More devices with browsers

I’m something of a gadget fan when I think about it, and the growing ubiquity of the internet makes my life easier, as well as posing interesting questions when it comes to design. It would be a win win situation if it didn’t keep costing m money. Well I think I’m going to be spending again soon (unfortunately?)

I only heard about the Nintendo DS Lite getting a browser add on last week, but it peaked my interest. The spread of mass market devices with WiFi and a decent browser throw up interesting possibilities, so it was with a smile on my face that I discovered the browser was going to be Opera. Their is quite a bit of information over on their site on press releases and a special Nintendo section and all looks good.

I’d be interested to see how the two screens thing works for browsing, and how the device copes with the problems of content not being designed for the small screen very often, though Opera Mini did a ridiculously good job. Also of note is that the upcoming Wii is going to use an Opera browser as well. The move from the desktop to focus on devices looks like being a very clever move.

One minor let down is that the DS browser costs. This looks like it’s due to extra hardware being required but it’s still a shame after the PSP browser was added simply as a software upgrade. Hopefully that wont be a barrier to entry. If and when (ok, when) I get my hands on one (launch 6th of October) I might try and post some tests. The PSP browser does occasionally fall over on very large sites with a nasty memory error, and I’m interested in how complete the CSS and Javascript support are.