Before I got the magic beams of WiFi invisibly oscillating through the air of my apartment, I couldn't have cared less about Opera for the DS. But now that my router is irradiating me with ominous WiFi beams (of which the full horrible knowledge of my future offspring's WiFi-related deformities I still remain blessedly unaware) I can't wait to give it a go. My mind constantly cogitates around a single question: How little can web browsing on the DS suck?

According to one of Opera's own IT guys, it sounds like the answer to that question might be "very little." Jon of Opera IT has posted a review of the Opera DS prototype. The Dual Screen mode (in which a smaller version of the full web page is displayed on the top screen, where as the bottom is a zoomed-in, draggable rectangle) continues to sound like an excellent usability compromise. But no handwriting recognition? Boo, Opera. Boo. Florian Eckhardt

Opera on Nintendo DS: Hands on Review [Orgs Tech Times]