"Disposable" Cell Phone Actually Repackaged Nokia

ewhac writes "Hop-On.com apparently started distributing the first versions of their disposable/recyclable cell phones, which will offer 60 minutes for $30. Hop-On claims their proprietary technology makes this possible. However, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that, upon cracking open the phones, they found not the kind of disposable cell phone technology covered earlier on Slashdot, but a jury-rigged Nokia. When confronted, Hop-On CEO Peter Michaels dodged by saying the phones the Chronicle took apart were, "promotional samples only. They are not Hop-On production phones." The article also calls into serious question Hop-On's other claims, and also points out California revoked Hop-On's corporate status last month."

Comments

Any sufficiently advanced technology...

[Anonymous Coward]

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo.
--G

Re:Ummm... so?

[SpinyNorman]

So if I coat a bar of gold bullion with plastic and sell it to you for $30 as part of some IPO scam, should bullion investors be upset because they're paying $1000's for what "goes" for $30?

Were you born stupid, or dropped on your head?

True business accumen...

[FyRE666]

Step 1. Sell $250 phones for $30.
Step 2.
Step 3. Profit!

I'm Surprised They Didn't Prosecute

[dbretton]

Taking apart the phone is a violation of the DMCA. They should have the Chronicle arrested, and take them to court!

:)

When Seuss becomes reality

[sacrilicious]

...and also points out California revoked Hop-On's corporate status last month."

Hop-On popped!

-

Re:Ummm... so?

[Tackhead]

> The phones in question were distributed to media-types only to demonstrate the supposed proprietary technology. They were not purchased by end users.

And when someone opened the phone to see what made it tick, they saw no evidence that a disposable phone tech existed, only what appeared to be a cleverly-rigged demo by a company with (as the article describes) a questionable history of legal/regulatory/disciplinary actions against it.

I smell a letter to Fritz Hollings in the making:

"Sir, I'm an ethikul bidnizzman now facing the possibility of fraud charges, SEC charges, and a class-action lawsuit from angry investors because someone had a jeweller's screwdriver and opened the demo unit to discover that my new proprietary tech was just a rigged demo with someone else's product in a cheap paper shell that relied on nobody in the press opening the demo units!

We need a law requiring that all electronics be shipped with inbuilt rods of thermite hooked up to photocells, so that the products automatically self-immolate whenever opened by criminal hackers! (The current market-based solution of merely voiding the warranty is clearly an insufficient deterrent.)

Similarly, a jeweller's screwdriver ought to be used by jewellers only. I propose a licencing requirement for screwdrivers under a certain diameter, to minimize the risk of screwdriver technology falling into the hands of those who would use them to open electronic devices. Screwdrivers are clearly a reverse-engineering enabling tool, and their use must be restricted.

My business model requires new legislation mandating the tamperproofing with auto-destruct devices in all electronic components in the next session, along with compulsory licensing for reverse-engineering tools. As I'm sure you're well aware, the livelihood of the entire rigged demo industry depends on the suckers not realizing it's all smoke and mirrors until after we get financing.

I propose this new law be called the Cellphone Bidnizzman Demonstration Technology Protection Act (CBDTPA), and claim it will encourage entreprenooers to produce longer and more breathless press releases, leading to higher stock prices for entreprenooers without the risk of having the schemes exposed by illegal criminal terrorist hackers armed with jewellers' screwdrivers.

Enclosed, please find a big bag of money.

Sincerely..."