Gizmondo Confirms U.S. Launch Plans

Tiger Telematics, the newest contender in the portable gaming ring, has confirmed its plans to launch the Gizmondo in the U.S. The Gizmondo system, which features a GPS chip, MP3 playback, a digital camera, and network playability, will be released in America on October 22. "Contrary to rumours in the marketplace," said Tiger Telematics co-founder Carl Freer, "we are not delaying the scheduled USA launch, we are committed to the October 22, 2005 release date, and the product will be available in all 50 states well in advance of the Christmas retail season." The system has been available in the UK since March. The company also recently announced a widescreen version of the Gizmondo, featuring increased graphical processing power and more memory. Though the widescreen Gizmondo, debuting in both the UK and America early in 2006, will be backwards compatible, its different specifications may lead to a split in the userbase with not every owner being able to run the newer games. Quelling those fears, Tiger CEO Michael Carrender said, "Tiger Telematics is strategically well positioned in a rapidly growing mobile gaming industry. This has generated discussions that may or may not lead to a substantial corporate action or strategic opportunity."