I just received a Nintendo DS cartridge that contains the Opera browser. It also ships with a memory expansion pack, which plugs into the port in the bottom of the DS. Given the DS’s size, and the lack of a keyboard, how good of a browser can it be? In this installment, we’re going to look at the DS browser, along with some mobile websites of interest.
Preparing the DS browser for use is relatively easy. If you already have your WiFi networking set up, all you really need to do is insert the DS cartridge, the memory expansion pack, and turn it on. When the program starts, you are at a start screen that you can customize with your most-used links. This is even more important to use than on a standard computer: since you are using the stylus to navigate, type, etc, you want as few stylus taps as possible. It did not take me long at all to use their Favorites feature (a star icon button at the bottom) to populate it with my own links.
I won’t go too in depth with the functionality, other than to say that if you’re familiar with web browsers, and Opera in particular, you’ll have no problem figuring everything out.
So, how do websites look? Well…different. If the site is in a two or three column layout, for instance, the site is displayed with the columns stacked. So there is a lot of scrolling involved. Outside of that, however, all links and images show up as they do on the standard site. You have the option to turn images off, however, since the loading of pages isn’t all that fast. When you have to fill fields in a form, you have to tap on each field to get to an editor screen, where you can type in with a keyboard (by tapping the stylus), or use the built-in handwriting recognition. And using standard sites, the type can often be quite small. You’ll need good eyesight to handle this browser.
In fact, the size of the DS’s screens and the navigation is the biggest complaint about this device. Normal websites do get sliced up as I mentioned above. In a different mode, you can use the bottom screen as a navigator to show a magnified version in the top screen; handy, but the drawback of the very slow loading times makes all sites rather sluggish to load. Don’t expect this to replace a computer for web browsing–it’s just too small. But as I’ve found out, this isn’t the only way to use the DS browser.
Solution: think mobile. Many sites now have stripped-down sites for mobile devices. With a little digging today, I discovered that many of my favorite sites had mobile versions, and even the vBulletin forum system has a mobile theme you can install (from vbulletin.org), accessible with a per-session URL. Here is a short list of some of the mobile sites I found, and all of these URLs point to the mobile version of the site:
Gmail: http://m.gmail.com
You get a stripped down view of Gmail, with your inbox prominently displayed. You also have basic links to compose mail, change your settings, etc. The text is larger than browsing the full version, and loads very quickly.
Google Calendar: http://google.com/calendar/m
A very basic representation of your calendar–you basically just see a list of events. And, only a quick-add feature to add new events. When you have multiple calendars, you’re stuck with entering events into your default calendar, then switching them later from a real computer. As with Gmail, the text is easy to read, and there is only a Google logo at the top…no other images.
Amazon: http://amazon.com/access
A stripped-down view of Amazon, with enough basics in product searches to navigate the items efficiently. The only drawback is that you cannot log in to your account: the connection gets closed. So if I want to see my wishlist, I’m out of luck. And needless to say, that also puts the kabosh on ordering.
eBuddy: http://m.ebuddy.com
Here’s a multi-platform instant messenger for mobile devices! It supports Google Talk, Yahoo (although I couldn’t log in today), MSN Messenger and AIM. You can connect to all of them simultaneously. I did not get a chance to check out the actual messaging, but connecting was painless enough.
Weather Underground: http://m.wund.com
Weather Underground’s main page is too full of information, but their new mobile version gives you all the basics: current conditions, one week forecast, and even a small radar image! You can also switch to a satellite view if you wish. Minimal icons keep it concise. Weather Underground remains my favorite weather site after all these years, so it’s nice to be able to take it portable.
I’m finding that many sites have mobile versions available, although it often takes some digging to find a link to it on their sites. Since the DS’s browser is relatively obscure (compared to popular cell phone models, Blackberry devices, etc.), many sites are not going to recognize it as a mobile device. That means you need to find the mobile URL for the site. It’s also surprising that some major sites do not have mobile equivalents, or if they do, they are not very well thought out. The mobile sites are very barebones, with few or no graphic images at all. But they are functional, and it’s often refreshing to be able to see only content, with little or no advertising.
Bottom line: if you approach the DS as a mobile device, you’ll find it can actually be useful as a browser, and a handy alternative to dragging a computer around with you. You could visit any public place that has WiFi, connect, and check your e-mail and send brief messages, for instance. Just don’t expect it to handle full-fledged websites very well. I’ve found it very handy to use on mobile-based sites, as that seems to be the best way to use the browser.