The Nintendo Wii has an Internet connection, which allows players to compete against each other in games online. The Wi-Fi access also allows the user to surf the Internet assuming the own the Internet Channel. The fact that you had to pay for the ability to surf the web on the Wii always bothered me.

Nintendo has announced that it is now offering the Internet Channel free of charge. The channel previously cost users 500 Wii points to purchase. The Internet Channel can now be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel.

Forget the fact that this thing looks like some hopped up PSP wearing bright orange sunglasses. The extremely eye-catching WiFi Tv is basically a handheld internet television that is designed to access on-demand TV services that are available on the internet.

The idea is that TV shows and films can be streamed straight from the internet to the 6-inch touchscreen display. It boasts two slide-out speakers that supposedly provide a comfortable hand position, though we don’t see it. There’s even storage for Bluetooth headphones and a charging point.

Maybe you’ve found that most internet radio designs are too traditional. Apparently Satechi thinks so too. Check out this odd design. Their INSP3 WiFi radio has a strange barrel shape, but forget looks. It can stream music from both internet stations and from any UPnP network device.

Either WiFi b/g or wired ethernet is used to get onto the network, and the INSP3 can be used without a PC or Mac turned on. The remote will navigate both internet radio and local streaming content, with twin 8W stereo speakers and both line-in/line-out connections for plugging in a PMP and headphones.

There have been some rumors about the upcoming third generation of the iPhone, but now those rumors are shifting toward a serious Internet boost in the next model. Apparently someone in the know has stated that the new iPhone’s connection will be “significantly faster” but does that refer to the WiFi or the cellular connection? Maybe both.

Some experts suspect that the tip refers to a boost in Internet speed, with the addition of speed-doubled 7.2Mbps 3G. Which make sense, since Infineon will be releasing a new 3G chip this year. Also, AT&T has been testing their 7.2Mbps 3G service for awhile and that should roll out this year as well.

ZTIC (Zone Trusted Information Channel) is a USB stick designed for secure online banking, even if your computer is crawling with viruses. The stick was developed in Zurich by IBM and opens an SSL connection with the bank’s servers, keeping the data safely on its side (it has no storage of its own) and displaying the transaction details on the hardware.

Even if your connection is breached, the hacker will be exposed on the device’s display. Pricing and availability are still up in the air. IBM hopes to entice banks into buying it for online banking, which saves banks money on personnel costs but is constantly under siege by hackers.

Comcast has announced that it will be offering a couple of new Internet access plans in the Bay Area that are incredibly fast. The connectivity is via Comcast’s next generation DOCSIS 3.0 network and the top speed offering will be a package with up to 50Mbps of bandwidth.

The best news is that Comcast is doubling the speed at no additional cost to users of the service. The service will begin in Silicon Valley, Tri-Valley, and Monterey and then roll out to San Francisco, Oakland, and other Bay Area cities later this year.

Philips has introduced it’s Net TV service that will target it’s high-end TV line (the Philips 8000 and 9000 range), and allow you to surf only ceratin selected sites from your living room. Sadly, not everything from the Internet can be accessed. You’ll be restricted to a pre-determined set of sites like YouTube, TomTom, eBay, Funspot and MyAlbum among others.

These sites have been specially modified for the Philips Net TV service so that your eyes will benefit from large text. While you can view other sites, these have yet to be optimized.

This year’s CES will see Blaupunkt and miRoamer put Internet radio into car dashboards for the first time. According to miRoamer founder and CEO George Parthimos, “miRoamer’s development with Blaupunkt is the first seamless Internet radio solution. With the simple push of a button, users can access AM/FM stations or Internet radio’s thousands of music, entertainment, news and talk stations from around the world, all from the same car stereo.”

The first model will connect to a 3G/HSDPA/HSPA device via Bluetooth for Internet connectivity. When connecting to the Internet from an external device (Like an iPhone), the customer’s existing service provider is the default network. They have various models in the pipeline which may have their own internal modem.

If you want to tune in to Internet radio, but lack the means, then you may want to check out the user friendly iRadioPop Internet radio dongle. Just plug it into any available USB 2.0 port and you’re ready to go.

The interesting thing about this device and what makes it stand out is that it features an integrated recorder which allows you to capture and store your favorite songs. Preset station favorites let you go straight to your regular online radio places without having to search them out.

When you think about it, it’s kind of weird that toast is such a hugely popular food. I mean it’s basically burnt bread that’s ready to crumble in your hands. What’s weirder are all the new ways we’ve found to enjoy toast. We can even make it in our PC’s and decorate it with a frakken cylon. The Scan Toaster printer concept takes it all a step further, from designer Sung Bae Chang.

Details are a bit thin, but it connects to the internet via USB and can print images or text on bread using a flexible “module” unit heated by a wire. What it means is that you could read the news on the very breakfast that you eat. The Scan Toaster concept was a finalist in the 2008 Electrolux Design Lab competition. Sadly, it may be awhile before it hits the kitchen.

We’ve all been there. You need to pet your chicken even though your chicken is miles away. How do you do it? Maybe it’s sick of being fondled and that’s probably why the chicken crossed the road in the first place. It got sick of your harassment. Thankfully a group from the National University of Singapore’s Mixed Reality Lab have developed a way to pet your chicken through the internet. No chicken will be safe!

The idea was inspired by acts of pets and animal abuse through lack of welfare. This system enables humans to provide care for pets even though they are physically not together. The system enables a human to remotely touch her pet which is kept at home while she is away (in her office), and at the same time monitor the movement of the pet. This is realized by using a doll, which resembles the real pet located remotely, sitting on a mechanical positioning table. The pet owner interacts with the real pet by touching the doll.

AOL launched this morning a Flash-based Web version of its instant messaging AIM service. It is called AIM Express and you need not install any software to make it run.

AIM Express includes as features tabbed IM conversations, status message indicator, text messages to cell phones, rollovers of friend names to see status and compatibility with most popular browsers. The company also unveiled AIM for Windows Mobile, offering functions for phones like the Motorola Q, Samsung BlackJack and many Palm Treos such as status messages, buddy icons and text messaging. It works with devices using the Windows Mobile 5 and 6 operating systems.

AOL

Here’s a new wireless Philips concept by Flynn Product Design that offers something drastically different and ultra-awesome in a Sci-Fi kind of way. So awesome in fact that you’ll be watching it from the corner of your eye, waiting for it to ponce and suck out your insides.

If spiderwebs suddenly appear near this thing, get rid of it immediately because: A. It’s alive. Or B: It’s attracting little baby spiders that think it’s their mama, who will grow into big spiders. Creepiness aside, this might be the best webcam design yet. Soon spider cams will be no doubt be following us everywhere. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new overlords and I’m looking forward to working with you in return for my life.

The Iocell Contents Phone looks pretty cool, but it has a big mouth, like that one friend of yours. It doesn’t keep things to itself, since it contains within it a hard disk which can be used for sending your conversations anywhere on the web.

Sure, it has an awesome look and will give you music on hold, record your conversations and play background music while you talk, but just remember, even if you don’t own one, the person you’re talking to might own one. In other words, be careful what you say from now on. Good looking phones are looking to snitch on you to the internets and hang you out to dry. From now on I’m just saying yeah, uh-huh and bye.

If you’ve ever wanted a domain which ends with .me, tomorrow is your chance to get one. This new domain, maintained by the .ME Registry, is set to begin taking your registrations at 15:00UTC July 17, 2008.

The .ME Registry was chosen by the government of Montenegro to make this domain extension available to the general public at this time. Over 85 accredited registrars from 24 countries will be selling .ME domains.