Using two Linksys routers, he rammed the MacBook's parts, along with the iSight camera and microphone in the joined-up cases, loaded Leopard and after slaving over it in the workshop for a few weeks, he was able to connect it to his monitor successfully.

Sure does beat having several broken routers in the attic like I do. [Phantomdev via Gearfuse]

The guts of the machine are a 400MHz processor, 32MB RAM, and 8MB flash memory, plus two external antennas for wider coverage. You can also stream media from USB drives through the USB port to UPnP devices. It's 802.11n compliant, of course, and will retail for $120.

Main point? That it's Linux-based, so people can shove apps on there like BitTorrent downloaders and whatever else you can find that runs on Linux. [Linksys]

Besides HP killing their Smart TVs and Connect Media receivers, Linksys's DMA2100 and DMA2100 are listed as "discontinued" at B&H, Niveus Media's Media Center Extender is delisted points out Engadget, along with Samsung's MediaLive Digital Media Adapter. Only Netgear's Digital Entertainer Elite appears to be holding strong.

Any company who proclaimed to be in the home entertainment or networking biz had one, and now they're all silently shrouding them in death ShamWows. To quote the Joker, "What happened?" Well, to start, they mostly sucked, really, really hard. HP's most recent box required a PC running in order to rent movies so it could authenticate your CinemaNow account. And just try scrolling through your catalog of 13,000 songs, on any of these things. We'll see you in 2020.

Even when they are decent, they perform almost the exact same function as an Xbox 360 or PS3—which are also actual gaming systems for the same, or even less money. Not to mention Boxee on Apple TV or super-powered Blu-ray players packed with Netflix that also slurp up audio and video. What doesn't stream audio and video? Dedicated streaming boxes are one-legged men in a ruthless cyborg world: Destined for slaughter.

Difficult, expensive and redundant, they lived on borrowed time. And now they're dead.

Price: $1000 (as tested)

The Verdict: Despite having some great ideas, the WHA system lacks any semblance of reliable quality and performance. It felt rushed and unpolished, whether it was the cheap feel of the products—a collection of wireless players and a controller, all which you'd buy a la carte to suit your household needs—or the glitchiness of system software. When it was working, the ability to push and share content from one zone to another, connect to internet music services and connect your own devices directly were all very nice. But getting there was a headache, and the system was unreliable—to say the least—even when running.

While it is nice that the Linksys 802.11n streaming means you don't need every component tethered via Ethernet—or, as in Sonos' case, a whole separate wireless network dedicated to music and music only—it also increases the complexity of setup tenfold. Each component must be plugged into the router via Ethernet (or in the case of the Remote, your PC's USB), and you have to use Windows software to detect and configure each and every device in a multi-step wizard. In the case of the Director, a screen-equipped WHA music player, I tried to connect to the network without the PC, and it did work, but when I entered my network password incorrectly once, the only way to backtrack and reenter the password was to reboot the system.

Also, in a separate test we ran using a Time Capsule as the main wireless router, we had too many troubles to list. We're still unclear whether or not it was a problem with the Apple router or a faulty component from Linksys, but either way, if you use non-Linksys routers, be forewarned you may experience added difficulty.

Once I actually got the system working, it wasn't long before a torrent of random problems started to kick in. Plugging a FAT32-formatted HDD into the Director's USB port would cause the system to freeze. Rhapsody would sputter and spew after a few minutes before ultimately dropping the connection. The response between the remote and the device in question would lag. Despite selecting a playlist from my iPod, only one track at a time would play. Sometimes the Director iPod wouldn't detect the iPod at all.

The touchscreen remote actually performed admirably, but its use of a cheaply built resistive touchpanel for a finger UI meant that it wasn't very responsive. (Calibration did help, but it was still annoying.) Essentially, you spend more time worrying about WHA breaking down than you do enjoying your music.

Despite being the most versatile streaming audio player we've seen to date, the lack of quality control really makes the Cisco Linksys Wireless Home Audio system a product line to avoid. (Note: To ensure that our negative result wasn't a fluke, we tested two separate sets of brand-new Linksys components in two distinct households, and we experienced severe problems in both instances.) For roughly the same price you can pick up Sonos' two comparable Zone Players and an 8-gig iPod touch to run Sonos free software, giving you a much more polished, easier to use package. [WHA on Giz]

Home Network Defender previously existed as an application for PCs that more or less did the same thing. But now that it's installed on the router, any PC connected to the network will be protected. It's not so much software to detect and clean viruses, since that would cause a certain amount of router lag, but instead a way to filter out dangerous sites before they reach your computer (they have, however, hinted at more advanced network monitoring coming in the future).

The software will basically deny access to any site it deems unsafe based on a set of predetermined criteria and constantly talks to Trend Micro's server to determine how secure a site is. But you can adjust the sensitivity level of the filter and/or filter out specific sites as you see fit. And if there's a site deemed unsafe you think shouldn't be, you can notify Linksys for consideration.

Home Network Defender will first be available preloaded on new Linksys WRT310N and WRT610N routers, and also available as an upgrade for those who already own these same models. Pricing runs at $60/year (with a special $10 discount for the first 60 days) for the service and includes 4 free copies of Trend Micro's AntiVirus software, which will keep Windows machines disease-free.

Cisco and Trend Micro Help to Revolutionize Home Internet Security

Home Network Defender includes parental controls, virus protection and network activity reporting that help ensure home network security

February 17, 2009 — Cisco® and Trend Micro have teamed up to help keep families safe by integrating Trend Micro's Internet security software into Linksys by Cisco wireless routers. This multi-layered security offering helps provide network protection for family PCs and other home-network devices, such as online game consoles, Wi-Fi enabled phones, and personal media players. This collaboration has led to the introduction of Home Network Defender, an Internet security service that features Safe Web Surfing capabilities, parental controls, and user-activity reporting embedded on select Linksys by Cisco wireless-N home routers. Home Network Defender helps to detect and eradicate Web threats such as online fraud, scams, phishing schemes, predators and viruses before they enter the home network.

Facts/Highlights:

With tools to identify malicious Web sites and content at the router level, Home Network Defender redefines online freedom and security for the entire family, helping parents to manage individual network activity from both within and outside the home. Features of Home Network Defender include:

*Safe Web Surfing – Helps protect against Web threats by evaluating security risk in real-time and blocks sites and links identified as malicious. By choosing one of three security level settings, Home Network Defender helps users reduce online phishing scams that try to steal credit card or bank account numbers. Continuous updates identify the latest risky Web sites—and even legitimate ones that contain threats. This is especially effective for game consoles with Internet browsers that on their own may have weak Internet security.

*Parental Controls –Help family members view appropriate Web site content based on the customized rules set by the parent, and can even restrict access at specific times. Unlike other products with some of these features, Home Network Defender acts at the router level, outsmarting even the most tech-savvy kids from altering controls on their PCs while helping to protect Internet users from inadvertently visiting compromising sites or revealing personal information to predators who operate over the Web.

* Network Activity Reports – Allow parents or network administrators to monitor network devices and activities, prompting instant detection and prevention of intruding devices on the home or small-business network, as well as reports of parental control violations by users. Administrators can view their network reports from anywhere in the world with their unique password.

*Antivirus- Includes four licenses of Trend Micro™ AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware to complement the Internet security protection on the routers, providing a true multi-layer protection solution.

*Less complex to use-With Internet security software housed directly on the router, there is no need to install it separately on each PC. Linksys Easy Link Advisor (LELA) application assists in setup of parental controls on a device by simply clicking on graphical icon of the device and providing the desired settings.

Supporting Quotes

"Our leading Internet security software paired with top-of-the-line Linksys by Cisco routers delivers a powerful solution for home network security," said Carol Carpenter, vice president of global marketing for Trend Micro's consumer business unit. "We are pleased to be able to offer smart and effective Internet protection for the home so that families can receive the strongest real-time protection against the latest Internet threats while enjoying online activities to the fullest."

"Home Network Defender helps provide revolutionary, not evolutionary, protection from Internet threats before they reach the home while increasing awareness for parents of the activities specific to each family member. This product helps protect not only PCs but any connected device and is a must for anyone concerned with Internet safety for their family," said Greg Memo, Vice President and General Manager, Products, Cisco Consumer Business Group.

Market Watch

*The growth of Web threats has increased by nearly 2000 percent since 2005, 50 percent of which were downloaded by users surfing unknown or malicious Web sites. (Trend Micro Threat Research, 2009)

*34 percent of teens said they experienced unwanted exposure to pornography while online, 40 percent of which came from online searches, 17 percent from links within other Web sites, 12 percent from mistyping Web addresses. (Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell 2006)

*79 percent of teens say they use the Internet with little parental supervision. (Childnet International, 2007)

Pricing and Availability

The Home Network Defender is a software service that is housed on select Linksys by Cisco wireless-N routers and helps provide Internet security management and protection on IP-enabled devices on a home network. MSRP will be US$59.99 for the yearly service with a 30-day complimentary trial. For the next 60 days, there will be a special price of US$49.99. Existing Linksys by Cisco router users can also take advantage of this offer and update their firmware currently by going to:

http://www.linksysbycisco.com/LinksysByCisco/en/promo/Home-Network-Defender

Home Network Defender will be available for select N routers and is embedded in new WRT310N and WRT610N Linksys by Cisco routers, with a 30-day complimentary trial. This price and the router model availability are specific to North America.

The Skinny: The Media Hub NAS drive is built on top of a custom linux platform that works with Mac or PC, complete with automated backups, remote access, and specific functionality, such as iTunes Server. Simillar to theHP MediaSmart Server, it presents music, photos and video in a browser based UI, that can be accessed over both local and remote connections. That means you can stream all your media from your web browser without any additional apps. It also plays nice with Linksys' new Wireless Home Audio system.

The Linksys Media Hub comes in three configurations—the 500 GB NAS without a navigation LCD screen will cost $350. The 500 GB NAS with an LCD screen will cost $400, and the 1 TB NAS with an LCD screen will cost $430.

Wilson got a chance to check it out, and here are his shots and basic impressions:

Setup was easy, provided you have a Windows PC. Even gaining remote access to files over the web required nothing more than a quick sign-up on Cisco's server website. While you can't configure it on a Mac, you can access it via Bonjour or DLNA, so moving files is reliable and fast.

The Media Hub web interface controls the system, and comes in two flavors, a full featured one you can only access locally, and a more content-oriented one you can reach anywhere. The interface has its own media player, so you can queue up music and play away, right there. You can also play movies and photo slideshows if you run IE on a PC. If you're running Firefox or any other browser, you can get at your videos and photos, but you tend to have to download them to view them. The same goes for AAC audio, which can be played back via your browser, but currently can't play from the hub media player.

Remote interface:

Dumping files directly from a memory card or USB stick was a cool feature—it auto detects, then it's just a simple matter of clicking OK. I did have trouble with an 8GB SDHC card from SanDisk, but Linksys tells me that shouldn't be the case generally, that SDHC is supported, so I assume it's just a temporary bug.

In all, the system does a fair amount—solid backup, good media accessibility. The biggest differentiator might be the direct access to the drive from the card slots and USB. Linksys promises future features like Time Machine backup and better media handling, but for now, it's a solid product for the PC world.

Cisco Simplifies Digital Media Access for Consumers

Linksys by Cisco Media Hub helps consumers enjoy all of their digital photos,
music and video anytime, anywhere

Las Vegas – January 7, 2009 – Cisco® today announced the Linksys by Cisco Media Hub at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Designed to simplify access to and interaction with digital content, the Media Hub gathers, organizes, and presents all the digital video, photos and music that users have spread amongst various devices in the home. With a Media Hub consumers can enjoy all of their media through an easy to use interface that is not only accessible in the home, but throughout the world via a web browser. The Media Hub is the perfect solution for consumers with extensive digital media libraries who are looking to eliminate the complexity of managing their collections.

Facts/Highlights:
Centralized Access to Digital Photos, Music and Videos
Sharing media on multiple devices within the home is easy with the Media Hub’s media and iTunes server capabilities. The Media Hub automatically searches the network for other media devices to present all available digital media to the user in a single location.
Easy Graphical User Interface
Content accessible to the Media Hub is presented in a browser-based, simple to navigate user interface. Music albums are consolidated and presented together with the appropriate Album Art, regardless of where the tracks reside within the network, eliminating the need to know which device music is stored on. Photos and videos are presented using thumbnail images that are easily organized by date or name. All available media, regardless of type, can be located by using the available search function.
Simple Remote Access 
Remote Access can be enabled on the Media Hub with just a few clicks of a button. Users are not required to install any special software or change their network configuration. The Media Hub takes care of everything with the exception of choosing its Remote Access name. Whether accessing the Media Hub on a PC at home, or through a web browser anywhere in the world via www.ciscomediahub.com, consumers are presented with the same easy to navigate user interface that enables them to access their digital media and upload or download files from a remote location.
Backup
Automated backup software is included with the Media Hub to help ensure that even the most treasured memories and digital libraries are protected. Folders on a computer within the network that contain Digital Media can be set to automatically copy any new files to the Media Hub for added piece of mind.

Consumer Friendly Design
The product's sleek design makes it possible to place the Media Hub virtually anywhere in the home and with its near silent operation it will not disturb daily life. With two drive bays and external USB ports consumers can easily expand their Media Hub if and when their Digital Media storage needs grow.

Configurations and availability:
In the US, the products are available now from authorized Linksys by Cisco retailers, resellers, and VAR partners. Cisco anticipates availability in Canada, UK, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands during the first quarter of 2009.

The Media Hub comes in both the NMH300 Series and the NMH400 Series. The NMH300 series is a cost-effective solution that offers all of the core features of the Media Hub, and is designed to be used primarily with a PC or Mac to interface with the device. On the NMH400 Series, an LCD screen that displays information such as available space, drive usage by type of media, and network status teams with a 6-in-1 card reader to enable the simple transfer of new media and entertainment onto the Media Hub without the need for a computer. Firmware upgrades and instant backups can also be initiated via navigating the LCD.

The following configurations of the LinksysMedia Hub will be available from launch:
NMH305 – Linksys by Cisco Media Hub (500GB hard drive) MSRP: $299.99/ €299.99

NMH405 – Linksys by Cisco Media Hub with LCD and 6-in-1 card reader (500GB hard drive) MSRP: $349.99/ €349.99

NMH410 – Linksys by Cisco Media Hub with LCD and 6-in-1 card reader (1TB hard drive) MSRP: $429.99/ €429.99

The Wireless Home Audio system comes in a variety of form factors, including standalone CD players with touch panels, hubs that connect to your home theater system, iPod docks and systems with detached speakers. They all have the ability to interface with one another, play music simultaneously according to designated zones, and since they're all DLNA 1.5 compliant, they can pull music from the same digital libraries and connected devices. The components also play nicely with the new Linksys Media Hub NAS.

• The Conductor (DMC350) is an all in one player that has it's own speakers, a seven-inch touchscreen for navigating digital libraries and a CD player.
Price: TBD

• The Director (DMC250) is a stand alone receiver with a 100 watt amplifier that has RCA and Speaker out to connect to your existing sound system. Price: $450

•The Player (DMP100)is intended to be plugged into an existing home theater system, merely relaying digital audio via RCA cables to your sound system. Price: $300

• The Controller (DMWR1000) is similar in function to Sonos' controller but this unit works over Wireless-N, has touchscreen functionality, as well as a D-pad. This is how you would navigate your media library with The Player connected to your stereo. There's even chatter of possibly offering an iPhone controller app down the road. Price: $350

• There are also a smattering of accessories such as speakers ($150), an iPod dock ($80), and a basic IR remote ($30). When the iPod dock is plugged in, any of the other devices can access the content on the iPod, as long as a wi-fi connection is present.

As far as bundles go, there will be three bundles offered—the Premier Kit, the Trio Kit and the Executive Kit. The Premier includes 1 Player, 1 Director, 1 Controller and 2 IR remotes for $1000. The Trio includes 2 Players, 1 Controller and 2 IR remotes for $850. The Executive includes 1 Director, speakers and an IR remote for $550. The entire Wireless Home Audio system, except the Conductor, should be available immediately. The Conductor is slated for a Q1 release.

Cisco Multi-Room Home Audio Solution Enhances and Extends
the Listening Experience for Consumers

Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio makes it easy to play music
from a variety of sources wirelessly throughout the home

Las Vegas – January 7, 2009 – Cisco® today announced the Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio system at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. From the world leaders in networking, the Wireless Home Audio system utilizes Wireless-N technology to deliver a rich audio experience to any room in the home. Users can create a party atmosphere with immaculate synchronization when listening to the same song throughout the entire home, or send different music to customized “zones”. The Wireless Home Audio solution also puts millions of songs at your fingertips through integrated Internet services such as Rhapsody, AudioLounge, and RadioTime. An optional Docking Station for iPod enables your content on Apple iPods™, including Podcasts, Audio Books, and purchased iTunes content, to be played through any Wireless Home Audio device on the network. Wireless Home Audio products also work great with the newly announced Linksys by Cisco Media Hub that gathers and presents the available media on a network.

Facts/Highlights:

Complete Solution
The Wireless Home Audio product family includes three available options for playback devices that allow consumers to bring wireless audio to any room – the all-in-one Conductor, the Director with powerful amplifier and the Player which is the ideal addition to existing sound systems. A Wireless-N Controller enhances the Wireless Home Audio experience by providing touchscreen access to all available audio from anywhere in the home. Consumers can easily unleash audio from their iPods by simply slipping it into the available Docking Station for instant access to all of the songs, playlists, and other audio content on the device. In addition, with millions of songs available from Rhapsody in the US and AudioLounge in Europe, Wireless Home Audio users can search for tracks, discover new artists, and create playlists to be sent to any room. A “Favorites” function gives one-touch access to any content from any source.

Great Audio Quality, Precise Synchronization
Cisco, the world’s leader in networking technology has applied its years of knowledge and expertise to develop an amazing lossless digital audio delivery solution that preserves the full depth and richness of the recording, as originally intended by the artist. Through distributed decoding technology, each Wireless Home Audio device receives unmodified audio source material without any trans-coding or compression. The audio is then reproduced and synchronized to within microseconds, virtually eliminating echo artefacts so often evident in other wireless audio systems.
Wireless Simplicity
With Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio, music can be unleashed from existing digital libraries that are stored on a PC or other device, integrated Internet services, or even an iPod, with no need to run new wires around the home, or undergoing complex home renovation to install the devices. As a complete wireless solution, Wireless Home Audio products enable consumers to fully equip their homes with a world of music that is at their fingertips.
Standards-Based Compatibility 
Following Cisco’s standards-based approach to networking, the Wireless Home Audio products utilize Wireless-N technology to provide greater value to the consumer by allowing each device to achieve its full potential as an extension of the solution rather than requiring that one of the devices be hard-wired to a router. Wireless Home Audio products have been built to utilize the DLNA 1.5 standard, extending the value of the solution by making it accessible to and from a broad variety of devices. The products are compatible with standards such as HomePlug, Wireless-G, and Ethernet to allow consumers to choose the mix of networking technologies that is right for them.

Products

Conductor DMC350 Wireless-N Digital Music Center
The Conductor is a complete, portable, self-contained wireless music system with integrated speakers that can be used to bring music to any room of the home. All it needs is a power outlet. It features a seven inch LCD touch screen for easy navigation through your music library and an integrated CD player to play those songs that you have not digitized yet. An individual IR Remote is included.

Director DMC250 Wireless-N Music Player with Integrated Amplifier
Features a 50-watt per channel integrated amplifier powerful enough to be placed in any room as a more permanent solution to access digital music, and includes a line in and out to connect to speakers. Its full color LCD display makes navigating through your music library simple. An individual IR Remote is included.

Player DMP100 Wireless-N Music Extender
Allows you to access digital music from existing stereo or surround sound systems in the home. Its compact design allows it to blend well with any décor making it an ideal option to extend music to any room in the home utilizing your existing audio equipment. An individual IR Remote is included.

Stereo Speaker Kit DSPK50 
designed to compliment the Director - Wireless-N Music Player. Pair them to create a complete, high-quality wireless sound system and experience your digital music all around your home, at your control.

Controller DMWR1000 Wireless-N Touchscreen Remote
Designed to control the complete Wireless Home Audio system wirelessly. It features a large, color touchscreen, thumbwheel, and engaging interface designed to let you easily control any one or every one of your Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio devices, including a docked iPod, from anywhere in your home, even when they’re out of sight.

Docking Station for iPod MCCI40
Allows consumers to extend their available Wireless Home Audio library to include all of the content on their iPod, including Podcasts, Audio Books, and purchased iTunes content.

IR Remote DMRIR500
Comes standard with the Conductor, Director, and Player. Its simple button layout and slim form factor allows you to easily control your audio devices when you do not have a Controller nearby.

To simplify the purchasing process, three Wireless Home Audio kits are available:

Premier Kit:
A two-room starter kit that includes Director and IR Remote, Player and IR Remote, and Wireless-N Controller.

Trio Kit:
A kit for consumers looking to add the power Wireless Home Audio to their existing audio systems, the Trio Kit includes 2 Players, 2 IR Remotes, and a Wireless-N Controller.

Executive Kit:
An easy way to add a Wireless Home Audio capabilities to any room, the Executive Kit includes a Director, IR Remote and matching speakers.

Supporting Quotes:

Greg Memo, vice president and general manager, products, Cisco Consumer Business Group.
“After years of research and testing, we are answering the consumer’s call for a wireless home audio system that seamlessly consolidates music content from all of their sources into one solution with incredible audio quality. By both expanding the amount of accessible music and simplifying the experience, we have developed a family of products that work together to greatly enhance the experience of enjoying digital music throughout the home.”

Mike Wolf, director, Digital Home, ABI Research
“We believe that today’s home usage paradigm for digital music will transition from being PC-centric to one that is networked and accessible throughout the home. Cisco’s products allow consumers to enjoy their digital music collections over the network and point to where we believe this market is going.”

Worldwide Market Trends:
In a recent IDC survey, 46% of home network owners and 27% of non home network owners were interested in streaming music from their computer or the Internet to their stereo. (IDC, June 2008)

ABI forecasts total worldwide networked audio shipments will grow from 6.4 million to 38 million with a CAGR of 68%.  (ABI, 2007)

Nearly a fourth — 22% — of US households have at least one iPod. That’s nearly 25 million households that currently have an iPod. Thirty percent of them have more than one iPod. (Forrester 2008)

Pricing and availability:
The Wireless Home Audio products are available in the United States from authorized Linksys by Cisco retailers, authorized resellers, and VAR partners. Cisco anticipates availability in stores in Denmark and The Netherlands during the first quarter of 2009. The Conductor will be available in the first quarter of 2009.

Estimated street prices are as follows:

Premier Kit - $999.99/ €999.99
Trio Kit - $849.99/ €849.99
Executive Kit - $549.99/ €549.99
Conductor – Pricing available at launch
Director - $449.99/ €449.99
Player - $299.99/ €299.99
Stereo Speaker Kit - $149.99/ €149.99
Controller - $349.99/ €349.99
iPod Dock - $79.99/ €79.99
IR Remote - $29.99/ €29.99

Cameras

• JVC GR-D850 MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom for $129.99 (originally $229.99 - valid until 11/12). - Whoops, already Wooted out. Sorry.

• Canon PowerShot SX10 IS 10 MP Digital Camera (with free 8GB memory & case kit) for $331 plus free shipping (originally $399.99 - valid until 11/30. Use coupon code CAMERA118 for $8 off).

Computing Accessories (Cables, Peripherals, Routers, etc.)

• Linksys WPSM54G-RM 802.11g Wireless Print Server for $39.99 (originally $84.99).

• Canon PIXMA MP190 InkJet All-In-One Color Printer for $57.99 plus free shipping (originally $84.99).

• Brother MFC Series MFC-7440N All-In-One Printer for $180 shipped (originally $239.99 - valid until 11/17. Use coupon code EMCBBBBAK for $20 off).

• Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router for $33.24 plus free shipping (originally $59.99).

• DVI to HDMI 6-ft Gold Plated Cable for $7 plus free shipping (originally $15.99).

Computer Parts & Monitors

• Seagate 400GB IDE Hard Drive for $54 (originally $110).

• Acer Ferrari F-20 Black-Red 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $129.99 plus free shipping (originally $399.99).

Flash Memory

• PQI SDHC 16GB SD Card (Class 6) for $27.99 (originally $89.99).

• A-Data PD9 My Flash 8GB USB Flash Drive for $16 plus free shipping (originally $69.65).

• A-Data 8GB Speedy CompactFlash for $20 (originally $69.99 - valid until 11/13. Use coupon code MEW15P for 15% off).

Home Entertainment

• Scott 37" Widescreen LCD HDTV for $425 (originally $1,183.99).

• Sony 1080p BDP-S350 Blu-ray Disc Player for $199.99 (originally $299.99).

MIDs

• Sony Mylo internet device for $199.99 (originally $299.99)

.

Stocking Stuffers

• Family Guy - The Complete Collection DVD Set for $59.99 plus free shipping (originally $169.98).

Hanging out at sites like Giz may have instilled in you an insatiable, pocket-emptying gadget habit. But now we're entering a new era—the old guys on the TV are saying that soon we may not even have pockets, let alone money for them. Don't panic though: You've probably got a wealth of gadgetry sitting underutilized in your living rooms, closets and basements, just waiting to be given powerful new (not exactly authorized) features. For free.

I've collected the best firmware replacements, software mods and homebrew hacks from the DMCA-flouting, EULA-hating frontiers of gadgetland that'll breathe new life into your stable of hardware and maybe—just maybe—let you feel that lusty new-gadget rush again.

Turn Your Xbox, Old PC or Apple TV into a Genuine Media Center

Xbox Media Center is about as refined as an unauthorized hack can get, playing back virtually any audio and video format, running a bevy of console emulators and still playing your Xbox games. To be honest, this should almost be viewed as a natural update for every Xbox, which at its core is a slow but functional PC with an easy TV connection. (Any actual PCs you have lying around can run a PC-ported version of XBMC.)

Boxee is a very slick fork of the XBMC project for Mac, and it's available for Apple TV. As shipped, the Apple TV works fine within the closed iTunes ecosystem, but Boxee's support for virtually every video codec and free online video like YouTube, CNN, BBC, and Revision3 will suit your new, more destitute lifestyle a bit better.

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Installation is pretty straightforward in most cases, with simple Boxee and XBMC setup programs available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Before you load XBMC, though, you have to mod your Xbox with one of these methods, many of which require a specific game. After that it's all install wizards and lollipops.

Installing anything on the locked-down Apple TV used to take some serious finagling, but there are now tools that will create an automated Boxee installer on a flash drive. Just plug the drive in, restart and you're good to go.

XBMC Online Manual

Boxee

Make Over Your iPod, Archos, iRiver or Sandisk with Rockbox

It's hard to look at the current generation of media players and not admire their diverse capabilities and extensible software platforms. That's not to say that your 5th-gen iPod doesn't play back music perfectly well, or that your iRiver H10 still isn't a kickass media player, but they do feel a bit dated. Rockbox replaces your MP3 player's operating system with something more substantial, effectively making it a completely new device. You get endless codec support, advanced audio options, dozens of games, useful apps like a calculator and a text editor, plus you can choose from tons of different interface skins for a unique look and feel. Rockbox's tweaking possibilities mean you will earn admiring "what is that?" questions from friends, and it won't cost you a thing. If your player isn't supported yet just hold on—everything from the Zen Vision:M to the Toshiba Gigabeat S has a fairly active dev team.

Difficulty: Easy. Rockbox has an automated tool called the Rockbox Utility available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It does the work for you. Even better, it often automatically configures your player to dual boot with its original OS.

Rockbox Official Site

Convert Your PC or Notebook Into A Much More Expensive Mac

It's undeniable that Macs are too expensive. For many, they are considered a luxury item whose added cost doesn't justify the benefit. Luckily Apple's switch to an Intel platform opened up a world of unauthorized OS X installations which can turn your existing PC into a powerhouse Mac Pro workstation, or morph your MSI Wind or Asus EeePC into the Mac netbook that should be in their goddamn product line anyway. Check the hardware compatibility list to see if your PC is eligible for the upgrade.

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard. If you're not morally opposed to downloading iATKOS and Kalyway, which are pre-patched Leopard install DVDs (this is bit torrent territory), then the process is much like installing any other OS. If you insist on building your own patched install from a DVD you own, then, well, good luck. Always check hardware lists first, though, because driver support is everything.

OSX86 Project Page

Flash Your Crappy Router Into a Top-Line Piece of Hardware

The DD-WRT project exists for a simple reason: Most routers are physically very similar, but are priced differently because of functionality derived from software. The DD-WRT firmware unlocks the potential of the most basic routers out there—too many to name but damn if yours isn't on the list. As it turns out, your budget model is kind of impressive: Program-specific traffic throttling, professional level wireless security and radical signal boosting are just a few of the dozens of new features that can be enabled.

Difficulty: Easy. If you can't manage this one, then you don't deserve a router—installation just takes a few clicks on the device's default configuration pages. A word of caution, though: Make sure your router configuration page is totally compatible with your browser before the operation, as some choke on Firefox and can botch firmware upgrades. Stick to IE if you have the choice.

DD-WRT Project Page

Download Updated Maps For Your Old GPS

I'm referring of course to capital 'D' downloading here, mainly because at the moment GPS map updates are a racket. You could spend hundreds of dollars on map data that is freely available on Google Maps, Microsoft Live and MapQuest, among others, or you can just, you know, not. Map packs for Garmin, TomTom and Magellan units are floating around torrent sites and usually don't require much more than a simple CD image mount and run routine to set up. (Guilty conscience sold separately.)

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. If you're just running a copy of a CD, then you'll be able to use the installation wizards. Some more involved methods for Windows CE-based devices require some SSH file transfers, but these are relatively rare.

Jailbreak Your iPhone for Wi-Fi Internet Tethering

Two internet plans are enough, but to sign on to a mobile internet contract when you've already got unlimited iPhone data feels kind of stupid. Jailbreaking your iPhone is now about as easy as performing a firmware upgrade, and there are actually multiple tethering apps. PDANet and iPhoneModem both work a treat, but keep in mind that excessive usage could draw AT&T's attention and ire: Tethering is not allowed on the data plan, even though it works fine. Both apps are available in Cydia, where you can also find a limited assortment of other apps that don't have a place in the app store.

Difficulty: Moderate. Jailbreaking can be managed through the Dev Team's fantastic Quickpwn tool, but it does take a few minutes and can go wrong if instructions aren't followed closely. After jailbreak, Cydia and Installer fill the role of the gray-market app store, functioning as simple package managers that are arguably as polished as their more legitimate younger brother.

PDANet and iPhoneModem take different approaches to tethering, but neither requires more networking expertise than it would take to, say, set up a router.

iPhone Jailbreak

PDANet

iPhoneModem

Turn Your Wii Into a Free Emulation Machine

It's more than a little infuriating to have to repurchase your childhood library of console games from the Virtual Console, especially when free PC emulators and accompanying ROMs abound on the old intertubes. All you need is a copy of Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, an SD card and an SD reader and you're ready to install A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, which is pretty much all anyone has ever really needed since this whole "Video Gaming Television Machine" thing got under way in the first place. Throw in extended media playback and some helpful widgets for an extra value-add.

Difficulty: Moderate. This is one of the only hacks here that needs additional hardware to work, even if it's basic. The good news is that once you find a copy of Zelda and load up your SD card, the process pretty much takes care of itself. Further app installs are taken care of through a intuitive dedicated channel.

WiiBrew WIki

A great resource for similar projects is our industrious sister site Lifehacker, where you can find a veritable treasure trove of tutorials and tricks. Have you postponed any gadget purchases until you're sure your bank is solvent? Have any other budget hardware resurrection techniques that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

The Price: $199 MSRP, but Amazon lists it for $149 for some reason.

The Verdict: Great. Even though the outside shell has changed from the traditional utilitarian Linksys blue and charcoal to a shiny dust-magnet black, the innards still carry on their workmanlike quality. We placed it on the second floor of our three floor house and it was able to cover every room, including through the walls to all the bathrooms. File transfers were speedy and comparable to the Apple Gigabit Airport Extreme we've been using for a while. The on-router configuration website is typical Linksys, but it also comes with their slightly newer EasyLink Advisor configuration application that helps you set up your network if you're not used to diddling with this stuff.

The upside is that if you have both N and G devices co-existing on your network now, this is a good solution to not slow down the N devices. Plus, one N device doesn't slow down another N device if they're using different frequencies. You also get a USB port for easy network storage sharing. Its Darth Vader glossy black is pretty much the polar opposite of Apple's Luke-white Airport Extreme. Since the prices are so close and the feature set is almost the same (Apple's $179 vs. this one's $149/$199), it's really up to you which style you want. [Amazon]

Here's Mani getting the name right and explaining some details.

Update: Here are a few more technical details on how this WRT610N differs from the recently released WRT600. The 610 has 3 dual-band antennas compared to the 600's six single-band ones. Also, 610 has enhanced QoS, Mac Setup, it's EnergyStar certified, and comes with the LELA 3.0 management utility. Plus, of course, it looks nicer.

The Price: $10 a month with 2-year contract provided you have a qualifying T-Mobile plan ($39.99 standard plan or $49.99 FamilyTime plan), plus $49 for the T-Mobile @Home HiPort Linksys Wireless Router. There's also a VTech cordless phone you can purchase from them for $59.99, or you can just use your own.

The Verdict: Fantastic. Over our Comcast cable internet connection, voice quality was super clear and the people we talked to all said it sounded like we were talking on a landline. Delay—what little of it there was—was on par with a regular landline.

Setup was easy, and you can use the Linksys router in place of your current one, or on your network behind your existing router. There are two SIM slots in it for two lines (only one is active by default), and contains E911 information. All in all, it's a very good alternative to getting a separate landline if you already have T-Mobile cellphone service, and at $10 it's next to free. The only downside is that it still doesn't work with fax, but their engineers are working on it. [T-Mobile]

• SIMs used for landlines can't—or rather shouldn't—be used in cellphones, since they may not work, and if they do work they will rack up a la carte charges.

• The reverse is also true: you can't use your cellphone SIM in an @Home router because it won't have the appropriate E911 information, and won't be configured correctly. (The second SIM slot and jack are for a second line, but not your cellphone as originally suspected.)

• People who have a landline just for their fax will be sad to hear, faxes are not compatible with the @Home landline service at this time. Engineers are working on it, but for now it's not an option.

• You need to be spending at least $40 per month to add on the $10-per-month landline replacement.

• One wonders what a DSL provider might think of this setup. If memory serves, some DSL providers require you to pay for landline service anyway, so check with your broadband provider before switching—you may even be able to strike a deal.

Stay tuned for the national rollout, and actual product tests, in the late spring or summer. [T-Mobile Hotspot @Home]

The Price: $299

The Performance: Fantastic. We were able to stream live 1080i over-the-air (OTA) HDTV with no glitches for the most part, and whatever glitches we did see were due to the fact that OTA reception in our area isn't great and we had a small antenna. But when we watched pre-recorded content in both 720p and 1080p, there were zero glitches or dropouts. We tested this both with the wired internet and the Wireless 802.11N network via Linksys's WRT600N Router, and it was super smooth even over Wi-Fi.

Its DVD playback was fine, and is convenient if you want to use this in a spare guest room or a bedroom to stream HDTV off off without hooking up HDTV connections or getting another DVR. The DVD is just a bonus. Also, this extender handles XviD files (but not DivX), meaning you can grab TV shows you missed off of BitTorrent and watch them as well, without having to transcode anything.

The Verdict: Did the extender do everything it promised to do and do it well? Definitely. Streaming perfect HD over 802.11n Wi-Fi isn't a small feat, and doing so when supporting XviD and DVD playback is impressive as well. But is it worth $299 when you can get an Xbox 360 that does pretty much the same thing for the same price? Yes, if you want 802.11n Wi-Fi streaming and XviD playback inside the Media Center interface. If not, then you're better off getting an Xbox 360 and getting gaming out of the deal as well.

Update: The 2200 looks like it's not shipping quite yet (1-2 weeks), but the 2100 is.

Update 2: Turns out the Linksys systems only support XviD and not DivX. [2100 via 2200]