bit-tech Shopping: Nintendo DS Web Browser (DS)

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5 Months

Strengths: convenience, clear expansion pack looks good with any color ds, starts up way faster than a computer.

Weaknesses: as long as you know what you're buying, none.

Summary: This product will NOT turn your Nintendo DS into a laptop. Now that we cleared that up, why don't we take a look at what it CAN do? If you have this browser, or any handheld internet device, you owe it to yourself to try this now: http://www.google.com/m/products Go ahead... I'll wait. There are hundreds of sites that are formatted for mobile devices. They load fast and look nice on small screens. There are mobile versions of eBay, Wikipedia, Netflix, PayPal, ESPN, Facebook, Fandango, Gmail... pretty much any useful internet thing has a mobile twin. Google will even reformat any page into a mobile-ready version. On a recent trip to South America, I checked my email while standing in line at the airport in Brazil. Try that with a ten pound laptop... or perhaps you'd prefer to pay an arm and two legs in cell phone fees. Opera has turned your DS into one of the most affordable internet devices available, so quit complaining. PS. free internet at most McDonaldses PPS. here's a list of mobile sites: http://www.cantoni.org/palm/

Rating: 4

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Good when nothing else is available

Weaknesses: Slow; difficult to read in most situations

Summary: In case you weren't aware, the DS browser is an addon that allows you to surf the internet via Wi-Fi (if available). It involves the use of a cartridge (like any normal game) as well as a memory expansion that fits in the bottom slot.This device proved to be a bit of a disappointing. Browsing performance is quite sluggish, and most webpages prove to be a bit difficult to read. The browser does provide different viewing options including an overview mode. This allows you to use the stylus to drag a square across a miniature sized overview of the page and view the larger version of the selected area on the top screen. Despite this feature, reading pages isn't really made much easier.Configuration of the browser is fairly easy to do at least, and it's this feature that could prove to be the most useful. I haven't used this trick myself, but from what I've read, you can use the browser to authenticate to a hotspot that requires that you specify an SSID or key, and once authenticated, you can swap your cartridge with a game to play via Wi-Fi. Because the wireless access point will have cached the MAC address of your DS by then, you should have no problem hopping back on with a game instead. This could be quite handy if you're stuck in a hotel and want to play Mario Kart via Wi-Fi. Overall, I have to give this a thumbs down. It's good to have on you if you absolutely need to check your email and you're away from a computer, but I wouldn't use it unless it's absolutely necessary.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: Wireless internet for the DS.

Weaknesses: Slow as snot.

Summary: The DS Browser uses Opera for browsing. It's slow as heck. You have to be pretty close to the wireless access point to be able to connect. It does not have the range of a computer with wireless card and does not offer the speed of one either. BUT, it allows browsing on your DS. If you do not want to lug around your laptop and want to have basic internet abilities, it will work for you. Think of it as 1/4 speed of dial-up.

Rating: 2

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Convenience

Weaknesses: Slow, No Flash

Summary: Hope for an upgrade to the web browser because it is not worth your money. No Flash support. Unbearably slow. It seems like a good idea at first, but it's just poorly executed. Save your money and buy a game instead.

Rating: 2

Time with product: 19 Days

Strengths: I have not found any.

Weaknesses: The Nintendo DS Web Browser has very slow load times.

Summary: The Nintendo DS Web Browser is not worth your money. The Web Browser has very slow load times even when you set it to turn images off. The browser doesn't support a lot of Internet standards: no Flash, no movie files. It's really not a good surfing alternative, and it's just more frustrating to use than it is fun and functional.