If you were starting to get worried that the new
Gizmondo device would never see the light of day, fear not! According to an interview with Carl Freer, the company is hard at work on its next handheld, which he claims will feature a number of improvements on the
previous, practically perfect iteration. First up, the new system will be built atop Windows CE 6 (which Freer claims has lots of "new goodies"), utilizes a separate graphics chip, will be an open platform with a readily available SDK, and can grab content form a web portal (Gizmondo.com, likely). Most interesting of all, however, is that Freer says the old Gizmondo units will be returning to store shelves. All of this magic is said to be happening by the end of the year -- though since we're nearly half-way through it, Carl and co. have a pretty small window. This is where the "exciting psychic worlds" come into play, right?
[Thanks, Trevor]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ScOObyDoo @ May 9th 2008 9:00PM
The saddest part is that there were probably still people willing to invest in his schemes.
Beau @ May 9th 2008 9:02PM
These guys need to get together with Steorn.
tekdroid @ May 10th 2008 2:57AM
now with twice the exaggerated claims for the same price!
SOOPERGOOMAN @ May 9th 2008 9:03PM
I sure hope He gets it off the ground. It would be nice to see my four psp's have some real competition. Not even the Wii can touch the psp. Not even sure if you'd want it to. C'mon Mr. Gizmondude, get this micro gaming rig going.
BowserUSC @ May 9th 2008 10:20PM
How in the hell do you think the PSP competes with the Wii in any way shape or form? They are completely different you dipshit. Did you try and shove a PSP up your nose and damaged your brain?
Kurian @ May 9th 2008 10:20PM
I agree. The PSP owns all, including consoles.
Kurian @ May 9th 2008 10:21PM
@BowserUSC
Because the Wii's games SUCK.
andres @ May 10th 2008 1:15AM
not even the wii?
the wii isnt a portable gaming system, and if you want to leave that out, well then the ps3 kicks the psp's ass.
Ace b @ May 10th 2008 1:43AM
@BowserUSC
Graphic wise the Wii and psp are kinda similar.
I mean,the kid has four psp's and all of those combined are more powerful than the big N's money making machine.
Ace b @ May 10th 2008 2:02AM
And it's possible that they could get it off the ground.
If I recall they had a concept pic of what the next version of the gizmondo would look like and it had a wide screen and it looked like it had potential.
If they get big,all power to them.A little more competition will only help make things better for the consumer.At least the knowledgeable consumer.
aka_gus @ May 10th 2008 3:36AM
Just out of curiosity- why four psp's?
Tragedy @ May 9th 2008 9:07PM
Don't let Dietrich drive your Ferrari.
DefPo3t @ May 9th 2008 9:12PM
at first i though it said
Carl Freer dishes dirt on the new Gizmodo.
every time i see gizmondo i think gizmodo
engadget year 2010 i predict a new handheld with the name of
gengadet or something of the such
ddub @ May 9th 2008 9:57PM
Maybe Nokia will release the N-Gadget next year.
Ryan @ May 9th 2008 9:17PM
"and can grab content form a web portal"
not proof reading is a bitch.
Benson @ May 9th 2008 10:47PM
Well, can it?
And what's grab content, anyway?
Eric R @ May 9th 2008 9:43PM
This device will NEVER succeed. That guy is doomed.
Tom Oliveri @ May 10th 2008 2:37AM
you couldnt be more wrong.. it takes a special kind of person to get back up after being nocked down, i think that they will learn from the mistakes of the original device and build a far superior one.
VIA proccessor and a nice big screen would go down well.
probably a good idea to hire a new design team too... try to find mac users..
nxtiak @ May 9th 2008 9:55PM
The 2005 E3 was hilarious. I was there and Gizmondo was there.
az1324 @ May 10th 2008 4:07AM
No way dude?! That's funny as shit!
srw @ May 9th 2008 9:56PM
Its like the villain in one of those cheesy '80's slasher flicks.. the damn thing won't stay dead.
The Dude @ May 9th 2008 10:28PM
I, at first, read that as "Gizmodo" and was about to let out an, "Aww hells nah! Oh no she di'int!" Carry on.
Tom Oliveri @ May 10th 2008 2:38AM
are you bonno in disguise?
atomicthumbs @ May 9th 2008 10:53PM
I think I'll stick with the Pandora.
kagai @ May 9th 2008 10:53PM
[crickets chirping}
SHoe @ May 9th 2008 11:03PM
In other news, the company formerly known as Tapwave has announced that it is re-releasing the Zodiac.
Actually, that would make more sense than this.
EdgeOne @ May 10th 2008 10:49AM
Ahh, I miss my Zodiac. Now that was a cool device (for the time)!
Ethan @ May 10th 2008 1:12AM
Why does he think this investor trap will work?
601210 @ May 10th 2008 2:19AM
I, for one, would very much like to see this.
Too bad it will probably never see the light of day.
Cassini @ May 10th 2008 2:41AM
The Gizmondo...
First of all, that's such a strange name for an electronic device. Every time I hear the name, it makes me think of three things:
- It sounds Hispanic to me (and I mean nothing rude or negative by that. It just sounds that way to me, plain and simple).
- The name also makes me think of some strange combo of "Gizmodo" and "El Mondo".
- It also makes me think it could be a name for a new Jim Henson Muppet: "Heeeeyyyy, Gizmondo!" I think that, because the name shares some similarities with the Muppet named Gonzo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzo_the_Great).
Weird? Yes. But what can I say? I didn't name it, and it's just what comes to mind because any way you slice it, it's an odd and ill-fitted name for a device. Just say it out loud a few times (or try placing the names "Sony" or "Nintendo" in front of it), and you'll see what I mean. Just odd. I've always thought they really need to change it.
Secondly, and my apologies if this comes across harsh, but given its design, and its past - I can't think of any device that is less interesting to the general public.
Darwin @ May 10th 2008 3:24AM
Engadget, do you suppose it's possible, one of these days, to use a different picture for a change?
Pradster @ May 10th 2008 7:02AM
thats a fugly product girl!!
:P
Ryan Trevisol @ May 10th 2008 7:44AM
Ahhh, I love the smell of fresh vaporware in the morning.
ayan4m1 @ May 10th 2008 8:23AM
This thing is ugly, outdated, has a small screen and a GPRS modem but no ability to make or receive calls, and an absurdly vapor-filled past. The games never looked good, and even if the processor got a 400Mhz bump it'd still be average. Did I mention that it's _ugly_? I wouldn't be caught dead with one, and I don't think the average American consumer would be, either. It might succeed in some extremely niche market, but I think the PSP has a better established market (and is a better product) as a handheld gaming device and any one of the current-gen smartphones is better as a phone. I absolutely fail to realize why anyone is investing in this thing, or why it's considered news.
PEZ @ May 10th 2008 9:07AM
They were working on the new decide over a year ago well before that idiot crashed his car. So I don't see this as necessarily impossible.
There are photos of the 2nd gen device around the web. They should change the name though, its just horrible. I think it was called HELIX before...?
Carl Vitullo @ May 11th 2008 9:45PM
I am ashamed to share a first name with that guy.
Joe @ May 11th 2008 11:00PM
Does anyone seriously care in the slightest about this product? No.
ManekiNeko @ May 12th 2008 1:12AM
You know, the sad thing is that I actually have one of these pieces of, uh, system. I should be excited that they're bringing it back to the dead, but it sounds like they're actually going to be replacing it with a second, most likely incompatible model. In other words, I'll STILL be stuck with an obsolete handheld even if the brand name is resurrected. Thanks, Carl!
ManekiNeko @ May 12th 2008 1:18AM
heh, I meant *from* the dead. Although the typo sounds more appropriate considering the product.
farfisa @ May 12th 2008 8:21AM
Isn't that one of Gary Busey's brothers?