Has the damaged economy managed to crush your new gadget budget?
Instead of sitting around and complaining, why not make your old things new again with a few “creative” hacks?
To help you along the path to recycled gadget goodness, Gizmodo has put together a guide to Zero-Cost Gadget Upgrades, including turning your Xbox, PC or Apple TV into a genuine media center, hacking your iPod with Rockbox, converting your PC into a Mac, flashing your crappy router’s firmware with DD-WRT to turn it into a top-of-the-line piece of hardware, downloading new maps for your old GPS, jailbreaking your iPhone for Wi-Fi Internet tethering, and modding your Wii to create a free emulation machine.
Who said the next great depression had to be so depressing?
[Gizmodo - Zero-Cost Gadget Upgrades For The Next Great Depression]
CHDK, or Canon Hacker’s Development Kit, is a firmware enhancement that turns your Digic II and Digic III camera into a high dollar impersonator.
Because it’s a firmware enhancement and not a firmware modifier, CHDK is also non-permanent and non-destructive, so even those with a fear of killing their camera can give it a go without worrying about the long-term consequences.
To install, simply copy a few files onto a memory card and then start the camera like you usually do. The software will automatically activate, and then de-activate when the camera is turned back off again.
So what does CHDK do for you?
- Enhanced Image Capture (RAW)
- Additional Information On-Screen
- Additional Photographic Settings
- Support for Small Programs/Scripts
Plus, because it’s open source and still in development, CHDK is still being actively developed, and new features are still being added.
Ready to take the plunge?
Then check out Lifehacker for a full rundown of what’s involved.
[CHDK]
[Via: Lifehacker]
The battle between Apple and the unlockers rages on, with Apple launching the latest blow in the form of a firmware upgrade that bricks all unlocked iPhones. (Forever.)
For a timeline of the iPhone unlock done up in Star Wars style, check out Gizmodo for a very thorough rundown of what’s happened so far.
‘Tune in next week for the latest episode of…Unlock Wars’
[Gizmodo - Battle Continues: The Complete iPhone Unlock Star Wars Timeline]
