The
Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console which was released by
Tiger TelematicsTiger Telematics or Tiger, is a defunct electronics company, best known for the failed Gizmondo handheld game console.-History:In 2000, Carl Freer formed Eagle Eye Scandinavian, a small electronics distribution business in Sweden...
in
March 2005'March 2005' : ← - January 2005 - February 2005 - March - April 2005 - May 2005 - June 2005 - July 2005 - August 2005 - September 2005 - October 2005 - November 2005 - December 2005 - →-Events:...
. It has
GPRSGeneral packet radio service is a packet oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G cellular communication systems global system for mobile communications , as well as in the 3G systems...
and
GPSThe Global Positioning System is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth.GPS is made up of three parts: between 24...
technology. The electronics design was undertaken by
Plextek LimitedPlextek Limited is an electronics design house based in the Cambridge area. It specialises in product and systems design for communications, automotive, aerospace, defence and medical applications...
and the industrial design by
Rick DickinsonRick Dickinson was the in-house industrial designer of Sinclair Research Ltd. In 1986, he founded Dickinson Associates, an industrial design consultancy....
.
The Gizmondo sold poorly, and by February 2006 the company discontinued the device and was forced into
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
. In 2008, founder and CEO
Carl FreerCarl Freer is a Swedish businessman and technology entrepreneur. Freer was Chairman of the Board of Gizmondo and is now engaged in an effort to relaunch the business and other technology driven efforts.-Business activities:...
announced that he had reached an agreement with the liquidators, and planned to re-launch Gizmondo as Gizmondo 2.
Gizmondo was overshadowed by the involvement of one of its executives,
Stefan ErikssonBo Stefan M. Eriksson is a Swedish criminal from Uppsala, Sweden, involved in the UK gaming company Gizmondo until it became insolvent in 2005. In 2006 he became known for wrecking a Ferrari Enzo in southern California...
, in
organized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations can be defined as a transnational grouping of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit...
.
Gizmondo was released in the UK on 19 March, 2005, initially priced at £229.
The
Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console which was released by
Tiger TelematicsTiger Telematics or Tiger, is a defunct electronics company, best known for the failed Gizmondo handheld game console.-History:In 2000, Carl Freer formed Eagle Eye Scandinavian, a small electronics distribution business in Sweden...
in
March 2005'March 2005' : ← - January 2005 - February 2005 - March - April 2005 - May 2005 - June 2005 - July 2005 - August 2005 - September 2005 - October 2005 - November 2005 - December 2005 - →-Events:...
. It has
GPRSGeneral packet radio service is a packet oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G cellular communication systems global system for mobile communications , as well as in the 3G systems...
and
GPSThe Global Positioning System is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth.GPS is made up of three parts: between 24...
technology. The electronics design was undertaken by
Plextek LimitedPlextek Limited is an electronics design house based in the Cambridge area. It specialises in product and systems design for communications, automotive, aerospace, defence and medical applications...
and the industrial design by
Rick DickinsonRick Dickinson was the in-house industrial designer of Sinclair Research Ltd. In 1986, he founded Dickinson Associates, an industrial design consultancy....
.
The Gizmondo sold poorly, and by February 2006 the company discontinued the device and was forced into
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
. In 2008, founder and CEO
Carl FreerCarl Freer is a Swedish businessman and technology entrepreneur. Freer was Chairman of the Board of Gizmondo and is now engaged in an effort to relaunch the business and other technology driven efforts.-Business activities:...
announced that he had reached an agreement with the liquidators, and planned to re-launch Gizmondo as Gizmondo 2.
Gizmondo was overshadowed by the involvement of one of its executives,
Stefan ErikssonBo Stefan M. Eriksson is a Swedish criminal from Uppsala, Sweden, involved in the UK gaming company Gizmondo until it became insolvent in 2005. In 2006 he became known for wrecking a Ferrari Enzo in southern California...
, in
organized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations can be defined as a transnational grouping of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit...
.
United Kingdom
Gizmondo was released in the UK on 19 March, 2005, initially priced at £229. Units enabled with "Smart Adds" had a reduced
RRPRRP can stand for:*Recommended retail price*Radical right-wing populism*Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis*Richard Reed Parry*Region of Republican Subordination in Tajikistan...
of £129. The Gizmondo was available from the Gizmondo flagship store on
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
's
Regent StreetRegent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
, via Gizmondo's online shop, and other highstreet and online retailers (such as
ArgosArgos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland with over 700 stores. Argos is unique amongst major retailers in the U.K. because its primary means of displaying goods to customers is via a catalogue...
, Dixons,
CurrysCurrys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by DSG International plc. It specialises in home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores. It is often supported with the marketing slogan; "Currys.....
,
John LewisJohn Lewis is a chain of department stores operating throughout Great Britain and is popular amongst the middle class for its high quality goods. The chain is owned by the John Lewis Partnership. All permanent employees are partners in the business. There are currently 28 stores throughout England...
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
gameA game is a structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with the expression of ideas...
s were ever released in the US, along with no CoPilot GPS software, though the software was sold on the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
site for a week or two. There was little to no
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer...
, and some of their advertising was even put in magazines of
Nintendo PowerNintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #240 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US....
(
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...
'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
EAElectronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...
's
FIFA Football 2005FIFA Football 2005, also known as FIFA Soccer 2005, FIFA 2005 or simply FIFA 05, is a football video game released in . It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, mobile...
and
SSX 3SSX 3 is a snowboarding video game published by Electronic Arts and developed by EA Sports BIG, which was released in late 2003. It is the third installment in the SSX series, and is THX approved.-Gameplay:...
, and
SCiSquare Enix Europe Ltd., formerly known as Eidos plc, was the holding company for the Eidos group of companies, including the United Kingdom video game publisher Eidos Interactive, which is responsible for the Tomb Raider and Hitman games, among others. It is the successor to Square Enix Ltd...
's
Richard Burns RallyRichard Burns Rally is a sim racing game, published by SCi and developed by Warthog with advice of WRC driver Richard Burns.It simulates both classic and modern rallying, and is best known for its realistic physics engine....
. 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
costIn business, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something, and hence is not available for use anymore. In economics, a cost is an alternative that is given up as a result of a decision. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in which case...
of the unit. A Smart Adds-enabled Gizmondo cost less (
£129The pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
/$229), but would display advertisements on the Gizmondo's screen at random intervals when the user entered the
HomeA home is a place of residence or refuge and comfort. It is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and be able to store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either living...
screen on the device. These advertisements would be downloaded via the device's GPRS data connection, and would be
targetedBehavioral targeting or behavioural targeting is a technique used by online publishers and advertisers to increase the effectiveness of their campaigns....
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.
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.
Technical specifications
- Display: 72 mm (2.8 inch) TFT screen
- Separation or partitioning :* Window screen, a wire mesh that covers a window opening* Fire screen, a device to put in front of a fireplace* Windbreak of trees or shrubs* Windshield , protects the driver of a vehicle...
- 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 colors
- RAM: 64MB
-Ram, ram, or RAM as a non-acronymic word:As a non-acronymic word Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:-Animals:*Bighorn Sheep, A North American mountain sheep species*Sheep, an uncastrated male of which is called a ram...
- Sound: Built-in speaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical signal into sound. The speaker pulses in accordance with the variations of an electrical signal and causes sound waves to propagate through a medium such as air or water.Loudspeakers are the most variable elements in a...
- Communication: Bluetooth
Bluetooth is an open wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks . It was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS232 data cables...
class 2 for multiplayer gaming, GSM tri-band
- Ports: Stereo
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to pull respectively further ahead of and fall gradually behind the earth...
headset socket, Mini-USB client, SD-Places:*South Dakota, United States postal abbreviation*Sudan, ISO country code**Sudan Airways, IATA airline designator*San Diego, California*San Diego County, California*San Diego, Texas-In technology:...
flash card reader
- Power: Removable battery
- Temperature Range: 32°F to 130°F (0°C to 55°C)
- Multimedia: MPEG 4 video playback, ability to playback MP3
MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression. It is a common audio format for consumer audio storage, as well as a de facto standard of digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on...
, WAVWAV , short for Waveform audio format, also known as Audio for Windows, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It is an application of the RIFF bitstream format method for storing data in “chunks”, and thus is also close to the 8SVX and the AIFF...
and MIDI files via Windows Media Player 9
- JPEG
In computing, JPEG is a commonly used method of compression for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality...
Camerathumb |right|Cameras from Large to Small, Film to Digital A camera is a device that records images, either as a still photograph or as moving images known as videos or movies...
- Removable SIM card
- GPS tracking application
- GPS mapping application
- GPRS Class 10
- SMS
- Companies and organizations :* Sabooj Maroon Swapna , a fan club of Mohun Bagan AC in Kolkata, India* Southdown Motor Services, a former UK bus company* Youth Party of Slovenia, a Slovenian political party...
- MMS
MMS may stand for:In science and technology:*The Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, a four-satellite NASA mission*Manufacturing Message Specification, a networking standard...
receive and send
- WAP
WAP can stand for:* Wandering Atrial Pacemaker* Wapanese* Wireless Application Protocol* Wireless access point* Women Against Pornography* WriteAPrisoner.com* Wild Animal Park * Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta...
2.0
- Polyphonic ring tones
- Flight Mode
Flight mode is a setting available on many cell phones and other electronic devices that, when engaged, disables many of the device's signal transmitting functions – thereby disabling the device's capacity to place or receive calls or text messages – while still permitting use of other functions...
Gizmondo widescreen
Tiger Telematics planned to release a widescreen Gizmondo in 2006. It was intended to have a larger screen and upgrades like
Wi-FiWi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance for certified products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. This certification warrants interoperability between different wireless devices....
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 effectThe term Osborne effect describes a market situation where sales of a product decline due to consumer anticipation of the product's successor or replacement...
.
Gizmondo 2
Former Gizmondo director
Carl FreerCarl Freer is a Swedish businessman and technology entrepreneur. Freer was Chairman of the Board of Gizmondo and is now engaged in an effort to relaunch the business and other technology driven efforts.-Business activities:...
announced in early 2008 his intention to relaunch the Gizmondo console; The Gizmondo 2.
The original planned launch date was
May 2008May 2008 was the fifth month of the year. It began on a Thursday and ended after 31 days on a Saturday.-International holidays:* May 1 - Labour Day * May 1 - Labour Day * May 1 - Labour Day * May 1 - May Day...
, but this was quickly pushed back to
November 2008November 2008 was the 11th month of the leap year. It began on a Saturday and ended 30 days later on a Sunday.-Portal:Current Events:This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from November 2008....
, along with details of a new company, Media Power, behind the launch, headed by Carl Freer and his Swedish partner
Mikael LjungmanMikael Ljungman is a businessman and inventor working with mobile communications. Mikael Ljungman is a partner of Carl Freer, working on the relaunch of Gizmondo, the gaming and Augmented Reality console, Blowfishworks and The Media Power Group, GetFugu. Following the IT Factory scam, Danish...
with development apparently proceeding according to the new schedule until at least September, and by
December 2008December 2008 was the 12th month of the leap year. It began on a Monday and ended after 31 days on a Wednesday.-International Holidays:* December 8 - Immaculate Conception.* December 8 - Eid al-Adha.* December 21 - Hanukkah begins at sundown....
, the console had still not appeared, and another announcement was made about a complete redesign as a Windows CE or Google Android powered smart phone..
Since then, the Media Power website has gone offline, co-founder Mikael Ljungman has been arrested and accused of serious fraud, and nothing more has been announced about the console or smart phone.