An upcoming firmware update for Memor32 – the PS2 modchip on a memory card – promises to allow your non-chipped PS2 to play your entire collection of games from the comforts of a roomy, capacious USB hard drive. A group of Russian hackers named Memento are responsible for the firmware handiwork, allowing hard drive-based playback of your entire collection of PS2 discs for easy access, TiVo-style. Sure, the unscrupulous amongst you may use your Memor32's new found powers for evil, but we just want to fire up Shadow of the Colossus without leaving the couch.

[Via ripten]

The Rock Band drum kit really feels more like the real thing than the toy guitars rocking gaming's world of late. So how deliciously meta is it that one enterprising chap decided to convert what appears to be a nice looking real drum kit into a Rock Band drum controller, so he can play a video game pretending to play drums using real drums. If you're not content with just upgrading your pedal to the real deal, and you'd rather not wait for the full replacement kit, consider turning the storage-lockered evidence of your failed college band into something you can be really proud of. Who knows, maybe one day you'll want to revert it back and put the band back together again.

[Via Joystiq]

German hardware outfit Maxdata have converted Via's simply named NanoBook prototype into the awkwardly named Belinea s.book 1 Mini-Note, powered by Via's miserly 1.2 GHz C7-M processor. But just because it's short on electricity (and branding smarts) doesn't mean it's totally watered down: you've got an 840x480 screen, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and a DVI port all prettied up in a 2.2-lb., €629 ($924) piece of kit measuring a svelte 9-inches by 6.75-inches by 1.16-inches. But that's not the best part: we're still digging that detachable Skype handset. Hey, 1995 called. It wants its mobile phone design back.

[Via The Inquirer]

Not content with Apple's design team running circles around the PC world, Microsoft has created a team dedicated to helping OEM manufacturers make their boxes less beige and boring. Ingredients may include: aluminum, leather, carbon fiber and, uhh, cow fur. Microsoft held a fashion show at CES this year to show off the fruits of the PC world's collective efforts, and luckily betanews was there to nab some shots (like the one above). While we're not quite ready to say we're looking forward to more cow fur laptops, recent PC designs like the XPS One give us hope for the future of the beige box.

[Thanks, Shyamal]

Universal Studios issued a terse statement today, denying rumors that the HD DVD stalwart is looking to take advantage of that lapsed exclusivity contract and jump ship for cross-town high-def adversary, Blu-ray. Ken Graffeo – veep of HD strategic marketing at Universal and also co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group – said simply "Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format." That Universal's response was almost verbatim to HD DVD ally Paramount's should come as little surprise. How about this, movie executive types: let us know about your future plans and we'll skirt this whole song and dance, okay?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Sony BMG is readying the other half of their reported move away from DRMed music; two days ago, they announced plans to release retail gift cards which can be redeemed for plain 'ol MP3s, but there was no word of a plan that wouldn't require people to actually leave their caves or, heaven forbid, dress themselves. Cue the other shoe: Amazon announced today that they will be hosting DRM-free Sony BMG tracks, completing its collection of DRM-free tracks from each of the four major music labels, which already includes EMI, Vivendi Universal, and Warner. The Sony BMG tracks will be available "later this month" and should be priced commensurate with the service's current offerings.

Come, reader. Take a step into our very special Engadget Blog Archive 2000™ device, watch as we wave our fingers through the air and say, "Doo-do-dodo, doo-do-dodo," and think back to this time last year when industry conferences CES and MacWorld overlapped, overworked (and heavily caffeinated) tech writers tripped over themselves to cover both, and Apple introduced a little product called the iPhone. Wired's got a look at the development of the groundbreaking handset and, though most of this may be a rehash for our gadget-savvy readers, there are some interesting moments documented in the piece: The chronology of the failed Motorola ROKR; the porting of OS X to the iPhone (which didn't start until early 2006); and the year Apple engineers spent working on a tablet PC, whose tech was obviously rolled into the iPhone's multitouch display. It's worth a stroll down the tattered corridors of your memory before El-Jobso's Macworld keynote next week.
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This extremely extreme wheelchair mixes two very distinct, yet not disharmonious, aesthetics: tank treads and, what appears to be, the most comfortable seating apparatus modern science can come up with. This isn't the first TankChair – that one came out in 2006 – but the newer TankChair has made some notable improvements, including a lower center of gravity, more torque, a stronger chassis, and the aforementioned comfy seat. We're not sure about the cost or availability but, for the right person, we can imagine the new TankChair being a godsend for the rural handicapped.

[Via Crave]

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

The IntelliCorder 0 Door Camcorder System which replaces your perfectly functional (and affordable!) door peephole with a $150 battery powered camera and 1-1/2-inch screen.

... get the hell away from my house before I call the cops.

Finally, you can throw out that slide carousel you've kept strapped to your wrist for the last two decades and replace it with the absolute latest in cutting edge digital photo frame technology. Introducing the aptly titled Digital Photo Frame Watch, whose packaging promises "It's a real watch." But wait, it gets better. This "real watch" stores 140 pictures in its copious 2MB of internal memory, all for playback on its no doubt gorgeous OLED color display. This is the future, folks. It's here. We've seen it. And it shows pictures.

On your wrist.

We feel sorry for poor NEC. While everyone at CES is busy buzzing about Alienware's gorgeous curved DLP display (including us), NEC is quietly showing off its CRVD-42DWX+ display that's more or less identical: a 2880x900 (double WXGA+) panel with a contrast ratio of 10000:1. We're assuming they're both built by the same ODM, Ostendo, so hopefully some healthy competition will help bring one of these two beauties within your meager gaming budget. Unfortunately, like the Alienware model, there's no pricing or shipping information. Ogle some more pics in our gallery below.

Forget about good hygiene practices eliminating your fears of halitosis, technology is here to the rescue! The pitch: Simply blow onto Seju Engineering's Kiss-me Meter just before planting a wet one on your date, and an LED indicator determines whether or not you should make the dive for first base (or you could pop a Tic Tac, whatever works for you, really). The test: One confidant Engadget blogger landed right in the middle, scoring a three. Which sounds about right to us.

There's not much to say about the Motionbulb that can't be extrapolated from the above image and the product's name: it's a CFL bulb with a built-in motion detector capable of, uh ... detecting motion from up to 25 feet. Walk into a room, light goes on; leave the room, light goes off. 'Nuff said. They say the $20 bulb will last five years, which means it should still be around when those inefficient incandescents go the way of our favorite robo-dog in 2012.

How do you make a Cobra Commander USB thumb drive? Joe Michaels walks you through the process, which includes things like Dremels, two-part epoxy, x-acto knives, J-B Weld, and of course a USB stick and a Cobra Commander figurine. Hit up the forum, take notes, and then you'll know ...

[Via MAKE: Blog]

With data integration in mobile handsets, it's no wonder home telephones haven't been able to keep up. But what happens when you're using a service like Verizon's FiOS and all of a sudden that boring handset has broadband data piped right into it? One example could be OpenFrame – a new home phone envisioned by John Sculley, former Apple CEO – that maybe-a-little resembles Apple's iPhone. The various devices are built on Freescale MX31 processors "with two 600-MHz ARM11 chips doing the heavy lifting" for features like streaming video, music, web surfing, and more. According to the manufacturer's chief executive, the heavily subsidized phones could be shipping out in four or five months straight from the carriers (no retail presence here). Though the phone was built specifically for services like FiOS, they're not yet saying if it's coming to FiOS. Why so shy, fellas?