Computers & Mobile

The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!

MAKE Extras: PC DVR and Magstripe Multi-Track

Two MAKE Extras published today– these are projects and updates that MAKE publishes online, for all to see, no dead trees. One is a recipe for a PC-based Digital Video Recorder (DVR) / media server / multi-console game machine that does everything except charge you every month. Link. The other Make Extra is an update to MAKE 01’s Magnetic Stripe Reader project, which shows you how to read the data off of stripes in any of the the three standard locations on a card. More power to you! Link.

Continue Reading April 26th, 2005 Paul Spinrad

Unlocking the Treo 650 from Cingular

This isn’t a new unlock code, but I wanted to post up -why- people unlock phones. “So I’m off to Thailand for 2 weeks tomorrow (more on this later). Here’s the code and a post from Rojo’s Kevin Burton. “I wanted to unlock my phone so that I could buy a prepaid GSM SIM chip to use my phone in Thailand for cheap. The only problem is that stupid Cingular locks the phone but you can just buy a new SIM chip”.

Continue Reading April 19th, 2005 Phillip Torrone

4th annual German case modding…

Here’s an article (in German) and pictures of the 4th German championship of “casemoding” (modification of PC cases). Here’s a translated page, some of the translations are kinda funny. Click on the three pictures in the middle of the article and you’ll see 16 entries to the championship. I think I like this one the best, it’s a cyborg looking PC with flip top head and bar code.

Continue Reading April 19th, 2005 Phillip Torrone

Retrocomputing — The Laptop That Wouldn’t Say Die

Twenty-two years later, people still love the TRS-80 Model 100.

Continue Reading April 1st, 2005 Craig Couden

Homebrew—My First Computer

Remembering how my dad built an Apple II from scratch.

Continue Reading February 25th, 2005 Laurie Barton

Basic Stamp

Basic Stamp is a hobbyists microcontoller that uses the BASIC programming language. Here’s a primer on how to use it. After meeting Joe Grand, I became really interested in the Basic Stamp , made by Parallax. It’s a microcontroller that you can program using BASIC. The robotics applications for it look fantastic (check out this Toddler Robot.) I’d love to hear from anyone who has been using Basic Stamp and would like to write a story about it for MAKE.

Continue Reading February 10th, 2005 Mark Frauenfelder

Mark on G4TechTV

Editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder will be on G4TechTV’s The ScreenSavers 4pm PST 2/8/05. It usually repeats a few times for the next day and the shows are always on those torrent places. Update: Here’s an interview with Mark by Coury Turczyn for the Screen Saver’s website.