Hobbies And Interests
Tab-Free Browsing
The DSi Browser can't run YouTube and Facebook simultaneously in part because it lacks the tabs feature that has become commonplace in most contemporary Web browsers. Tabs allow a single browser window to open several Web pages on individual sub-pages, or tabs. However, without this feature, the DSi Browser is capable of opening only a single Web page at a time, which brings forth the next hurdle to simultaneous surfing.
Single Browser Window
Tabbed browsing aside, on most Web browsers you can simply open two windows, open a single page on each and alternate windows. This is not possible with the DSi browser. In a problem inherent to the DSi's operating system itself, the DSi is limited to running a single app at a time. To open a new browser window, you have to close the DSi Browser app entirely and then restart it. This renders simultaneous browsing fundamentally impossible.
YouTube
Additionally, the DSi Browser can load the YouTube website, but it can't load any of the video content. YouTube runs on Adobe Flash and requires the latest version to run and display videos. The DSi Browser doesn't support Flash, and Flash can't be downloaded on to the DSi to make Flash content viewable. This makes watching YouTube videos impossible on the DSi.
Facebook functions on the DSi, although Flash-based content like games will not function. Additionally, the content on Facebook may take some time to load on the DSi Browser, which tends to run slightly slower than the average browser anyway. Also, the viewing modes for the browser are impractical for Facebook, as the "Column" view compresses all of the information into a single column, confined within the borders of the screen, but still scaled to full size. The "Overview" mode works better, keeping all information at full size and in its proper location and layout, and allowing the user to navigate to a given location before zooming in to full size to perform actions.
Facebook Mobile
DSi users looking for a basic Facebook experience without a lot of lag, including sending messages, updating status and leaving comments, might be better served using Facebook Mobile, a feature-light alternative operated by Facebook for users on mobile devices. This version of Facebook limits the amount of graphics displayed to allow faster running and is laid out to work more efficiently with a smaller screen.