A few weeks back Nintendo released the DS Web Browser and I naturally had to pick it up.
The image on the right shows it in action, viewing this very blog. In the mode shown, the webpage appears on the bottom and a zoomed version appears on the top. You can move the page around via the stylus on the bottom screen. A touch of a bottom swaps the two screens (allowing you to click on a link, for instance). A second mode displays webpages in a very different manner which is optimized for the DS. This displays the page over both screens, and omits most graphics and background material. For sites you are familiar with this is the best mode as they load faster and are quicker to navigate.
The broswer comes with a memory expansion cartridge (fits in the GBA slot of the DS) but even so suffers from memory limitations. It’s not as fast as it could be, and struggles with large or graphically-intensive webpages. It also offers no Java/Flash support.
That said, I actually prefer the DS browser to (for instance) the PSP browser because it’s much easier to navigate. Furthermore, if you restrict yourself to using mobile sites such as Google Mobile, then this is a perfectly acceptable product.
But, who would ever use this? Who brings their DS with them and intends to use it as a web device at a wi-fi hotspot? Not me, that’s for sure. In that respect this is little more than a toy, or even a tech demo.