USA TODAY

Brace yourself Gizmondo fans, for it seems that not all of Carl Freer’s recent prognostications about the resurrection of the ill-fated handheld are exactly coming to pass. While he apparently is still intent on bringing the handheld back from the dead, he now tells Swedish journalist Hans Sandberg that he was being “too optimistic” with the stated May 2008 launch date, and that it should now be available “by the end of 2008.” That deal with Plextek to build the new device apparently is still in place, however, and Freer’s “co-pilot” in this latest endeavor, Mikael Ljungman, is reportedly on his way to China this week to check out the manufacturing operations. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping you posted on any future developments, or future delays.