Linux-centric Devices, Open Hardware, and Mobile Gadgets

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 11, 2026

• Devices/Embedded

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ US cybersecurity agency issues an urgent alert as Iranian hackers attack critical infrastructure — CISA guidance warns organizations to immediately shield certain programmable logic controllers from the [Internet] to thwart future attacks

    Iranian hackers are responding to the recent Iran-U.S. war with cyber attacks on critical American infrastructure, using vulnerabilities in systems used at water and energy companies, the U.S. has warned. The warning, released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency this week, suggests that the Iranian attacks are focused on “[Internet]-facing operational technology,” specifically programmable logic controllers, which allow them to gain a foothold and to cause disruption.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Engineer installs 3.5-inch floppy drive in a Tesla — modern EV recognizes and runs ancient storage device, even plays an MP3 file from diskette

    An engineer and software developer was able to make a 3.5-inch floppy drive work seamlessly with the Tesla with just a USB-to-FDD converter.

  • James Leighton ☛ How to control Govee Scenes in Home Assistant

    Here is how to use Govee Lightings Scenes within Home Assistant. This guide won't go into the details of how to install and configure Govee2MQTT and assumes you have already done this.

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ F&S M.2 AI Accelerator Uses NXP Ara-240 for Edge Inference Workloads

    F&S Elektronik Systeme has introduced an M.2 AI accelerator based on the NXP Ara-240, designed to offload inference workloads from embedded systems. It targets edge applications requiring low-latency processing, including machine vision, multimodal inference, and real-time analytics.

• Open Hardware/Modding

  • CNX Software ☛ Feature-rich Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier board offers dual Ethernet, quad RS485, 4G LTE/5G connectivity, and more

    Waveshare CM5-ETH-RS485-4G-BASE Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier board offers plenty of features such as GbE and 2.5GbE RJ45 jacks, optional 4G LTE/5G connectivity, terminal blocks for RS485, relay, and digital outputs, and more. The board also features a 4K-capable HDMI output, an M.2 Key-M socket for an NVMe SSD or Hey Hi (AI) accelerator, two MIPI DSI/CSI connectors, ten status and user LEDs, and a wide 7-36V DC power input.

  • CNX Software ☛ Bee Write Back – A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W-based DIY writerdeck with 5.5-inch OLED and mechanical keyboard

    Based on Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, the Bee Write Back writerdeck is another DIY project that should be relatively easy to reproduce, since it relies on off-the-shelf parts, including an OLED and mechanical key switches and caps, as well as a 3D printed enclosure. Simon (shmimel) had trouble falling asleep and found out that journaling helped him a lot, but he was not so fond of writing in a physical journal. So instead, he created the Bee Write Back journal/writerdeck as a distraction-free writing machine, and the result looks pretty neat.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Framework founder says that ‘personal computing as we know it is dead’ — vows to keep building ‘computers that you can own at the deepest level’

    Framework founder Nirav Patel has decried the “winner takes all” race currently happening in the computer industry, especially as various AI tech companies are consuming memory and storage chips, and even processors, at an unprecedented pace. He said in the blog announcing the company’s Framework [Next Gen] Event 2026 on April 21 that despite its achievements in helping push for a more repairable, upgradable, and customizable laptop ecosystem, “There is a very real scenario in which personal computing as we know it is dead.”

  • [Old] JCS ☛ iMac G4(K)

    A year ago I tried using an M1 iMac for work duty but its 21" screen took up too much room on my desk. After seeing Sean's video on Action Retro about putting an M4 Mac Mini inside an iMac G4, I thought I'd give it a try.

  • Hackster ☛ UNIHIKER Terminal Cyberdeck - Mini Linux handheld Computer

    This project transforms the UNIHIKER into a portable cyberdeck-style mini computer with a fast booting terminal, custom color themes, SSH...

• Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Danny McClelland ☛ Moving my mobile numbers to VoIP

    For the last year or so I’ve been running three eSIMs on my iPhone: personal, work, and a data-only travel SIM that swaps in whenever I’m abroad. iOS only lets two eSIMs be active at any one time, which meant a small but constant dance of enabling and disabling profiles depending on what I was doing that day.

    I’ve now ported both my personal and work mobile numbers to VoIP, and the eSIM juggling is gone.

  • Lee Peterson ☛ Setting up my phone as a tool, not a distraction

    This has led me to try to do my best to think of my iPhone as a tool, not something to distract myself with. This means a focus on productivity (to help with the way I’m wired) through reminders and calendars and be the compact camera I want to use when I am out and about.