
Starting Friday, couch-potatoes who are too lazy to get up to the computer can surf the net on their TV, provided they have a Nintendo Wii. The company has announced plans of letting users download a free trial Opera browser to activate the Internet Channel of the Wii menu beginning December 22.
The final version of the software will be available towards the end of March 2007; it will be free for all Wii owners to download through the end of June, after which, the browser will be available to purchase for 500 Wii points.
The Internet Channel provides an optimal Web browsing experience on people’s home television. The Adobe Flash-enabled trial version of the Opera browser puts the Internet right onto owners’ television screens and lets them browse with ease, enabling them to check sports scores, plot maps or visit their favorite Web sites. Multiple family members can gather around the television to plan a holiday or make online purchases. The pointing abilities of the Wii Remote allow users to click on links they want to see or to zoom into any part of the screen through the motion of the controller. In addition, the Wii Remote can be used with an on-screen keyboard to make text entry as easy as point and click.














