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First Take: Nintendo DSi

Updated Editors' note: Now that our testing has completed with the online functionality of the DSi Shop experience, we're able to give the DSi a full review.

Just four and a half years after its initial release, the Nintendo DS has sold more than 100 million units worldwide, solidifying itself as the best-selling portable video game console of all time. By comparison, the competing Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) has sold about half as many units.

The Nintendo DSi is the third iteration of the DS, which originally released in November of 2004. In June of 2006, the company refreshed the system in the form of the DS Lite, which dramatically changed the device's overall design and vastly improved screen performance.

Rumors of a second redesign proved to be a reality when Nintendo announced the most recent--and what we believe to be the final--rehash of the system, the Nintendo DSi. This upgrade adds two small-resolution cameras to the portable, slightly larger screens, and an SD card slot. The Game Boy Advance slot found in both previous versions has been removed.

While current DS Lite owners may want to think twice about upgrading, the DSi's innovative media features and online functionality (the DSi Shop) may warrant a purchase. But if you've been holding out on a DS purchase up until now and you don't need backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance cartridges, the DSi is certainly the way go.

… Read more

Gaming preview: Who should buy the Nintendo DSi and who shouldn't

With estimated unit sales approaching 100 million worldwide, Nintendo has proven itself time and time again as the industry ruler of the portable console market. With the DSi--the second refresh of the Nintendo DS--we're starting to see the company move in an evolutionary direction with its flagship handheld.

The DSi takes with it most of the features the DS Lite had to offer, but adds new multimedia capabilities. The DSi has been on sale in Japan since November 1 of last year and has already sold well over an astonishing 1 million units. Now that Nintendo has announced that the DSi will go on sale April 5 in North America, it certainly leaves everyone asking one big question, "Should I buy one?"

First, let's look at what exactly separates the new DSi from the DS Lite. In terms of actual form-factor, the difference between the two portables is negligible. The DSi is slightly slimmer, but you're not going to see the massive change in size like we saw when Nintendo upgraded the original DS to the DS Lite. What you may notice is that both screens are a quarter of an inch larger. The DSi hardware also actually eliminates the Game Boy Advance slot found on the Lite, so you won't be able to play older Game Boy Advance games or DS titles that make use of the port, such as "Guitar Hero: On Tour." … Read more

Nintendo confirms April 5 U.S. launch for DSi

Nintendo on Wednesday confirmed that the DSi gaming handheld will retail for $170 when it hits U.S. shores on April 5. The official word from the company is in line with widespread rumors that cropped up last month.

The DSi will initially be available in blue and black models. Given Nintendo's track record, it's a sure bet that additional colors will eventually follow.

Already available in Japan (see photos below), the DSi is an evolutionary upgrade of the monstrously popular Nintendo DS Lite. The new model includes larger screens, 2 cameras, and an SD slot in place … Read more

Police Blotter: Courts split over police searches of handhelds

Police Blotter is a regular CNET News report on the intersection of technology and the law.

What: Defendants in Florida and Virginia, each arrested after being stopped for speeding, claim warrantless searches of their handheld devices violates the Fourth Amendment.

Outcome: One federal judge rejects the warrantless search as illegal, while a federal appeals court upholds it as perfectly OK.

What happened, according to court documents and other sources: Anyone who relies on a handheld device for e-mail, Web browsing, note, and scheduling knows how well it knows them. Modern gadgets contain enough data about us to raise alarms about … Read more

Qualcomm picks up AMD's graphics assets

This was originally posted at ZDNet's Between the Lines.

Qualcomm on Tuesday said it has acquired "certain graphics and multimedia technology assets" from Advanced Micro Devices' handheld business.

The acquisition was only for $65 million, so we're not talking a huge deal, but what used to constitute AMD's handheld business is off the chipmaker's books, as it focuses on its core PC and graphics semiconductor markets.

Qualcomm says it will take AMD's graphic assets and intellectual property, and integrate it with its system on a chip products. Qualcomm has offered jobs to the … Read more

Forrester study: Got game? Not in a recession

Internet and mobile services are expected to score against handheld video game players and satellite radio amid an economic recession, according to results from a Forrester Research survey released Monday.

According to the results, 51 percent of North America consumers surveyed said they planned to curtail technology spending in the coming year, due to the economy. And areas expected to take the greatest hit include handheld video game players, followed by satellite radio, smart phones, video game consoles, and portable GPS devices.

The report noted:

While no device is immune from consumer spending cuts, new devices such as satellite radios … Read more