Hobbies And Interests
Size
The Nintendo DSi is designed to fit comfortably into most pockets and to be minimally intrusive, sparing only enough room to accommodate both screens, the directional pad, and nine buttons. A netbook computer, despite being much smaller than contemporary laptops, is still large enough to accommodate a full QWERTY keyboard and track-pad.
Purpose
Netbooks are typically well suited to tasks like web surfing, checking email and other tasks that aren't very intensive on their resources. More intensive tasks like video editing, and running more recently developed video games, can be very taxing on these systems, and sometimes are impossible, as many games require the use of a disc, and most netbooks lack an optical drive. While the Nintendo DSi does offer the ability to surf the web, it is primarily intended to play video games. These can come in the form of standard DSi games, which are encoded on a solid-state memory card, and downloadable games that can be saved directly onto the device from the Nintendo DSi Shop.
Input
Netbooks use the standard input methods of the average laptop computer. These include a QWERTY keyboard, track-pad for cursor movement, and buttons for right and left clicking. Additional input devices can be used in USB ports. The DSi has a number of input tools, including the directional pad and nine buttons arrayed in different locations on the handheld for use during gaming. The DSi's touch-screen is also used as an input device, coming into play in a number of games and filling in as a virtual keyboard for non-gaming related applications like web surfing. Typically, a stylus pen is used to interact with the touch screen.
Cameras
The Nintendo DSi comes standard with two on-board cameras, one on the outside of the device so users can take pictures as with a regular digital camera, and one on the interior to facilitate photo and video chatting. Netbooks typically come with one on-board webcam. Some manufacturers may omit this feature to reduce overall size, weight, and cost for the consumer.
Operating System
The Nintendo DSi operates using a proprietary operating system. This system is specifically designed for DSi, and features firmware upgrades that can add new features or correct bugs and errors. Netbooks are also capable of upgrades; the operating system included varies with the individual netbook manufacturer. Typically, they are loaded with Windows 7, although earlier versions did also operating using versions of Windows XP or Linux, again depending on the manufacturer. Mac's netbook, Air, uses the OS X operating system.