Gizmondo £129 ;)

The price of the Gizmondo has been brutally slashed less than a month after it went on sale in the UK amidst a flurry of celebrity parties and shop openings.
Tiger Telematics has introduced a 'new' Gizmondo model that will retail for £129, cutting the original price by £100. This new model will still include all of the handheld's gaming, music, movie, messaging, digital camera and GPS features but subsidise the price cut by sending advertisements called 'Smart Adds' to units.

The price cut has prompted speculation that the handheld is not performing well at retail, but this was denied by a Gizmondo spokesperson: "This pricepoint is definitely not motivated by sales figures. That's something we want to make very clear."

The spokesperson was reluctant to divulge Gizmondo sales figures, citing the unit's relatively limited retail launch across the UK. At present it is only available in selected stores including John Lewis, Gamestation, Carphone Warehouse and Gizmondo's own flagship store in London's Regent Street.
Up to three Smart Adds a day will be sent to the new £129 Gizmondo, offering products, services, downloads and special offers tailored to your location and personality.

It all sounds a bit Minority Report, doesn't it? By using the Gizmondo's GPS features the Smart Adds can track your location and offer you specific ads and offers, and even direct you to the nearest, say, fast food joint to use them.

The Smart Adds will apparently not intrude on your use of the handheld, but rather appear in the start menu for you to browse when you want. They'll also auto-delete when appropriate so your unit doesn't get clogged up.

As well as the standard Smart Add-enabled unit (which includes battery, charger, earbud earphones, USB lead and a SIM card with 5 credit) you'll be able to pick up an Extra Value Pack for £199. This pack includes hifi stereo earphones, a 128MB recordable SD card pre-loaded with demos, a copy of the Trailblazer game and a voucher for Colors, the first Gizmondo game to use the GPS system - it's all worth £90, apparently.

If you don't fancy receiving Smart Adds you can still buy the standard Gizmondo unit at the original price of £229. And if you've already bought one you'll get the opportunity to upgrade to the Smart Adds service and receive a voucher for all the additional goodies you get with the Extra Value Pack.

"We've enjoyed an accelerated success with the Gizmondo, and in doing so have met the conditions we set ourselves for the introduction of this Smart Add-enabled version of the device," said Carl Freer, co-founder and chairman of Tiger Telematics.

"We are very excited about the prospect of offering cool advertising to our demographic," he added. "It's attractive to the consumer not only because of the lower price point, but also as it could effectively pay for itself in product discounts and free merchandise."

Both new Gizmondo packs will be available to buy in the UK from April 22, with North American and European launches to follow.

Gizmondo is up against serious contenders in the handheld market. Nintendo's DS launched last month across Europe and has sold exceptionally well, while Sony's PSP is waiting in the wings. Only time will tell if this new pricepoint can keep Gizmondo afloat in the turbulent handheld market.

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