Touch-Screen Internet In The Palm Of Your Hand

Since November last year Nintendo users have been enjoying simple, safe and free Nintendo Wi-Fi connection service which to date already has approximately 1.7 million unique users. Now Nintendo is expanding its service offering to include an internet browser from Opera Software, optimized to run on the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo DS Browser launches across Europe on 6th October 2006.

The Nintendo DS Browser is a convenient web browser, which enables Nintendo DS users to surf the web, check and send emails, bank and shop online and even communicate with their friends in live chat. The Nintendo DS Browser features a built-in history function allowing users to bookmark their favorite sites and it has a fast start up time making it quick and easy to connect to the internet, at home or away. Nintendo DS owners can use the browser to connect to Wi-Fi environments at home, a public Wi-Fi hotspot or one of Nintendo's free Wi-Fi hotspots.

By using the unique interface of the Nintendo DS, users can effortlessly surf the web as if they were using a keyboard and mouse. The stylus can be used to activate hyperlinks and click around pages. For typing in URLs and filling in complicated information, users can employ an onscreen digital keyboard and the console's handwriting recognition system.

Web sites can be viewed through the Nintendo DS Browser using two main modes. Overview Mode shows the complete web site on one screen and areas which are highlighted will enlarge on the other screen. It also features Opera's Fit-to-Width Mode where web sites will be adjusted to fit inside the two Nintendo DS screens, eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling.

The Nintendo DS Browser will be available as a standard DS cartridge. To allow image or multimedia-heavy web sites to load quickly, it will come bundled with a Memory Expansion Pack, which boosts the system's power. This pack fits snugly into the Game Boy Advance socket on the Nintendo DS and comes in two versions. One version is for the classic Nintendo DS and a smaller version is available to fit the slimmed down Nintendo DS Lite.

Parents who wish to have more control over the internet sites their children access can set passwords required to activate the browser. In addition, Nintendo has partnered with Astaro to provide the option of a parental control which acts as a proxy filter to block inappropriate content.