Come on Nintendo -- (or any third party)!

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Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

Nintendo, are you listening?

I look forward to the centralized servers that will give an "XBox Live'ish"
service for the DS. Having "gamertags", "buddy lists", etc is all great and
dandy -- BUT

When will we get a standard web browser and an email client for the DS? My
wireless home network, network at work, and public hot spots that I frequent
are all aching for the DS to join in on the fun. Come on, the DS with it's
two LCD's is a very ergonomic design and such applications (web browser and
email) could be done exceptionally well. Give me the tools to web/email and
my PocketPC PDA is going to find itself in a drawer or on Ebay! This IS why
the DS was given the capability for 802.11b, in addition to Nintendo
proprietary wireless procotol -- wasn't it? :^)

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

"Eras" <none@nospam.none.not> wrote in message
news:YyYKd.64404$re1.11842@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
> Nintendo, are you listening?
>
> I look forward to the centralized servers that will give an "XBox
> Live'ish"
> service for the DS. Having "gamertags", "buddy lists", etc is all great
> and
> dandy -- BUT
>
> When will we get a standard web browser and an email client for the DS?
> My
> wireless home network, network at work, and public hot spots that I
> frequent
> are all aching for the DS to join in on the fun. Come on, the DS with
> it's
> two LCD's is a very ergonomic design and such applications (web browser
> and
> email) could be done exceptionally well. Give me the tools to web/email
> and
> my PocketPC PDA is going to find itself in a drawer or on Ebay! This IS
> why
> the DS was given the capability for 802.11b, in addition to Nintendo
> proprietary wireless procotol -- wasn't it? :^)
>
>
I'm there with you man. I can't wait for some apps like that. Also some
games would be nice.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

" Joe³ comcast.net>" <frypappy1@<nospam> wrote

> I'm there with you man. I can't wait for some apps like that. Also some
> games would be nice.

Yep. Would it really have killed Nintendo to have a simple email
(pop3/smtp) client, capable of talking to the 802.11b, built into the DS? I
can see not having a web browser because of the resources it would require
to be "built-in", but a simple email program isn't terribly complicated or
resource demanding.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

Eras wrote:
> Yep. Would it really have killed Nintendo to have a simple email
> (pop3/smtp) client, capable of talking to the 802.11b, built into the DS? I
> can see not having a web browser because of the resources it would require
> to be "built-in", but a simple email program isn't terribly complicated or
> resource demanding.

While including an email client seems at first like a no-brainer, I
think Nintendo may have made a good decision. Including it would be a
slippery slope for them. If it's in there, it's got to be supported,
which costs them $$. Then, if it's simple, and character-based, you'll
have more people kvetching about it not being graphical than you
currently have complaints about it not being there at all. And if it's
graphical, you've upped the cost of the unit (more memory, cost of
creating it).

It's a perfect third-party opportunity, though, which would place the
costs on only those who want to have it.
--
Noah

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

"Noah Little" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:ctl8bi$9da$1@n4vu2.n4vu.com...
> Eras wrote:
> > Yep. Would it really have killed Nintendo to have a simple email
> > (pop3/smtp) client, capable of talking to the 802.11b, built into the
DS? I
> > can see not having a web browser because of the resources it would
require
> > to be "built-in", but a simple email program isn't terribly complicated
or
> > resource demanding.
>
> While including an email client seems at first like a no-brainer, I
> think Nintendo may have made a good decision. Including it would be a
> slippery slope for them. If it's in there, it's got to be supported,
> which costs them $$. Then, if it's simple, and character-based, you'll
> have more people kvetching about it not being graphical than you
> currently have complaints about it not being there at all. And if it's
> graphical, you've upped the cost of the unit (more memory, cost of
> creating it).
>
> It's a perfect third-party opportunity, though, which would place the
> costs on only those who want to have it.
> --
> Noah

Yeah, that is a good point. Nintendo has always stated that they want to
keep things as "simple" as possible. I can see their valid reason for such.

Another problem with the built-in email client that I didn't first think of
would be the requirement for on-board flash memory to store the emails --
which would raise the cost.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

"Eras" <none@nospam.none.not> wrote in message
news:TpeLd.67942$re1.5458@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
>
> " Joe³ comcast.net>" <frypappy1@<nospam> wrote
>
> > I'm there with you man. I can't wait for some apps like that. Also
some
> > games would be nice.
>
> Yep. Would it really have killed Nintendo to have a simple email
> (pop3/smtp) client, capable of talking to the 802.11b, built into the DS?
I
> can see not having a web browser because of the resources it would require
> to be "built-in", but a simple email program isn't terribly complicated or
> resource demanding.
>
>
I haven't used a DS yet - but how would you write email messages. Does the
DS have Graffiti like character recognition like PalmOS to use with the
stylus, or is there likely to be an onscreen keyboard (say in the bottom
screen)? Wouldn't it be quite slow to enter one key at a time with the
stylus? Maybe it will be like SMS where some people can type up messages on
their cell phones real quick. Me on the other hand, it takes me ages.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

"Mike P." <no.spam@thanks.com> wrote in message

> I haven't used a DS yet - but how would you write email messages. Does the
> DS have Graffiti like character recognition like PalmOS to use with the
> stylus, or is there likely to be an onscreen keyboard (say in the bottom
> screen)? Wouldn't it be quite slow to enter one key at a time with the
> stylus? Maybe it will be like SMS where some people can type up messages
on
> their cell phones real quick. Me on the other hand, it takes me ages.

The DS' built-in "messenger" (PictoChat) allows you to enter text via an
on-screen keyboard (selecting characters with the sylus or using the control
pad to highlight intended character and then selecting it with the "A"
button. PictoChat also allows you to use the stylus to draw in the text
field prior to sending as well. Nothing spectaluar about it. Its more of a
play thing than anything else. Its nice that it (even as simple as it is)
was built-in though. With it built-in, every DS is given the basic
functionality to message other DS's. PictoChat, after booting up, simply
just starts off with a screen showing four "rooms" and the number of other
people in each room. You can't create new "rooms", you can only select one
of the four "rooms" available. The simple approach is intended for if you
are out in public to easily message with someone else (assuming they are in
range). Couldn't tell you if anyone is actually using it to "find people"
in public to play games against. I'm sure, by now, there probably have been
middle and high school kids that got busted using their DS's in the
classroom to cheat while taking a test. LOL.

Would've been "neat" if Nintendo had a functionality where, from the main
screen, it could monitor for other DS's within it's range. Perhaps it could
even be monitoring while the DS was in "Standy Mode" -- and once it sniffs
out another DS, it gives an audible alert. That would put demand on the
battery, but would've been pretty cool.

As for text entry for email, the developer for such a program could do any
approach they wanted. I'd probably prefer an on-screen keyboard (never
really got used to letter recognition with PDA's), but such a program could
even do both approaches.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

It would be nice to play final fantasy 11 on my DS...

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.nintendo.gameboy.advance (More info?)

The solution to the Mail side, is a manufacturer makes a cartridge that has
mail functionality, after all there is a cartridge made that allows you to
record movies/films from your PC and make the DS or even the GBA a full
movie machine. On the movie cartridge, it uses standard Flash cards for
storage of the film and I believe a cartridge that plugs into the DS GBA
Advance slot or on the GBA the cartridge slot that gives you that
functionality. You transfer the movies to the flash cards, then plug them
into the movie card to play etc. Considering this is made by a non-Nintendo
game maker, I am sure something like Email could be handled, give it time,
someone has (hopefully) already thought of this, I am sure a manufacturer
can make a cartridge which accesses the network functions, and has built in
keyboard design for the touch screen, and uses the flash cards for storage.
Therefore its a project that could be feasible, as a plug in cartridge, and
if it is designed using flash cards etc, then it could be possible to store
emails etc. You unplug the cartridge and plug in the game and play, then
swap it over later to use for mail etc..
The movie cartridge is already available in Hong Kong, and currently sells
on ebay, and direct from the manufacturers web site, from what I see from
ebay, the cartridge sells for about £25, you still need to buy the flash
cards yourself and other bits, but it gives you the basics.


Chris