If you're one of the lucky ones to score a Nintendo Wii so far, you've probably fiddled around with the Channels interface more than you'd like to admit. You already know about the basic ones, like the Disc and Mii Channels, and you've most likely skipped over the Photo Channel entirely. But have you checked out what the Wii Shop has to offer?

The Forecast Channel, for instance, grabs weather info from the Internet and displays current temperatures, UV indices, tomorrow's predictions, and a five-day forecast for any region in the world. Some games, like Madden NFL 07, use the Forecast Channel to simulate in-game weather conditions. But this can backfire when that continuous Rochester blizzard outside manages to creep into your videogames, too.

The News Channel scrolls the top headlines and news stories culled from the Internet, courtesy of the Associated Press. Users can navigate an interactive global map to locate interesting stories and photographs by region. No video and audio is available yet, but if you just absolutely need your YouTube! fix, you can surf the Web on the Internet Channel by downloading the Opera Browser from Wii Shop (free until June).

The newest channel, Everybody Votes, just launched on February 13. Everybody Votes offers three simple questions for players to answer, such as "Which is a more romantic Valentine's gift, Chocolate or Roses?" (You won't find any deep or existential inquiries into the human condition here, just fun timewasters.) Each mini-questionnaire is open for one week, after which the polls close and the questions are updated, with the results for your region going live within hours. Worldwide polls are held twice a month, and players can suggest any topic they like for future questions. You can even predict the outcomes of the votes; each correct prediction is tallied in your profile and used to calculate how "tuned in" you are to public opinion.

Nintendo has hinted that further Channels could appear in the coming months, so keep an eye out on Wii Shop for more.