The Neuros OSD is getting a lot of press lately and is being touted as a device that can not only easily convert your television and satellite programs along with your favorite movies to a digital format that is completely DRM free, but play them back as well acting as your home media hub.

Now the thing that separates this device from others (besides not slathering its output in DRM) is that the hardware/firmware is mostly open-source and has a growing development community. With an open device and encouragement from the vendor, anyone can develop apps and features leading to a creative future for the Neuros OSD. As you are aware companies very rarely encourage custom development, much less document the process to do so.

As of the time of the publishing of this review, the Neuros OSD can be had around $230 (A bit less if you do some deal hunting). Check the Neuros website for authorized retailers.

–Full review after the jump

Opening the Neuros OSD seemed a bit reminiscent of an Apple experience. A quality box with an interesting magnet closure, tightly packed documentation when removed led to the revealation of the unit itself. The OSD device is a sleek gently curved black device, that is small enough (14 x 14 x 3.2 cm (5.5 x 5.5 x 1.25 inches)) to easily hide unnoticed in your component rack.

That being said, there would be no reason to hide the device. I personally felt that the device was aesthetically pleasing; Small curved design with a piano black finish. I hate to use the Apple analogy twice, but the appearance of the device reminded me of something that might have come from Cupertino.

The unit works by placing itself inline between your media output device (cable/sat/dvd player) and your television taking full advantage of the so called "analog hole". It uses either "standard" mini-plug to composite RCA cables or S-Video to connect to these devices. I found it a bit frustrating that the included "standard" cables were only 4′ making a longer run difficult. In a future version I would like to see standard RCA Composite plugs used. (yes I know that mini-composite is a standard) This would also allow you to use higher quality cables if you would like.

Once connected the Neuros gives you the ability to record and convert the passing video stream to MP4 and even comes pre configured to output to popular resolutions for devices such as iPod and PSP. In fact you can simply connect these devices to the USB port and the OSD can write directly to those devices. (*Apparently apple has changed the way iPod updates, so do so with caution)

The Neuros OSD does not have any internal storage of its own, however it can accept most of the common cards: SD, MMC, MS (Pro and Pro Duo), CF, and microdrives. It is also compatible with most USB Hardrives and Thumbdrives. What I found to be the best feature of this device is its native networking support via its included LAN port. Simply connect a ethernet cable and the device configures itself via DHCP, and can scan for SMB shares to write to. I found it easy to record directly to a samba share on my ubuntu linux NAS.

The OSD interface setup is simplistic using a scrolling list with center-line selection, and is where the comparisons to Apple cease. I found the interface to have an out-dated feel, having no animation or "WOW" factor. If I were to select one area that needs a lot of improvement it would be the interface. Don’t get me wrong, it is efficient, easy to understand and navigate. But after you have just spent $230 on a device you would want to show it off, or at least show the family how to use it. Perhaps I have just been spoiled with the core-animation and beautiful on screen effects that the PVR market has moved to. I do believe that the engineers of the OSD understood this, because you really don’t have to use the interface much, and in general your interaction with it is short when beginning a recording.

In my testing I connected the Neuros OSD my Dish Network receiver and television using the supplied composite cables. Simply pressing the record button on the supplied OSD remote brought up a video overlay allowing me to set the format (TV, SmartPhone, iPod, PSP, etc) and storage location. Since I had previously connecting a network cable I was able to browse my internal network to find a location on my NAS.

The OSD works on a 1:1 relationship, meaning that it records/converts the video as it plays in real time so if you want to convert a 30 minute DVD, it will take the entire 30 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of output (highest quality selected) and audio stayed in sync when when played back. Understandably it showed some signs of compression artifacts and quality degradation (I used a 56" television for tests), but not as much as I expected.

When viewed on a smaller screen (I tested both PSP and iPod) the output looks beautiful. The engineers have done a lot of homework when it comes to writing to these devices. As mentioned earlier, you can connect the devices via usb, however I simply removed my PSP’s memory card and it wrote directly to the correct path in order to see the video on the PSP (You PSP owners know what I am talking about)

During my testing a new firmware was released, and I found the update process incredibly well thought-out and easy. The OSD can automatically check for updates, or (as in my case) be forced to check manually. The update file was downloaded and then installed without any interaction needed by the user. I might note that while the update was being applied the device played a game of pong against itself — and yet in the end I managed to win.. Got a grin from me.

As previously mentioned, the main draw to this device isn’t necessarily what it is today, but what it could become in the future. By opening the codebase up to the community, the possibilities of new features are endless. There have already been important feature adds by the community including bug fixes and the ability to browse and watch youtube videos right off the OSD. If you are interested in developing for the OSD I suggest you join the Neuros Community Forums and definitely read the developer writeup posted at linuxlookup.com.

Over all I had a pleasant experience with the Neuros OSD and would recommend this product to someone who is technical, and has a need to convert video media to a DRM free format. I really liked the work that was done to ensure the device output the right format and file paths for many devices. I look forward to seeing what improvements are created and implemented from the open source community.

PROs:

• Easy to use platform to convert movies, television, VCR/Camcorder camcorder tapes, and DVR recordings to a very portable (mp4) format.
• Quality of mp4 video was well above my expectations.
• Multiple local storage options, pretty much supports all memory cards, plus USB hard drives and thumbdrives.
• Has the ability to scan for and use network shares to both store to and play from.
• OpenSource platform enables home users & hardware hackers to build their own features and contribute back to the community.
• Ability to perform firmware updates automatically over the included lan interface.
• Can connect PSPs, iPods, and Smartphones directly using the usb interface.
• Remote much improved over previous versions

CONs

• User interface is very basic, doesn’t "WOW".
• Uses mini-composite cables. I would really like to use higher quality cables.
• High price point

Video Standard

• Compatible with NTSC, Pal and Secam (input only) standards

Video Recording

• ISO Standard MPEG-4 SP encoding (MP4, ASF)
• QVGA (320×240) @30fps with AAC-LC/MP3/G.726 audio for smartphones, PSP™, iPod™, iPhone™ and PDA’s.
• VGA setting (640×480) @30fps for PC, TV playback.
• Record from any standard video source with RCA or S-video output (DVD, VCR, Camcorder, Cable/Satellite box, DVR/TiVo, Video Game Console, …)

Video Player

• MPEG-4 SP with MP3 audio, 30fps up to D1 resolution (720×480)
• Quicktime 6
• MPEG-4 AAC-LC stereo
• MP4 format at up to D1 resolution
• H.263 with MP3 audio
• FLV (for Playback of YouTube videos)
• ASF
• AVI (including Divx and Xvid)
• MP4
• WMV (up to QVGA)
• MOV
• MPG
• MPEG

You can also see a more detailed table of supported video formats for playback.

YouTube browser

• Watch YouTube videos on your TV
• Search the entire Youtube library using keywords
• build a list with all your favorite videos

Photo Viewer

• JPEG decoder (baseline up to 32M pixel)
• BMP
• GIF (nonanimated)
• Thumbnail view
• Zoom in/out (2x, 4x)

Audio Player

• Stereo MP3/WMA @ 30-320kbps (CBR & VBR)
• Ogg Vorbis
• FLAC
• WAV
• Stereo MPEG-4 AAC-LC
• G.726

Features

• Schedule (timer) recording
• Customizable slide shows
• One-click record
• IR Blaster to control your set-top box
• Run 3rd party applications

USB Host

• Record to and playback content from any USB mass storage
  device

Ethernet

• Connect to your network
• Save recordings to network storage
• UPnP support
• Stream Audio/Video from Internet
• Download multimedia content from Internet
• Connect to Windows Networks (Samba client support)

Complete System Includes

• Standard A/V RCA Interface Cables (European units also
  contain SCART adapters)
• 110-240V AC/DC Power Supply
• Stand
• IR Blaster
• Remote Control
• Abbreviated Users Manual

Dimensions and Weight

• 14 x 14 x 3.2 cm (5.5 x 5.5 x 1.25 inches)
• Weight 230g (8oz)

Upgradeability

• System updates and 3rd party applications available at
  www.neurostechnology.com/support/
• Automatic built-in software update

Storage Card Compatibility

• Memory Stick: Duo and Pro Duo
• Compact Flash: Type I and Type II
• Microdrives with CF type II interface
• Secure Digital (SD)
• Multi Media Card (MMC)
• USB thumbdrives
• External Hard Drives

Our friends at Defense Devices gave us some time to play with their credit card lock pick set.

Being a locksmith you know that carrying lock smith tools can raise a lot of eye brows. But with this slick device you can carry your tools conveniently and securely. This set is intended for the real skilled lock smith.

The card case is made out of hard plastic so it will hold up to everyday wear and tear. Packed with 4 stainless steel picks and 1 stainless steel tension tool. The case is just the right size to fit in your wallet or pocket.
As always you should check with you local law before buy lock pick sets if you are not a trained professional.

Dont forget to say ihacked for a 5% discount on your purchase!

Quoted from Trackstick.com.

“The Trackstick is a tiny GPS recorder intended as a low cost alternative to real time tracking devices. Tracksticks are GPS data loggers capable of continuously recording their own location histories for extended periods of time. It is the perfect solution for companies and individuals looking for a way to track, record and validate the location of anything that moves. As with all of Telespial Systems products, the Trackstick integrates seamlessly into Google Earth for unrivaled mapping and use worldwide.”

I recently received a Trackstick from Telespial Systems. When I opened it, I found a black plastic stick, and a mini-cd with “Software & Installation CD” printed on it. Here’s some general info about the Trackstick, this list was formed mostly by me, based on my experience with this device, and specifications from their website.

Specifications
3 modes of operation: Full power, low power, and off.
Runs on two AAA batteries.
Software compatible with Google earth and Google maps.
Easy to use, low maintenance.
Horizontal Accuracy: 15 meters
Vertical Accuracy: 22 meters
Max. # of satellites: 12
Dimensions: 4.10″ X 1.20″ X 0.87″
Weight: 1.5 oz.
Capacity: 1.0 Mb (4000 records with Date, Time, Longitude, Latitude, Speed, Direction, Altitude and other information.)
Connectivity: USB 1.1/2.0

Battery life
24 hours (full power)
5-7 days (low power)

Overview of Functionality
The modes idea I liked, full power for accurate, closer interval tracking, and low power for longer trips, with no extra batteries. However one thing that is interesting, is the “off” mode, it’s still on in the off mode. I don’t mean that it still tracks while “off” instead it generates a solid high frequency tone (similar to the ring tone adults can’t hear). It produces this sound at all times, all modes. Now, I realize that producing this tone, where it’s so quiet you have to hold the trackstick to your ear to here it won’t consume much power, but it still isn’t truly off.

The software that the trackstick comes with is great. It will download the recorded entries from the trackstick, give you a battery level reading for the trackstick, memory information, and customization options for the trackstick. By customization, I mean that you can define intervals for recording, and it’s sensitivity to movement.

When you download entries from the trackstick, you can choose to export the entires to Google earth, but it also gives you a link for each entry that will take you to that location with Google maps.

So now that we’ve talked specifications, let’s talk usefulness.

Practicality of Use
The trackstick has only one real use, tracking an object by recording its location onto its memory, from which you download the entries later.

So what could the average person use it for? Tracking yourself for fun to see where you went or to make it easy to retrace your steps when you loose something? I suppose that could be a use of it, if you can accurately find exact coordinates by looking at the earth, or your carpet. Another use would be tracking others, which is illegal without their knowledge (sorry sexual predators), but what about parents, for their teens? This is probably the best non-business use for the trackstick. However, you would have to either leave the trackstick in their car constantly and check the batteries every few days, or you’d have to figure out a way to stall for 10 minutes while the trackstick syncs to a satellite and you put it in their car. Another flaw to this plan, if you’re trying to track them secretly, is that it can’t just be thrown into the trunk, it has to see the sky. Which means dashboard, or on top of the car, and if you choose on top, what happens when it rains?

Another flaw to the secret teen tracking idea, is that tone that the trackstick transmits. The parent may not hear it, but the teen sure will. If you put it in the car, they hear it before they start the car, and right after they stop the car (because once the car is on, their music is so loud it covers over the tone). And if you put it outside the car, they can hear it before they get in their car, and see the little LED blinking. Of course, you could remove the LED, but then, how would you know what mode the trackstick is in? You wouldn’t even know if it was on or “off”.

So the best use would definitely be commercial tracking, where it doesn’t matter if they know the trackstick is there or not because they’ll get fired if they remove it.

Rating
So as far as ratings I would give the trackstick a 7/10 in commercial use, and a 5/10 in personal tracking (teen tracking).

Additional photos

The eStarling digital picture frame arrived late yesterday, and here’s a warning: it’s even uglier than its unboxing pictures we’ve seen so far. Its USB dongle sticks out the top like an antenna, and the dog-ugly logo plastered across the top is not removable without marring its finish.

I plugged in its AC adapter and connected it to a PC via its USB cable and it simply won’t communicate with the Wi-Fi network. Even after configuring the Wi-Fi network to be completely open, still, no dice. There’s more bad news, too:

When I had no luck hooking up the eStarling picture frame to Wi-Fi, nothing else would work. You can’t even plug in a flash memory card and look at pictures unless you’re connected to the Internet.

So I followed the documentation’s directions to a URL that was not working (http://www.estarling.com/support). No, the actual support address is http://www.estarling.com/support.html. Sure, I figured that out easily, but many consumers will be stumped by that, especially grandma.
estarling_side.jpg
Then more bad news: this is a 16×9 picture frame that’s packing a mere 480×234 pixels. Besides being a resolution that’s way too low for its 7-inch screen, its aspect ratio isn’t going to work out too well with 4×3 pictures (think either black bars on each side or stretched photos), and it’ll fare especially poorly with vertically-oriented pics that will turn out to be just slim shots with expansive black bars on either side.
estarling_top.jpg
But wait, couldn’t you just orient the frame vertically? Well yes, but then that horrible logo across the top will be running up the side, standing on end and looking even dumber.

We’ll get some tech support Tuesday (between 9am and 7pm Eastern) and see if this thing will work at all, but so far, my assessment is that the eStarling is a highly undesirable product. It’s cheaply made, is in an non-standard 16:9 aspect ratio with a relatively low-rez screen, and it’s ugly as shit and can’t be covered up with a conventional frame because of its odd size and permanent construction. It has a so-far nonworking USB dongle that’s starting to develop an odd smell as it heats up.

And finally, its cheap screen makes a whining noise as you dim it, but it’s quiet at its full brightness. I can only wonder what the guy we linked to yesterday at Gizgadg was thinking.

It’s not looking good, and certainly not worth any heroic last-minute attempts to get one under your tree in time for Christmas. Caveat emptor. – Charlie White

I also bought into the eStarling hype. I pre-ordered two for Christmas gifts (one for Wife, and one for Parents) and when I received them, I was put in quite a pinch to find replacement gifts. There is NO WAY I would have given this piece of crap to anyone. Please beware of this product!

Lets put it this way:
This is what I purchased:

This is what I received:

A quote from their site:
A silent, vibrating, pocket-sized device, designed to resemble a car alarm transmitter, that allows blackjack players to count cards easily, discreetly and accurately. You can accomplish in minutes what takes professional casino blackjack players years to perfect. By following the basic card counting strategy and using your Blackjack Buster, you can make expert, informed decisions before placing your bet or deciding whether or not to take a hit.

I recently received a "BlackJack Buster" device from the people over at HackersHomepage.com. Included inside the packaging was a small key-fob device (the card counter) along with a piece of paper describing how to use it and some general card counting tips (as well as some good blackjack tips). As you can see from the comparison shot below, the device does resemble a key fob from a car alarm system, and would probably fool someone with an untrained eye.

Documentation was included

The device’s main goal is to keep a running count of how favorable the deck is at any point in time. Blackjack counting works like this:

Tens and Aces are assigned a value of -1 because each time one of those cards is drawn from the deck, it makes the deck less favorable to the player. The opposite is also true. For every 2,3,4,5 or 6 that is dealt, the deck becomes more favorable because those cards are being removed. Having the low value cards removed increases the odds that your next card or set of cards will be 10’s or Aces.

Even though it sounds incredibly easy to keep track of in your head, it becomes increasingly difficult when you are playing with a 6-7 deck shoe with multiple players. You have to keep track of every card that is played by every player. That is where this device steps in. By simply pressing the left button for every 10 valued card (10, J, Q, K, A) and the Right button for the low valued cards (2,3,4,5,6) you can easily keep track of when it is time to bet or not. The bottom button gives you a count back by vibrating back the count. Short vibrations indicate a positive count, where long vibrations indicate a negative count.

After playing with the BlackJack Buster I can attest that this device does as claimed. It makes it incredibly easy to keep track of the deck’s "count". Although it does have some obvious flaws (I will get to that in a second).

On the positive side, the device is small, has a very "familiar" shape, and emits a very strong vibration allowing you to easily understand the count. The device is built well and even includes "damper" foam inside to keep the device quiet when vibrating. The BlackJack Buster is incredibly easy to use, and with very little practice you can be "counting" cards with the best of them.

On the negative side, any casino security officer doing his job is going to notice you inputting this information into this device. I don’t care if you are holding it, or tapping it in your pocket — you will be noticed and you will be punished. I would hate to find out what the guys in vegas would do to you if you were found using this. Also the cost for this device is normally $295, although it is currently on sale for $199. As Hackershomepage mentions, you could probably earn this money back in one sitting, but I do feel that even at $199 it is simply too expensive.

Conclusion: This device should only be used to help teach you the finer workings of card counting, or maybe at your local neighborhood blackjack game. Please don’t take it into a casino, you will get busted. The problem is design.. The fact that you would either need to be holding it in your hand, or always tapping your pocket would cause suspicion — it would be a lot better if there were a more stealthy way to input the data…..

How about Toe entry?

I set off to see if it was even possible, first I took the device apart. (Not that uncommon, I usually take every new piece of electronics apart)

I only had to remove one screw to reveal the insides. You can see the AAAA batteries and the "Damper" foam I previously mentioned. Wait did I say AAAA batteries?

After I got done marveling at the small AAAA batteries, I removed them and the Damper foam to reveal the PCB. I had hopes of just tapping into the pre-existing button contacts, but as I saw the PCB I noticed that it was securely in place by melting the stands onto the board. (hard to see in pic, but look below the bottom battery clip, and in between the front ones)

However, I did see something that made me smile — Does anyone see it? Yup, it has a JP1 and JP2 interface. It is time to do some Reverse Engineering! =) Using some extremely hi-tech procedures (two wires which I touched together to simulate a momentary switch) I checked each combination to map out the needed information.

After a few minutes of testing, I came up with the following results.

As you can see, you can interface into the JP2 connector very easily. It would be a very easy task to run some kynar wire to miniature momentary switches (Normally open) and run them so that you can press them with your toes. It would be a lot more difficult for the security officers to discover what you were up to I imagine. (However I would still recommend against it =)

The first tool is the Southord Jackknife Lock Pick Set.

The handle is made out of light weight fiberglass/polymer.
It conceals four picks, one key extractor and a tension tool.

The tension tool acts like a shield to the picks that are contained within the
Jackknife.

As you can see here, the Jackknife hides the picks very nicely.

Once you have selected the appropriate pick you can tighten the nut, located at
the bottom of the knife, to lock it in place.

The only draw back that I have with this is that you
really should take it off your key chain while in use. Other wise it is a pain
as it pulls down while you are working.

Final Comments:  The tool is very handy and because
it is attached to your keychain you can almost guarantee that you will have it
on you.
It is very rugged and durable.  It is a must have for anyone that enjoys
this hobby or profession.

The next tool that I had the honors to play with is the
RCS Sliding Pocket Pick Tool.  Its handle is made of fiberglass which
houses 7 stainless steal tools.

This is a really sweet tool. To the naked eye you would believe that it is a
knife handle with no blade.

With a closer look you would see 2 metal joints protruding from the center of
the tool.

 
With the slight move of one of the metal joints the tool exposes one of four
picks hidden within the handle. 

It also possesses two tension tools. One of the tension tools doubles as a key
extractor.

Each metal joint possesses a different pick depending on which way it is pushed. 

This shows the the metal joints pushed in the opposite direction exposing a
different set of picks.

Final Comments:  The tool is light weight and its
ergonomic handle makes the job easy.  It has a hard case feel without the
weight.  The tool is easy to carry around with you since everything is
contained within the handle.  This is a true beginner tool.  It seems
as if the tool itself does all the work.  I have let many people with no
experience try this tool and they have picked it up within 2 minutes.  "Get
one before the are gone – you have been warned"

To make things even better –
Defense Devices is giving our members a discount.

Members Click Here for Discount

Check out their site –
its full of great things you all could take apart and re-engineer.

If you make something cool send it to us.

Jack Knife

Sliding Pocket Pick