Gizmondo
| Gizmondo | ||
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| Manufacturer | Tiger Telematics | |
| Type | Handheld console | |
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| Main processor | 400 MHz ARM9 | |
| Graphics processor | NVIDIA GeForce 3D 4500 | |
| Storage media | SD , MMC | |
The Gizmondo was a handheld console from the British company Tiger Telematics , which compared to other handhelds of the era had a more powerful processor and various innovations (e.g. GPRS and GPS technology). Around 10,000 Gizmondos had been sold by the time production was discontinued in early 2006.
The design of the Gizmondo was created by Rick Dickinson , who was also responsible for the design of the ZX Spectrum . The Gizmondo works with an ARM9 processor clocked at 400 MHz and has a 2.8 inch TFT screen with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels. The graphics chip NVIDIA GeForce 3D 4500 has a programmable pixel shader, a hardware transform engine and 1280 kB of memory.
The black housing of the Gizmondo houses numerous multimedia functions that are new for game consoles. In addition to computer games , the device also plays music and films. It also serves as a memory for digital photos and can be used like a mobile phone for sending text, multimedia and e-mail messages. Wireless gaming with other players is possible via GPRS and Bluetooth. Via GPS ( Global Positioning System ) the Gizmondo can also be used as a navigation system or to call up location-specific services.
The initial problem with the device was that no telecommunications provider wanted to offer the Gizmondo as it didn't seem profitable enough. Finally, the provider Vodafone agreed and bundled the Gizmondo with a prepaid card.
On March 19, 2005, the Gizmondo was launched in the UK in two different versions: the normal version priced at £ 229 and the ad-supported version for £ 129. The ad-supported version (also called “Smart Adds” version) contains all the functions that the Gizmondo has in the normal version; however, the user agrees to receive a promotional message three times a day.
The Gizmondo was released in three countries until production was discontinued: England, Ireland and the USA. By then almost 20 games had been produced for him, including The Great Escape and Conflict: Vietnam . Tiger's purchase of Warthog and an agreement with SCi Entertainment were supposed to promise more games, but none of the games were ever released.
Tiger Telematics' European subsidiary, Gizmondo Europe, filed for bankruptcy on January 23, 2006. Later, the parent company also went bankrupt.
At the beginning of 2008, the former CEO and founder of Tiger Telematics Carl Freer announced the successor Gizmondo 2. Media Power, run by Freer and his Swedish partner Mikael Ljungman , was behind the development . Originally, the device should have appeared in May 2008. After several postponements, the expected publication date was finally set for November 2009. In April 2009 Ljungman was arrested, involved in one of the most serious fraud cases in Denmark. The Media Power website has been closed. There has been no current information on the project since mid-2009.
Technical specifications
- Windows CE - .NET game console with Windows Media Player 9
- 400 MHz ARM processor and Nvidia GoForce 4500 graphics chipset
- 2.8 ″ TFT display with 240 × 320 pixels, backlit
- SD card / multimedia card , GSM tri-band, GPRS , Bluetooth 2.0 and USB interface for multiplayer games
- Send and receive e-mail / SMS / MMS, MPEG4 , MP3 , MIDI , WAV playback
- digital camera with 0.3 megapixels, resolution 640 × 480 pixels
- Battery life for games approx. 2 hours, standby approx. 100 hours
- integrated GPS receiver for position-based services
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Handcuffs instead of handheld devices - News from Gizmondo Christian Klaß, Golem.de, July 13, 2009
- ^ Bagger points finger at Swedish partner ( Memento of July 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) The Copenhagen Post Online, June 10, 2009