Archive for the 'NDS' Category

What to do on your DS and how to do it?

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on June 14, 2007
in NDS
. 0 Comments

Or the “Zz85 Guide to Good NDS HomeBrew” or maybe “My guide for making the most out of the DS”.

My idea is sketchy but here is it:
I wanted to create a list of homebrew software for the DS
In a sense, I wanted to be organised because there are so many out there
While some of these compilation already exist, I find they could be better
I intend it to be in a faq, wiki style
In a way beginners or even experts could find what they want easily
This will be different because it focus on how and what you can use rather than going through a list of stuff then finding out the features of the software

I have specially setup a wiki for this.
Continue reading ‘What to do on your DS and how to do it?’

DictionaryForMids needs Publicity

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on June 13, 2007
in Midlets, NDS and Technology
. 1 Comment

DFM, the short form the developers use for DictionaryForMids is need of publicity.

I did thought about it and mentioned before but it seems others on the new DFM forums feel the same.

Like what I mentioned in my first impressions in email and internal discussion, I found DictionaryForMids very good except it was a software perhaps too difficult to be found easily. Perhaps the bible and dictionary are the 2 most important java midlet I have used on a handphone, or Mobile Information Device, if that’s what MID stands for. It was perhaps also too difficult for anyone who wanted the features of DictionaryForMids as a dictionary or translator to find it on the search engine because perhaps there’s very little awareness and the link would never show up unless the term “DictionaryForMids” was search specifically.

It was interesting a friend was telling me he wanted to go into the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) field like Google Ad-sense.

Anyway back to the topic, bt-ocean was mentioning keywords like “dictionaryformid”, “dictionary”, “dict4mid”, “dictionary mobile”, “translation mobile” in the search engine will in no way point to dictionaryformids.

My suggestion was that
1. A better name for the application be used.
2. Place keywords in the meta tags of DFM’s homepage.
3. “Advertise” DFM on other webpages. This would create more awareness in the j2me community, the linking the project from other webpages esp blogs & forums, would give a higher page rank in the search engine.

Someway this post issn’t really a request for help nor complaining about DFM. Just trying how much a post on my blog would affect the search results over time. Its a little scary how searching my nick or my name actually brings this blog on the top results in couple of search engine too.

And 1 last thing if you were interested enough to read this post, I had just post a build of DFM 3.1.1. with the file browser and loadable zipped dictionary support. Would appreciate if anyone could try it and feedback if its working or not, before I commit the code to the CVS.

Additional sidetrack: (Sorry not last yet). Something which had been attracting my attention recently is a Chinese Homebrew Dictionary for NDS call NewDICTs which uses StarDict dictionaries files. I believe it got its inspiration from the commercial Korean “Touch Dictionary” and Japanese “Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten” software for the DS, perhaps one of the best and most valued stuff (imagine the cost of a electronic dictionary) for the DS.

sick! (Written on 26 May ‘07 Sat)

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on June 5, 2007
in NDS and Updates
. 0 Comments

I’m feeling terrible…

BBQ Chicken

long free weekends are hard to come by for me, yet i felt sick early on this saturday. likely because of the dose of bbq chicken & samba stingray followed by icecream late last night.

BBQ Stingray

so i tried using the computer, but not for long, because i visited the toilet for a considerable amt of time, followed by a long rest (6 hours sleeping, to be exact) missing my lunch. So I woke up in the evening, and the unwellness kicked repeated the cycle. So I woke up again late at night, struggling with the hot and cold on my bed, I’m posting this with my Nintendo Opera Browser. View in 150% and handwriting recognisation mode, wasnt the best way to surf the net, but the least dizzy for now.

More on DS Browser wars next time.

Okay, so i edited to post to add some pictures.

NDS Storage Devices

Published
by
Zz85-nds
on May 28, 2007
in NDS
. 0 Comments

In the style of one of my bad habits, the too detailed essay writing has been in my drafts. So I’ve decide to discard it and writing from the scratch again, making things simpler and shorter. While this may leave out information or tacit details I know, I guess you could learn them from other sources or just ask from me.

On the topic, basically my views on the different storage devices for the DS- storing games, applications, music, homebrew, backups etc..

MK5
The first card I bought was Ultra N-Card, called UNC by my sellers. It was recommended by my friend, saying that it was “cheaper” as no external memory cards (CF, SD, Mini-SD…) and its card readers were needed. So the way of copying files in/out from the pc basically needs connecting using a USB via its slot-2 (GBA slot).

The downside:
Drains battery while transfering.
Slow transfer rate ~ 600kb/s

Now looking up this product on the net leads me to many other names DSLinker (classical to some china products), but its seems the best site for this card calls this MK5 GIGA Cart NAND Flash.

The OS on boot starts the fat system looks for all runnable applications in the card. This takes a considerable amount of time from ~15s depending on how packed is the card. The OS then shows a graphical screen with 2d/3d icons which you can select with the stylus (a plus point).

So far, common homebrew seems to run, but access to file system is only read-only due to their current DLDI support.

Regarding stability, I experienced hangs in games, crashes in the cards, corruption of fat system, which requires formating of the card. Until a point my card totally could not be recognised by the pc, I returned it to the shop.

So far, the plus points are that running it wouldn’t kill the battery much, and that the hope of developments in their firmware are active. I place only stuff I wouldn’t need transferring much in it.

My recommendation: Not really.

Supercard Lite
Due to the many break downs in my card, I decide to get a supercard, one of the reasons it could be used a “memory extension” and better homebrew support. I initially thought I would get a supercard rumble edition, but at least my seller (from supercard.sg, now closed) recommended the lite edition as the rumble edition as he said it was “bad design” I guess it didn’t contain the “ram” for GBA support.

So the sc lite uses a TF or a MicroSD card, and it goes into slot-2. Without patching the DS firmware, a slot-1 card called PassMe or SuperKey is needed to run DS applications from the GBA slot. So one of the downside is that battery drains quicker, either because the need to power slot 1& 2 and perhaps because of its “ram”.

Their OS boots quickly, but the interface for loading roms basically is a text-based menu, you navigation is by buttons without stylus. Backup roms would require you to use their software to patch before you can use them.

Homebrew support, without it, I wouldn’t consider buying this. So far, almost all applications seems to work for it (of course after patching with DLDI). Things that require quick transfer between my pc and the ds would go into my 1GB kingston micro-sd card. Pulling out and placing into my card reader ensures high speed transfer without draining my batter during transfer.

Recommendations: Not too bad.

Of course the 2 choices I had might and wouldn’t be the best for you. Infact there are other more attractive and advanced solutions around. I recommend you look at these few alternatives.

R4 - Slot 1, using micro-sd. Seems pretty good. Around about over a year..
M3 Solution - Slot 1 & 2. Slightly pricer if you want their support for movies, nes roms, gba..
upcomings:

Ninjapass Evolution X9 SLOT-1 Pretty good features too.
G6 Real DS flash - pretty attractive features.

Anyway here are the factors to look out if you are consider 1.
1. Reliability- to work and last
2. OS- Homebrew friendly? ROMs require patching? Customisable? Skinnable? ROM Compressions? Auto DLDI patcher? Does OS get supports and updates?
3. Type of storage device and the method of transfering.

Lastly, if storage device gave you the impression it was a physical storage device for ds, see this crystal casing

and rubber/silicon casing .

For mine? After testing out a couple of those nds casing protectors, I settled with this crystal case with silicon padding inside. A decision you might make for your phone or pda too..

NDS Lite vs PSP

Published
by
Zz85
on April 4, 2007
in NDS and Updates
. 0 Comments

Why I chose the Nintendo DS lite (NDS Lite) over the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP).

Its seemed like a long month in May. I was spending more on projects in Camp, but my concentration is definitely drained elsewhere. It wasn’t duties, so maybe music, maybe something else.

May is a month lots of money spent, on gadgets mainly, perhaps kicked off by the IT Show.

So I bought a NDS Lite -this will be added to my memories of hand-held computer games I bought in my life (I could count all of them with my fingers) since young.

While the majority of people I know owns a PSP, and rare minority an NDS, why the latter for me?

Here’s my reasons. NDS..

- Seemingly cheaper (~$230 vs ~$300)
- More portable (Easier to carry around or place in the pocket)
- Longer Battery Life
- Touchscreen (With a stylus, even 2)
- Although hardware’s power no where near the PSP, games are more creative and innovative (hardware usually fully utilized)
- Interesting homebrews
- DS sales wins high over PSP
- Comes in nicer colours

In no way here I’m looking down on the PSP. The points above are mostly debatable, eg. price of the PSP is quite low now (and getting even lower after a recent news says sony will cut down another 15% due to low sales). For its powerful hardware and features, its hard to beat. Tons of quality homebrew / hacks are available for the PSP.

For advice I would say, take the PSP if you want the entertainment (nice screen, graphics, and music) but pick the DS if you want something special, innovative or classic.

See this link which had a big influence on me for buying the NDS. Maybe this might affect you another way.