diy posts

In 2007, we saw the first generation iPhone in some comically large costumes (video on the next page). Last year we brought you the footage of Reko and John sporting giant TV screens with jailbroken iPhones powering the costumes. They used "updated" iPhones, but still sported square edges and no touchscreen interfaces. This year John Savio goes it alone with an updated, touchscreen iPhone 4 costume that's the best we've seen.

With a light on the back to simulate the LED camera light, a 40-inch LED LCD panel strapped to sandwich board and a 12-volt battery, the entire rig weighs 75 pounds. Quite a way to work off all that candy. Watch a painfully awkward yet strangely adorable video of the costume on the next page.

[via Switched and iPhoneSavior]

I'm sure that all of us have had this dilemma at one time or another. You want multiple windows open on your iDevices, so you get 'em all going at once, laid out on the couch around you. You're watching a movie on your iPhone and surfing the web on your iPad at the same time, and if you have to get up to go make more popcorn, there's a tendency to fumble all of the equipment. What's a geek to do?

Julian Horsey from Geeky Gadgets came up with the perfect solution -- the iPad iPhone Connector Clip, a do-it-yourself project for making a clip that holds your iPhone snugly on top of your iPad so you can use them both simultaneously. Using a 24 cm. long piece of plastic "U" extrusion, scissors, super glue, a Dremel tool, and fast-dry enamel paint, Horsey created a mount that will be particularly useful to those with jailbroken iPhones using MyWi for tethering of their iPads.

Horsey is quick to remind potential project wannabees that they can cut a few steps by finding plastic extrusion that's already in an "H" shape, thus eliminating the step of gluing the two "U" extrusions back to back. He also points out that the same incredible technology can be used to connect two iPads or two iPhones together. Me? I'm looking forward to connecting four iPads together for a reading / surfing / watching / tweeting experience like I've never had before.

Sure, you could just buy a "carrying solution" for the new square iPod nano, but where's the fun in that? Wired shows you how to turn your old wristwatch into a nanowatch -- just take the old strap off, and use the nano's clip to attach it all together. Of course, it depends on your old watch strap, but even if yours doesn't work quite as well as the one that Wired uses, I'm sure a weekend with some Crazy Glue and a few spare parts would probably do it right.

Brian Chen is exactly right -- Apple should totally get behind this nanowatch thing. Add some apps and a camera to the nano's little square touchscreen, and that'd turn it into the real Dick Tracy product. I think it'll take a while (Apple likely doesn't want to fragment the iOS line too much too quickly), but I think that, as more applications pop up for a small touchscreen device like this, we might eventually see Apple unlock a little more possibility with it.

Even though the "iBike" is nothing more than a patent application, the folks at Unplggd have described how they'd outdo Apple's offering to the world of bike computers. We must admit, the result includes some seriously geeky, tricked-out options.

For example, this DIY USB charger uses a dynamo attached to the rear wheel to keep your devices charged. I say "devices," because this rig produces enough power to keep two devices running.

Additionally, this DIY waterproof iPhone cover is as brilliant as it is simple. Basically, it's at 20oz. soda bottle with the pouring end sawed off. It slips over the mounted iPhone with the open end facing the rider.

They also went on to list the gizmos you'll always want to bring with you while biking, including a GPS device, phone and camera. Fortunately, the iPhone is all three. There's more to the article, of course, and we suggest you read the whole thing. If you do trick out your bike like this, be sure to send us pictures!

That bike patent is about a year old, and big companies like Apple often patent ideas that will never see production. But hey, Nike+ was a surprise, too -- maybe we will be riding around one day on a two-wheeled Apple product.

This is really awesome. While there are rumors that an iPhone 4 Steadicam is in production, Spencer Watson didn't wait -- as you can see above, he went ahead and built a Steadicam-type rig for his own iPhone out of some parts he had sitting around. As you can see from the video it takes, it works pretty well. While you probably wouldn't want to use it in place of a professional rig (the iPhone isn't really meant for high-motion video, and it looks like he's applied some other stabilization filters), it definitely looks better than if the iPhone was on its own.

You can pick up some of the parts he used in his online store, but it all looks pretty easy to put together. All together, he says it was about $40 of parts from Home Depot or a skate store, and I'm betting it's about a weekend of work. Very cool.

[via Make]

Among the iPad's superpowers is inspiring its owners to new heights of creativity. So far it has delighted a 100-year-old user, been wrapped in chocolate and spawned all sorts of DIY cases and stands. The latest effort we've seen is this G4 iMac-mounted beauty.

Flickr user Rusty saw his busted G4 iMac, his iPad and had a chocolate-and-peanut butter moment. He removed the iMac's innards and display. Next he cut and molded some acrylic to accommodate the iPad and attached it to the arm. Finally, a speaker pair was placed inside the iMac case with a cable running to the iPad's headphone jack. From there, all that was left was to pair a Bluetooth keyboard and plug the iPad into a wall!

Now he's got a retro-cool, swivel-arm iPad stand that's perfectly at eye level. Actually, the iMac looks a lot like it did with the original 15" display. We love it.

Thanks to Rusty for the tip.

Ahhhh, the refreshing ingenuity of TUAW readers!

Frank Hsueh might have been out of quid after buying his iPad, or he perhaps he just likes the texture of duct tape. As Frank noted in an email to TUAW this morning, he made an iPad sleeve out of nothing but a bubble envelope, duct tape, double-sided tape, and an Apple sticker from an iPod shuffle.

Frank used up his roll of double-sided tape securing the inner bubble padding, so he used the tape core to make an iPad stand. As Frank said, it's "perfect for movie watching or notes typing (with wireless keyboard) in landscape mode."

Another TUAW reader, Wilson Lam, had an even more green solution for an iPad stand -- while he's waiting for a stand from Quirky, Wilson found that a cardboard cup holder from a fast-food restaurant could be turned into a utilitarian iPad stand.

Check out the gallery below for more photographic evidence of these fun DIY projects.

I own a 2009 MacBook Pro and have never had this problem, but everyone's different. John Pozadzides got sick and tired of his MacBook Pro's sharp edge digging into his wrist (and people thinking he was trying to kill himself) so he took it into his own hands to file that beautiful machine's unibody to his liking. Watch the video above to see how he does it and in just 10 to 20 strokes of a $5 file you too can have a smooth-edged MacBook Pro.

BTW -- if you actually take a file to your $2000 laptop, you're on your own. We don't endorse this in any way.

[via Lifehacker]

It couldn't happen, they said. It wouldn't work, they warned. But gmjhowe over at Instructables did it anyway: he converted his old 1984 Macintosh into a machine that could run Snow Leopard. And he laid out some pretty good instructions on how to do so yourself. His two rules are as thus: don't hurt the old Mac in any way -- besides its value as a collector's item, the thing still looks great. And don't skimp on costs -- you could probably do it a little cheaper than he did, but why would you? This is a one-of-a-kind project, and he went all out.

Because of that, his instructions get a little technical (he actually replaced the innards rather than just trying to fit a Mac mini in there or something similarly easy). So this isn't a very good project for a first-timer for sure. But if you've got a little DIY experience, or just want to see what it looks like to take apart an old Mac and refill it with modern PC parts (he went Hackintosh on the OS), you should definitely check out his writeup. I wouldn't use the computer as a workstation any more -- because, come on now, who can really do any serious computing on a 9-inch screen? -- but as a music server or just a conversation piece, it's great.

We've written about the recycled Mac clocks that pixelthis on Etsy has created before, but this one is definitely worth a mention. This particular piece combines an old iBook G4 with an Apple mouse to create a time piece that's complete with a working pendulum. Current pieces include a clock made from a recycled iMac G4 motherboard.

Looking for other handcrafted Apple goods for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? How about a cap honoring Apple of a bygone era? Or an Alfred Hitchock decal for your MacBook? Or if you want a custom-made laptop case, here's one made out of denim. If you need a new lamp for your desk, try one made from an old G4 iMac. If your special someone really desires jewelry, you can always get some Apple cufflinks or earrings.

[Via The Daily What]

Unfortunately these guys are already sold out (though maybe there'll be more soon), but I'm still posting them here just to gaze on their awesomeness -- Etsy user Rabbitrampage put together these six iPhone icon keychains (well, five iPhone and one Finder) out of felt, thread, and fiber fill. I think they look great, though it would be nice to have even more custom icons available. I guess if you want a special icon keychain made of your own app (ahem), you'll have to make it yourself.

This same Etsy user also enjoys wrapping your iPhone in felt recreations of old retro items like Game Boys and even a VHS tape. I've already got a case on my iPhone, but if I didn't have one yet, I'd definitely pick up one of these.

[via iPhone Savior]

So, like me, you've been doing a lot of driving around with your iPhone lately, and you've come to the conclusion that just having it sit next to you on the seat isn't the best way to do things. You need an in-car mounted dock, but you're not ready to shell out a bunch of money for something with "premium" in the title. Solution? Follow these directions and make your own. For just a couple of bucks in materials, you can build what looks like a pretty worthwhile way to mount your iPhone in the car.

It's basically a little PVC pipe with some foam to hold it in place on whatever extra ridges or slots you might have free in your dashboard, and some plastic coated wire at the top to hold your phone for you. Hey, you get what you pay for -- it won't pair with your iPhone, and any charging it provides will have to come from an external charging cable that you buy. But if you just want something to keep your iPhone handy and up off of the seat next to you -- or out of the cupholder, I do that one a lot, too -- this weekend project might just do the trick.

[via Lifehacker]

The card uses different colors of construction paper, card decorations, and an iPhone (!!!) to create the ultimate in holiday-mail technology. Combine the above with a scalpel or exacto knife, a little free time and elbow grease and what you get is a crafty and creative delivery medium for your loved one's gift that is sure to excite and delight. Of course, you have to start with an iPhone you're willing to give away...

Read on to see the video demonstration of how to construct the card.

[via Switched]