Cricut Gypsy

All of you scrappers out there likely already know about the newest Provo Craft release of the Cricut Gypsy hand held scrapbooking device. For weeks now the makers of the famous Cricut Expression have been playing with their fans hearts and minds, tantalizing them with clues about their newest release. From the clues, many were able to discern that this arts and crafts gadget was going to be some sort of hand held device that worked with your Cricut machine to let you design on the go and create all the art projects you could imagine in the palm of your hand.

Well, recently the first photos of this new Cricut device were released! It is called the Gypsy, and it looks absolutley amazing! This device is going to let you download all your Cricut Cartridges onto it and it will do everything the standard Cricut software can do, but without a computer!

With the Cricut Gypsy you can weld, stretch, rotate, slant, and all the other functions that come stock with the PC software Cricut Design Studio. It will also provide you with a central location to store all your designs, photos, and craft projects so you never have to worry about transporting your giant Cricut machine again to get what you want. The Gypsy also stores the manuals and overlays for all the cartridges, so you literally have everything to design and shape any art project you can imagine in the palm of your hand.

The Cricut Gypsy comes packed with many features. We don't know them all, but Provo Craft has released a small press packet that contained the following information about their new creation:

Gypsy Features:
•Size – 8” x 3” x 1.5”
•Weight – 11 ounces
•Screen Size - 4.7”, 16:9, 480 x 272
•Stylus Length – 3.75”
•Storage – ~4000 Cartridges, 10000+ Designs
•Battery Life – 4 hrs cont. 18 hrs int.
•Compatible with all Cricut Machines and Cartridges
•Weld, size, slant, rotate, stretch, preview
•2 Full content cartridges preloaded

Gypsy Benefits:
•No computer required
•All CDS functionality on-the-go with no PC
•Interfaces with CDS when connected to a PC
•Stores All Content
•Stores All Overlays
•Stores All Manuals
•Stores CDS Projects

The device will be operated by a stylus and a few buttons on the sides. Rumors are unconfirmed as of yet that it will have wi fi access so that you could store your creations and designs online on a social network for scrappers. Many Cricut Expression scrapbooking enthusiasts were worried that this device would effectively erase the Cricut cartridges after they have been downloaded onto it. This isn't the case according to Provo Craft, though we're not sure exactly they will work the whole issue. Perhaps the cartridges will only be allowed to be downloaded one time onto the Gypsy, or perhaps there will be some other security measure set up to prevent the spread of Cricut designs like they were MP3's on Napster.... on some sort of scrapbooking file sharing scheme... Scrapster?

The official release date of the Gypsy is on the 27th of July. At that time we're sure all the scrappers questions will be answered. But initial buzz on the internet is very mixed in their acceptance of this device. It is rumored to be retailing in the $200-$300 range. However, that has yet to be confirmed.

Certainly, the Gypsy will appeal to those who love to do arts and crafts but live a busy life on the go constantly. Many do not get to spend as much time in their craft rooms as they'd like, and now they can make use of every spare minute creating whatever they can imagine.

As part of their viral marketing campaign, Provo Craft has released a series of videos detailing the mis adventures of a bounty hunter as he tries to track down the 10 missing review copies of the Gypsy that were given to different people. They apparently loved their new toys so much the refused to return them and even went into hiding to keep their Gypsy to themselves. The bounty hunters name is Donnie K, and let's just say he's not the best bounty hunter ever to hit the streets...