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Latest Video: Bleeding Edge TV 325: HP Envy 13 and Envy 15 notebook computersx

Get a look at the new HP Envy 13, Envy 15, and Envy 15 Beats Limited Edition notebooks in this episode!
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Warp Leopard’s spaces to the next level with Warp

Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software

Spaces WarpKent Sutherland, developer and brainchild behind the fine iChat add-on Chax just released his newest powertoy: Warp. Warp enhances ‘s Spaces (a virtual screen technology) by letting you glide between spaces with the flick of your mouse. Warp creates hot zones on the sides of your screen so sliding your mouse to the left of the screen switches to the space that is to the left of your current screen. Featuring options to enable the switch only with a hotkey if you want to avoid accidental activation, as well as options to automatically warp your mouse over to the other side of the screen (leaving it where it would naturally be if you had two real monitors rather than two virtual ones) Warp is already a polished software even now with it’s initial 1.0 release.

Warp is free, but donations are requested and well deserved.

Read More | Ksuther.com

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iPhone to get official 3rd party developer support in February

Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video, Software

iPhone SDK Announced

Apple announced today that starting in February they will be offering an SDK to allow developers to create applications for the and the iPod touch. The announcement comments that is being conscious of the need to protect the iPhone from viruses as well as to keep the platform stable, however opening up the multi-touch platform to developers will result in a new wave of revolutionary mobile applications. Although many in the hacking community have grumbled about the recent lockouts with the 1.1.1 version of the iPhone/iPod touch software this should appease them, as well as provide richly documented API’s to allow for easier development that will hopefully utilize the full potential of the platform. Why do we need to wait until February?

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task.

It would have been nice to have the SDK available from launch, but better late than never. Expect to see a flood of highly polished and engaging applications appearing on an iPhone near you sometime early next year.

Read More | Apple Hot News

Nintendo Alters Wii To Block Modchips

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii

WiikeyReports in Taiwan indicate that Nintendo may be altering the circuit board layout of the Wii to make mod chips more difficult to install. According to Digitimes, however, new modchips to deal with the changed layout may be less than a month away. While these changes probably won’t be difficult to work around, other mod chip installers believe that there are more complex methods available to Nintendo to block modifications for a longer period of time.

Read More | Digitimes

iFixit Mac and iPod Parts & Upgrades

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Mods / Hacks, Portable Audio / Video

The following is a ReviewMe Sponsored Post:

I am sure many of us have experienced the horror (or heartache, if you want to look at it that way) of a dropped, smashed, or otherwise broken gadget. The folks at iFixit aim to soften the blow somewhat, at least if your destroyed gadget is an iPod or Mac computer. They sell just about every part imaginable for almost all iPods that have ever been released, from the 1st generation model all the way up to the newest iPod 5th generation. In fact, the only iPod parts they don’t sell are for the second generation iPod shuffle. We expect that will change soon enough.

Click to continue reading iFixit Mac and iPod Parts & Upgrades


Xbox 360 Security Hole Revealed, Already Patched

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace

Xbox 360 The Bugtraq mailing list recently published the details of an unsigned code execution security hole on the Xbox 360. The timeline of the security hole would seem to make this vulnerability the same one demonstrated at last year’s 23C3 Hacker Congress, as seen in this excerpt:

Timeline:
Oct 31, 2006 - release of 4532 kernel, which is the first version
containing the bug
Nov 16, 2006 - proof of concept completed; unsigned code running in
hypervisor context
Nov 30, 2006 - release of 4548 kernel, bug still not fixed
Dec 15, 2006 - first attempt to contact vendor to report bug
Dec 30, 2006 - public demonstration
Jan 03, 2007 - vendor contact established, full details disclosed
Jan 09, 2007 - vendor releases patch
Feb 28, 2007 - full public release

The public demonstration date is key; that would be the same date of the anonymous Xbox 360 hacker video release. Further, the overview of the vulnerability claims:

We have discovered a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor that allows
privilege escalation into hypervisor mode. Together with a method to
inject data into non-privileged memory areas, this vulnerability allows
an attacker with physical access to an Xbox 360 to run arbitrary code
such as alternative operating systems with full privileges and full
hardware access.

According to the release, Microsoft has patched the vulnerability as of January 9th, but then Sony thought they had patched the Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories security hole as well. The existence of such a vulnerability indicates that the security of the Xbox 360 isn’t as bulletproof as Microsoft intended, and it would seem a mere matter of time before another exploitable hole is found to enable homebrew development on the system.

Read More | SecurityFocus via Xbox Scene


Internal Wavebird Mod For Wii

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii

Wavebird modOne of the mods for the Gamecube has resurfaced for the Wii. Gamers were originally able to internalize the receiver for the Wavebird controller on their Gamecubes to get the dongle out of site. With the sleek lines of the Wii, the wireless receiver can be even more of an eyesore. Now, the classic mod has been updated to work with the Wii, thanks to foobar2k at the MaxConsole forums. The mod does require the disassembly of the Wavebird receiver and some soldering, and of course will void your Wii warrantee; in fact, foobar2k managed to break the DVD drive cable on the Wii while trying this mod. Still, those with a little soldering skill and a lot of caution can internalize the wireless receiver while keeping the ability to use the first wired port as well.

Read More | MaxConsole Forums

Wii Modchips Materialize

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii

CyclowizA couple of modchips for the Nintendo Wii have surfaced on the web lately; the first would be the Wiinja chip, a bare chip mod. The second is a little more interesting, promising more in its featureset. Maxconsole reports that the CycloWiz mod solution for the Wii may be arriving as early as this week. The developers at Teamcyclops promise support for Wii backups, Gamecube Backups, and Gamecube homebrew games in an easy to install quicksolder package. The chip itself doesn’t seem to have a method to update it, and it doesn’t currently support Wii import gaming. Overall, though, the chip is an interesting start if hack does what it promises.

Read More | Maxconsole

The Industrial Wiibot

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Wii

It looks like someone has found yet another use for Nintendo’s Wiimote: controlling an industrial robot. A couple of engineers at USMechatronics put together a software control program that let them control a Kuka KR16 industrial robot. Unfortunately, time limitations didn’t let them implement a real-time control scheme, but what they came up with is still pretty cool. Using existing PC driver software for the Wiimote and some custom VB.Net code, USM built a simple pattern recognition engine that would let the robot play back pre-recorded movements based on their similarity to the motions that the user would attempt with the Wiimote. The video shows off some of the results, some with a tennis racket mounted, and others with a sword. Handing a weapon to an industrial robot might just be how the robot revolution begins, but given the fact that other projects at the company include robotic sentry guns, it would appear that the company has ample methods to defend itself.

Read More | USMechatronics

Xbox 360 Controller Tilt Mod

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360


Enterprising gamer Adam Thole hacked together a tilt sensor for the Xbox 360 controller. The modification essentially replaces the functionality of one of the analog sticks on the Xbox 360; this allows existing games to use the tilt functionality. Thole has also published a video of the controller in use. The functionality doesn’t look bad, and might give an idea of how such control might be integrated into games.

Read More | Adam Thole

PS2 Backups Booting On PS3

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3

Some enterprising gamer has figured out how to boot PS2 backups on the Playstation 3, assuming that one is willing to dismantle the PS3 and cut a hole in the top cover. Basically, the swap trick is an implementation of an existing hack used on the older Playstation 2 machines. The mod is interesting mainly because it shows off how deep the hardware compatibility for PS2 games goes, but if one really wanted to play back up Playstation 2 software, it probably makes a little more sense to pick up a cheap slimline PS2 and a Swap Magic disc rather than voiding the warrantee and risking the health of a $500 to $600 game console.

Read More | PS2 Scene

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