Nokia has been handing out the N900 for selective “artsy” uses lately through its “Push” program, and the folks at Tinker it now! sure seem to have put their model to good use. They’ve paired the device with all matter of nostalgia, including a Rolodex, FM radio and a 3D Viewmaster. Our favorite by far, however, is the Speak & Spell hack, which puts the gargantuan Speak & Spell keyboard to good use in penning text messages for the N900 — which displays them in the classic font and even articulates your words with a speech synthesis engine. It’s all a testament to the flexibility of Linux, hacker ingenuity and of course liberal application of Arduino, but it’s also a little advertorial-ey, so you might want to leave your gag reflex at home for this one. [Via Nokia Conversations ] Filed under: Cellphones , Handhelds , Peripherals N900 hacked to replace the innards of a Speak & Spell, can never bring back your childhood originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

MAKE calls this a huge XY table. Crunchgear thinks it’s kind of a mouse-controlled Etch-A-Sketch. All I know is, it uses a mouse, three skateboards and an Arduino microcontroller. But for what purpose? I suppose it could be used as an inexact Etch-A-Sketch, using three skateboards for linear movement, but it seems like an awful lot of effort (and space—it must take up an entire garage!) for that. So help me out: What could this thing be used for?

The DSi seems to be getting all the cool mods and appendages these days, so we’re pleased to see the other portable Nintendo gaming system getting some love. We’ve tracked down video of an Arduino-powered touchscreen hack for the Game Boy Advance SP that brings to life one of Nintendo’s own concepts and — while not quite on par with the GamePack — comes with all the exposed hardware and blinking lights you’d expect from a quality mod. Though there’s no interface or game compatibility to speak of, the coolness factor alone should be enough for you to check out the video after the break. Continue reading Video: GBA SP gets touchscreen hack, turns Nintendo concept into reality Filed under: Handhelds Video: GBA SP gets touchscreen hack, turns Nintendo concept into reality originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:26:00 EST.

This might have been a Crapgadget contender but for the fact it’s a homemade system and therefore deserves some kudos for the ingenuity shown. An irrepressible geek by the name of Thomas Edwards has concocted a system for communicating breathing over the interwebs — a surefire way to take your cyberstalking game to the next level. Employing an Arduino protoshield, AdaFruit Xport shield, Lantronix Xport Direct, and a Kestrel impeller to create the device, Thomas demonstrates a taste for obscure technology usually not seen outside of prototyping labs. Click through for video of a candle being blown out remotely, perhaps the one and only family-friendly use for an instrument like this. [Via Make ] Continue reading Video: Breath-over-IP concept is a fun way to creep out your friends Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Video: Breath-over-IP concept is a fun way to creep out your friends originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:46:00 EST

What better way to remember all of those people who died when the moon and the stars were destroyed by the King of All Cosmos than a Memorial Day game of Katamari? Rather than continue to half-ass it with her PlayStation controller, hackster and NYC Resistor member Kellbot has put together a real life spherical controller, utilizing such items as a large mirror ball (sadly, the Yoga ball proved too pliable to roll on the ball bearings), a mouse, a gutted PS2 controller, a digital pot, and — of course — the world famous Arduino. Interested in building your own? Hit that read link to get all the details, but not before you peep the video after the break. [Via Hack A Day ] Continue reading Video: Katamari controller hack for PS2 Filed under: Gaming , Peripherals Video: Katamari controller hack for PS2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

Parsons student Justin Blinder created the Arduino-based Snoozy the Sloth stuffed animal as “an intimate, yet passive, toy interaction that relaxes and comforts a user.” Cuddly, or creepy? Snoozy the Sloth from Justin Blinder on Vimeo . The sloth doll uses an Arduino microcontroller, two diaphragm pumps, and a latex glove to act as the “lung;” Blinder makes it clear that he wanted not the illusion of breathing (by having, for example, a mechanically contracting and expanding chest) but the actual intake and expulsion of air. In other words, this thing can gently breathe on your neck, which sounds about the same mixture of creepy and cute as The Police’s “I’ll Be Watching You.” On the other hand, we could totally see kids loving this: They go crazy for dolls with semi-animate features, like giggling Elmo or those dolls that pee (weird!). And kids have less experience than we with machines behaving badly , anyway, so their innocent little minds can enjoy the doll without fear of, you know, horrible robot murder.

Of all the things we are inclined to take for granted, the weary exhalation of air that is commonly referred to as a “sigh” easily tops our list (other things that we take for granted: our mother’s love and Laser Pink Floyd at the planetarium on Saturday nights). But not Instructables member mkontop, however: this guy is clearly fascinated by the theory, practice, and ramifications of sighing, even going so far as to build a device that not only monitors his breathing and measures his sighing, but then goes on to store the corresponding amount of exhaled air in a box nearby. To what end, you ask? Perhaps you can ask Marcel Duchamp next time he’s in town.

After the boundless Arduino-based inventions we’ve witnessed over the years, it was really about time Arduino did a little something for itself. Guilherme printed up his own paper Arduino designs, which do away with the regular printed circuit board and substitute a colorful combination of paper, cardboard and nerdy needlepoint. It’s almost precious enough to get us to pick up a soldering iron once more, despite the horrible disfigurement caused by our last run-in with melting metal. [Via Make ] Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Paperduino is like the cardboard fort version of every hacker’s favorite I/O board originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 May 2009 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

Cheap, multifunctional arduino boards work brilliantly for DIY projects. Now this cheaper, semi-printable version makes the platform even more DIY. PAPERduino is essentially a template for an Arduino board that, when mounted to cardboard, replaces your typical PCB. (It’s sort of like a printed circuit board, home edition.) Also, if you’re not interested in Arduino at all but would like some geek cred, the PAPERduino will add a free 10 IQ points when you tape it up beside your desk. [ guilherme martins via MAKE ]

A crafty Guitar Hero DIY-er has built a little project with possibly startling implications. The includes ambient light sensors in front of the television which are triggered by the light of the notes on screen during Guitar Hero gameplay. The sensors trigger an Arduino to turn on LEDS on a nearby setup. In the video (which is after the break) you can see the entire thing in action — which maker Joe says can eventually lead to a rig which plays the game for you.