LATEST ELECTRONIC GADGETZ

Nintendo introduced the newest member of the Nintendo DS family of products, Nintendo DSi. The DSi is the third version of the Nintendo DS handheld and is set for release later this year in Japan.

This new, svelte dual-screen portable (pictured below) was announced at a Nintendo Co. Ltd. press event. The DSi is slated to launch in Europe in the spring of 2009. To watch the English-language webcast of the event, check back soon for a link to the Nintendo of Japan website. Nintendo of Europe will also publish translated excerpts from the event in this space at a later time.

Even before Nintendo announced it, the DSi had been the talk of the town. According to our Japanese correspondent, the DSi will be 12 percent thinner, and will get rid of the GBA slot entirely. The DSi will also include two built-in cameras (one reportedly VGA resolution) and music playback. It will add an SD card slot and internal storage (we don't yet know how much) to enhance its multimedia capabilities. The screens are now slightly larger at 3.25 inches, photos can be synced to the Wii Photo Channel, and the unit will include a free browser application.

Nintendo is also launching the "DSi Shop" to sell content directly over Wi-Fi. Prices for the store, which are also tied into Wii Nintendo Points, will use 0, 200, 500 and 800-point tiers. Until March 2010, 1000 Nintendo points will come bundled with the device.

Nintendo is calling the DSi a "third platform," implying that it's not competing with the DS -- though as a history lesson, the DS was originally a "third platform" against the now-retired Game Boy Advance.

The DSi will launch November 1 in black and white colors. It will cost ¥189,000 (approx. US $178). We won't fault you for misreading this as "iDS," given the very iPod Touch-esque additions.