Popular tech YouTuber ChromaLock recently shared a video demonstrating how they managed to connect a “dated” TI-84 graphing calculator to the internet and run ChatGPT, creating, “the ultimate cheating device.”
In order to pull off the hack, ChromaLock leveraged custom hardware modifications and an open-source software suite. On the hardware side, the YouTuber installed a Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller (specifically, the Seed Studio ESP32-C3), thereby avoiding the need to use the link port to connect to an external connectivity device. They had to tweak the device’s voltage slightly and install a 1K resistor to properly power the microcontroller.
The software, on the other hand, is available on Github under the TI-32 repository and acts as “a mod for the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition calculators to give them internet access and add other features, like test mode breakout and camera support,” according to its description. The modder ran into signal integrity issues during the development process, but was able to mitigate them by building a custom PCB to enable the Wi-Fi microcontroller to impersonate another TI-84 and allow the user to more easily send and share data with their actual TI-84.
In the video above, ChromaLock shows off some of the device’s capabilities, including a chat function, a monochrome image viewer, and a ChatGPT input window. Essentially, the modification enables users to input complex equations, then have ChatGPT solve them and display the answers on the calculator’s screen.
The data link appears to be glacially slow and typing long strings of text using a graphing calculator keypad feels like a lot of work, but the device’s capabilities are impressive nonetheless. And ChromaLock is not finished. They plan to add more features in the future, including improvements to the large language model’s functionality, web browsing and email functionality, video playback, and Discord access.
After spending years with touchscreen Windows laptops, I've become rather accustomed to reaching out and tapping the screen if I just want to interact with something quickly. It's a small convenience, one that feels natural as soon as you get used to it. But whenever I use a MacBook for a bit, I inevitably find myself reaching for the screen before realizing that Apple has never offered this feature for its notebooks.
Apple has resisted touchscreen Macs for years, but that might finally change. The company is reportedly preparing to introduce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, complete with an OLED display and a redesigned interface that accommodates touch input. Not to be confused with the new $2,000 M6 MacBook Pro, which just launched with minimal updates over its predecessor.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Google DeepMind's AI world model Genie 4 can now build interactive worlds that you can explore and reshape as they run. It also generates ambient sounds, music, and dialogue that respond to your actions.
The new world model builds on Genie 3 with improved realism, more natural human movement, and better simulations of real-world physics. It could eventually help with everything from game development to training robots.