Gizmodo: Modding

NES Controller Mod, May Just be Most Fun Coffee Table Ever

Kit Eaton — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:40:53 EDT

Forget touchscreen, solar powered or even self-destructing coffee tables... Kyle Downes has modded the coffee table into its best version ever: a retro-tastic NES controller. Just look at the sleek lines, the high quality finish and classy glass top. And then giggle at the fact that it actually works. Don't believe it? Check out the video after the gallery.

Kyle spent months putting this together, starting with a scanned image of his original NES control. This he then simply scaled up, carefully crafting each piece out of MDF and hacking his own wiring onto a broken old controller board. The glass top was the final touch, to protect those giant buttons, and inside there's plenty of storage. I guess if you're up for some giant 8-bit game-controlling action you'd probably need someone else on hand.

So, it's not exactly the highest of tech, but, like all the best ideas, it's a simple one. And I love it. [UltraAwesome via Tech Digest]

Modded Violin adds Steampunk-esque Styling, One Extra String

Kit Eaton — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:22:00 EDT

Steampunk modding, love it or hate it, has caught on and led to everything from LCD monitors to Nerf rifles getting the treatment. And now we have this steampunk-ish modded violin, that's seriously cut-down and gutted, and packs in tubes and wires and faux valves. Plus one extra string.

Made by modder Molly "Porkshanks" Friedrich, it was built for Nathan Johnstone of the band Abney Park, and debuted at a performance at Maker Faire the other day.

Molly seems to have ignored the fact that violins get their sound quality from the vibrations of their classic shape and structure, so we've no idea what it sounds like, particularly as it sports an extra string. But it does at least have LEDs inside those fake "valves" that flash when in time to its music. All we need now is Vanessa Mae to play it, wearing a suitably matching outfit, don't you think guys? [MAKE via Slashgear]

$3,200 EeePC with 32GB Solid State Drive Now on eBay

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:10:00 EDT

Ah, the Asus Eee PC, the little computer that can be modded to do anything, from stealing all your money in an ATM to grabbing all your money on the internet. This one will snatch $3,200 from your account if you want to buy it on eBay, with all the mods except for the 3G card: a 32GB Patriot XT solid state drive (in addition to the included 8GB), a touchscreen and a bunch of other things, an Air Play card to transmit all your sound to any FM radio. Complete specs after the jump.

• 8gb solid state drive
• 32gb Patriot XT drive
• 2gb RAM
• Intel Wi-Fi A/B/G/N upgraded card
• 7" LCD with touchscreen
• Air Play installed so you can transmit all of your sound to an FM radio
• Custom copper heatsink installed because it's overclocked
• Bluetooth adapter
• 2 USB hubs so all the USB devices can hook up to the Eee PC
• web cam
• speakers
• microphone
• 3 USB ports
• one external VGA port so you can hook up an external monitor
• Windows XP Professional SP3 with all the drivers installed and tested
• Screen resolution is set a 1024x768 with the hacked Video Driver

All good, even if the motherboard now looks like the Millennium Falcon's guts. [eBay—Thanks Moe]

Crooks Rig ATM with Eee PC to Steal Credit Card Info

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:30:00 EDT

In yet another demonstration of the never-ending hacking possibilities of the ASUS Eee PC laptop, three criminals in Brazil rigged an ATM with the little low cost computer to grab credit card information and personal information numbers to clone cards. Smart, except that one of them was a total moron.

The three men were specialized in cloning credit cards at ATMs, always with the same method. As you can see in the video, the first opens one of the machines, then another one comes to help him with the installation of a black Eee PC. Then they always proceeded to disable the rest of the machines, so clients were forced to use the rigged ATM. All this while they were being recorded by bank security cameras, of course.

The bank manager noticed that the door was forced and all the ATMs were disabled except for one, so he checked the security video and discovered what happened the night before. He immediately alerted the police, who started to search among the usual suspects. It didn't last long: Idiotic Crook Number One went to a police station to denounce a car accident and the three of them—who had a previous criminal history for bank assault in other parts of the country—were aprehended shortly thereafter. [Globo TV—thanks Rafael]

NES Cartridge Modded into NES System. Space-Time Remains Intact

Kit Eaton — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:26:02 EDT

This has to be the most jaw-dropping NES mod ever ... putting a whole system-on-a-chip NES console clone into an original game cartridge. Talk about how to demonstrate the advances in shrinking electronics over the years! Modder Kotomi took an original Super Mario Brothers cartridge, gutted it and somehow squeezed in all the circuitry, chips, power switches, twin joystick ports and composite video and stereo audio sockets. And it even looks pretty neat. If I was wearing a hat, I'd tip it in Kotomi's direction. [Technabob]

NVIDIA Motorcycle Casemod is the Fastest Computer On Two Wheels, Kinda

Jack Loftus — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:59:51 EDT

There are roadwarriors with their ultraportables and then there's master modder Dennis Ilyin, who took computing on the go literally with this ambitious motorcycle casemod. While the two-wheeled computing wonder lacks an engine, it more than makes up for it with massive LED-lit water tanks and what's sure to be ample processing power. The compu-bike was part of an NVIDIA-sponsored modding contest and actually came in second to this green thing. Fair? Unfair? Take a look at additional pics after the jump and you tell us.

[TopMods, via TechnaBob]

The Conclusion: Creative Backs Down Against Driver Modder, Reinstates Posts

Jason Chen — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EDT

The story of Daniel_K vs. Creative reaches a temporary conclusion as Creative reinstates the deleted forum posts by Daniel that helped other users get their sound cards working under Vista. The company did this as a result of angry forum and blog posts (some here as well), mostly all siding with Daniel.

On the one hand, Daniel says "They publicly threatened me, just to show their arrogance. They were sarcastic, ironic and asked me if I wanted something from them, as if I were expecting something. It was my protest against them and would like to see how far it would go."

On the other hand, Creative does have a legal right to protect their software, and if they want to force users to upgrade in order to get proper functionality, it's their right to do so (even if it is somewhat of a dick move). Daniel himself admits that he crossed the line, both with asking for donations and this:

Reversing ALchemy was also wrong, I know. But I reiterate, what is the point of improving ALchemy and changing for it, when it requires an improved driver? It was my protest against Creative.

To Creative's credit, they do realize the error of their ways and are being more acceptive to new forms of development. But Daniel's not without his faults here, which seems to be something glossed over on recent accounts of the situation. In the end, the posts are back up and people can go ahead and get their cards working on Vista, which is probably the most important thing any of us will take away from this mess. That, and the fact that John Stamos has aged quite well. [The Register]

Creative's statement:

We have read the strong feedback about Creative's forum post regarding driver development by Daniel_k and other outside parties. Creative's message posted on our behalf by our Company spokesperson tried to address our concern about the improper distribution of certain software which is the property of other companies. However, we did not make it as clear as we would have liked that we do support driver development by independent third parties. The huge task of developing driver updates to accommodate the many changes in the Vista operating system and the extensive testing required, including the lengthy Vista certification requirements for audio, makes it very difficult for Creative to develop updates for all past products. Outside developers have been very helpful to Creative and our customers by developing updates for many of our Sound Blaster products, and we do support and appreciate these efforts. This however does not extend to the unauthorized distribution of other companies' property. We hope to work out a mutually agreeable method for working with Daniel_k in supporting his efforts in driver development. Going forward, we are committed to doing a better job of working more closely with third parties to support their development for our products and our customers.

Strip Down Windows to the Bare Essentials

Jason Chen — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:35:40 EDT

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them maybe you can hire...the A Team...to strip down Windows to the Bare Essentials. I ain't tweakin no registry, fool! [Lifehacker]

Home Modder Idol Ben Heck Gets Profiled

Jason Chen — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EDT

You've seen Ben Heck's homemade gaming devices featured here a lot, and there's a reason for it: Adam Frucci loves him. Which is why he slathered much praise on the hardware modder in this Reuters profile. What would you want to know about the guy that turns two handed controllers into one handed ones? How about that he used to work for a sign-making business and doesn't actually play a whole lot of games, despite the love he gives to the accessories. [Reuters]

XO OLPC Overclocked: Now it Means Business (Kind of)

Kit Eaton — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:07:09 EDT

Think that the OLPC's 433 MHz Geode LX 700 CPU is just too wimpy? Well, now you can toughen up it a bit and give it some processor bite by overclocking that mother. A post on OPLC News Hacks forum shows exactly how to do it: it boils down to some simple code to type into the open firmware prompt of an unlocked machine. A little informal testing shows it's easy to boost processor performance by 30%. Exactly what those kids in developing countries need. OK, the computer geek ones. Maybe.

The CPU apparently runs unruffled at speeds of 566MHz, a 30% speed-up. The memory is accessed at 233MHz versus the stock 166MHz, and also seems to run smoothly. Ubuntu even appears more responsive, so the overclocker claims, though significantly he "did not notice if battery life was noticeably affected." We suspect it will be.

But more importantly, we wonder is overclocking the passively-cooled little green machine a good idea? We're not sure: speeding the processor up is certainly going to generate a wad more heat. "Overclock at your own risk." You wouldn't want it to catch fire, would you? [OLPC News]

Rock Band Drums Modded to Use With Pencils

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:22:51 EST

Someone called David Yoon has reconverted his Rock Band drum kit into what any student (former or not) will recognize as the One and Only True Form of Drumming: pencil drumming. He replaced "the smallish stock piezo transducers with bigger ones from Radio Shack" and reconverted the pedal with a foam and CD sandwich. This way, David says he can do the Ringo at 2am without waking up the neighbours. [Flickr]

R2-D2 PC Case Mod Warps Us Into Hyperspace

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:30:03 EST

Our obsession with everyone's (except Porkins') favorite astromech is well known, but this R2-D2 case is probably the best designed PC ever on its own. In fact, it looks like the only thing that could replace a steampunked Mac mini on my watch. More pics after the jump.

Up close and personal it has a certain cake quality, but its handmade gives it a certain je ne se quoi fuzzy warm quality that we like. Granted, we would prefer a fully-polished R2-D2 made of steel and aluminum with a real hologram projector, but nobody is perfect. [The Contaminated]

iPod Video 5G Hacked with Bluetooth Module

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:35:24 EST

Giz reader Ed Hernández is at it again with his wireless audio iPod modifications. This time he hacked a fifth generation 30GB iPod video to include a Bluetooth module for audio output but, since the 30GB model is so thin, Ed had to do extra hacking. He told us his shopping list and some impressions, after the jump.

To make space for the audio Bluetooth module he had to take out the hard drive to replace it with a Compact Flash. He also changed the front white plastic for an iVue clear panel to let the Bluetooth LED to shine through. "One of these days Apple will finally take the hint..." Ed said to us in an email. Hopefully they will, because doing this looks quite difficult:

It took me about a month of part time research, but If I were to do it again today, just the labor would only take about a couple of hours. Total cost of just the BT mod is only about $50 but if you break it down it would be like this:
$50 BT module
$30 Clear faceplate
$35 Flash adapter
$30-120 Flash card (depends on your budget)

According to Ed, the "sound quality is very good, on par with an external module anyway. I use the Motorola S9 headphones and I am very satisfied. Not audiophile quality mind you, but more than adequate for the gym." [iPod Hackers]

Wall-E GameCube Mod is Too Cute (but Not Too Cute for the Giz)

Kit Eaton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:50:20 EST

Long before the Pixar movie hits the big screen this summer, a group of German modders have been inspired by Wall-E's cuteness to take an old and unloved Nintendo GameCube and some scraps of metal and acrylic, and put together a sweet mod that looks just like the little robot himself. It even has tank treads and a flip-down shutter, like Wall-E's, over the Gamecube's ports. Frankly, its so loveably "realistic" that we're pre-emptively sniffly, imagining what the movie will be like. [Bit-Tech via TechEBlog]

How to do a Nerf Gears of War Lancer

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:12:01 EST

These guys got an assault rifle, a mechanic chainsaw and a bunch of LEDs to create a Gears of War Lancer gun. Fortunately for everyone, or maybe just Jack Thompson, only the LEDs are real. But even while they used a toy chainsaw and a Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6, the final result looks great in motion.

[HacknMod]

Nintendo Game & Watch Modded Into Cellphone (Verdict: WANT)

Addy Dugdale — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:30:14 EST

Look, what our friend the crazy modder has done now: mixed a 1981 Octopus Nintendo Game & Watch with a cellphone with his bare hands, probably creating the best retro game handheld/cellphone combo ever. What makes this Octo-phone better than the WiiPhone is that, first of all, people won't think you're a recent release from the local Mentalist Correctional Facility who believes he is having a rational four-way conversation with God, Peter Sellers and Poon-tang the Seven-Legged Donkey on a Wiimote. And secondly, it's Game & Watch, the first game I ever had *goes all misty-eyed*:

As an 11-year-old, I managed to persuade my mum to buy a Double-Screen Donkey Kong Game & Watch for me when we visited NY, and then, what with the bleeps and the profanities emanating from my seat during the eight-hour return flight, she confiscated it. Between ordering a double whisky from the trolley dolly, and settling down with a Harold Robbins she'd picked up at JFK, she left my Donkey Kong in the seat pocket in front of her, tucked between the vomit bag and the safety instructions.

And there it stayed. When we arrived back in London, neither of us, groggy from the cloud of fug produced by the woman with the fuschia nails, tight perm and camel toe in the row behind us, who had chain-smoked a whole carton of fags during the journey while she chatted up the fat man next to her, thought to rescue the Game & Watch from its hiding place.

In the car I cried all the way home. And what made it worse was that when I got back to school and told my friends that Mum had bought me one, but we'd left it on the plane, none of them believed me and, between the bleeps of their Game & Watch consoles, accused me of being a fantasist. You know, the older I get, the more I think they were right. [Goteking via Gizmodo Japan]

Is the WiiPhone Sexier Than the iiPhone? You the Jury Decide

Addy Dugdale — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:06:52 EST

The WiiPhone is one of those mods just adored by the House of Giz. It's the bastard son of a Wiimote and a common or garden-variety DoCoMo cellphone, stuck together by a clever guy who's good at this kind of stuff. I particularly like the wrist strap, to stop unnecessary accidents (just ask another writer here, whose CrackBerry met an unfortunate end when it hurtled to the floor following a difference of opinion he had with his wife). Anywii, take part in our exclusive poll below the gallery.

[Goteking]

How to Convert a ThighMaster into the Ultimate Pleasure Machine (NSFW)

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:07:59 EST

Some genius has created the Ultimate Pleasure and Sex Training Machine using a vibrator and a ThighMaster, that weird legs exercise spring-based contraption that invaded the '80s like a plague of Galaga space aliens with a Spanish Fly overdose. The how-to seems quite simple, but the best thing, other than the looks (which indeed is like a Galaga alien spaceship), is their description on how to exercise in seated, lying and upper body positions (NSFW):

The exerciser can be used sitting, standing or lying down.
To use in a seated position: Sit on the edge of a chair and place the padded handles between your thighs with the plastic housing pointing down. Angle the vibrator upward so that it can be inserted or positioned for external stimulation. Squeeze thighs together and repeat.

To use lying down: Adjust the angle of the vibrator so it is pointing straight out and away from the curved handles. Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent and position the vibrator. Place the padded handles between your knees and squeeze. As the exerciser is compressed and released, the vibrator will move in an in-and-out movement.

To work out the upper body, stand holding the padded handles of the exerciser, with the plastic cap pointing down and the vibrator angled toward you and positioned between your legs. Squeeze the handles together and repeat.

I see the price of these things going up on eBay. Fast. [Homemade Sex Toys]

How to Mod your iPod to Give it Internal Bluetooth Capabilities

Addy Dugdale — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:00:56 EST

Fresh for 2008, here's a way to give your iPod Bluetooth capabilities, adding a Jabra A120S music adapter. Says fstedie, the brains behind the operation, "Required: A steady hand and decent soldering skills. Oh, and you must be willing to live with the possibility that you will destroy your iPod." The full gen is over on Instructables. [instructables]

Industrial Designer Gives Old Soviet-Era Handset Just What It Was Missing—Bluetooth

Addy Dugdale — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:43:25 EST

Industrial designer Brano Meres updated an old telephone handset dating from the Soviet era and brought it into the Noughties as a headset to use with his cellphones. As well as an on/off button, the Cold War-era monstrosity rocks a pair of LED indicator lights and a connector for charging the battery. There was one surprising item used in the mod, however:

Titanium wires taken from Scud missiles (I can't work out if he's joking or not, but he's got a very stern face and, frankly, I'm scared.) [BME - Brano Meres via SOURCE]

Cat Bed Made from Old Computer Monitor

Addy Dugdale — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:20:48 EST

Geek cats might appreciate this bed made from an old computer monitor and costing around $40. The modder made good use of the letters from an old keyboard, as well, as you can see from the gallery below.

ZOMG I iz on da interwebz. [Etsy via Craftzine via MAKE]

Vestax VCI-100 Mixer Modded with Arcade Game Buttons

Addy Dugdale — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:34:44 EDT

Here's what you do if you think your Vestax mixer looks dull as day-old dog doo: mod it. One of the guys from DJ Tech Tools swapped his boring old black knobs for arcade game buttons. How-to video is after the jump.

[YouTube and djtechtools.com via Create Digital Music]

Die Modden Squadden, or a Lesson in Bad Taste

Addy Dugdale — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:00:11 EDT

There were coffins, toilets, underwater landscapes that had everything except Mario swimming around looking for coins, a box file, a bikini babe and this thing. Honestly, wherever I go in my nightmares, Hello frackin' Kitty is there, waiting. Pass me the chainsaw, Helmut, and make it snappy: I've got a whole gallery to get through.

A couple of large Germans were behind a desk, drilling holes in casings, doing unsexy things with astroturf and screwing soccer boots to places they shouldn't have been. I went in search of a Berliner Pilsener. Make it a large one, please, boys.

Hardware Unlock Explodes iPhone

Jason Chen — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:15:40 EDT

Here's a tip. If you're not really skilled at hardware hacks, don't try to hardware unlock your iPhone. If you accidentally touch the wrong thing or screw up, this will happen.

The user says:

"We were so happy, all the software part was done, so we started opening the iPhone. The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it went in smoke, I think my collegue must have touched something. It literally went up in black smoke. It was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burned my fingers. So, this is for sure the most difficult part of the whole process. I don't know what he did, as I had just stepped out of the room to fetch something when I heard a scream...they got such a fright."

Just wait until the software unlock becomes available, and THEN unlock it. Or use the SIM method like we detailed here before. Or ask a buddy that you know has experience with these things. Just for Jesus's (Diaz) sake, don't open it up if you don't know what you're doing.

[Hackintosh via iPhone Atlas]

Crazy PC Case Modded to Look Like Atlas Mech

Addy Dugdale — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:49:28 EDT

Ron Sole's PC case thinks it's a Battle Mech. It took him a year to complete Atlas and it has crazy fluorescent paint on the inside, and UV cathodes. Cool. See just how cool in the gallery. [Extreme Tech]

Mod your Laptop into a Portable Typewriter and Adding Machine

Addy Dugdale — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:46:00 EDT

Writer Mary Robinette Kowal has done a semi-steampunk mod on her laptop, calling it "The Kowal Portable Typewriter and Adding Machine." And, unlike most mod freaks, she didn't catalog everything to the minutest detail. I like her "I had a laptop, I made it look more purdy, what more do you want to know?" attitude.

The harder-to-please among you might bitch that she hasn't done the space bar—see the pic below, as it seems to have disappeared above—but she's on the case, so quit buggin'.

The Kowal portable typewriter and adding machine [Mary Robinette Kowal via Boing Boing]

XCM 360 Hot Rock Case Warns Of Impending Doom

kthompson — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:58:38 EDT

If you or someone you love has been affected by the Xbox 360's red rings of death, consider the new 360 Hot Rock case from the modders at XCM. This clear case mod comes with a temperature gauge and multicolor LED that goes from cool blue to flaming red as your console approaches the melting point. No price point yet, but the Wii version runs about $60, which is most likely what this creature will cost once it's available.
[360 Hot Rock case via Technabob]

Alienware Selling P2 Case Separately For $399

Jason Chen — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:20:33 EDT

If you've always wanted those Aliens-shaped Alienware cases but never had a high-paying enough job for one, this P2 Chassis is a good compromise. You pay $399 for the shell, which comes with a 700-watt power supply, blue LEDs and the quality construction Alienware PCs are known for.

Still, $399 is pretty steep for a case, even if it is Alienware. You can get a pretty decent- looking one, plus a good power supply for $200-ish. – Jason Chen

Alienware Now Selling P2 Chassis as a Barebones Kit [Computer Shopper]

Nexus Psile Quiet Media PC, Ripe for Your Own Self-Expression

Charlie White — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 11:40:00 EDT

When we last showed you the Nexus Psile Quiet Media PC, we didn't have a whole lot of additional information about it, but now it has your choice of Intel Core 2 Duo processors inside and is readily available in the US at prices starting at $1599. We like the designers' attention to detail with this unit, keeping it as quiet as possible with an external fanless power supply, a fanless copper CPU cooler, a quiet hard drive and a positionable silent 80mm fan.

Beyond that, its clean shape lends itself to design modifications. Nexus makes it easy, offering a variety of perfectly fitting stickers that can be attached to the PC's case, and also Photoshop and Illustrator design templates that you can modify to your liking. Create your design using that template, send the file to Nexus and it will make you a custom skin to stick onto your Psile. You can even customize the color of the LED pilot light. Neat. – Charlie White

Product Page [cooltechpc, via Sci Fi Tech]
Psile Site [Nexus]

Ben Heck's VCSp Rev 5.1 Portable Atari System

Travis Hudson — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:50:13 EDT

Benjamin Heckerdorn has been making consoles portable for a while, but who knew that he has been getting his paws dirty with console parts for seven years now. In honor of the sevenyeariversary of console modding he created a new revision to his Atari-playing VCSp portable, but it is a bit different this time around because you can actually buy it! Ben will be creating between 20 and 30 of these devices and selling them for around $300 each. –Travis Hudson

VCSp Rev 5.1 Prototyped at 7 Year Mark [Via Gadget Lab]

Console Toolkit is a Must-Have For Gaming Modders

Jason Chen — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:54:51 EDT

If you're trying to get into console modding and customization, you've probably noticed that most consoles have non-standard screws in order to prevent you from getting in. This $15 Zoozen Pro Tool Access kit gets around that. With this, you can get into the Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 controllers, Wii, GameCube, GBA, DS, DS Lite, Nintendo and Gamecube carts, PS3, PS2, PStwo, PSP, and Sony Controllers.

Word of warning though.

This toolkit is up for sale from Divineo, which we've had questionable luck with in the past. They once charged our credit cards after we placed an order and didn't bother notifying us that product was delayed a month. We had to send multiple e-mails to get a response. It was eventually shipped about a month and a half later. Oh, and when it got here it punched our dog in the face. – Jason Chen

Access Pro Tool Kit V2 [Divineo via Oh Gizmo!]

Hacking the FON Wi-Fi Router

Travis Hudson — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:25:30 EST

Remember those 10,000 Fon routers that were given away? They should be arriving at your home soon (at least mine did, today) and what better to do than crack her open and start modding away.

Out of the box the foneros wireless router has Telnet and SSH turned off. By accessing the buit in serial console you can turn SSH on and access various settings and reflash the firmware.

You will have to bust out the Dremel and get your hands dirty for this one, but at least it allows you to turn your already free router into a better free router. Hit the link below for detailed modding instructions.

Oh, and Comcast users: if you ordered your free Fon router, using it actually violates your EULA so you should mod the hell out of it anyway, or at least give it to a non-Comcast user to further expand the Fon network. –Travis Hudson

Accessing serial console on the Fon [DD-WRT]

Color Customize the Apple Logo on Your Laptop

Travis Hudson — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:35:48 EST

As a proud new switcher and owner of a MacBook, I'm already looking for ways to tweak the sucker out (anybody have a laser engraver I can use? e-mail me), and this is one hell of an easy way to give the Apple laptop a little pop and color. Canadian company, iColours has small transparent sheets that can be placed inside the laptop to change the color of the Apple logo. If you don't want to use your Canadian funny money to order one of these, then just head on over to a hobby store and buy your own transparent sheets. Then follow the handy, dandy tutorials to figure out how to open up the MacBook and place the transparent sheet inside. iColours does custom designing of the transparent sheets, which could be kind of cool. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via TechPwn]

Xbox 360 with Integrated LCD Available Now (Not from Microsoft)

Travis Hudson — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 13:00:27 EST

Console modder extraordinaires, Divineo, have an Xbox 360 with an integrated LCD for sale now. It has a 5.8-inch LCD screen for direct viewing on the actual 360 console. Slap a generator on the back and you have one big ass portable gaming system. The Swedish Divineo site has a limited number of these available for 4,990 Kr, or $572. Personally, I think I would get migraines trying to play Gears on a 5.8-inch LCD, but it is cool nonetheless. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Kotaku]

A NES Gets Crammed Into a NES Controller

Adam Frucci — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 15:40:58 EST

An enterprising young modder has managed to cram an entire NES into a classic NES controller. Yes, now you can simply plug a controller directly into your TV without having to worry about a system in between.

It's not exactly your childhood's NES. The controller is pre-loaded with 70 games, and you can pop a cartridge onto the back if the one you want isn't included. Sure, it might be awkward playing with a cartridge hanging off your controller, but who the hell are you to complain? –Adam Frucci

Ben Heck BBS [via Opposable Thumbs]

CeBIT '06: Case Modding Competition

Travis Hudson — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 11:50:45 EST

We stumbled upon the case modding competition entries. Most of the entries ended up being ho-hum:mdash;full of big fancy windows, neon lights, water cooling and crazy dials, but this mod won the heart of Gizmodo by representing the average house in Anytown, U.S.A. It is fully equipped with a floppy drive above the garage and a CD-ROM flower bed.

Smooth Creations' iPod Art

tgrumet — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 19:45:58 EST

If you don't think you have the artistic ability to mod your own gear, Jim Saling, founder of Smooth Creations, will take just about anything you've got and make it into a special piece of art. Maybe that $150 iPod Nano is perfect for a spectacular new design that you're not sure you're actually going to like.

Smooth Creations.com [Smooth Creations via ShinyShiny]

iPod Case Modding

Travis Hudson — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:15:58 EST

Surprisingly, after seeing this, I realized there isn t much activity in the iPod case modding world. Probably because the iPod is small and sleek enough as it is and does not require any further case modification. Well Mr. JavaMoose on Flickr has created a case mod for his iPod by modding an old Geiger counter that will house the iPod and remote unit. It looks cool, but any transportation practicality is dead. Check out the full photo shoot over at Flickr.

Flickr Album [Via Slashdot]

Xbox Modders Get Thrown in Jail

gizmodo.com — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:53:45 EST

Who would have thought that selling modded Xboxes was illegal? Apparently three Los Angeles men didn't. Jason Jones and Jonathan Bryant, owners of the ACME game store in L.A., started selling modified Xboxes to customers at an incredible markup—sometimes netting over $500 for a modded box. Their pal Pei Cai had been modding the boxes so gamers could play ~~legitimate backups~~ illegal copies of games on their Xboxes. Eventually they were caught and now face possible jail time when they go to court in January.

Modifying and selling Xboxes? Get Arrested [Kotaku]