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AMD Papers Over Free Wi-Fi Network Builders
Glenn Fleishman writes "It's been widely reported in the last week that AMD, Intel's processor competitor, was launching a free hotspot network. It's come out, in reporting we just posted at Wi-Fi Networking News, that AMD has built this network by calling existing free hotspots and asking if they'd put stickers in their window. This might be fine: stickers and the label "AMD HotSpot" in exchange for promotion. However, in Austin several local wireless activists say that AMD has put their hotspot decals up in stores without the stores' permission, including at locations operated and supported by Austin Wireless City and Austin Unleashed. Guerrilla marketing gone overzealous? Or an attempt to seize the credit without paying for it?"
'Hot' Hotspots?
Swiping free advertising? Doesn't seem like something a major company would do, especially considering this must cost AMD peanuts ....
Or does someone have the stickers? If you don't see them go up, you have no idea who actually is responsible.
I call computer-illiteracy job security
If I catch em I will Hit em with whatever is handy or my fists which are
a lumni.utexas.net]c om
deadly weepons.
That just sucks.
*******8 wrote:
>It is a scam; the AMD guy has been going by my Hotspots and "dropping
>off" or just sticking the stickers up. It really pisses me off. AFAIK
>they have no hotspots of their own, they are just stealing others
>thunder. If the person dropping off these stickers monitors this list,
>I highly recommend you stop. If I catch you, I will sue you. I like
>AMD, and I hope this is not a corporate policy, just a misguided
>marketer.
>
>Z
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Chris Tom [mailto:christomscrewyouspambots@screwyouspambots
>Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 10:25 AM
>To: austinwirelessscrewyouspambots@spamlists.marlabs.
>Subject: [AWN] Free AMD WiFi?
>
>Hey guys,
>
>I ate at the Far West El Arroyo last night, and they now have AMD
>branded WiFi. I've not heard of such a program from AMD before, and I
>know that location has had WiFi in the past. Has anyone else seen
>these around? There were a couple of official AMD signs posted up. I
>was at the 5th Street location last week and I didn't see any
>indication of AMD being involved with their connection.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Chris Tom
>AMDZone.com
>TXGF.com
>Austinbands.net
>
>
>
>---
>Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.594 / Virus Database: 377 - Release Date: 2/24/2004
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>
ignorance is bliss. googlefiberatx.com
This kind of reminds me of the Microsoft butterfly campaign in NYC. How much do you wanna bet this was the clueful idea of some champ in marketing? When will they learn?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
...sticking it to the competition.
Better than seeing Intel(r) Inside on every business.
Guerilla marketing and stickers?
It's better with the butterfly.
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
One of the biggest problems with "guerrilla marketing" organizations is that they're basically made up of college students working in sitations where it's hard to veryify what they actually did. I remember in 1999 walking accross the Syracuse University campus seeing several .com's URLs written on the sidewalks on the Quad. That's a no-no according to the University rules, but the .com's blamed students who had been told to put the chalk writing in high-traffic public sidewalk locations, not on private property. Students were just too dense to understand that the Quad belongs to the University, not the government, but the company wasn't helping them any by pointing that out.
If you let just anyone in and put up decals, where does the blame lie?
"We'd like you to display our logo."
"Um, no."
"Ok, we'll just put them in that window over there."
"Um, ok."
Shift happens. Fire it up.
I get really tired of trying to find a hotspot on one of several hotspot maps only to find them all cluttered with Starbucks (TWELVE within one mile of my office) and McDonalds.
The only free hotspot I know of in the area is a coffee shop on Bush & Kearny, and I patronize the shop over others because of the free 802.11 access.
It's nice to have, and it does bring in the business.
Warchalking already exists... AMD's just a bit late attaching their logo to it.
More opportunities for me to download copyrighted music with impunity!!
If you want quality, reputable marketing, you don't ask people to do it for free. You need paid, trained professionals who respect the law and who know good advertising etiquette (such that it is).
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
If you actually read slashdot you would realize that in fact it is Intel's CPUs that almost cause things to catch fire.
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http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/22/072
http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modload&n
http://techreport.com/reviews/2004q1/pentium4-3
used the same cooler on both processors, a unit certified by Intel for use with Prescott. I tried to keep room temperatures reasonably steady during my tests, but this wasn't exactly an ideal temperature-controlled test environment, so don't take the following as gospel.
Under load, the Northwood P4 3.4GHz hit temperatures of 64 degrees C (148 degrees Fahreneheit). In the same conditions, the Prescott raced past Northwood's peak temperature on its way to a steady peak of 78 degrees C (or 173 degrees Fahrenheit).
That, folks, is hot. And this was inside a computer case lying on its side with the side panel removed so the top was open. Things could get much warmer closed up inside a poorly designed case.
I'd have loved to do some overclocking with our 3.4GHz Prescott, but after seeing those heat numbers, I believe I'll wait until I can pick up a beefier cooler to use with this thing.
ignorance is bliss. googlefiberatx.com
Even if they are just dealing with locals to use their wifi setups, it's better then the non-existant Intel "wireless world of centrino."
As far as I can tell, all "centrino" is is a lower speed CPU notebook with a built in 802.11 board built in.
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
Isn't it better to leave the case closed, with good intake fans on the front and exhaust on the back? Forced-air convection through a case is better than open convection I believe.
Ok gang, it's payback time! Here's how it goes down:
- get a bunch of those "AMD HotSpot" stickers (unused or by removing them from the windows of premises)
- strategically stick them on your pants right over your privates
- display them proudly like a Ralph Lauren runway model.
That will get them the kind of publicity they don't need.I bought an Apple Airport Extreme basestation as a gift for a cafe that opened around the corner from my house last year. They had three iMacs, but no wireless, so I thought that it might help bring in some laptop-wielding customers. Went in a month ago and saw that the cafe, full of white Apple iMacs, had been branded an AMD hotspot. heh..
don't get me wrong, I love my local free hotspots,
but I wonder if these whiny coffeeshops are paying for a 'business grade' internet connection licenced for bandwidth sharing...
Three words: PEACE, LOVE, and LINUX.
Ok, that's four words. :-)
I think an AMD rep walked into a store, and asked the guy at the counter if he could put a sticker up. The guy said yes. But the guy was just an employee, and the owner knew nothing about it.
Later, the owner found the sticker, got mad, and complained without first asking his employees if they'd permitted the decal's application. Or, alternatively, the employee responsible decided not to fess up in order to better his chances at continued employment.
In any case, I can't imagine an AMD guy walking into a store, slapping a sticker in the window, and leaving without clearing it first. A Microsoft guy would, certainly, but not an AMD guy.
You can run but you can't hide, except, apparently, along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Did the Intel Centrino marketing push put any $$ into these spots?
In short, can I talk my local coffee shop into making their WiFi free with either of these ploys?
Agile Artisans
Ha! You're both wrong! There is no God!!!
*ducks*
I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
The key in breaking the rules is not being caught...
It doesn't even matter if you get caught, if the penalty is low enough. And "low enough" can be quite high, with a marketing budget to back it up. It's just the cost of doing business.
It reminds me of when California raised its fine for littering when they noticed that it was almost as cheap to pay the fine as to pay a city dump fee, and that was before applying the expected value of actually getting caught. In practice, it was much cheaper to litter, and more convenient even if you were caught every time.
Before I start, I don't mean to start some flamebait here. To me I just get the impression that AMD are desperately trying to play catch-up with Intel's Centrino campaign, and on the cheap. (Then again, despite an official list of 'certified' hotspots on their website, Intel aren't promoting it much.) And, alas, doing it wrong.
Again, please tell me if I've read this wrong.
Jonathan Ah Kit - Lower Hutt, New Zealand - jonathan@metalab.unc.edu