Gizmondo Execs land at Xero Mobile
Whenever a company asks us to modify anything on the site, we always conduct some research to determine if the item
that offends the company is in fact false. Early yesterday morning, Xero Mobile asked us to remove a reader comment
that was, in their view, incorrect.
The comment suggested that Stefan Ericksson -- the now-jailed exec who totalled a million-dollar Enzo Ferrari and multi-million dollar games company Gizmondo -- still held an executive position at MVNO Xero Mobile.
We removed the comment from Joystiq because we could find no proof that it was true. However, in doing this research, we did turn up information about Xero Mobile's connection to Ericksson's now-defunct Gizmondo.
The most reliable source we could find on the subject was the venerable Financial Times, which states that "Peter Lilley, who headed up Gizmondo's Smart Adds business unit, David Levett who was formerly chief software architect at Gizmondo, and Rich Clayton, US producer for Gizmondo, are involved in setting up a new company called Xero Mobile, based in Beverley Hills."
Plenty of others (Sean Ryan, Om Malik, Moco News, The Inquirer, to name a few) have chimed in on the linkage between the companies, and have further noted the similarities between Gizmondo's "Smart Adds" technology and the business model of Xero Mobile, which will provide free cell phone service to users who are willing to watch or listen to advertisements in exchange for that service.
In short, we could find no link between Ericksson and Xero Mobile, though ample linkages exist between Xero and Gizmondo, according to multiple sources, some of them quite reliable.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick @ Apr 22nd 2006 2:15AM
I give you guys props. I only discovered you in October or November of last year, and the fact that you're now huge enough to have companies take notice and request comment edits on your site is F#$%ing awesome. Well done overall, and thanks for the frequent updates and sweet info. I love that you can both scoop and refer to IGN and the other big players. Keep it up!
oe @ Apr 22nd 2006 2:55AM
Wow. A gizmodo-gizmondo-gizmonster. That would be a good name for the large lizard on the t-shirt: Gizmonster (note the hard 'g' sound) After this t-shirt, doesn't it descend into SF bay or wherever for the next thousand years?
Seriously though, #2, Gizmodo is something you read, and Gizmondo is something you laugh at. Unless you bought one, in which case it is something you are laughed at for owning, and somehow respected for at the same time. As in:
"Wow. You actually have a Gizmondo"
"Yes.... What about it?"
"Nothing, nothing.... Is it any good?"
"No, it's a piece of shit."
"Yeah. I heard it sucks."
Sloopydrew @ Apr 22nd 2006 3:28AM
"We removed the comment from Joystiq"
Isn't that sort of like letting a corporation -- one that isn't even affiliated with Joystiq (that I know of, at least) -- edit your blog? True or not true, since when does a corporation have the right to tell another site owned by a different corporation what comments should and shouldn't be deleted from their blogs? And how many of these corporations are having their PR men and lower-end legal teams sniffing around various blogs? Seems a little big-brother-ish, and completely pathetic on the part of the corporations who really should have something better to do with their time.
GeoCities' legal team asked me to remove a parody of their service from my site and I refused. I asked their legal team to either sue me or leave me alone. I never heard from them again. A year later the same thing happened with Microsoft. I did the same thing, and they left me alone. Of course they could have chosen to sue me for parodying their sites and services, but they didn't have a case and they knew it. The only corporate pressure Joystiq should buckle under (if any) would be AOL, since they are your parent company. But even then, AOL would be unethical to take over as editors of Joystiq.
the2bears @ Apr 22nd 2006 3:32AM
I agree with Sloopydrew... you shouldn't have bowed to pressure and removed a comment.
Bill
obo @ Apr 22nd 2006 3:58AM
Fair or not, Joystiq is liable for its users' comments. If a user posts something inaccurate and Xero were to threaten legal action, chances are that Joystiq would be vulnerable. Not that Joystiq would lose, necessarily, but that they would likely have to defend themselves.
On top of that, they deleted the comment but _reposted the information on their main page_, in a more thorough context. What the hell is wrong with that? They didn't just delete a user's questionably-sourced comment - they investigated it, reposted it on their own credibility, and added more information to it. What the hell is wrong with that? If only mainstream media were so thoughtful when it came to ferreting out inaccuracies, whether their own or others'.
mercatfat @ Apr 22nd 2006 4:51AM
Let's say I post on Gizmodo that recent reports suggest that Victor Cole has a small penis. Let's also assume that this isn't a troll but actually meant as news.
Although we can't find any hard sources(pardon the pun) saying that his bajunkajunk is indeed in such a state, it sounds credible enough that we take it as fact. But furthering, if Victor complains, he is within his rights to ask it to be deleted or amended.
Without solid evidence, it's just slander.
Sorry about using penises to make my point. I just know it's something that most everyone here can relate to.
had2comment @ Apr 22nd 2006 6:37AM
The Gizmondo Saga: the gift that just keeps on giving.
Just like herpes.
Sloopydrew @ Apr 22nd 2006 7:34AM
"On top of that, they deleted the comment but _reposted the information on their main page_, in a more thorough context. What the hell is wrong with that?"
Nothing is wrong with that. I think it's great that Joystiq looks into claims made by other corporations. I guess my point was that I thought they should have looked into this before deleting the original post that sparked the whole thing.
If a company really wants to waste the cash on bringing frivolous lawsuits against a successful blog based on something a USER posted, that's their prerogative. If Joystiq wants to delete posts before it comes to that, that's their prerogative. If I disagree with their deleting the posts at the whim of another corporation, that's my prerogative. If you don't agree with me disagreeing with Joystiq on rare occasion, that's your prerogative. Lastly, if Bobby Brown wants to haunt me for life with his song "My Prerogative," it is his prerogative.
That said, I really do commend Joystiq and Vladimir for his post. It was very impressive, and I agree with you that it's probably more than most "respectable" journalistic outfits would do. Could Mr. Cole be the first blogger to win a Peabody?
derek @ Apr 22nd 2006 9:34AM
Victor Cole has a small penis? haha
The_Solidshadow @ Apr 22nd 2006 10:07AM
Why does everyone love to cuss the Gizmondo? Seriously, it's just boring now.
The machine itself is actually an amazing device, it's just the shit management and marketing that was its downfall.
I've got a PC Engine emulator on mine, Thanks to Squidge, a NES Emulator, Thanks to Critical, and a Sega Genesis Emulator, thanks to a few people.
I'm completely frickin happy with my purchase, not a single regret.
C. Grant @ Apr 22nd 2006 11:14AM
The_Solidshadow: That's the point! It's not about the hardware for you, for us, or for them. It was a scam to defraud investors and line the pockets of their (sometimes sketchy) executives. That's why the guys at Xero mobile wanted to make sure nobody confused or misrepresented the relationship between the two companies; while looking for funding, it could prove disastrous.
see also:
Sketchy Infinium Labs numbers
gba @ Apr 22nd 2006 1:38PM
Giz is one of those companies that everybody loves to hate, but just to think that with right pricing strategy and release dates they could have had a slight chance of capturing a part of market before PSP and that wouldn't be bad. Competition would only help.
tactics @ Apr 22nd 2006 1:50PM
yay, emulators on gizmondo... remember, you could have done that just as easily with a nintendo ds or even a (gasp!) sony psp... even a nintendo game boy advance sp/micro... if you're totally happy with your gizmondo purchase because it's running emulators, i've got news for you: nintendo ds games *also* whoop ass.
and how is gizmondo an "amazing" device?
on another note: sloopydrew, your website is bad ass.
Maze @ Apr 22nd 2006 10:44PM
The idea rocks! I bet they planned this whole f#####g thing to get free marketing!!!... you dumb f##ks, you are helping the cause... If you want them to fail, stop writing about them. People in my campus are waiting for them to launch. If they raise enough money they will either run away to China or pull it off.
Time will tell. One thing is for sure, if they DO pull it off, the only thing you morans will be pulling is your own dicks (That is, IF you really have any...)
Swedish Mafia LA @ Apr 27th 2006 2:49AM
Carl Freer, the other puppetmaster behind Xero Mobile (Stefan Eriksson being the other) has joined Stefan in jail!! News at 11:00p.
'Impersonating an Officer' Charge Added to Bizarre Ferrari Case
By Richard Winton and David Pierson
Times Staff Writer
4:35 PM PDT, April 26, 2006
A business associate of the man accused of crashing his rare Ferrari in Malibu this year was arrested today for allegedly posing as a police officer to buy guns.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said that Carl Freer flashed a badge from an obscure San Gabriel Valley transit authority and claimed he was a sworn police officer so that he could purchase guns from a dealer without the required background checks. Authorities said he also signed documents swearing he was a sworn officer.
The detectives said they found 12 rifles and four handguns during searches of Freer's Bel-Air estate and on his 100-foot yacht Brigatta, docked at Marina del Rey. They say at least one gun, a .44 magnum, was obtained illegally and are checking on the others.
Freer, 35, was a top executive at a failed European videogame company Gizmondo along with Stefan Eriksson, who drove the Ferrari. Eriksson has been charged with grand theft, embezzlement and DUI charges in connection with the accident.
Both men were also members of the "anti-terrorism police commission" of the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority, a small private company that provides rides to disabled people and the elderly in Monrovia and Sierra Madre. Both men were issued badges by the authority.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said that neither Freer nor Eriksson would have been allowed to purchase guns in the United States because they are foreign nationals.
"We have a wider investigation into who has given police identification by this supposed police agency," Whitmore said.
Meanwhile, detectives are continuing to explore why a handgun belonging to a reserve deputy for the Orange County Sheriff's Department was found at the Bel-Air mansion.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies confiscated the gun during a raid at Eriksson's home. Whitmore confirmed Wednesday that the .357 magnum Smith & Wesson was registered to Roger A. Davis, a Newport Beach businessman and deputy with the Orange County sheriff's professional services division. Davis also serves on Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona's Advisory Committee.
Davis was issued a permit to carry a concealed weapon by the Orange County Sheriff's Department in August 2002 for self-protection, according to public records.
The disclosure comes as Carona has come under criticism for his large expansion of the reserve deputy program, in which he has given badges and in some cases concealed-weapon permits to volunteers with no police training.
Roger D @ Apr 29th 2006 12:57PM
Maze, you should be a-mazed now, or are you still behind these guys? The Titanic is sinking again...Get off the $14,000,000 Boat...Why don't you wake up and quit your job at XERO Mobile, Vision Mobile, Smart Adds, Gizmondo, Tiger Telematics or whatever they are calling it this week and get a real job at a ligitimate company that is not stealing money from grandma's and Grampa's savings account. These guys are the biggest con artists in the world. Arn't there any jobs left in LA? College, sure...you are working for the Wizard's of OZ, the difference is we can now see the men behind the magic curtain.....Can you guess who they are.....Carl Freer and Stefan Ericksen...your boss!!! Get a life!
Its All Over @ May 4th 2006 11:34AM
Great Job Guys, Xero Mobile's New office is at a rent an image building on the shady side of Olympic Blvd. A far cry from the hyped up architectual building you pitched or the old Gizmondo office. After checking documents, the same Officer Roger A. Davis who's gun was found in Stefan's house during the raid is the signer on the Corporate Documents filed in Delaware for the tri-fecta name change from United Telecom Intl,Inc. to Vision Mobile, Inc., then finally to Xero Mobile. Picked up the wrong gym bag? Don't think so, it is obvious as CEO and President of the UTI, Vision and XERO MOBILE, you know a little more than you are saying. It's time to get on the right side of the badge you falsely proclaimed to be on and tell the truth. Maybe then you will get some credibility. Probability is you will be wearing the same jewelry as your buddies though....Silver Bracelets.
Vivek Karnik @ Jun 28th 2006 4:53PM
Good to know you took comments about things you have no proof of. However, this is something Peter Lilley and David Levett might not be please to read either, however for which, I have all the proof needed.
I have no reason to publish this except for the fact that frustruation in getting reimbursed for travel made at Vision's/Xero's request has gotten the better of me.
I was asked to go to LA on an expense paid trip to interview for a position at Vision Mobile. It's been close to 6 months now and I can't get anyone there to reimburse my expenses. I did receive a check for the same that "bounced". Interesting that they have so much money to spend on developing their systems....but not enough to repay someone what they owe.