Kobo sells a line of devices with E Ink displays that are designed for reading eBooks. But since Kobo eReaders have a USB port and Linux-based software, of course people have found ways to hack the devices for use in other ways. One recent example? Kobowriter is a free and open source tool that lets […]
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Yes you can play Doom on this Linux-powered desk phone
As long as there is someone asking whether or not a particular gadget will run Doom, there will be someone else who wants to prove that, yes, it will Doom. This week’s installment: an ordinary-looking office phone! It’s not truly an ordinary office phone — this is a CaptionCall, an accessible phone that features a […]
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Comments Off on DIY solar powered Game Boy Pocket never needs to be plugged in (if there’s sunlight)
DIY solar powered Game Boy Pocket never needs to be plugged in (if there’s sunlight)
Comments Off on DIY solar powered Game Boy Pocket never needs to be plugged in (if there’s sunlight)When the Game Boy Pocket was released in 1996, it was a smaller, lighter alternative to the original Game Boy with an improved (but still greyscale) display). But it still offered similar battery life (about 10 hours), while running on just two AAA batteries (rather than four AA batteries). But over the past few decades, […]
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Run Android 11 on Walmart’s cheap Android TV devices with LineageOS
Hackers recently figured out how to unlock the bootloader on Google’s $50 Chromecast with Google TV device, opening the door to replacing the default software with custom ROMs. But the Chromecast isn’t the only low-cost, 4K-ready media streamer around. Last year Dynalink launched an Android TV media streamer that sells for $50. And earlier this […]
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This handheld Linux terminal is made from discontinued classroom hardware
The Smart Response XE is a simple handheld device that was designed for use in classroom settings (teachers could send questions to students over a local wireless network and then collect responses). It was discontinued years ago, but hardware and software hackers have been picking up user devices on eBay and finding new uses for […]
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Lilbits: OnePlus caught cheating at benchmarks, Choetech caught cheating on product reviews
1 Comment on Lilbits: OnePlus caught cheating at benchmarks, Choetech caught cheating on product reviewsAmazon’s crackdown on pay-to-play reviews (where companies basically bribe customers to leave positive reviews) seems to be continuing. The latest company caught up is Choetech, maker of a range of devices including charging accessories and USB hubs. The company’s Amazon storefront is still accessible, but there are no products available for purchase. Meanwhile, smartphone maker […]
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Doom ported to run on an Ikea TRÅDFRI smart light bulb
When it was first released in 1993, Doom was designed for computers running MS-DOS software. But game developer id Software later released the source code, and Doom has been ported to run on all sorts of other platforms, including some very surprising devices. One of the latest, most impressive examples? You can run Doom on a […]
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Hackers add TV output to the Nintendo DS Lite using a hidden feature of the handheld game console
2 Comments on Hackers add TV output to the Nintendo DS Lite using a hidden feature of the handheld game consoleReleased in 2006, the Nintendo DS Lite is a handheld game console with two displays but no official support for sending video to a TV or external display. Unofficially though? A group of hackers have found a way to do just that. What’s interesting about the Nintendo DS-TV-Out Restoration Project from the folks at Lost […]
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DIY smartphone keyboard made from salvaged Psion 5 PDA parts
An official PinePhone keyboard accessory is on the way, and a handful of modern phones even have physical keyboards built-in. But some folks have been making their own DIY keyboard solutions for the PinePhone and other smartphones for a while. One hardware hacker decided to do that by pairing a bit of new tech with […]
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Lilbits: Is Google getting serious about privacy?
Google is a company that makes a vast amount of money from advertising. Apple makes its money by selling hardware, software, and services. So it makes sense that if one of these companies was going to take a stand against data tracking, it’d be Apple – the company has long used privacy as a selling […]