Today marked the launch of the demo version of Wii’s Internet Channel. The channel is essentially a version of the Opera Browser, that runs on the wii. I tried to make a post to monkeygames from the wii, but about half way through my message, the console froze up. RUH ROH. Maybe long typing entries are a bug on the current version. Ahh well. Its clearly not meant for a long typing session anyway.

Of note:
1) They seem to have added a very nice word complete functionality to at least the entries of the Browser, but possibly to all entry fields on the console (that would rock).
2) The browser itself handles the mismatch in resolution and screen size rather well. You can zoom in and out of a page, scroll with the wiimote, and even change the viewpoint to be more like a mobile device (this messes up the page good, but makes the text nice and big.
3) As for the browser’s capabilities, Gmail worked, google maps did not, You Tube looked awesome, and Flash movies play fantastic.
4) The loading was plenty fast.
5) The favorites page is slow to load, but once in, it is very intuitive with a shot of the front page.
6) One annoying thing, is you have to jump back to the home to enter a new web address. They should have a button jsut open the URL bar.

All in all, considering I would probably just head upstairs to use the internet on a more serious task, it does a nice job for a quick trip to IMDB to settle a bet, CNN for the news, YouTube for some fun browsing, or to Gmail to send a quick note or read mail. While the demo version is free and available today, I will deffinitely buy the full version once its released.

In other news, a couple of nights ago, Nintendo also put their Forecast channel live.

It was simple to setup, and now I can get the weather from my Wii. Sort of useful, deffinitely well presented. Their globe feature is pretty cool, as you can spin the globe and check out the weather from your home town, to the South Pole. It was cool, but after Google Earth, I’m dreaming of THAT on the wii at all times. THAT would be something amazing. At any rate, check out the You Tube below for a walkthrough of it. (make sure to fast forward the part where the user is downloading the app).