Fueled by success in appealing to non gamer types with its Touch Generations lineup of alternative games, Nintendo has announced plans for two new applications that will take the DS even further beyond the gaming realm. At a press conference held in Tokyo today, the company unveiled a web browser and a television tuner for the system.
The web browser, imaginatively titled "Nintendo DS Browser," has been developed as a cooperative project between Nintendo and Opera Software. The application, which is based off Opera mobile browser software, uses the bottom screen to display pages in their full and the top screen to show close ups of content. Users can also use the two screens as one tall vertical window. The touch pen is used for inputting characters, with ATOK Japanese recognition software built in.
Perhaps even more exciting is an accessory that converts the DS into a television. Starting in April, a service called 1seg (pronounced One Seg) will begin airing digital broadcasts for mobile devices throughout Japan. A number of cell phones capable of receiving the broadcasts have been announced, and now Nintendo is getting in on the action with the tentatively named DS Terrestrial Digital Broadcast Receiver Card.
This card turns your DS into a television capable of receiving 1seg broadcasts. Channels are switched using the touch pen, with the broadcast viewed on the top screen. The prototypes Nintendo had at the press conference were running via the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot, but the final version of the card will plug into the DS card slot.
Nintendo will release the web browser to Japan in June at a cost of 3,800 yen. The digital broadcast tuner card is currently without a date. Both products are, as of this writing, set for Japanese release only, but once we hear from Nintendo of America, we'll let you know what's up on our side of the Pacific.
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