Punk Rock Gadgets

Today Nintendo released an upgrade for the Wii, frankly that alone doesn't get me too excited because I still don't own one (this means the next person that reads my blog should send me one). But, what does get me excited is that Opera has also done some overhauling of the "Internet Channel" to make the web browser much more in tune with it's desktop cousin, Opera 9.

I know that in many circles the first feature that people are speaking about is the send a link to a friend feature. I am much more excited about the addition of widgets to the Internet Channel. Since the introduction of Opera 9 many users have created some pretty incredible widgets that give you a whole host of functionality which can now all be brought to your Wii.

Now that brings me back around to the Send a link to a friend feature. Simply put, you can now send your Wii friends a link to whatever site you want and include a note so you can show off whatever it may be (I would send people links to You Tube videos all day long, but that's just me).

One thing that will make your whole internet browsing experience on the Wii so much more enjoyable is the fact that you can now plug in a wide myriad of USB keyboards and utilize it to type in addresses much faster. All of this is currently a free upgrade to any current owner of the Internet Channel and for those of you that don't own it yet then quit wasting your time and fork over the measly 500 Wii points they are asking for it.

In an interesting bit of news, Opera has announced today that Opera Mini is now available for download for both the Treo and the Blackberry. All I can say about this is the more devices that can use Opera in any form the better off the world will be. I have been using Opera Mini since it first came around and frankly its one of the greatest bits of portable software around. If you are a Treo or Blackberry user then I highly recommend you rush over and download it. Download Opera Mini Here!

There has recently been a pile of "interesting" reviews on the DS Browser. What I find interesting about these reviews is that they seem a little less than accurate. I mean to say that I received my DS Browser a couple weeks ago and in order to give it a fair review I have been using it almost exclusively, in fact I am writing this post from my DS Lite. The first time I had a chance to play with the browser I only had a couple hours to use it, so the best way to get a really good feel for it would be to use it all the time.

Contrary to recent reviews I have found that the DS browser is absolutely functional in every day use. I noticed shortly after I started using the browser that it is quite nice not being bombarded by flash based ads that are incredibly unnecessary. Yes, I know, many people would say the lack of flash and java are a bad thing but there is something to be said for quick browsing on a small, simple device that fits in your pocket. I have been bringing my DS with me everywhere including my work where it comes in handy for me to check my work email when I am nowhere near my desk or on lunch break. Obviously the browser also works great when you hit the coffee shop for a little pick me up.

When it comes to useability I have found that the two view options(small screen rendering and DS mode) that the browser offers give you the freedom of choice to put each website's best foot forward. For example, sites based mostly in text(like slashdot) work better in small screen rendering whereas sites with a lot of pictures(like google images or similar sites) work much better in Ds mode since it uses the handy magnifier. In general the browser will load any site faster in small screen rendering so if you are browsing a bloated site like *ahem*ign.com, then you might want go there in small screen rendering mode and switch when you arrive. Switching between view modes is a snap with a simple button for each of the two modes on the bottom of the screen. It only takes a couple seconds to switch from view to view.

Entering text is simple as well, as you can see. The on screen keyboard has proven to be incredibly efficient. Since I seem to be faster overall on the keyboard I have chosen to use it a majority of the time although the time I have spent using the handwriting recognition I have found it works better than I expected. As long as you use the center of the four quadrants as your focal point when using the handwriting recognition then you are as good as golden. I would say that learning to write on the DS is a much quicker process than learning grafitti on a Palm, and even that is a quick process. I plan on using the handwriting recognition the quicker I get at it.

All in all people need to understnd that the DS isn't incredibly zippy to begin with and as long as you learn how to use the DS Browser to it's full extent then you will be right at home. Yes, bloated sites will load a little slow, but play with the viewing modes to optimize your experience. All in all the majority of the internet loads at perfectly acceptable speeds for everyday browsing including checking your email at places like Gmail and Yahoo. I highly recommend that anyone that owns a Nintendo DS pick up one of the DS Browser as it supplies you with an excellent means to access the internet from anywhere that Wifi is available. My opinion on the DS Browser hasn't changed from my original review and I still believe that this is an amazing way to get online at a completely unrivaled price tag($129.99USD for the DS Lite + $29.99USD for the DS Browser).

Just yesterday I had the chance to try out the prototype version of Opera for Nintendo DS. I wanted to take this opportunity to express my first thoughts as well as give a review of how it worked and how I felt about it overall. Before I get to far into this I would also like to say that the Release Date in Japan is slated for the 24th of July and should retail for around $33 USD.

Now, my initial impression when I heard that the Opera browser was going to be available on the DS blew me away due to the fact that a 129.99 device will have full access to the internet. With that said, when I got my hands on a Nintendo DS Lite with the prototype cartridge I knew I was going to once again be blown away. My anticipation was right on track.

Getting online with the Opera software was just as easy as it is with any Nintendo DS game. I simply turned the device on, touched the Opera software picture on the screen to start up the browser and before I knew it I was connected via the DS' built in Wifi. Upon booting up the browser you are presented with a simple easy to follow guide if you choose, but it's so simple to use I doubt most people will need it. The navigation is very simple in the browser, along the bottom of the screen you are presented with all the tools you need to perform searches, change the screen layout etc.

Graphically the browser is very eye pleasing. The look is very minimal to give you as much space to view web pages as possible. The little things that could not be without on the browser like the navigation buttons, the scroll bars and other necessities all fit in very well and enhance the overall experience.

When I started it up I was browsing in dual screen mode. Basically the page was fit to the width of the screen and the height spanned both screens. With an easy touch of the stylus you can switch into a "zoom" mode where you are presented with a picture of the web page on the top screen and on the bottom screen you can drag a box around to see in actual size what you need to view. You can also simply swap the screens so that you can type in text as needed where fields or check boxes etc. are presented.

Typing on the DS is a breeze. Basically when you need to go to an address, or you need to enter text in a field you simply tap where you are to enter text and you are presented with a keyboard on the touch screen where you can tap away whatever it may be that you need to spell out. The keyboard is large enough to give you plenty of space so you aren't tripping over the other letters and mistyping. On the other hand the keyboard isn't too large so as to block out all of your decadent online pleasures.

Opera Software's strong focus on web standards really shines on the DS. I surfed through a handful of web sites while I was using the browser and didn't come upon one that didn't work flawlessly with pint sized browser. It appears that security doesn't cause any problems as I browsed in and out of my e-mail accounts with ease. The switching of views proved extra handy when you wanted to get a nice shot of that picture on your friends blog(or any other picture). The screens on the DS Lite proved to be a great match for the browser and provided me with beautiful images every time. What I found to be extremely nice was the fact that Opera on DS stayed true to the speed of the desktop Opera browser and I felt as comfortable browsing on the DS as I did on my desktop at home.

Nintendo seemed to have knocked on the right door when they decided to work with Opera. Opera seems to be right at home on the DS and you would think that the software was designed at the same time the DS was. It's not often when you get a chance to play with beta products that work perfect right off the bat but it seems that piles of time have been poured into making this piece of software perfect. I don't want to speculate too much but it would be suprising if Nintendo didn't seek to create more applications to continue to broaden the use of the DS. All in all it would be safe to say that Nintendo and Opera have really hit it home with this combination of Hardware and Software innovation by providing the DS with an inexpensive, easy to use and beautiful product that anyone can afford.



The DS Browser has officially launched today in Japan! Here is a link to the official press release: Nintendo DS Browser Press Release