Wii Opera features and April release - free download until June

[QueenB]

Originally Posted by qj.net

[Only registered users can see links. ][Only registered users can see links. ] Inc. has released a press release that confirmed the information we gathered the other day from the Japanese wii.com section on the Internet Channel.

The Internet Channel is the Wii's very own version of the Opera Internet browser from Opera Software, and as you know, Wii owners have been able to download a trial version of the Opera Internet browser since December of 2006. Thanks to the Wii Opera Browser feedback page, Nintendo developers were able to make improvements to the final version of the browser.

As announced earlier this week, the final version will be coming out on April 2007 and will feature the following improvements:

• Improved zooming and scrolling
• An improved zoomed font
• Shortened startup times
• Quicker access to "favorites"
• An ability to hide the toolbar
• Buttons that will instantly type common preset letters, such as "www" or ".com"

Some sources had placed the release of the final version sometime in the last weeks of March, but delaying the release until April is necessary so that developers have the time to put in all those features and enhancements listed above.

Some important things to remember, though, would be that even though the final version of the Opera browser Internet Channel will be available in April, the browser will remain free for Wii owners to download through the end of June.

After June, you will need to pay for the software download: users who haven't already downloaded the Opera browser can go to the Wii Shop Channel to download it for 500 Wii Points.

Gotta get it for FREE then, before the end of June - someone remind me, I have a memory like a sieve! I would pay 500 points for it TBH but free is better and I cant wait!

[Bex]

Free tis definitely better
I like free, free tis good

Ability to hide the tool bar will be great - its one thing that bugs me

[Bex]

There's an update on this..........

Originally Posted by qj.net

[Only registered users can see links. ]

*UPDATE* Our original source for this was the Japanese Wii developer's site "Us.Wii.com(.jp)." Just recently, all the Japanese-language text has been conveniently translated to English, and we have updated the Read link, so you can get the devs' own thoughts without the cumbersome humor of Engrish translations.

Trust us - their commentary is a heck of a lot better than backseat analysis.


There are a bunch of new videos showcasing the improvements added to [Only registered users can see links. ] over at Wii.com. As of right now, the current list of improvements include the following:

• Better zooming and scrolling
• Better-looking zoomed font
• Quicker startup times
• Quicker access to your favourites
• User can now erase the toolbar
• Buttons that instantly type common preset letters ("www", ".com", etc.)

The videos can't be embedded, though, so if you wanna check them out you can do that by clicking on the "read" link below. To watch the vids, just click on the blue links next to the Play icon that you'll come across on the website.

Also, the website's in Japanese, but if you're just looking for a demonstration of [Only registered users can see links. ]'s Wii browser's new and improved features then you won't need the ability to read and understand Nihonggo like a native. Kudos to Virgil for the heads up.


[Only registered users can see links. ]

Just taken a quick look myself, and looks cool