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Filed under: Games, Features, Windows, Freeware, How-Tos

Mod your PSP the easy way

PSP
In our last column, we covered the history behind the PSP homebrew scene. We hope that this has whetted your appetite, because today we will show you how you can enjoy the homebrew phenomenon on your own PSP!

As with any community created technology, PSP homebrew can be overwhelming, especially when you are new to it. Many people become confused and frustrated when searching for information on how to do things such as modding their PSP. We at Download Squad don't think you should have to spend a whole weekend getting to know Google better, so we did the hard work for you. We searched, cussed, and scratched out heads for weeks to deliver you this, the simplest and most painless guide possible, a full solution that will work on ANY PSP and ANY firmware, and even on "bricked" PSPs!

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Filed under: Weekend Review

Download Squad Week in Review

Download Squad logoWhether you're looking for a beta invitation code to a hot new service, tips on making the most of your email service, or a Valentine's day present for that special someone in your life, we've got you covered. Here are some of our favorite Download Squad articles from the week that was.

Invites for Digsby and SugarSync

This week we looked at two new services in private beta. Digsby is desktop application that lets you manage multiple email, IM, and social networking accounts. It's sort of like Pidgin plus an email notifier and a desktop client for Facebook and MySpace. And we've got 5,000 invites to give away.

We also have about 500 invites for SugarSync, another new desktop/web service. SugarSync lets users synchronize files between their computer, mobile device, and a web server. Just add contact/calendar sync and we'd be in heaven.

Email user interface advancement - Emailers Anonymous

Google made a lot of waves when it launched an email service a few years ago. The idea of a web mail account that measured storage in gigabytes rather than megabytes was pretty revolutionary at the time. But vast amounts of storage aren't the only thing that set Gmail apart. In this week's edition of Emailers Anonymous we take a look at threaded messaging and how it changes the way we think of email.

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Filed under: Features, Commercial, Freeware, Mods, Ask DLS

Introduction to PSP Homebrew

PSP
The Playstation Portable is a jack of all trades. It plays music, videos, browses the Internet, and plays games. However, for an increasing number of people, this still isn't enough. With its powerful dual-processor configuration and Memory Stick Pro Duo slot, the PSP is a pocket powerhouse, capable of much more than just gaming and multimedia.

This is where the homebrew community comes in. With some modifications to its system software, the PSP can run 3rd party software, just like an ordinary computer. A massive community has sprung up online that is dedicated to these modifications. Read on to find out more.

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Filed under: Games

Wii would like to hack

videoHacking game consoles to run homebrew code is all the rage these days, but until recently, Wii owners were only able to join the fun with software that ran in Gamecube mode, which was a serious limitation.

No longer! At the 24th Annual Chaos Communication Congress, a homebrew developer presented a hacked Wii running native code in Wii mode. By analyzing memory dumps from a modified Wii, they managed to decode the Wii's encryption keys. Programs run in this fashion have full access to the Wii's hardware, which means the sky is now the limit for homebrew Wii developers.

For those unfamiliar with the term, homebrew applications are programs that hobbyists make for specialized computer platforms, like game consoles and phones. They range from games to utilities to full operating systems, and allow the device to be used much in the same way as a proper desktop computer.

Reverse engineering of this type is probably kinda almost certainly very illegal, but we can't help but applaud these efforts. In an age when more and more hardware manufactures restrict what the user can do with their console, it's hard not to cheer for the underdog. It's not known when this crack will become publicly available, but we will be sure to keep you up to date.

[Via wiinintendo.net]

Filed under: Fun, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Shareware

BeerMeister: the app beermakers use when they're not drinking beer

beermeisterMr. Stuff got tired of looking for decent homebrewing software and decided to write his own. BeerMeister is an all-in-one tool for making the perfect homebrew. It got a collection of pre-made recipe templates (for bock, ale, etc.), a log book, and XML recipe exporter. Could you roll your own version with Filemaker or Excel? Perhaps. But first you'd have to sober up, wouldn't you? Right now it's only for OS X, but if you really need a Linux or PC edition, email Mr. Stuff. BeerMeister is shareware, and it'll cost you $15 at some point...

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

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