Computers & Mobile

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

Make: Projects – Kinect privacy shield from Kinect packing foam

My new Kinect is a very cool toy, but it was not lost on me, as I was plugging it in, that I’d given the Microsoft hive-mind a pretty sophisticated set of eyes and ears onto my living room. Sure, I suppose I could only plug it in when I’m using it, but I’m kind of a neat freak about my entertainment center wiring and I don’t want to be digging the Xbox out every time I decide I want certain privacy. Some kind of lens-cap arrangement seemed the easiest solution, and making it out of the foam that the Kinect came packed in avoids the danger of picking some material that might scratch the device or otherwise be incompatible with it over the long term.

Snail mail push alerts

Getting iPhone push notifications from objects in your physical world is possible using an Arduino with an Ethernet Shield, a PHP-enabled web server and an iPhone app called Prowl. In this video, I show how to set up a mailbox so that it pings your phone when snail mail is delivered, but it’s very easy […]

Cellbots controller app for Android

Looking for a smartphone remote app for your robot project? Look no further than the new Cellbots app for Android. The gang over at Cellbots.com have been busy creating an accessible and full-featured controller app with multiple modes for maximum flexibility. The app works with iRobot Create, LEGO Mindstorms, VEX Pro, and, of course, custom Arduino cellbots.

Computer Mods of the Year 2010

Computer Mods of the Year 2010

Mod of the Year 2010 @ bit-tech.net…. It’s been another epic year for modding on bit-tech. Our regular Mod of the Month articles have been jam-packed with dozens of fantastic projects, all of which showed huge potential. Some have been completed, others haven’t, and we’ve also found other projects lurking in our forums which we’ve […]

Nexus S soft-touch mod

Nexus S soft-touch mod

Are you sick of slick black plastic enclosures that collect fingerprints and smudge marks? Sure, you could go out and buy a case for your mobile, but that just adds more bulk to something you’re ultimately going to stuff into a pocket. This DIY case mod from xda-developers member mhaedo remedies the fingerprint collector issue with a couple of coats of Plasti Dip. Adding only a thin layer of gripy material to the surface of the battery cover eliminates the smudges and enhances the overall look and feel of the device.