Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - Posts

Off Topic Hack: Staples "Easy" Button HACKED!

easy button

I love my "Easy" button. I keep it on my bar at home, ready for when I work on a difficult problem or just have a need to hear "That was easy!" They're under $10 and really make a difference! BUT what if you want to hack it? Make it say something like "your work sucks" or "network's down, let's go get bagels!" - you can!

Check out the following hack from HackADay:

Hack-A-Day reader [al cohen] was pretty perturbed by Staple’s Easy Button campaign since nothing in business is easy. So he decided to modify their cute button (PDF). He replaced the guts with a cheap recording circuit from RadioShack. He also added a 1/8 inch jack so you can record directly from the computer. The new button doesn’t need a separate mic either; you can record by speaking into the speaker. As a final touch Al ground off the easy, polished it and made the button evil. You can watch a video of the button declaring his distaste for Spam. You might have seen Jeff Caylor’s previous abuses of the Easy Button on Make. My roommate thought it would be funny if someone wired it to generate the “shift+delete” key sequence.

Check out the hack here. (requires Adobe Acrobat 'cause it's a PDF)

Thanks to Josh for the heads up!
posted by Auri with 0 Comments Rated Excellent [5 out of 5].

Updates On Epsilon BIOS: Manual and Video

The Undiluted Platinum fact sheet may have branded the modchip as a PSP owner's dream come true, but it also admits that it would be a better investment if Team Epsilon delivers their custom flash replacement Epsilon BIOS. Now we have all been promised that the Epsilon BIOS is indeed coming. We were even shown a video of the custom bios flashed onto the U.P. modchip. Pretty believable video, but some still can't help but shout, "Fake!"

The manual provides installation procedures, steps on unbricking a PSP, and running a homebrew for an Epsilon Bios-enabled PSP. It educates users that Epsilon has two parts: bootloader and BIOS. The manual reads further, "The bootloader is flashed to UP memory once, then to install or update the BIOS the bootloader recovery menu is used. You shouldn't need to flash via the UP tool again once the bootloader has been initially installed, making things easier for customers."

With all these new info on Epsilon, dare we hope that the custom bios is indeed nearing its release? Well, as they say, good things come to those who wait. Let's just hope that the PSP community's patience will soon yield a good thing dubbed "The Epsilon BIOS".


Here's the "manual" for those who are interested:

    Epsilon is broken into two parts, the bootloader and the BIOS. The bootloader is
    flashed to UP memory once, then to install or update the BIOS the bootloader
    recovery menu is used. You shouldn't need to flash via the UP tool again once
    the bootloader has been initially installed, making things easier for customers.

    To install:
    -----------

    1) Program "epsilonBootloader1.0.flash" to UP using the flasher tool
    2) Copy EBUPDATE.BIN into the root directory of your memory stick. This can
    be done with a card reader, via the epsilon recovery menu or via the PSP OS.
    3) Turn on the PSP, it will enter the recovery menu since no BIOS is installed.
    4) Select "Update Epsilon BIOS"
    5) If you dont have 2.71 installed in PSP onboard firmware you will need to do
    so. This can be done with the recovery menu, place the update EBOOT in the
    standard place on the memory stick (/PSP/GAME/UPDATE/EBOOT.PBP) and select
    "Launch Firmware Updater" from the recovery menu. This can be used to both
    upgrade and downgrade the PSP onboard firmware using Sony's own updaters.

    NOTE: To forcefully enter the recovery menu, hold SELECT+START while turning
    the PSP on.

    To unbrick a PSP:
    -----------------

    1) Place a NAND flash image of 1.00 or 1.50 firmware (same format as used by
    UP flasher tool) in the root of the memory stick with the file name
    "nandImage.flash".
    2) Enter the recovery menu and select "Restore onboard NAND"

    Running homebrew:
    -----------------

    1) Copy EBOOT's to the normal location (/PSP/GAME/). Both 1.0 and 1.50 types
    are supported.
    2) Execute them from the 2.71 shell

    Running ISOs:
    -------------

    1) Copy ISO files or compressed EZIP (use the supplied tool) into /ISOS on the
    memory stick.
    2) The games will appear in the same menu where homebrew is lunched from
    (the Memory Stick->Game menu). Simply launch them as you would with homebrew.

    NOTE: Each time the contents of the ISOS directory are changed a cache file
    must be updated which will cause a slight delay when entering the
    Memory Stick->Game menu.

Watch the video here!


Source: PSPUpdates
posted by Auri with 0 Comments

Is The PSP Dead? No - Especially because of homebrew!

Gameworld ran an interesting article about the PSP compared to other portable systems and why (at least sales wise) it is having a lot of issues. However, it does point out the potential for creating homebrew applications (despite Sony's best efforts), ability to link up to TiVo and a wide range of PS1 games on the way. They make some very interesting points and it's worth giving the once over.

Read the full text here...

From the article:

Good news comes from hackers who use the PSP’s multimedia functions to create homebrew software. This type of activity will keep the system alive long after Sony throws in the towel. The PSP can also now be linked up with TiVo so you can transfer your recorded TV shows and watch them on the go. Watching TV shows instead of movies makes more sense when you consider the PSP’s battery life. The downside is it’s an extra $25 dollars a month and can only be played back in 320x240 instead of the PSP’s native resolution of 480x272!

Another positive announcement is that soon Sony could be offering over 7,000 PS1 games to download to your PSP. With an iTunes type download service for games this is exciting news, just what the PSP needs. Finally plans for a price drop towards the end of the year could also help move units especially for those who are on the fence. It would also fix the money problem gamers face with all the new consoles coming to the market as mentioned above.

Source: Gameworld

posted by Auri with 0 Comments