The folks at Hackmii have released an installer which will will let you play DVDs on your Wii, something which Nintendo’s console should really do already. You won’t need to have a mod chip inside the Wii for this to work. According to the instructions, “The DVDX installer instead will install a small, hidden, channel on your Wii that allows you to read DVDs on an unmodified system”. You will also be able to play movie files from an SD card inserted into the Wii, and future versions will let you play games from DVDs you have burned yourself. So you can, you know, keep your original discs safe. But the best part of this whole story is the method for cracking your Wii open in the first place, which reads like some cross between William Gibson and Disney. (Read the full post about ‘Wii Hacked to Play DVDs’…)

Celio Corp. has decided that it is in the best interest of everyone to reduce the Redfly price by $100, aiming to place this within the more affordable range of most people. Read up on what the Redfly can do in our CES 2008 post, and you decide for yourself whether it is well worth the $399 price it holds now. I would still gun for the Eee PC since this is nothing but an extension of a Windows mobile device - what about you? Tags: wi-fi, buyers guides, sat-nav, consumer technology (Read the full post about ‘Celio Redfly Price Drop’…)

Another day, another ipod dock. Intempo joins the fray this time round with a mid-September release of its Fusion iPod dock. It comes in a rather funny form factor that moves away from the traditional rectangle design, specially sculptured to fit virtually all iPods without hindering access to the controls. Other than doubling up as a charger, the Fusion will also come with a built-in FM tuner for you to enjoy your favorite DJs when you’ve run out MP3s to listen to. Other features include an alarm clock function, DAB playback, a couple of 25-watt speakers and an integrated subwoofer. Each £99 purchase comes with a remote control. Tags: mobile phone, gaming, lcd, Ogg (Read the full post about ‘Intempo Fusion iPod Dock’…)

This could possibly be the first camera in the world for the blind, known as the “Touch Sight”. While you might think this is redundant, but the “Touch Sight” camera works as follows. “Touch Sight is a revolutionary digital camera designed for visually impaired people. Simple features make it easy to use, including a unique feature which records sound for three seconds after pressing the shutter button. The user can then use the sound as reference when reviewing and managing the photos. Touch Sight does not have an LCD but instead has a lightweight, flexible Braille display sheet which displays a 3D image by embossing the surface, allowing the user to touch their photo. (Read the full post about ‘Touch Sight Camera For The Blind’…)

Visionsense has developed a brand new single chip stereo endoscope which makes provision for 3D visualization within the body. The human eyes provide the brain with two independent, slightly different images of an object. These are then processed into a stereo image that relays how close or far away the object is. Today’s Minimally Invasive Surgery (“MIS”) video cameras are monocular based, therefore they provide only 2-Dimension visualization. The lack of depth perception, inherent in the current technology, significantly reduces a surgeon’s ability to determine the size and precise location of anatomical structures and the surgeon’s maneuvers, thus impairing their ability to diagnose and operate efficiently. (Read the full post about ‘Visionsense Single Chip Stereo Endoscope’…)

Vudu seems to have picked a strange time to launch a “summer blockbuster special” however there seems to be no mention of an end-date either so we can only hope it remains available. Their latest offering seems to be a step in the right direction and includes 99-cent movie renewals on standard definition movies, and $1.99 extensions for high definition movies. Users will be able to re-rent the movies for the discounted price within 7 days of beginning the movie, which should help those who sat down and started to watch only to have something come up and pull them away. In addition Vudu will also begin their “99 for 99” channel which will include 99 movies that users can rent for just 99-cents. (Read the full post about ‘Vudu unveils “99 for 99” channel along with 99-cent movie renewals’…)

A picture is worth a thousand words, but this one can be summed up in seven: Photographers in Beijing love Canon and Nikon. Holy bejeezus, look at all those camera geeks flauntin’ their lenses. (Click to enlarge.) Beijing National Aquatics Center photo shows Canon-Nikon Olympic mix (RobGalbraith.com) (Photo credit: ross_tt/Flickr) Tags: camera, Ogg Vorbis, gizmos, home theater (Read the full post about ‘Nikon and Canon Cameras Rockin’ the Olympics’…)