Battleangel

Released last weekend with great hoopla in and around the Gizmondo flagship store in London. The handheld multimedia all-in-one consoles are getting better and bolder. And there is yet time for upstart companies to compete with the great triad of handheld devices.

“The proprietary Gizmondo platform runs a version of Windows CE on its speedy 400MHz processor. In addition to playing games, it’s also a fully functional MP3 and video player compatible with MPEG-4 files and Windows Media 9.0, and it sports a digital camera. Onboard Bluetooth and triband GSM/GPRS capabilities mean wireless multiplayer gaming should be possible both locally and via the cellular network. And perhaps most impressively, the Gizmondo features GPS satellite navigation–a feature that, until now, has been limited to a handful of high-end PDAs.”

The problem is that you can’t call anyone. There is no voice capability. Isn’t that odd? With bluetooth built-in and plenty of headsets to choose from. Also, one need not point out that neither gaming nor movies will be THAT much fun. And the unit lacks the user base of Nintendo and Sony to really make a dent or draw any serious software backing. In six months it will most likely be forgotten.

But, it is nevertheless an impressive machine. And a big step forward. Much more versatile than either the Nintendo DS, Nokia N-Gage or Sony PSP which are all, with the possible exception for the N-Gage, gaming rigs (and mediocre ones at that). Gizmondo, with all its flaws, at least breathes some usefulness into the genre and strives to bring handheld and PDA together.