Zeebo
Encyclopedia
Zeebo is a 3G
-enabled entertainment and education system from Zeebo Inc.
It not only enables users to play video games, but also connect to the Internet, communicate online and run educational applications. The Zeebo is targeted at developing markets such as BRIC
(Brazil
, Russia
, India
and China
) and Mexico
. Zeebo Inc. says that the Zeebo brings "the fun and excitement of interactive entertainment and education to those who—until now—have had little or no access to such technology."
to circumvent piracy. There are no DVDs and cartridges; games and other content are downloaded wirelessly over broadband cellular networks. In addition to games, the Zeebo system also provides Internet connectivity, enabling users to access educational and information content, communicate via e-mail and do social networking (this capability is currently supported in Brazil and Mexico).
Zeebo has attracted a growing list of content from companies such as Activision
, Capcom
, Digital Chocolate
, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts
, Fishlabs
, Flying Tiger, Gamevil
, G-Mode
, Glu, id Software
, Limbic Software, Namco
, Polarbit, Popcap
, Twelve Interactive and Vega Mobile.
, Mexico
, and India
. Reports indicated that the Zeebo would be available in China
by 2011.
, Brazil and went on sale there in limited quantities on June 1, 2009 with a suggested retail price of R$ 499,00 (Brazilian reals)
. In September of the same year, the price was cut to R$ 399,00, and the price was reduced again in November to R$299,00 (~170USD). The console was distributed nationwide in Brazil in December 2009. By August, 2010, there were approximately 40 games launched for Zeebo in Brazil. On September 1, 2010, Zeebo announced that it was adding new capabilities and accessories to the Zeebo in Brazil, including Internet connectivity, a keyboard and new more ergonomic gamepad. The new Brazilian system configuration is priced identical to the previous one: R$299 (~170USD). The company announced that Brazilian owners of previous system configurations can upgrade to the new one for free.
The Zeebo was launched in Mexico in November 2009. It shipped to national retailers across the country on 4 November 2009, with a suggested price of 2,499 Mexican peso
s (approximately $205 US). The Mexican system configuration is similar to that introduced in September, 2010 and includes Internet connectivity, a keyboard and ergonomic gamepad. The price was cut to 2249 pesos (approx. $184 US) in April 2010.
with the participation of 12 companies, mainly Qualcomm
and Tectoy. It is manufactured and distributed by local partners in target countries (e.g., Tectoy in Brazil). The console uses a Qualcomm
BREW
mobile gaming chipset similar to that in mobile phones. Players are able to buy and download games and other content wirelessly through 3G
or Edge
. The user is always connected to the wireless network without any subscription fee. Purchases are made through an online store using a virtual currency, Z-Credits. Zeebo's gaming delivery system reduces costs (with no discs or cartridges needed) and overcomes piracy barriers – two elements that have hindered sales of game consoles in developing markets. Z-Credits are purchased by bank transfer, credit card, bank debit or prepaid cards. Games cost from about 500 to 2500 credits.
The console's wireless connectivity also allows users to browse web sites, send and receive e-mail and take part social networking activities via the wireless network. The Zeebo can also perform "over-the-air" (OTA) updates to the console's firmware—delivering new content, features and bug fixes.
, using motion-sensing technology to play games with actual physical gestures. It has a D-Pad, two buttons (labeled 1–2) on the top-left side, a "Home" button, a sliding on-off switch and a wrist strap. It requires two AA batteries as a power supply.
, Resident Evil 4
, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, Galaxy on Fire and Rally Master Pro. There are also a number of original game titles developed specifically for the Zeebo, including “Zeebo Extreme
” racing games, "Boomerang Sports
" games, Zeebo "Football Club" games and Un Juego de Huevos
(known as Um Jogo de Ovos in Brazil), an action-adventure game based on the hit Mexican animated film "Una Película de Huevos"
from Huevocartoon. In March 2010, Zeebo began releasing a series of classic arcade games. These games were originally created in the 1980s and 1990s by Data East
Corp. in Japan and have been modified to run on the Zeebo system. The titles include Caveman Ninja (originally known as Joe & Mac
), Spinmaster
, Super Burger Time
and Dark Seal (also known as Gate of Doom).
In June, 2010, in advance of the World Cup, Zeebo released the first of its Football Club ("F.C") titles, Zeebo F.C. Foot Camp
, developed by Zeebo Interactive Studios in Brazil. It includes four mini-games, each emphasizing a particular soccer skill, such as dribbling, juggling and goal-kicking. Along with Zeebo F.C. Foot Camp, the company released Zeeboids
, an application that enables users to create personal characters ("avatars"
) to be used with the Football Club games. Also in June, Zeebo announced a variety of forthcoming games from independent developers such as Digital Chocolate, Fishlabs, Limbic Software, Twelve Interactive and Vega Mobile.
In Brazil, the Zeebo is sold with three free games embedded – FIFA 09
, Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City and Brain Challenge
(known in Portuguese as "Treino Cerebral"). Three other games, all in Portuguese, are available for free download with new systems: Prey Evil
, Zeebo Extreme Rolimã and Zeebo Extreme Jetboard. More 30 other titles are available for purchase (via Z-Credits) and download.
On September 1, 2010 Zeebo announced a number of new games and educational applications to be launched in 2010 and 2011. They include a new Zeebo Football Club game, called Zeebo F.C. Super League; a series of titles from Disney Interactive Studios, including Disney All Star Cards, Alice in Wonderland and Jelly Car 2; and a series of titles based on the popular Monica's Gang
("Turma da Monica") comic books in Brazil from cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa
.
In Mexico, the console includes five free embedded game titles (Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, Pac Mania, Tekken 2, Zenonia and Zeebo Family Pack). More than a dozen games were available for wireless purchase at the time of the Mexican launch in November, 2009. More than a dozen more have since been introduced, all in Spanish. Zeebo has also announced that the English language teaching company Interlingua will be developing entertainment and education applications for the console.
In addition to games and educational content, the console provides access to more than 50 web sites, grouped in subject categories, called "Z-Channels."
in March, 2010. The company stated that "The agreement gives us access to AT&T's international roaming network, allowing us to carry out rapid trials of the Zeebo platform in new geographic areas as we establish longer-term agreements with local carriers for deployment of the system. It will also give us a chance to explore opportunities in the US market in the future." However it appears that Tectoy has decided against the Zeebo and on its homepage now states that they are gearing towards a more educational market.
In May 31 2011 Zeebo Brasil announced in its blog the end of operations in Brazil. According to the company, all games would undergo a price reduction and Zeebonet 3G would remain active until September 30. Still according to the company, all warranty services would be honored, as demanded by brazilian law. On the same day, on ZeeboNet 3G, a message was added to the details of the game "Turma da Mônica em Vamos Brincar" (Monica's Gang in Let's Play) stating that the game would be unavailable for purchase by the end of the day.
On the same day, Zeebo Inc. announced the end of their activities in Mexico, under the same conditions applicable to Brazil, with online purchase available until September 30 and under lowered costs.
On the same day, a Zeebo Inc. announced the end of operations in Mexico.
Zeebo Inc. official's website states that it is currently working on a new platform to be released on 2012.
Operating conditions:
platform and is created using the Zeebo SDK
, downloadable from the Zeebo Inc. website. Gamepad peripherals are made possible by a BREW extension. The Zeebo system supports OpenGL ES 1.0/1.1. Applications are downloaded wirelessly over-the-air and commonly range in size from 5–25MB.
Currently there is a group working on a homebrew frontend for Zeebo console, for hacking, and to expand the console's capatibilites. The group's website is Triple Oxygen.
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
-enabled entertainment and education system from Zeebo Inc.
Zeebo Inc.
Zeebo Inc. is an American consumer electronics company and creator of the Zeebo entertainment and education system. Designed for "emerging markets" in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, India and China, the Zeebo system runs videogames and other interactive content delivered via wireless 3G digital...
It not only enables users to play video games, but also connect to the Internet, communicate online and run educational applications. The Zeebo is targeted at developing markets such as BRIC
BRIC
In economics, BRIC is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development...
(Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Zeebo Inc. says that the Zeebo brings "the fun and excitement of interactive entertainment and education to those who—until now—have had little or no access to such technology."
Overview
The company's stated intention was to create an affordable console with inexpensive games and educational content delivered via wireless digital distributionDigital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
to circumvent piracy. There are no DVDs and cartridges; games and other content are downloaded wirelessly over broadband cellular networks. In addition to games, the Zeebo system also provides Internet connectivity, enabling users to access educational and information content, communicate via e-mail and do social networking (this capability is currently supported in Brazil and Mexico).
Zeebo has attracted a growing list of content from companies such as Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, Digital Chocolate
Digital Chocolate
Digital Chocolate is a video game developer headquartered in San Mateo, California. It was founded in 2003 by Trip Hawkins, the entrepreneur and founder of the video game publishing giant Electronic Arts and founder of The 3DO Company. The company focuses on developing games for mobile phones, iOS,...
, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, Fishlabs
Fishlabs
Fishlabs Entertainment is a Hamburg, Germany-based developer and publisher of mobile games founded in 2004. Among others, their portfolio includes the sci-fi shooter Galaxy on Fire 2, the racing simulation Rally Master Pro and the arcade game Waterslide 2...
, Flying Tiger, Gamevil
GAMEVIL
Gamevil Inc. is a privately held company based in Seoul, Republic of Korea, which develops and publishes video games for mobile devices.- Gamevil Inc. :...
, G-Mode
G-Mode
is a Japanese company that provides mobile network game contents that specialize in Java game software in Japan. It develops and distributes games for Java-compatible mobile phones. The company also licenses contents for mobile telecommunications operators, as well as involves in the original...
, Glu, id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
, Limbic Software, Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
, Polarbit, Popcap
PopCap Games
PopCap Games is an American video game developer and publisher, based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka, and currently employs about 400 people...
, Twelve Interactive and Vega Mobile.
Future launches
The Zeebo is currently available in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Reports indicated that the Zeebo would be available in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
by 2011.
History
The Zeebo was first announced in November 2008 in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil and went on sale there in limited quantities on June 1, 2009 with a suggested retail price of R$ 499,00 (Brazilian reals)
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
. In September of the same year, the price was cut to R$ 399,00, and the price was reduced again in November to R$299,00 (~170USD). The console was distributed nationwide in Brazil in December 2009. By August, 2010, there were approximately 40 games launched for Zeebo in Brazil. On September 1, 2010, Zeebo announced that it was adding new capabilities and accessories to the Zeebo in Brazil, including Internet connectivity, a keyboard and new more ergonomic gamepad. The new Brazilian system configuration is priced identical to the previous one: R$299 (~170USD). The company announced that Brazilian owners of previous system configurations can upgrade to the new one for free.
The Zeebo was launched in Mexico in November 2009. It shipped to national retailers across the country on 4 November 2009, with a suggested price of 2,499 Mexican peso
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
s (approximately $205 US). The Mexican system configuration is similar to that introduced in September, 2010 and includes Internet connectivity, a keyboard and ergonomic gamepad. The price was cut to 2249 pesos (approx. $184 US) in April 2010.
Wireless capabilities
The Zeebo system was developed by Zeebo Inc.Zeebo Inc.
Zeebo Inc. is an American consumer electronics company and creator of the Zeebo entertainment and education system. Designed for "emerging markets" in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, India and China, the Zeebo system runs videogames and other interactive content delivered via wireless 3G digital...
with the participation of 12 companies, mainly Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
and Tectoy. It is manufactured and distributed by local partners in target countries (e.g., Tectoy in Brazil). The console uses a Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
BREW
Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless
Brew is an application development platform created by Qualcomm, originally for CDMA mobile phones, featuring third party applications such as mobile games. It is offered in some feature phones but not in smart phones...
mobile gaming chipset similar to that in mobile phones. Players are able to buy and download games and other content wirelessly through 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
or Edge
Edge device
Edge devices are routers, routing switches, integrated access devices , multiplexers, and a variety of metropolitan area network and wide area network access devices that provide entry points into enterprise or service provider core networks...
. The user is always connected to the wireless network without any subscription fee. Purchases are made through an online store using a virtual currency, Z-Credits. Zeebo's gaming delivery system reduces costs (with no discs or cartridges needed) and overcomes piracy barriers – two elements that have hindered sales of game consoles in developing markets. Z-Credits are purchased by bank transfer, credit card, bank debit or prepaid cards. Games cost from about 500 to 2500 credits.
The console's wireless connectivity also allows users to browse web sites, send and receive e-mail and take part social networking activities via the wireless network. The Zeebo can also perform "over-the-air" (OTA) updates to the console's firmware—delivering new content, features and bug fixes.
Z-Pad
The standard Zeebo "Z-Pad" controller includes a total of 7 buttons, a D-Pad and two analog sticks. On the right side, there are four buttons (numbered 1–4); two shoulder buttons rest on the top, called ZL and ZR; at the center, there's a "Home" button, which takes the user back the start screen of the Zeebo interface, while functioning as a typical "Pause" button during games. Directly below this button are the two analog sticks, whereas the D-Pad is located at the leftmost side.Boomerang
The Boomerang, sold by Tectoy in Brazil, is a wireless controller with a built-in accelerometerAccelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
, using motion-sensing technology to play games with actual physical gestures. It has a D-Pad, two buttons (labeled 1–2) on the top-left side, a "Home" button, a sliding on-off switch and a wrist strap. It requires two AA batteries as a power supply.
Keyboard
The Zeebo also includes an external keyboard, used with the system's web-browsing, email and social networking functions.Games
The Zeebo features remade versions of games from mobile phones and other consoles, such as FIFA 09FIFA 09
FIFA 09 is the 2008 installment of Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released in October 2008 for Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii,...
, Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, Galaxy on Fire and Rally Master Pro. There are also a number of original game titles developed specifically for the Zeebo, including “Zeebo Extreme
Zeebo Extreme
Zeebo Extreme is a series of 3D racing videogames created for the Zeebo system. The games were developed by the Tectoy Digital studio in Campinas, Brazil. To date, five Zeebo Extreme games have been introduced in Brazil and four in Mexico....
” racing games, "Boomerang Sports
Boomerang Sports
Zeebo Sports is a Brazil-only series of videogames for the Zeebo system.The series was originally named Boomerang Sports, because the games were designed exclusively for use with Zeebo's "Boomerang" motion-sensitive controller. In August 2010, however, Zeebo released new versions of the games that...
" games, Zeebo "Football Club" games and Un Juego de Huevos
Un juego de Huevos
Un Juego de Huevos is a 2D platform videogame, created exclusively for the Zeebo system. It is the first videogame based on Una Película de Huevos, the hit movie from the Mexican animation company Huevocartoon. The game was released on April 19, 2010 in Mexico...
(known as Um Jogo de Ovos in Brazil), an action-adventure game based on the hit Mexican animated film "Una Película de Huevos"
Una película de huevos
Una película de huevos is a 2006 animated full feature Mexican film produced by Huevocartoon Producciones . The film featured voices by Bruno Bichir, Angélica Vale and Carlos Espejel.-Synopsis:...
from Huevocartoon. In March 2010, Zeebo began releasing a series of classic arcade games. These games were originally created in the 1980s and 1990s by Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
Corp. in Japan and have been modified to run on the Zeebo system. The titles include Caveman Ninja (originally known as Joe & Mac
Joe & Mac
Joe & Mac in USA, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja in Europe, and in Japan, is a 1991 platform game released for the arcades by Data East...
), Spinmaster
Spin Master (arcade game)
Spinmaster, known in Japan as , is an arcade game developed and released by Data East in December, 1993 in North America, in Europe the same year and on February 18, 1994 in Japan. It is the first game Data East developed and released for the SNK Neo-Geo MVS hardware...
, Super Burger Time
Burgertime
is a 1982 arcade game created by Data East for its DECO Cassette System. The game's original title, Hamburger, was changed to BurgerTime before its introduction to the US. The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must walk over hamburger ingredients located across a maze of platforms while avoiding...
and Dark Seal (also known as Gate of Doom).
In June, 2010, in advance of the World Cup, Zeebo released the first of its Football Club ("F.C") titles, Zeebo F.C. Foot Camp
Zeebo F.C. Foot Camp
Zeebo F.C. Foot Camp is a football video game developed by Zeebo Interactive Studios in Brazil and released exclusively for the Zeebo system. The game was introduced in Brazil and Mexico in June, 2010....
, developed by Zeebo Interactive Studios in Brazil. It includes four mini-games, each emphasizing a particular soccer skill, such as dribbling, juggling and goal-kicking. Along with Zeebo F.C. Foot Camp, the company released Zeeboids
Zeeboids
Zeeboids is an avatar creation application developed by Zeebo Interactive Studios in Brazil and released exclusively for the Zeebo system. Zeeboids is compatible with Zeebo Football Club games such as Zeebo F.C...
, an application that enables users to create personal characters ("avatars"
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
) to be used with the Football Club games. Also in June, Zeebo announced a variety of forthcoming games from independent developers such as Digital Chocolate, Fishlabs, Limbic Software, Twelve Interactive and Vega Mobile.
In Brazil, the Zeebo is sold with three free games embedded – FIFA 09
FIFA 09
FIFA 09 is the 2008 installment of Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released in October 2008 for Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii,...
, Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City and Brain Challenge
Brain Challenge
Brain Challenge is a mental exercise video game similar to Big Brain Academy, featuring "brain exercise puzzles". The game was developed by GameLoft for mobile phones and iPods and released on September 5, 2007. It was followed by a Nintendo DS version on January 8, 2008, an Xbox Live Arcade...
(known in Portuguese as "Treino Cerebral"). Three other games, all in Portuguese, are available for free download with new systems: Prey Evil
Prey (video game)
Prey is a first-person shooter video game developed by Human Head Studios , and published by 2K Games. The Xbox 360 version was ported by Venom Games. The game was initially released in North America and Europe on 11 July 2006...
, Zeebo Extreme Rolimã and Zeebo Extreme Jetboard. More 30 other titles are available for purchase (via Z-Credits) and download.
On September 1, 2010 Zeebo announced a number of new games and educational applications to be launched in 2010 and 2011. They include a new Zeebo Football Club game, called Zeebo F.C. Super League; a series of titles from Disney Interactive Studios, including Disney All Star Cards, Alice in Wonderland and Jelly Car 2; and a series of titles based on the popular Monica's Gang
Monica's Gang
Monica's Gang is a popular Brazilian comic book series. The series was created by Mauricio de Sousa, who signs his work as "Mauricio". Plots are centered on the adventures of a group of seven-year-old friends in the fictional neighborhood of "Limoeiro" in São Paulo...
("Turma da Monica") comic books in Brazil from cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa
Mauricio de Sousa
Mauricio de Sousa is a Brazilian cartoonist who has created over 200 characters for his popular series of children's comic books....
.
In Mexico, the console includes five free embedded game titles (Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, Pac Mania, Tekken 2, Zenonia and Zeebo Family Pack). More than a dozen games were available for wireless purchase at the time of the Mexican launch in November, 2009. More than a dozen more have since been introduced, all in Spanish. Zeebo has also announced that the English language teaching company Interlingua will be developing entertainment and education applications for the console.
In addition to games and educational content, the console provides access to more than 50 web sites, grouped in subject categories, called "Z-Channels."
Recent developments
Zeebo Inc. announced an agreement with AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
in March, 2010. The company stated that "The agreement gives us access to AT&T's international roaming network, allowing us to carry out rapid trials of the Zeebo platform in new geographic areas as we establish longer-term agreements with local carriers for deployment of the system. It will also give us a chance to explore opportunities in the US market in the future." However it appears that Tectoy has decided against the Zeebo and on its homepage now states that they are gearing towards a more educational market.
In May 31 2011 Zeebo Brasil announced in its blog the end of operations in Brazil. According to the company, all games would undergo a price reduction and Zeebonet 3G would remain active until September 30. Still according to the company, all warranty services would be honored, as demanded by brazilian law. On the same day, on ZeeboNet 3G, a message was added to the details of the game "Turma da Mônica em Vamos Brincar" (Monica's Gang in Let's Play) stating that the game would be unavailable for purchase by the end of the day.
On the same day, Zeebo Inc. announced the end of their activities in Mexico, under the same conditions applicable to Brazil, with online purchase available until September 30 and under lowered costs.
On the same day, a Zeebo Inc. announced the end of operations in Mexico.
Zeebo Inc. official's website states that it is currently working on a new platform to be released on 2012.
Technical specifications
- ARM11ARM11ARM11 is an ARM architecture 32-bit RISC microprocessor family which introduced the ARMv6 architectural additions. These include SIMD media instructions, multiprocessor support and a new cache architecture...
/ QDSP-5 running at 528 MHzHertzThe hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... - ATI Imageon (renamed to Adreno by Qualcomm after buying ATIAtiAs a word, Ati may refer to:* Ati, a town in Chad* Ati, a Negrito ethnic group in the Philippines* Ati-Atihan Festival, an annual celebration held in the Philippines* Ati, a queen of the fabled Land of Punt in Africa...
s Imageon Designteam & Chipdesign) - 1 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
eNAND Flash - 128 MB NAND Flash in MCP
- 160 MB RAMRandom-access memoryRandom access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
, 128 MB DDR SDRAMDDR SDRAMDouble data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory is a class of memory integrated circuits used in computers. DDR SDRAM has been superseded by DDR2 SDRAM and DDR3 SDRAM, neither of which are either forward or backward compatible with DDR SDRAM, meaning that DDR2 or DDR3 memory modules...
in MCP + 32 MB stacked DDR SDRAM in MSM7201A - VGAVideo Graphics ArrayVideo Graphics Array refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution...
(640×480) – 4:3 aspect ratio - 3G3G3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
(scaling back to 2.5G or 2G2G2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
where necessary) - 3 USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
ports 2.0 Standard A (for accessories) - SD Card Slot / Interface
- Interface: USB HIDUSB human interface device classIn computing, the USB human interface device class is a part of the USB specification for computer peripherals: it specifies a device class for human interface devices such as keyboards, mice, game controllers and alphanumeric display devices.The USB HID class is defined in a number of documents...
- Power: AC adapter 5V 3A
- Consumption: 15 W max.
- Graphics: 4 million triangles / second
- Audio: 8 channels simultaneous MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
, ADPCMAdaptive DPCMAdaptive differential pulse-code modulation is a variant of differential pulse-code modulation that varies the size of the quantization step, to allow further reduction of the required bandwidth for a given signal-to-noise ratio....
, MIDIMusical Instrument Digital InterfaceMIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other... - Resolution: 640×480
- Size: W × D × H – 157 × 215.4 × 44 mm
- Weight: 1.3 kg (3 lb)
- Sensitivity: <- 106 dBm (in UMTS)
Operating conditions:
- Temperature: −20 °C to 55 °C (−4 °F to 131 °F)
- Humidity: 95% (40 °C / 104 °F)
Development
Content for the Zeebo is based on the BREWBinary Runtime Environment for Wireless
Brew is an application development platform created by Qualcomm, originally for CDMA mobile phones, featuring third party applications such as mobile games. It is offered in some feature phones but not in smart phones...
platform and is created using the Zeebo SDK
Software development kit
A software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
, downloadable from the Zeebo Inc. website. Gamepad peripherals are made possible by a BREW extension. The Zeebo system supports OpenGL ES 1.0/1.1. Applications are downloaded wirelessly over-the-air and commonly range in size from 5–25MB.
Currently there is a group working on a homebrew frontend for Zeebo console, for hacking, and to expand the console's capatibilites. The group's website is Triple Oxygen.
External links
- Official Corporate Website (International)
- Neowin.net
- Zeebo games list and statistics