There's only one thing (okay, so maybe that's a stretch) that we love more than a mod that gives you all sorts of bragging rights: a mod that adds all sorts of utility. Tanntraad's most recent concoction -- a DIY iPod video projector -- most certainly ratchets up the PMP's functionality, as this homegrown device requires no external power, a ridiculously small amount of parts and no prior experience as a projectionist. Needless to say, the resulting unit blows up the video on your iPod for an entire room to see, and while we're sure the quality is nothing to write home about, you can give it a go yourself by following the instructions in the read link below.

While everyone's busy trying to figure out which particular shade of brushed metal Apple's new iMacs are going to show up in, a few major online retailers have quietly trimmed 5.5G iPod prices. Apple, who usually keeps a pretty tight rein on its product prices throughout various retail channels, hasn't matched the cuts on the Apple Store, but you can currently score a 30GB or 80GB iPod (with video) for about $20 off at Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City and J&R online stores. Notable exceptions include Target's online store, and Wal-mart, which doesn't sell iPods online. It's anyone's guess as to what actually sparked these price drops. It could be a way for traditional retailers to compete with Apple's aggressive back to school promotions, an attempt by Apple to clear away excess stock in preparation for a brand new iPod, or perhaps just a good old-fashioned price cut. Perhaps we'll know more on August 7th?

[Thanks, Matthew]

Could Apple be getting ready to finally kick those hard drives to the curb and go with flash memory across its iPod lineup? At least one man seems to think so: Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, who compares the swap to Apple's move in 2005 from the 1-inch HDD iPod mini to the NAND flash iPod nano. "Flash memory is clearly more expensive on a $/GB basis than hard disk drives," he says. "However, the late 2005 Nano transition to flash provides a guide as to the point at which the previously mentioned non-cost advantages of flash memory outweigh the cost premium." Apple is in a position to bump its HDD capacities to 120GB thanks to recent advances in perpendicular recording, but while that's great for video capacity, the fact remains you can only get 5.5 hours of video playback out of one of the current models, making additional capacity seemingly a low priority. Tortora sees 32GB as being cost-feasible for later this year, but we'd be surprised to see Apple segment its market with low capacity flash-based video iPods and high capacity HDD-based video iPods, so perhaps they'll manage to swing a 64 gigger by then. Speaking of video iPods, Tortora also claims the next generation of iPods will include an iPhone-esque wide touchscreen, WiFi for Apple TV streaming, and GPS functionality -- something that's been hinted at in certain Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard rumors. Jesse Tortora's track record isn't the greatest, his calls on the iPhone were pretty well off the mark, but the move to flash he details sounds reasonable, and while WiFi and GPS in an iPod seems like a distant dream at the moment, we're sure we could make room in our heart for such functionality.

We'll admit, we definitely admired Belkin's prototype version a lot better, but Sakar is doing something with its iPod-engulfing PVP that Belkin currently isn't -- bringing it to market. The iView player mimics a portable DVD player in just about every major aspect, including the seven-inch widescreen display, built-in stereo speakers, thin frame, AV output, and rechargeable battery, but instead of letting users load up their favorite disc, it sports a sunk-in socket for one's iPod video along with a dock connector to seat your Apple and keep it well hidden while in use. While we're not positive about when Sakar plans on rolling this thing out, nor if it'll come in a white color scheme to compliment the black, it'll run you $150 when it finally lands.

[Via pdaBlast]

Not quite the video iPod we were hoping for, not by a long shot, but Apple is refreshing their flagship iPod (with video) models today with a whole lotta' software love, and a couple hardware tweaks for good measure. The screen is now 60% brighter, the battery can last up to 3.5 hours during video playback, and the iPod includes new headphones, but otherwise the specs remain the same. As for software, the iPod is finally getting gapless playback, text-based search and brightness controls, along with a whole slew of games. The 'Pod has Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma bundled, and you can nab new games for $5 each off of iTunes. Maybe the best news is that Apple is dropping the prices and bumping the storage: you can get a spankin' new 30GB iPod for $250, and the new 80 gigger for $350. No word yet on availability.

We can't say with absolute certainty that every single device type known to man has now been outfitted or retrofitted with an iPod dock, but we sure are getting pretty dang close. ViewSonic's new ViewDock display series brings the iPod to your LCD, allowing you to view video, photos and those oh-so-cute menus at up to 65 times larger than an iPod screen. The displays also feature multiple USB 2.0 ports, an 8-in-1 card reader, a microphone, integrated speakers and a subwoofer to really bring the convergence. Of course, the average computer has most of those features already, along with copies of your iPod media if you're docking at your traditional computer, but what's the fun in that? We're otherwise slim on details for the new displays, with ViewSonic merely claiming "ultra-fast" response times, "high" brightness and contrast ratios and "wide" viewing angles. We've also yet to find a pic of these ViewDocks, but we'll be sure to update when we find one.

[Pic courtesy of bit-tech, thanks Ben D.]

As followup to that audio-only Alpine KCA-420i iPod interface from oh, about 2 years ago, it looks like Alpine has been quietly pumping out an iPod video capable KCE-415i unit in Europe for the last month. Yet a North American KCA-415i version is, at best, stil only on display on the trade show circuit. The E-variety 415i retails for about $100 and allows you to play/pause, skip, fast-forward/rewind the main 5G iPod directly from your Alpine MultiMedia station or overhead monitor with additional controls available from the Alpine head unit, remote control, or iPod itself. The interface is seen by your Alpine system as an external DVD source and not only charges your iPod's battery, but allows the iPod to be switched on/off via your car's ignition system. The unit provides composite or S-Video outs and as you'd expect works with a wide-variety of Alpine monitors. So just kick-in the autosync on your iTunes season subscriptions and you'll never suffer the lack of fresh, child numbing content on those long-haul trips again.

[Thanks, Jeff G]

These iPod-related patents get more outlandish by the minute, and this one might not even be from Apple, but we thought we'd run it by you all the same. The patent seems to refer to what could at least be an iPod accessory. It isn't filed by Apple, but since it continuously refers the the iPod specifically, it seems the device is somehow closely related. Clearly evident is an ability to do iChat AV-style video conferencing over a wired or wireless connection. References to "wherein the handheld video device is an improved iPod" give us hope that this device will work with some sort of next-generation wireless iPod, possibly even a phone version. The patent also covers the use of the iPod as a video server or to receive video streams from the Internets (World Cup, anyone?) which we're sure quite a few fans of the little device could find useful. There's also the chance that these pictures that include a phone are merely the dreams a patent squatter, or that the bare-bones approach of plugging in an external camera and headset will be as far as anybody goes with these video capabilities. But we can always dream, right?

[Via Macsimum News]

Until full-color flexible displays start hitting the market in who knows how many years, the only way to get big-screen video enjoyment on the go (besides holding your iPod right up to your face) is by attaching your device to a head-mounted display. Far from the bulky eyesores they once were, HMDs have thankfully evolved to the point where you don't look completely goofy sporting a pair in public, so there will probably be some interest in a new low-profile model called the ezVision Video iWear Glasses. Typical of these devices, instead of advertising the actual size of the LCDs, manufacturer ezGear only claims that the ezVisions simulate a 50-inch widescreen TV at some undetermined distance. You also get an 8-hour rechargeable battery, iPod and RCA breakout cables, and a replaceable nose piece, all for $400 direct from the manufacturer, or perhaps less when they arrive at retailers later this month.

[Via Yahoo]

Update: Sounds like ezGear was using "iWear," a trademark belonging to another company, without permission. Woops! Call 'em the ezVision Video Glasses.

Straight from the rumor mill to your ears/eyes/brain: iPod Hub is reporting that "anonymous film industry insiders" are claiming that Apple is attempting to get iPod video-friendly versions of theatrical releases included in movie studios' Blu-ray offerings. Since Blu-ray discs can theoretically hold 50GB or more, there would certainly be room for the small iPod-compatible files, which would presumably sport pretty strong encryption in order to placate piracy fears of content providers. The move would certainly be beneficial to Apple, as it would create a substantial library of full-length films available at what seems to be the inevitable launch of a "real" video iPod. Further enhancing the believability of this rumor is the fact that Apple already has strong ties to both Sony and Disney, two of the major studios. Still, until we hear official word from one of the players here, consider this to be simply idle chatter for now.

[Via TUAW]