Why Nintendo DSi Is A Business Story

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Nintendo announced today that its new Nintendo DSi will be hitting store shelves in the United States by April 5th. That is just in time for my young daughter's birthday (and she wants one bad!). However, I'm not sure that I should be considering buying one for myself. It's not the lure of Sonic Hedgehog or Mario Brothers; it's the possibility of making it my go-to portable business tool.

I would have to consider Sony's Playstation Portable (PSP), as well.

Consider this:

With a Nintendo DSi, I can...

- access the Internet via WiFi.
- Use the camera pointed at me for on the fly web conferencing and the one pointed externally as a digital camera (this is one of the biggest upgrades to the DSi; two cameras).
- Like the DS, it has a microphone; so, I can podcast too.
- Here's a way to turn it into a dictionary.
- Hook it up with a GPS device with the added on SD Slot. I can also use that SD Slot for a USB hub. Now I am really cooking.

With a Sony PSP, I can...

- download work software like the kind offered by Tommie that includes calendar management and sharing, various work collaboration tools, even invoicing.
- use it as a Skype phone. See yesterday's posting about Nokia, by the way.
- access the Internet.
- use it as my RSS reader on the go.

You get the idea. Could it be a write off as a business expense? There's a question for your CPA!

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio