Well, it's finally out. Team Xecuter's Homebrew Modchip project has just released their source code for Samsung drives, with the Hitachi source code on its way very soon. As we've mentioned in the past, the Xecuter Homebrew Modchip is meant to be an Xbox 360 modchip made by hobbyists for hobbyists, uniting the homebrew community in developing and making the best modchip possible for everyone to benefit from.

There are currently two versions of the source: 1.0, which was the very first release, as well as 1.02, which carries some bug fixes and is meant to be more stable. Download and try both codes, either from our copy on the download site or on the Xecuter forums, to see the difference, and let Team Xecuter know your thoughts and suggestions on their project.

We'll also let you know when the Hitachi XHM source code comes out and inform you of future upgrades to the existing code. Until then, here are the release notes from the Samsung XHM release:

Package includes:

• SX18 code fully comented
• Version v1.0 , Auto detect media type
• Put in disc and away you go
• NO SLEEP mod as this is SX18 (SX28 will have sleep)
• SS PSN Patched to FC021E, Hombrewers can change it to whatever they want
• SS PSN currently set for NME Iso Images.
• Works well but its way off perfect - it's the first release after all
• Its an ASM file and you can edit it as a txt file, put comments after ( ; )
• Also included is the HEX file

We will prepare a full step by step of how the code works and do some LA state listings showing address and data and timing.

The Hitachi release is much easier and far better as the thing runs slower. That will be released in the next few days - just making it work well with ALL versions of firmware all in one mod.

We will keep updating the Samsung and add things to make it better and more stable but the idea is to get budding hackers out there to work with this.

Download: [XHM Source Code v1.00]
Download  [XHM Source Code v1.02]

Samsung Electronics has developed the world's first 3-inch VGA LCD screen for digital still cameras which can also be used for portable media players and other small devices that utilize little power and require high resolution screens.

Previously, LCDs could not be made to such tiny specifications. Samsung's ability to create LCD panels that operate at 30hz (instead of the usual 60hz) made it possible for them to create VGA images on the tiny screen without compressing or otherwise manipulating the signal.

Without the advances Samsung discovered, low power, high resolution LCDs of this size wouldn't be possible. According to a Samsung press release, "the three-inch VGA LCD also incorporates a dot inversion scheme that lowers power consumption while substantially reducing the image flickering that has prevented such an approach in the past."

The public will see the new monitor at IMID 2006 (International Meeting on Information Display), in Daegu Korea on August 23. A commercial version of the 3 inch VGA LCD will be made available in the first half of 2007.

Redline99 has released Drive Tools v1.1 Build 0004, a homebrew app for working with Xbox Drives. Drive Tools currently supports Xbox 360 Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943A  (c4e all versions designed for ss extraction), Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L (garyopa's 2.0+) and PC Samsung SH-D162C ( kreon .51+ ) although drives may not support each feature listed below:

• Save Firmware
• Get Drive Key
• Unlock Drive
• Get Security Sector
• Get PFI Sector
• Get DMI Sector

In this latest update, Redline99 reports the following changes:

• Fixed a couple SRB_DIR_IN to SRB_DIR_OUT
• Fixed Unlocking
• Fixed VB Bug for Radio Buttons
• Added SDG-605B/616T/616F Support (C4E 605b0800.bin)

In case your new to Drive Tools, but you want to try it this is how you install the application. First you  need:

• Visual Basic 6 service pack 6 runtime (included in the file: vbrun60sp6.exe)
• COMDLG32.OCX (6.1.97.82)

However, Redline99 says you can try the app before installing these because you may not need them after all.

Double click ocxdllreg.reg and click yes to add to the registry. You should then be able to Right mouse click on COM dll's (including OCX's) and select Register or Unregister. A reg file is included for convenience to register ocx's and com dlls. If this is too complicated, you may wait for the real installer which Redline99 may (or may not) include with future releases.

Download: [Drive Tools v1.1 Build 0004]

Don't you just love breaking news?

Team Xecuter, known for their attempts at bringing homebrew to the XBox 360, have recently made known their plans to take homebrew to a new level. They've announced their plans to bring the first homebrew modchip for the XBox 360, which they're calling the XHM.

As they've stated in their forums, they're going to release their modchip to anyone who wants it, source code and schematics and all, so that others can have a crack at improving and making something the whole community can enjoy. As they wrote on the forums, they are "releasing to the xbox scene... modchip development and putting it in the hands of scene hobbyists."

In its current incarnation, the mod patches DVD firmware on both Hitachi and Samsung drives. The Samsung mod is set to automatically differentiate between backups and originals and patches the firmware accordingly, while the Hitachi code uses manual enabling and disabling.

Even the makers are excited about the release, and its future in the homebrew scene:

From the first release you can expect a Samsung Version - Auto Intelligent Detection and only 11 wires. We have chosen a very easy and cheap IC to purchase and is written in a language which will be understood by the majority of enthusiasts.

Then we will release the Hitachi version - who's patching includes the new mediacheck hack !

Think of the possibilities....

1. Less than $5 - $10 in parts - why spend $60 on a device that does the same if not less ?

2. A complete range of features and up to date code which you can program yourself (Think about it - All drives on one mod, custom SS location, F800/F900 patching, Stealth Patching etc etc)

3. Incredibly fast updates with non reliance on 1 company or person

4. A bit of fun and hopefully a bit of education too !

The information page for XHM is still being set up at the moment, but you can keep posted here for developments on the XHM. You can definitely expect more news on Xecuter releases, as well as future revisions of the XHM project by other intrepid modders, as soon as we have them.

You might want to set your sights on upcoming BMW cars if you're planning of purchasing a new set of wheels in the future...far future that is. The next line of cars to come out of the BMW garage will apparently sport LCD monitors provided by no less than electronics giant Samsung.

If the rumors creeping through the netvine is correct, some 26,400 monitors will be making its way to BMW from September 2006 to July 2007. This is, apparently, the largest order Samsung got from a German company.

To strengthen it's brand image, Samsung Electronics is said to be launching a 40-inch LCD TV in September. That may not pique the interest of consumers who have seen larger displays, but the LED backlight feature might just get them to give the LCD TV a second look.

The 40-inch LED TV will be offered for $3,000 to the European market. This new TV will source panels from S-LCD, a joint venture between Samsung and Sony. If you would recall, Sony launched 40- and 46-inch LCD TVs with LED backlight in November 2004. Due to the steep pricing, sales of the TVs fell below expectations. Having said that, it's quite surprising that Samsung would want to foray into the TV-with-LED-backlight market, considering it's offering a much steeper price point.

Perhaps Samsung is banking on Insight Media's forecast that shipments for LED backlighting used in TVs will outpace that of cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) technology in 2010. It's a gamble, but Samsung might be seeing a bright backlight future ahead.

Lite-On IT is biding its time in the battle against other DVD authoring companies to reveal their trump card: a 20x DVD burner.

Companies like NEC, Pioneer, and Toshiba-Samsung have recently followed in the foosteps of manufacturer Plextor by developing and preparing their own 18x speed DVD authoring hardware for release in the coming months. Unlike its competitors, however, Lite-On IT has announced its plans to create a 20x DVD authoring system for public release in the fourth quarter.

Whether or not the existing 16x burning speeds will remain as the mainstream option for DVD burners remains to be seen. With hype over something supposedly better than 18x, however, there's a good chance that the buying trend towards upgrading to what would be the second best speed will shift general popularity in favor of the immediate 18x upgrade.

Keep checking QJ for more information on these impending releases as we have them.

If you remember, about a week ago the Fractal team previously reported that the "ultimate universal 360 DVD firmware chip" will make its big firmware debut on the 20th of August. I guess, the Fractal team knows that when people are kept in the dark for too long, restlessness becomes them and eventually, they go nuts, so this photo of the final version prototype of the chip. Full scale production will commence in the coming days, so expect the chip to make it on it's promised date.

Features include:

• Reduced number of wires to solder
• On the fly patching! On-board firmware will remain unchanged
• Fully compatible with actual Security sectors without the need to reburn games
• Media fix for Hitachi readers for increased media compatibility
• Security sectors and game ripping on both Hitachi and Samsung readers
• Fully automatic disable feature for original game boot

Two new Samsung phones recently earned FCC approval for its ultra slim quad-band GSM with EDGE data cell phones. The final off-the-rack specs of the Samsung twins aren't in yet but the general features are expected to be more or less the following:

The T629 is a slim slider 0.5 inches (11.9 mm) thick with a Micro SD slot, 70MB memory, 220x176 pixels and 262k color landscape one. The T519 is an ultra slim candy bar that measures a Moss-like 0.27 inches (6.9mm) thickness with a rather hefty 80MB built-in memory and and QVGA display. Both phoneswill have Bluetooth and a 2MP camera.

Ryanmp31 has announced that v2.0 of the Toshiba Samsung 360 Auto Flasher is now out. This tool makes a bootable USB key including all the files needed to backup, flash and recover your Samsung Xbox360 firmware, all in one simple automatic process! This version has been updated from v1.1 to work with C4E's newest v2.0 firmware.

Installation:

1. Extract the archive to your hard drive
2. Insert your USB Stick
3. Format your USB Stick with the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool included (HPUSBFW.EXE), select FAT32 and "Create a DOS Startup Disk" using the files included in the folder. Check the Pictures folder for visual assistance!
4. Copy the contents of the archive to the root directory of your USB Stick (if space is an issue, or you are using a floppy, simply copy the autoexec.bat and firmware + command folders over. If you know which card you have, you may copy only the neccessary folder within the firmware folder, e.g. Via or Nforce4.)
5. Run Bios Agent to find your chipset (see pictures folder)
6. Adjust Your BIOS Settings to boot from the USB Stick
7. Boot to your USB Stick
8. Run autoexec.bat to start.

If you want to use the tools on a floppy, all you have to do is copy over the necessary autoexec.bat, command folder, and needed firmware folder onto the floppy. Here are a few extra notes from ryammp31:

A few changes from the v1.1 patcher.... It doesn't need the -p or -u, it only needs the p or u (I took the - out of the program). Second of all, instead of writing the orig.bin to a new file, in hopes of getting the flasher out quick, I took that part out as well and now the program just overwrites your orig.bin with the correct values to make it the xtreme20.bin (although the name remains orig.bin. If you dont trust me, use a command prompt, and throw a copy of your orig.bin file into the same directory as this autopatcher, run the patch, then compare the newly created version of orig.bin (which will be xtreme20.bin, only diff is that it is still called orig.bin) to the xtreme20.bin from c4e with a hex editor. You will find that the only diff is in the area of your DVD drive key, as that is the entire reason for this patch instead of the previously used KDX tool that tended to botch some firmware. Finally, the PPF files that were included are not needed anymore, as it was used to apply the patch to create the xtreme0800. This is no longer needed as C4E'sv2.0 firmware has this 0800 function built in.