Tiger Telematics Inc. is scheduled to release its high-end Gizmondo portable video-game device in the United States Thursday, although information on the launch is hard to come by. The company recently fired its U.S.-based public-relations firm and is directing all inquiries to its PR firm in London. Calls to the London firm were not immediately returned. Calls to the company’s headquarters in Florida also were not returned.
Tiger has offered little public information on its U.S. launch plans, a situation that contrasts notably with its efforts in the United Kingdom. The company in May opened its London flagship store with a celebrity bash that included rapper Busta Rhymes and boxer Lennox Lewis.
Tiger’s device faces some stiff competition in the United States. Nintendo has scored major successes with its GameBoy portable gaming gadget, and PlayStation maker Sony Corp. recently released its PSP device to much acclaim.
Tiger’s Gizmondo device runs Microsoft Corp.’s Windows CE operating system and features a 2.8-inch TFT color screen, a 400 MHz processor, an MP3 music player, Bluetooth, an embedded camera, support for SD and MMC removable memory cards and support for GPRS networks. The company sells a range of games for the device in the United Kingdom. RCR
