The Nintendo DSi - one level away from a smartphone?

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The Nintendo DSi - one level away from a smartphone?

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By Thomas Newton (Wednesday, 29th October 2008)

Earlier this month saw Nintendo unveiling the follow up to their successful touchscreen handheld DS console, the DSi. The lowercase 'i' is apparently short for 'imaging'; the new Nintendo machine comes with two cameras, dual screens measuring 3.25" across, a microSD card slot, plus the ability to browse the web, download games and play music...

The stats of the DSi read just like those of a new PDA or smartphone, which has got rumour millers and futurologists into a bit of a froth; it's now expected that the next DS update for Nintendo will include the ability to handle calls, text messages and emails as well as games and imaging. Seeing as the Nokia N-Gage series and the iPhone, are capable of handling video game titles, and there have been rumours of an official Sony PSP phone since forever, it seems inevitable that Nintendo would want to get in on the action.

The DS already has a dedicate fanbase of developers creating homebrew software, such as DS Linux, a which runs Linux on the DS (no, really?) and NitroTracker, a popular tracker (virtual music sequencer) program, and so the implementation of an Android-style open platform, or even an App Store-esque proprietary system (most likely) would be a wise move.

Despite all of its impressive features, the DSi is, however, a gaming device first and anything else second, just as, say, the Nokia N81 is a mobile phone first and anything else second; these screenshots, taken from Nintendo.co.uk, offer a tantalising hint of what might become in the future.