterday's landmark DMCA ruling, all eyes were on Apple to see how the company would respond now that jailbreaking and unlocking devices is explicitly legal. Unsurprisingly, they're not throwing open the doors and welcoming in the iPhone Dev Team with open arms; in a statement to Cult of Mac, an unnamed Apple PR person reiterated that the Cupertino company recommends users do not jailbreak their iPhone or iPod touch, and that doing so will violate their warranty.
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Sprint Palm Pixi gets WiFi transplant from Pre Plus [Video]
The absence of WiFi from Sprint's Palm Pixi was all the more galling when Verizon's version, the Pixi Plus, went on sale with its extra shot of wireless. One owner, PreCentral forum member gitit20, decided that the original Pixi was ripe for a shot of DIY modding, and so he's transplanted the wireless card from a Verizon Palm Pre Plus into his Pixi and got the whole thing running.
Video demo after the cut
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Verizon DROID X gets rooted
It's only just been on sale for a week - and has spent the past few days out of stock - but already the Motorola DROID X has been rooted. The handiwork of Droid X Forums, the root looks to be a relatively straightforward twelve-step process; the bootloader is still locked down, however, and Motorola certainly hasn't made it easy to install third-party ROMs.
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