| Wikipedia: Gizmondo |
 The Gizmondo handheld video game unit. United States and British coins included for scale |
|
| Manufacturer | Tiger Telematics |
|---|---|
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Seventh generation era |
| Release date | 19 March 2005 |
| Discontinued | c. February, 2006 |
| Units sold | Less than 25,000 (as of 30th July 2007)[1] |
| Media | SD, MMC |
| CPU | ARM9 S3C2440 processor at 400 MHz |
| Online services | GPRS |
| Successor | Gizmondo 2 (2009) |
The Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console which was released by Tiger Telematics in 2005.[2] It has GPRS and GPS technology. The electronics design was undertaken by Plextek Limited[3] and the industrial design by Rick Dickinson.
It was discontinued in February 2006, and is going to be succeeded by Gizmondo 2, which is scheduled to be released in November 2009.
The Gizmondo sold poorly, and by February 2006 the company discontinued the device and was forced into bankruptcy.[4]
Gizmondo was overshadowed by the involvement of one of its executives, Stefan Eriksson, in organized crime.[5][6]
In 2008, founder and CEO Carl Freer announced that he had reached an agreement with the liquidators, and planned to re-launch Gizmondo [7]as Gizmondo 2. [8]
Contents |
Release
United Kingdom
Gizmondo was released in the UK on 19 March 2005, initially priced at £229. Units enabled with "Smart Adds" had a reduced RRP of £129. The Gizmondo was available from the Gizmondo flagship store on London's Regent Street, via Gizmondo's online shop, and other highstreet and online retailers (such as Argos, Dixons, Currys, John Lewis among others), although it was never clear how many units were actually introduced into those retail channels.
United States
In the US, the Gizmondo launched on October 22, 2005. Retail price was $400 for a unit without Smart Adds, or $229 for a Smart Adds enabled device. It was available only through Gizmondo’s website or at one of several kiosks located in shopping malls. However, only 8 of the planned 14 games were ever released in the US, along with no CoPilot GPS software, though the software was sold on the British site for a week or two. There was little to no advertising, and some of their advertising was even put in magazines of Nintendo Power (Nintendo's official magazine). Plans to distribute the handheld through other retailers never materialized.
Games
The Gizmondo launched with a line-up of fourteen titles, including a port of EA's FIFA Football 2005 and SSX 3, and SCi's Richard Burns Rally. A further thirty titles were known to have been in development for the system, but all were canceled before their release due to Tiger Telematics' bankruptcy.
Smart Adds
The Smart Adds system was intended as a way for consumers to subsidize part of the cost of the unit. A Smart Adds-enabled Gizmondo cost less (£129/$229), but would display advertisements on the Gizmondo's screen at random intervals when the user entered the Home screen on the device. These advertisements would be downloaded via the device's GPRS data connection[9], and would be targeted based on data inputted to the device. A maximum of three ads would be shown per day. Some ads would include special offers in the form of vouchers or barcodes, and some would utilize the device's GPS system to direct users to the nearest store carrying the advertised product[10].
However, the Smart Adds service was never activated, and users who paid the reduced price for a Smart Adds-enabled device did not receive any advertisements through their device.
Gizmondo widescreen
Tiger Telematics planned to release a widescreen Gizmondo in 2006. It was intended to have a larger screen and upgrades like Wi-Fi and TV-out support. The widescreen Gizmondo was announced just a few weeks before the US launch of the Gizmondo, possibly prompting some potential customers to not buy the Gizmondo, and instead wait for the improved model, in an example of the Osborne effect. However, the Gizmondo 2 which is scheduled to release in November this year includes Wi-Fi Technology.[11]
Technical specifications
- Display: 72 mm (2.8 inch) TFT screen
- Resolution: 320 pixels x 240 pixels
- CPU: Samsung ARM9 processor running at 400 MHz
- Graphics: nVidia GeForce 3D 4500 128-bit 3D Graphics accelerator, maximum of 65,536 colours
- RAM: 64MB
- Sound: Built-in speaker
- Communication: Bluetooth class 2 for multiplayer gaming, GSM tri-band
- Ports: Stereo headset socket, Mini-USB client, SD flash card reader
- Power: Removable battery
- Temperature Range: 0°C to 55°C (32°F to 130°F)
- Multimedia: MPEG 4 video playback, ability to playback MP3, WAV and MIDI files via Windows Media Player 9
- JPEG Camera
- Removable SIM card
- GPS tracking application
- GPS mapping application
- GPRS Class 10
- SMS
- MMS receive and send
- WAP 2.0
- Polyphonic ring tones
- Flight Mode
References
- ^ Blake Snow (2007-07-30). "The 10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time". GamePro.com. http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/125748.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ "Gizmondo gadget hits the shelves". BBC News Online. 2005-03-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4361847.stm. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ Plextek wins industry award for work on mobile entertainment device 2004-10-01, retrieved 2009-07-03
- ^ Pocket-Lint: Gizmondo Europe goes into liquidation
- ^ "Direktörerna har fått långa fängelsestraff" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 2005-10-24. http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,718447,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ "Rumor: Gizmondo execs with ties to the Swedish mafia have resigned". Gamespot. 2005-10-26. http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=23885183. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ ("Gizmondo console revamp 'on track' for Q4 launch, claims boss". http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/05/13/gizmondo_delayed_again/.) "Carl Freer startar om Gizmondo" (in Swedish). Realtid.se. 2007-11-13. http://www.realtid.se/ArticlePages/200711/13/20071113094753_Realtid421/20071113094753_Realtid421.dbp.asp. ("English translation: Carl Freer Promises to Resurrect Gizmondo". http://sandberghans.blogspot.com/2008/01/carl-freer-starts-over-with-gizmondo.html.)
- ^ Joseph Flatley (2008-12-20). "Surprise!!! No new Gizmondo for 2008". Engadget. http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/20/surprise-no-new-gizmondo-for-2008/. Retrieved on 2008-12-02.
- ^ Caie, Martin. "In-service advertising reduces price of Gizmondo". http://old.gameplanet.co.nz/mag.dyn/News/9223.html. Retrieved on 01/06/2009.
- ^ Gizmondo - all about smart ads. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVc6e1mCa1c.
- ^ "Widescreen Gizmondo specs and pics". Engadget. 2005-09-17. http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/17/widescreen-gizmondo-specs-and-pics/. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
External links
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