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Nintendo With Possible Palm OS Capabilities
Sammy writes "According to GamerCentric, Nintendo has licensed Palm OS software although there intentions are not clear. "Well there seems to be some clues about this. "Nintendo had recently licensed Palm OS based PDA software without any details on why they had done it. Now Nintendo sources have revealed that V-Pocket trademark concerns this licensing. E3 will be the first witness of Nintendo's complete line of personal organizer tools for its Nintendo DS." So there is a possibility that we could see a Nintendo device with Palm OS organizer capabilities."
I bet Nintendo has new management which are trying to look like they add valuable by making 'moves.' This is a decidedly US style manover which to me is surprising from a Japanese company.
Kids play nintendo.
Adults use palm.
They do not mix. To be sure, I am an adult and I do both. But never at the same time...
Now I can finally play a game using the highly efficient Graffiti writing.
I'm a big tall mofo.
That was one of the worst articles posted.
All I see is possibility, rumored, without any details etc.
All from as far as we know, an unreputable site.
la Revolution
powered by PalmOS.
The Gameboy has a dandy display and a dandy processor and you can program your own carts. I have seen it used as the base for several excellent projects. I have always felt that it was a better product than my Palm Pilot. Maybe if someone built a perfect tiny keyboard that the Gameboy would connect to ...
The DS could benefit from a few PDA functionality. In fact, it could become an n-gage killer if they ever add a GSM card.
Btw, 1P!
--HawkinsOS, fuck Smorgreff in the ass.
Nope, but that was a nice try:
I got the FP, and I beat 'cha by 2 minutes.
It's difficult to see where Nintendo may be trying to go with this. My closest guess being that they are trying to tie in the whole thing with 'texting', et al that seems to be a craze with the younger generation with having a portable gaming device. I recall the DS having that collaborative pictographical game. This could be an easy manner to make these a more social device in ways I don't feel the N-Gage quite hit.
( o ) one could say I'm rather baked
i hope nintendo games on the palm are a hell of alot better then the ones that come with the regular palm...
They'll probably add cell phone components too. So Nintendo wants to turn the Game Boy line into N-Gage. The problem is that N-Gage is not successful, so what makes them think that Game Boy with PDA and maybe phoning will be successful? I don't think that a 12 years old kid needs a PDA in his Game Boy, nor do I think that he should have a mobile phone. What are your opinions on this?
Where intentions?
...play attack of the killer notes.
This looks like doing something just for the sake of having been seen to do something. It remains to be seen - maybe they will actually come up with a product that will work.
Its possible they are looking to expand into other markets and see this as a likely avenue.
http://www.robotii.co.uk/
Nintendo business plan: 1 Buy useless PalmOS software 2 ...
3 Profit!
According to GamerCentric, Nintendo has licensed Palm OS software although there intentions are not clear.
I have no idea what there intentions are, but i'm sure their up to something good. They're are many cool things they could be planning.
--
Mod up a post Rob doesn't like and you'll never mod again
"So there is a possibility that we could see a Nintendo device with Palm OS organizer capabilities."
You will see the DS with Palm OS capabilities, and they will be provided in a cartridge. The DS already has what all other PDA's have, except much better gaming ability.
This is a pretty smart move by Nintendo. Basically, they give you a simple, handheld game system, and then allow you to decide what add-ons you want through carts. Keeps the "I just want a gaming system" folk happy, while appealing to the "everything and the kitchen sink" folk interested.
Of course, I am a Nintendo fanboy, so my view could be a bit biased.
The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.
I have a DS, and frankly, the number of good games released so far is disappointing (but there are a few winners, like Feel the Magic, and Band Brothers in Japan).
I no longer have a Palm, but had a VII and Palm Pilot Professional a while back.
If Nintendo released essentially a Palm cartridge that turned your DS into a fully functional Palm OS machine, I would buy it in a second -- ESPECIALLY if it included a browser that took advantage of the DS' built-in wireless. I DO miss having a handheld computer -- I just can't justify it, when I already have a SE T-610 phone, and iBook G4 w/ BT and 802.11b/g. But $50 bucks or so for a Palm that uses my nice DS hardware (when it's sitting idle for lack of games)? Hells yeah!
I really doubt that Nintendo would give PDA/Organiser functionality to the Gameboy. The gameboy is aimed at five to fifteen year olds, PDAs are aimed at eighteen plus. My guess is that they licensed the PalmOS for other reasons, possibly aiming to integrate data syncronisation, the filesystem, or other parts of PalmOS with their existing software, for their next generation gameboy. (Yes, they just released the DS, but they would definitely be working on the next one already)
Many adults are kids at heart.
I have a Palm, and I have multiple Nindendos of different generations. Most of the males from my generation (late 20s) have a better opinion of Nintendo than they do most other consumer electronics companies.
The Nintendo DS has a touch screen on it, that might be useable for writing input -- There comes bundled a little communications package, which accepts 'writing'.
When I first got my DS, I saw how nice it would be to use it as an organizer. Imagine -- being able to claim your nintendo as a tax write-off! [and well, it'd be one less thing to carry with me when I'm travelling].
I'm not much of one for bundling -- I've moved back to an older phone, just so I don't have to wait for java and crap like that to load. But I could see a benefit in this particular combination, provided that the palm wrote out its memory to non-volitile RAM, in case I ever drained the battery from playing games.
And whoever said you'd use them both at the same time? It's possible these days that Nintendo could pack enough memory into one of their cartridges to place the Palm OS on a Nintendo DS cartridge, rather than into the handheld itself.
Although, it'd be rather inconvenient to quit your game, so you could check your address book, it's still a possibility -- but licensing doesn't mean it's going to ever go anywhere. It's good business practice to keep your R&D going, so you can be ready to move in interesting directions. I didn't see anything in the article (which was rather short), saying they were planning on putting it into a specific product, or that we might see it in use in any sort of time frame.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
The DS has a touch screen, and is certainly powerful enough to do everything a PDA can. The only thing missing is the software... and both the palm pilot and the DS run on ARM processors...
If you had super powers, would you use them for good, or for awesome?
My Nokia has an organiser and plays games (and not just "guess if the battery is flat"!)
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
I don't know why people think that Nintendo is going to launch a new line of hardware. This is clearly meant as an add on to the DS. Really, the only thing holding the DS back from being a decent Palm replacement now is the software, which of course, this license takes care of. The beauty part is that both the DS and the Palm use an ARM processor, so porting the code shouldn't be too awful.
The DS already has a built in touch screen and 802.11b. Once they have the Palm OS added to it, you'll be able to run Palm software relatively easily, which means the DS will gain a web browser, IM client, etc. So, for everyone who's already shelled out their $150 for a DS and gotten bored of Mario 64, this is great news. This unlocks an extra bit of functionality on this versatile bit of hardware. Of course, most kids won't need it, but for those of who game and want to web browser wirelessly on a PDA, it could be pretty cool.
Now, can we please knock off the "Let's play the Graffiti game" jokes?
You put some Palm PDA functions in the sucker, aim it at junior/senior high kids, then *boom* you got some PDA junkies for life...
Have you seen the text messaging a 14 year old girl can do? Put one of these in her hands, let her friends get some "me too" going, then fuhgeddaboutit!
Some people are like Slinkies - Not good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you push 'em down the stairs.
There's a difference between "the device has this capability because I have seen students do it" and "Nintendo won't let you do this commercially." We're both right.
The nintendo ds IS NOT THE NEXT GAMEBOY if you read some of their reports, they said this is not the new gameboy, their working on that, this is the nintendo DS, a completely new console... Old uninformed people shouldn't talk about stuff that kids want either... I am infact a high school student, and me and quite a few of my friends have nintendo ds's, we have spent lunch playing eachother, and we have even cheated on tests by talking to eachother via pictochat... And if we were to get internet, either by using ds and school network or ds and network running from my locker, then i would pay any sum of money for that!
Your skill in reading has increased by one point!
Nooo! I'll never give up my much more efficient "roll to the letter, with the thumbpad, select it with the button, roll to the next one, oops, roll to backspace, backspace, backspace, reroll, select...". I'm not even a gamer and I can Graffiti faster than most people can type. What's your preferred alternative for entering text on a videogame?
--
make install -not war
"although there intentions"
Is this American English?
Maybe they're leasing Palm's software just for their handwriting recognition? Really, all they need to do is integrate an AIM client w/ handwriting recognition from Palm and they'd have a MAJOR hit on their hands. Of course, it would be nice to have the Palm software too. But adding an AIM client to the package would make it a killer ap IMO!
Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
This would be a killer app for the DS... I'd a actually consider trading in my SP if it comes out.
Especially if they put a little of the Nintendo magic on top of Palm OS.
No I don't mean Mario icons or an animated Koopa for your file transfer...
Just that Nintendo have always managed to make their Game UI's simple and polished.
What you end up with is a PDA with Bluetooth, WiFi and an application configurable input area.
And you can also play Mario Kart on it.
GBA + PDA = Nintendo for the win
i assume that sombody here has to have heard of this little gizmo. if not, its a palm powered pda that is set up to orient itself more toward gaming. a company developing palm software was making a gameboy advance emulator that would run on high end palm devices such as the zodiac, but nintendo sued the company and put it out for a while. perhaps this is why they put up a stink about an emulator being put out for palm but look the other way with PC emulators? http://www.tapwave.com/ if you are in the market for a high powered palm based pda.
I guess then we would be able to install a gameboy emulator (liberty of gambit) on our gameboy/palm :)
After reading a lot of replies I see a general theme.
/ask/ my kids where they are rather than a GPS device of some sort like many parents want to use these days.
/don't/ have cell phones already! ...and why shouldn't they have phones? PDAs?
Most people seem to think the DS is for kids. It isn't. Nintendo has stated clearly that the Game Boy Advance is for the market of the original Game Boy (6 to 25 years old or so) and that the DS is for the young adults that had the original Game Boy and are grown up now. The DS is intended for a 16 to 40 market. It's not for kids.
Nintendo has also previously announced plans to launch a VoIP service for the DS that will only work with other Nintendo DS units. I think this was even covered on Slashdot.
To the people saying 12 year olds don't need cell phones, I have to say this:
I was using experimental (read: pre-Newton and Newton-era but not the Newton itself) PDAs when I was as young as 12. I loved them. They helped me in school immensely and kept me entertained, as well. I loved communications equipment at that age, and when I wasn't busy hacking the local BBS I was often on the CB radio with my buddies. If we had cell phones, we would have used those.
There were plenty of times I was out in the middle of the woods or in town with friends that I'm sure my parents would have loved to get ahold of me. I know that when I have kids I will enjoy the piece of mind that comes from knowing you can get ahold of them while they're out playing and having fun.
Yes, I'll still ask them where they're going, but you simply can't lock your 12 year old in the house 24/7. So, a cell phone is often the best thing you can do.
Frankly, I'd rather it be a cell phone that I can call to
From what I hear from parents I know, there are few kids these days in middle school or high school that
Isn't giving a kid a piece of technology and teaching them how to use it responsibly a GOOD thing?
If you think the answer is no, I'd like to say you have a rather anti-Slashdot (or simply anti-hacker) mentality.
There were plenty of times I'd take a long hike in the woods and sit down in the middle of the woods on a log and program on my PDA for a few hours. Hey, it might of been strange, but I was active physically and I was learning, too. I got a good programming job fresh out of high school when a lot of my peers were still at fast food jobs, so it couldn't have been all bad.
While I think it's certainly about time that mobile devices began to converge, I think that this is well overdue.
I already have a SmartPhone which, while it doesn't play the niftiest games, it does have great PDA abilities, a camera, music player, web browser, etc, etc.
Had Nintendo done this about three years ago, even with the cellular module, I think they could have been big leaders in this market today. Now, they're just playing catch up.
-David
I would buy it for myself.
I found the palm pilot extremely useful. And I enjoy playing my GBA when I am sitting waiting for my car inspection to get done, or those long waiting room sits at the Dr.s office.
The problem is I have had 3 palm pilots die on me for only what can be explained as "no apparent reason".
I have yet to have my original gameboy, or gameboy advance die. Even given the several drops, tosses, slams and crunches they have been in. If the DS holds up as well as its predecessors it would be great. A palm pilot that doesn't break down after the 6 month mark would be awesome!
But since when does Palm even have handwriting recognition software to license? Last I checked they only used that funky deformed-handwriting software.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
The problem w/ the N64 was that it was too difficult to program for, that's why Nintendo went all out making sure the GBA and the GameCube were easier to produce content for.
Anyone who's written code for PalmOS can see what a terrible idea this is...
[o]_O
Organizer Plus for the Nintendo DS. Not much information, other then it has been on the DS gamelist on Nintendo.com ever since the DS's launch.
The DS is quite a little handheld, but I think a lot of the features have really gone to waste. Mario 64 is fun, but I don't feel the same compulsion to seek out every star again. Having a web browser would be pretty slick, but I won't contribute anymore to the rumor mill than I already have.
SAILING MISHAP
My only complaint is that all the people who said they were going to hack it so it could be tunneled over the internet, and made other grand promises never really delivered. Not to belittle the effort that went in, but it kinda seems like hacking the DS got a little stagnant.
If Nintendo wants to beat them (DS Hackers) to making this thing internet ready, I'll be first in line to buy the software to do it. Regardless, the DS is still a phoenominal little game system, I can't see what they bring out for games next. A RTS sure would be nice!
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
Does anyone of you know any kids of that age? I think you guys needs an update on kids nowadays. My sister is 9 years old (im 25) and shes carries a nokia 3650 where she has her homework reminders and birthdays and dayplanner, also shes into SMS and sending her friends photos using MMS. She plays games only on a gamecube and Sims 2 on the pc. She uses Msn messenger everyday and knows about changing skins on Windowblinds for Windows Xp. She burns her own cds, and when I we saw the Nintendo Ds The first thing she like about it are the wireless connectivity and (posible online functions) and the Pictochat thing. Now, we live in Mexico, which isn't the pinnacle of technology like Japan (which by the way every kid has a cellphone, not mentioning video games) nad everyone I know has a cellphone and about 4 out of 10 has a cameraphone. Also the play outside, have pets, eat candy, like the pool, etc, etc, etc. The problem that I've been noticing is that U.S. kids are getting fatter and fatter and don't play sports and things, but play alot of video games and watch too much TV, after coming from school which almost is the whole day (from 8am to 4pm right?) which is the same for your adults, so they are very different from kids of the rest of the world. If Nintendo is adding Pda Capabilities to It's line of portable hardware, its because someone its asking for it, like the mp3 and video player they sell also. Maybe grown-ups (the parents) don't really know what a Nintendo pda is for, but maybe if they spent more time with their kids they would know what the actually like...
I thought everyone loved the PSP because of the mp3 and video and posible cellphone and online browser and watching movies, etc. I think only kids would be ok with this kind of funcionality on a portable console. I don't want to be seen by women in the gym carring a Gameboy to listen to mp3s or being on a Night Club and answering my Playstation Portable Cellphone. And I have seen it with someguy bragging about his Sony-Ericsson 900 PDAcell and how expensive it was to my girlfriends (obiously trying to steal them) to which the answer: "Nerd!" and laughted at him. poor guy
Some people think that the firmware is not upgradeable and that it would need a special cartridge. I think it is upgradeable. Just a hunch :)
Anyway, Nintendo just pays for it to see if it's useable or not. I hope it is, the current firmware just sucks.
When is the Gameboy Evolution coming out? I mean, I don't want to buy a DS if it's going to be superseded instantly or replaced with a better unit. Was anyone else frustrated about the SP coming out when they spent $280 on a GBA?
Oddly, when I first same images of the Nintendo DS, I immediately thought of a childs fold out organiser/web/email tablet with a stylus in the series Serial Experiment Lain. It makes sense to have an organiser with that form factor once you see images of it being used. My second thought was whether it could run anything useful (like PalmOS) to run as an organiser.
"their" intentions are not clear.
Please, please, get a GED.
It would be awesome if they managed to get Newton OS on a DS. Now THAT would be newsworthy