GPS Cell Phone in Soda Can Form

Myko writes "PhoneScoop.com reports that Coca Cola has unleashed a new GPS enabled cell phone for a new promo. Apparently the user will push one button which will auto dial a Coke rep that will tell them they won an SUV. They'll then press and enable the GPS and the prize squad will drive to their location with the prize. So the big question is, will the phone give off any residual waves that will allow custom made detection equipment to find the right 12 pack, similar to the tilt and win iTunes trick? :)" We mentioned this last year, but it wasn't clear how the GPS-in-a-can trick was going to work.

Comments

This is nothing

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a tin can phone when I was a kid using the latest in string technology. The range and clarity still beat my cell phone today.

Re:This is nothing

[Hiro Antagonist]

I had a tin can phone when I was a kid using the latest in string technology. The range and clarity still beat my cell phone today.

Another satisfied Sprint customer, I see.

Re:This is nothing

[MrIrwin]

Yeah but I bet you couldn't play silly games with it like a real cellphone!

Re:This is nothing

[nacturation]

Another satisfied Sprint customer, I see.

Connections so clear you'll notice a pin dropping. *

(* That is, if it's a really heavy pin and it impales your foot. Sprint not responsible for infections as a result. Do not try at home. Not for internal use.)

Re:This is nothing

[xanadu-xtroot.com]

Another satisfied Sprint customer, I see.

I've been with Sprint for about 3 years now. I had an older model phone prior to this past fall and the range did suck for the most part. I have a much better model phone now. It's quite rare that I fall into a Roam Zone and I have a pretty good signal most places I go. I do still notice a fair amount of network delay once the night hours start, but it'll still dial after a few seconds pause.

A lot of people complain about Sprint, but I've never had any major problems with them to make me want to switch.

Re:This is nothing

[Anonymous Coward]

You know that phone has better range because it's pumping way more brain cancer rays into your head. Enjoy!

Re:This is nothing

[NineteenSixtyNine]

joke
Pronunciation: 'jOk
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin jocus; perhaps akin to Old High German gehan to say, Sanskrit yAcati he asks
1 a : something said or done to provoke laughter; especially : a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist b (1) : the humorous or ridiculous element in something (2) : an instance of jesting : KIDDING c : PRACTICAL JOKE d : LAUGHINGSTOCK
2 : something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter -- often used in negative construction

Re:This is nothing

[xanadu-xtroot.com]

heh...

Yea, I know it was a joke, I just hear it a lot when I say I'm with Sprint. I was just saying that I don't get why people think that, judging on my experience, that's all.

Re:This is nothing

[thpdg]

"Can you hear me now?"
"Of course I can hear you, we're three feet away, you moron"

Re:This is nothing

[ryanwright]

I do still notice a fair amount of network delay once the night hours start, but it'll still dial after a few seconds pause.

Huh. I'm with AT&T Wireless and the service is great. No delays at all during night hours. Instead, we get our delays when we call customer service every month due to overbilling.

They're getting better, though. Last time I called the delay was only 3 hours! I'm very excited about this new and improved customer service...

Cola Contests

[bobej1977]

Presumably, they're smart enough to not turn the thing on until you pushed the button. Your coca-cola probably gets bottled in your town or a nearby small town. My town of 100k has it's own bottler. They'll know which districts are getting a can so that their prize patrols can be ready.

On a side note, I went to school with a kid who won a Jeep in the Pepsi contest where each cap had a word and you had to make phrases. The phrase was like 'DO IT' or something. The Jeep had a ton of pepsi stickers all over it and the contract he signed required that he could not sell it or remove any of the stickers for one year. Of course he had to pay the tax on the $20,000 vehicle before they would hand it over. Still better than a kick in the pants, but it's amazing the hoops they make you jump through.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

The Jeep had a ton of pepsi stickers all over it and the contract he signed required that he could not sell it or remove any of the stickers for one year. Of course he had to pay the tax on the $20,000 vehicle before they would hand it over.

He could have left it parked in his garage, let the home insurance cover it and sell it in a year with very low KM on it.

Re:Cola Contests

[trentblase]

Presumably, they're smart enough to not turn the thing on until you pushed the button.

If it has an antenna, though you could detect it the same way that RFID works. No doubt they add extra shielding (although the can itself probably does just fine by itself... enclosing it in a conductor)

Re:Cola Contests

[LostCluster]

They'll also get even more detailed locations than that... by tracking the shipping process, they'll know which store wound up with the winning 12-pack. It's a safe bet that the winner will be within a 20 mile or so radius of that store.

Re:Cola Contests

[WormholeFiend]

i find it strange that the recipient of the prize had to pay the tax on that vehicle...

it's not like Pepsi is a car dealership. wouldnt Pepsi be required to pay the tax on that vehicle when they bought it for their contest?

if so, it'd be double-dipping.

Re:Cola Contests

[SatanicPuppy]

I agree that they probably won't leave it turned on.

However it is possible that you might be able to use some sort of metal detector to find the more unsusual components...The composition has to be completely different. There might be a weight difference as well.

Hmmmm. Those wall stud detetcors have a setting for detecting electrical current. That might pick up the battery...

Heh. I'd much rather spend my time trying to find a way to find it without drinking coke, than I would actually buying coke.

Re:Cola Contests

[goates]

IS this in the US? If so they get taxed something like 50% of whatever you win, so winning a $40,000 dollar car will cost you $20,000. I bet someone could correct me or clear this up.

goates

Re:Cola Contests

[donnyspi]

If I'm the 4th owner or a car and i sell it, the recipient still has to pay tax on it when they get it registered. The tax doesn't go to me, but to the state government. Laws on this vary by state.

Re:Cola Contests

[DaHat]

Yes, Pepsi would have already have paid tax on the vehicle it's self. That's sales tax.

The tax that the winner would pay I believe is capital gains tax. It's the same tax that kicks in if you win the lottery or win any money or anything of value for that matter.

Yes, it's double dipping but does this surprise you?

Just remember, there's tax on nearly everything in the US and the gov (either federal, state or local) get's their cut of nearly every transaction.

Re:Cola Contests

[JPM NICK]

I believe the way it works is that the monetary amount of your prize gets added to your yearly income. then, you get taxed on that. So if you make 60,000 per year, and win a $40,000 car, you will then have made 100,000$ for the year. then you will lose whatever percent from your income tax bracket.

Re:Cola Contests

[gcaseye6677]

You're thinking of capital gains taxes, which are actually about 28%. Not quite as bad as half, but it still sucks to have to pay taxes on something that is 'free'.

Re:Cola Contests

[falcon5768]

not quite, its more like the states sales tax, aka if its 6% sales tax, you get taxe 6% of 40,000.

no where do you get taxed 50%, people making over 150,000 get taxed 43% in federal income but that doesnt apply here.

Re:Cola Contests

[rjstanford]

There's a ton of FUD about this going around. But its necessary. Basically, the car counts as "income" so you pay income taxes on it.

If they didn't do this, then instead of companies paying you in dollars, they could just pay you in "cars" (or something smaller, like bycicles) that you could convert to dollars tax-free. So this really plugs a loophole. But you pay tax on your income, no matter what form it comes in - money, cars, vacations, etc.

The worst example I ever saw was someone who won a one-year lease on a new BMW Z3. Have you seen the price on a one year lease? They ended up paying ~$600 a month in equiv. taxes, a reasonable car payment, and they didn't even get to pick the car.

Re:Cola Contests

[WormholeFiend]

In Canada we dont pay tax on the actual lottery prize, but any profit you make from it is taxable.

But I read an article recently on how Parliament is discussing the possibility of taxing lottery winnings. :-(

Re:Cola Contests

[AKAImBatman]

However it is possible that you might be able to use some sort of metal detector to find the more unsusual components...The composition has to be completely different. There might be a weight difference as well.

It's probably nothing more than a micro-circuit board wrapped in plastic. I sincerely doubt you'd get much of a reading on it. Similarly, it would be so light as to only add an ounce or two to the can.

Hmmmm. Those wall stud detetcors have a setting for detecting electrical current. That might pick up the battery...

I'm thinking that it doesn't get activated until you press the button. That would make it difficulty to detect the EM from the battery. Besides, the battery is probably nothing more than a hearing aid battery for one time use. I doubt it would have much EM field at all. Not to mention that the can is a natural conductor...

The real question is how it's mounted on the can. If you can figure that out, you might be able to use a sonoprobe. i.e. Tap on the right spot and see how hollow it sound. :-D

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

The USA has a "windfall tax". If you win more than a certain amount at the horse races they take off the government's cut right there. Canada and other civilized countries have no such tax.

Re:Cola Contests

[uberdave]

Easier way: Measure a full case of cans. Record the results. Any case that differs from that result will be your baby.

Re:Cola Contests

[SoCalChris]

I won a Honda Civic on the radio a few years ago, here in Los Angeles.

Before I could even take possesion of the car, I had to pay sales tax, title & registration - About $2,000.

In addition to that, the value of the car was added to my yaerly earnings. Honda had to report the value of the car to the IRS. They reported it as being a $21,000 Civic. Of course, fully loaded Civics can be bought for much less than that, so the IRS allows you to do a fair market adjustment, and only be taxed on what you would have paid for the car had you bought it. I was able to knock it's value down to around $15,000.

When I had to do the taxes for that year, the $15,000 added to my income because of the car put me into the next highest tax bracket, and I ended up owing just over $6,000 in income taxes since I hadn't taken out any withholding for the additional income.

I ended up selling the car to pay the taxes, but I had a pretty good, reliable car for almost a year that I put almost 40,000 miles on.

If any one is interested, here's a picture of the car I won. Blink 182 Civic

Re:Cola Contests

[DaHat]

The whole tax system has always driven me nuts, I've got no problem with usage fees, but taxing nearly every unrelated aspect of life is... crazy, I often think of the old line of:

"My uncle played the lottery all his life, and finally, after 40 years he won 100 million dollars. Next thing he knows, the government comes to his door and asks for their cut to which he replied 'Why don't you buy your own lottery tickets?'"

Course taxing lottery winnings makes even less sense to me as counting a waiter/waitress's tips as part of their salary/wage. Last I checked, a gratuity is not required and is a gift for good work. Oh wait I forgot... the IRS says they can tax gifts, damn.

Re:Cola Contests

[LostCluster]

There's two taxes going on here...

A: Pepsi pays the tax on buying the vehile.

B: The contest winner owes income tax on their winnings... even if it comes in a non-cash form they owe tax on the value of what they got.

Think of what happens when you buy a car the normal way. You pay a sales tax on the car itself, but you also have already paid income tax on the money you're going to use to pay for the car.

Yep, it's double-dipping, but that's the way the system's worked for a long time.

Re:Cola Contests

[DevilM]

You must have missed the part where Bush lowered the capital gains tax to 15%.

Re:Cola Contests

[LostCluster]

The IRS cannot let any way of getting income be untaxed, because that way would quickly become known as a loophole by which an employer can pass money to their employees without it being taxed.

There are so many people out to beat the IRS's system, they've got to make sure they have all the bases covered.

Re:Cola Contests

[AragornSonOfArathorn]

Easier way: Measure a full case of cans. Record the results. Any case that differs from that result will be your baby.

They probably add weights to the phone-can to make it weigh the same as a regular 12oz can.

Re:Cola Contests

[SoCalChris]

There's so many people out to beat the system because it is being abused by the IRS so badly.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

Presumably, they're smart enough to not turn the thing on until you pushed the button.

And presumably, they are counting on the winner not being bloody-minded enough to wait until he goes on holiday to switch it on.

Re:Cola Contests

[Unkle]

I've always thought of tips as a way to have wait staff's wages performance based. The better they do, the bigger the tip. Also, it may not be legally required (except for those cases where it is automatically included, such as for large parties), but it IS required by our social rules. Anyone who doesn't tip a good server is reguarded as an asshole.

BTW, a friend of mine who was a waiter for a few summers told me the worst insult you can give through a tip is to include pennies. I remember that when I get a very bad server.

Re:Cola Contests

[x.Draino.x]

Anyone remember the Slashdot car that was given away? I wonder if Slashdot had any clauses like that. It still has the logo and the green paint. The guy who won it wasn't even a *true* Slashdot reader. I see him driving it every once in a while in Clayton, CA.

Re:Cola Contests

[ohsoot]

bonuses get taxed 50% (or damn close) no matter how much you make per year. You can imagine my surprise when I got my first check with my signing bonus. My dad gets about 1/2 his salary as a year end bonus depending on how well the company did that year. He pays about 50% tax on it, although his net salary (bonus included) is typically 40k-70k.

Re:Cola Contests

[uberdave]

I was thinking metal detector, not a weigh-scale. The can-phone looks like it's made of plastic, and will undoubtably have a different "signature" than a can.

Re:Cola Contests

[Zaediex]

Don't count on it to last. The Liberal government in Ontario is considering taxing lottery winnings. Which is humorous, since they're getting the lionshare of the profit from the lottery already.

Z...

Re:Cola Contests

[spitzak]

That's because the bonus put him into a higher tax bracket. Say he makes 40K and that is taxed at 25% or 10K, with the bonus he makes 60K and his income tax might be 33%, or 20K. Since this 10K increase in tax has to be put entirely into withholding on that 20K bonus, it looks like 50% of it went to taxes.

Re:Cola Contests

[iocat]

Free money -- a prize, income that doesn't come from capital gains or a job -- gets taxed at a really high rate. Because at your job, your employer pays half the SSI and medicare, and you pay half. If you're self-employed, you have to pay "double" the SSI and medicare. Being in the prize-winning business is basically self employment for the purposes of taxation, so you get dinged for all those taxes. For most people who make >$30K a year, the amount starts to approach 45%.

Re:Cola Contests

[FictionPimp]

Let me tell you how it will be,
There's one for you, nineteen for me,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat,
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.
Taxman.
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Don't ask me what I want it for
(Taxman Mister Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more
(Taxman Mister Heath),
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Now my advice for those who die,
Declare the pennies on your eyes,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
And you're working for no-one but me,
Taxman.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a asshole I supose. For most normal resturants (fridays, chilli's, etc) I have a 5.00 tip pre-planned. If my drink every stays empty or my food is wrong, or i am ignored when i'm ready to order, etc. It goes down. I have no problem leaving 1.00 or 0.00 as a tip.

Re:Cola Contests

[dAzED1]

bonuses don't get taxed that much...the payroll dept where he works just takes out that much. When filling out a 1040, no place on there asks for bonuses differentiated from normal pay. Its just whatever your income for the year was. When he files his tax returns, he'll get that portion back (though he might pay out overall, due to the rest of the year).

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

When I had to do the taxes for that year, the $15,000 added to my income because of the car put me into the next highest tax bracket,

The "next highest tax bracket" just means you are taxed past your previous bracket at the higher rate. It doesn't mean that your entire income is taxed at that higher rate.

You sound like you are exaggerating, or you severly screwed up your taxes for that year.

Re:Cola Contests

[Mateito]

There are so many people out to beat the IRS's system, they've got to make sure they have all the bases covered.

Must... resist.... can't....

IRS: ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US

(Yeah, I suffer from SDWS... slow day at work syndrome)

Re:Cola Contests

[LiquidCoooled]

12 "taps" on the top should confirm which is the winning can.

the other 11 will make the familiar "tin can" noise.

The phone, no matter how much ballast they put in it will always sound different.

It will just take a good ear.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, whoever thought of the taxation system in the U.S. is a genius. Most people have no idea how much they are really paying in taxes. If everyone had to write out a check each month to the IRS, there would have been another civil war by now. No way would people approve of the multi-billion (soon to be trillion) dollar Iraq war or subsidized sports stadiums or any of these massive money wasting public projects that mainly benefit some politically connected person or group.

Re:Cola Contests

[iamacat]

that you could convert to dollars tax-free

Then after they close the loophole, they should let me do exactly that with the (imaginary) car I won. But for Coke's case, they should just pay all the related taxes for the winner. They can afford it, with only one (or a few) cars to give away, and the winners will be more happy/verbal if contacted by the press.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a freakin' JEEP! Drive it off road, into the most treacherous terrain, and let Mother Nature do her best art to the paint job. The look is befitting to a Jeep, and if Pepsi calls you on it, just tell them you downed a 24-pack of Pepsi before going for a drive.

Failing that, you can always bury it up to the headlights in mud.

Re:Cola Contests

[lucifuge31337]

The tax that the winner would pay I believe is capital gains tax.

Nice try, but not even close. You'd pay income tax, just the same as if you won the lottery, a slot machine, etc.

Capital Gains tax is what you pay when you sell an inventment asset before it's holding period (if any) at a profit.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

I use to work for a soda distributer (not coca-cola). It's safe to assume that the winning can (6pack, 12pak, case, whatever) will be placed on a shelf by a rep from coke. The day, time and store will have been pre-selected some how. The rep will probably sit somewhere where he/she can see the shelf and know when the winning can is placed in some one's cart. they'll probably watch the person checkout as well to make sure the winning can has left the store.

Re:Cola Contests

[Carbonite]

Income tax doesn't work like that, at least in the US. Moving into a higher tax bracket doesn't mean that all of your income is taxed at the higher rate.

For example, the 2003 tax rate for a single person was 10% for income under $7,000. For income between $7,000 and $28,400, the tax rate was 15%. So, someone who earned $25,000 would have paid $700 ($7,000 * .10) on their first $7,000 of income and $2,700 ($18,000 * .15) on their last $18,000 in income. Their total tax would have been $3,400, which is 13.6% of their total income.

Of course, this example completely ignores things such as standard deductions and exemptions, but you get the idea.

Re:Cola Contests

[lucifuge31337]

Similarly, it would be so light as to only add an ounce or two to the can.

Soda is mostly water, and water is 8.333 lbs per gallon. Most electronics (stripped down boards, not full enclosures, obviously) are probably lighter by volume than that.

So you're probably looking for a case/can that is slightly LIGHTER, not heavier.

Of course, variations in how much the cans are filled will probably make that amount too small to be useful.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

That must be why the country is doing so well, huh? I can't leave my house without running into some happy, cheering plebe.

Re:Cola Contests

[ptbarnett]

Free money -- a prize, income that doesn't come from capital gains or a job -- gets taxed at a really high rate.

No, it gets taxed at the same rate as ordinary income. It may put you into a higher tax bracket (and a higher marginal rate), but it's no different than if you had collected the cash value as salary or as a short-term capital gain.

Being in the prize-winning business is basically self employment for the purposes of taxation, so you get dinged for all those taxes.

No, lottery winnings are considered to be gambling income and a W-2G is issued. The distributor of any prize must issue a 1099-MISC to the recipient. Both end up on line 21 of the Form 1040 as "Other Income", and is not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Disclaimer: IANACPA, but my girlfriend is. However, one can confirm all of the above by simply reading the on-line help included in TurboTax and creating a sample 1099-MISC and/or W-2G to see the effect.

For most people who make >$30K a year, the amount starts to approach 45%.

The payroll tax (for SS and Medicare) is 7.65% * 2 for the self-employed. In 2004, the marginal rate for single taxpayers with a taxable income over $29,050 is 25%, for a total of 40.3%. For taxable income over $70,350, the combined rate is 43.3%, and for taxable income over $146,750, the combined rate is 48.3%.

Re:Cola Contests

[AKAImBatman]

Reading the article (yeah, I probably should have done that first), it looks like it's only for cases of coke. One of the cans is actually a plastic cell phone that's shaped like a can. To me it seems that you could cheat it by tapping the imprints of the cans on the case. The first one that feels like plastic is your winner.

Re:Cola Contests

[Mysticalfruit]

If they have half a brain, I would think they'd make the can weigh exactly the same as a full can of coke.

Think about how light phones are these days. Now take off all the plastic and do away with the long endurance battery, etc. If anything they probably had to add ballast to the can to make it the proper weight.

Re:Cola Contests

[amichalo]

Did they make you Takeoff Your Pants and Jacket?

Re:Cola Contests

[Steve B]

The Jeep had a ton of pepsi stickers all over it and the contract he signed required that he could not sell it or remove any of the stickers for one year.

I'd have no use for a Jeep as such, and would want to sell it with minimum mileage. So, they could either waive that "one year" clause, or I could keep it in my garage, stickers unseen by human eyes, for a year -- their choice.

Re:Cola Contests

[jumpingfred]

It is not capitol gains tax. It is regular income tax.

Re:Cola Contests

[uberdave]

Check this.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

40% income tax does seem a little bit high, but for unearned income?

Re:Cola Contests

[Hank the Lion]

Soda is mostly water, and water is 8.333 lbs per gallon. Most electronics (stripped down boards, not full enclosures, obviously) are probably lighter by volume than that.

Lighter? What makes you think so? Take any electronics, trow it into water, and it will probably sink, not float. So it will most definitely be heavier than water by volume.

Re:Cola Contests

[Sn_wC_t]

It is not capitol gains tax. It is regular income tax.

Surely not regular income tax!! That'd be 40%!! I think its a gift tax. Probably closer to 20% but IANAL

Re:Cola Contests

[cyberformer]

He probably means that he had to pay a tax penalty, for under-witholding. This is due whenever you owe the IRS more than a certain amount at tax time ($1,000, I think).

Re:Cola Contests

[lucifuge31337]

Lighter? What makes you think so? Take any electronics, trow it into water, and it will probably sink, not float. So it will most definitely be heavier than water by volume.

I get the sink/float relationship, but I still think that most surface mount boards will float.

Oh no....can't.....dont't...want to do..can't resist it.........
"What else float on water?"
"Very small rocks!"
"Churches....yes, churches!"

Re:Cola Contests

[Mysticalfruit]

That would definitely work!

Re:Cola Contests

[Hank the Lion]

I get the sink/float relationship, but I still think that most surface mount boards will float.


Just try it. Any of the components, as well as the board itself, will sink. What makes you think the composite would float?

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't detect something inside an Al can with EM. Al is a great sheild. Sonar would work much better.

Re:Cola Contests

[SEWilco]

water is 8.333 lbs per gallon

Anyone here ever weigh a gallon of electronics? How much did it weigh?

Yes, we have to use the weight of boards here. If we deal with the weight of the silicon semiconductors then we're dealing with the weight of a gallon of rock. A little more than that of water.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't there an election call expected somewhere at the end of this month? Make sure you tell your Aunt Betty who buys her 6/49 and Super7 tickets every week that she can fork over 25% if she votes like she did the last time.

Aside from that, the next year the interest will count as income.

Re:Cola Contests

[ryanwright]

What idiot modded this informative?

$15,000 * .38 (38% tax, rough guess as to what he would have paid in a high tax bracket) = $5,700 in additional taxes.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

Who the fuck do you think you are? David Letterman? Bwahaha.

Pathetic dipshit.

Re:Cola Contests

[ryanwright]

I'd just sell it. Screw 'em. I doubt such a contract is even legal. "Here's the title. You own this vehicle. You can't sell it."

BS. Like they'd even know you sold the damn thing. What are they going to come check up on you? "Hey, where's the jeep?" .. "In the garage." .. "Can I see it?" .. "Nope."

Re:Cola Contests

[cpt kangarooski]

But for Coke's case, they should just pay all the related taxes for the winner.

Sorry, but you just can't win.

IIRC, when someone else pays your taxes for you, it's considered taxable income.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

Suppose nothing, you ARE a tremendous asshole. Tremendous. I don't care what you say to justify to yourself that you're anything other than a cantankerous, frugal bitch, you're wrong.

Re:Cola Contests

[jareds]

So? They can still pay all related taxes if they take that into account.

Re:Cola Contests

[juuri]

41% total tax is common living in a major city in California, after Federal, City, County, and State.

Re:Cola Contests

[NateTech]

A battery not powering anything doesn't have any current draw.

Back to basic electronics class for you...

Re:Cola Contests

[chimpo13]

Geez, and this is slashdot and no one mentioned Pepsi ripping off the guy who "won" the Harrier.

Pepsi offered the Harriet as a joke for 7 million Pepsi Points. Some guy bought $700,000 (US dollars) worth of points which is equal to 7 million in Pepsi currency. Pepsi told him to piss up a rope.

It went through court and the guy lost. Oh the humanity of it all.

Re:Cola Contests

[trg83]

Perhaps, but it is my understanding that servers pay a certain amount of tax on their overall sales, regardless of tips. Therefore, if you don't tip, you are collaborating with the IRS in stealing the server's money. Notice I said collaborating--it's probably about a 90%-10% split of responsibility :)

Re:Cola Contests

[WolfWithoutAClause]

IIRC, when someone else pays your taxes for you, it's considered taxable income.

Sure, but the series converges, so if you pay 10% tax, the company could pay 1/9 of the value of the item to the tax man and they would be happy (0.10 + 0.01 + 0.001 + 0.0001 +... = 0.111111' = 1/9).

Re:Cola Contests

[jumpingfred]

Well you know that the marginal income tax rate depends on your total income.

Re:Cola Contests

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh god, that would suck. I think I would rather waive the prize than be seen driving a slashdot car. How embarrassing!

Re:Cola Contests

[theLOUDroom]

If they didn't do this, then instead of companies paying you in dollars, they could just pay you in "cars" (or something smaller, like bycicles) that you could convert to dollars tax-free. So this really plugs a loophole.

No, because sales tax would have to be paid on the car, bicycle, etc. It might get you out of income tax, but it certanly wouldn't make it tax free.

Re:Cola Contests

[PCPitbull]

I found this on the Unexpected Summer Contest. I wonder if it's true, I dunno I dont speak German. Unexpected Visitors

Off the air...

[LostCluster]

I doubt there's going to be anything given off by this phone when it's not in use. Afterall, does a cell phone that's turned off give of any energy that can be detected?

Re:Off the air...

[jamonterrell]

I'm concerned less with it giving off any emissions rather than it acting differently when having emissions bounced off of it. Different electronic gadgets will alter waves that are bounced off of them in different ways, very much in the way RFIDs work. It's very likely that it can be detected, as a can full of soda would certainly respond differently than a can full of GPS/Cellphone. You could also do the same thing with a sonar-type device configured to measure the density of the material inside the can. The point is, however, it's all pointless because with the amount of coke moved out in the time period that this competition will run is inconceivable. Unless the device were screaming "I'M OVER HERE, OH YEAH, AND I'M THE WINNING COKE CAN" you aren't likely to find it even if you're in the same store as it, at the same time as it happens to be passing through.
Oh yeah, and to address the other post regarding them knowing the approximate location so they can rush out to it when they press the button. I say good luck to them with that. I'd find it very funny if the person who gets it happens to pick up a 12pack just before returning on a flight from Miama, FL, to Portland, OR. That'd mess up their plans to seem all cool by rushing out to the site of the can within 10-20 minutes with a TV crew, now woudln't it? :)

Re:Off the air...

[JonTurner]

No, but there's a magnetic field associated with the battery cell and electronics within that can be detected by a gaussometer.

Re:Off the air...

[Anonymous Coward]

If there is any current then there will be an EM field that presumably could be picked up. The make-up of the can-phone will be different, so physical characteristics may stand out - weight, magnatism, etc. I doubt it will be undetectable, just VERY hard to detect.

Re:Off the air...

[joggle]

They probably have thought of this and blocked the GPS antenna and cellphone antenna with some lead or something so that the RFID technique wouldn't work.

Re:Off the air...

[John Harrison]

You are right that your chances of being in a store that has the winning can when you are there are very small. Even if it was there you would have a hard time finding it.

The problem is that there isn't a good way to scan large numbers of cans quickly. You can't just walk by a shelf of 12-packs and scan the shelf. You would have to pull each 12 pack off and scan it. The large amount of metal and liquid between the scanner and the phone would prevent you from getting a reading. Not to meniton the fact that you wouldn't even know what to look for. I suppose you could practice by sticking your own cell phone in a 12 pack and scanning it.

If you know a way to read an RFID tag (not what this is, and probably an easier problem) through a few feet of liquid and occasional metal please let me know. That would actual solve a problem I have...

Re:Off the air...

[danharan]

Unless the device were screaming "I'M OVER HERE, OH YEAH, AND I'M THE WINNING COKE CAN" you aren't likely to find it even if you're in the same store as it, at the same time as it happens to be passing through.

If the device were screaming "I'M OVER HERE", you don't need to find the right 12-pack: you just buy all of them.

Re:Off the air...

[eth1]

"That'd mess up their plans to seem all cool by rushing out to the site of the can within 10-20 minutes with a TV crew, now woudln't it? :)"

Ha! I'd push the button in the middle of a flight to Hawaii!

Re:Off the air...

[RobNich]

Better yet, they probably just filled the whole can with lead!

Seriously, why in hell would they encase the antennae in lead? What good would they be encased in lead?

Re:Off the air...

[joggle]

All it would take would be a thin, removable wrapper. This would block any incoming (and outgoing) radio signals. The way RFID works is by bombarding a radio antenna with a frequency. This causes the antenna to give off a weak, residual frequency which can be recorded. In theory, you could use this technique to find any GPS receivers hidden in a store, unless, of course, if the antenna is shielded from radio waves. For all I know, the aluminum can provides sufficient shielding.

Re:Off the air...

[MC_Cancer_Pants]

RFID is a bit difficult to broadcast through materials. It is almost irrelevant how strong the initial broadcast is or how large the antenna is (after a reasonable point). the problem is the reply from the RFID chip. I was thinking about this same problem a while ago from an idiot pretending to know what he's doing stand-point and realized that, without powered RFID "chips", you can't really boost the range of RFID.

I'm curious, though: What's the application?

Re:Off the air...

[John Harrison]

there are all sorts of applications. Without being too specific, I want to read tags on crates of bottles, loaded on pallets, which are already loaded on a truck. For some reason reading prior to loading on the truck won't work.

Re:Off the air...

[FuegoFuerte]

without powered RFID "chips", you can't really boost the range of RFID.

Not to be difficult, but yes you most certainly can. All it takes is a much more sensitive directional antenna on the receiver, much like a good directional 802.11b antenna pointed at a plain old crappy laptop card with built-in antenna will significantly boost the range. It has better reception as well as transmission capabilities.

Without going into too much detail, I have personally witnessed a device capable of reading and retransmitting the signal generated by a RFID-type device from quite a distance.

Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

* Waits for obligitory comments about how Big Brother is watching you *

Re:Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

pwnt, nobody is giving you modpoints.

Re:Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, and Anonymous Cowards looooooove mod points! Way to rack up that wasted karma!

In the can?

[dleifelohcs]

Aside from weight, which will obviously be different on the case that has the phone in it compared to the case that does not, WHERE is the phone being placed? Inside an empty can with a different style lid? Or is the phone can-shaped, to prevent the case from making "noises" or rattling that a normal case wouldn't make... in any case (no pun intended) the case will be different. Though I do not support cheating the game.

Re:In the can?

[Stween]

Let's link to the article again!

http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=853

Re:In the can?

[MrIrwin]

"Though I do not support cheating the game."

I do. Could you send me any more details/tips please?

Re:In the can?

[dleifelohcs]

It is now apparent why text-only browsing can get the best of us...

Re:In the can?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can pretty well assure you that the weight of the special can will be the same as the others.

Re:In the can?

[uberdave]

I can pretty much assure you that few merchants are going to let you haul in a scale and weigh their inventory.

Re:In the can?

[MasterMnd]

At least not until after they've had a go at it themselves.

Re:In the can?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ballast. If they are smart they will ballast the cell phone can so that it weighs the same as the others. That is assuming the cell phine is lighter than a can of Coke.

DAMMIT

[Xhad]

You're embedding electronic devices in soda cans now?!? You just ruined my best source of tin for my hats, Coca-Cola.

Re:DAMMIT

[AKAImBatman]

You just ruined my best source of tin for my hats, Coca-Cola.

Should I even tell the poor sap that cans are made of aluminum?

Re:DAMMIT

[Xhad]

No, he's better off not knowing. =)

Re:DAMMIT

[Nick of NSTime]

So is "tinfoil," aka aluminum foil, aka Reynolds Wrap.

Re:DAMMIT

[AKAImBatman]

So is "tinfoil," aka aluminum foil, aka Reynolds Wrap.

Better not tell him that, either!

side note: AFAIK, foil was originally made of Tin. At some point aluminum and steel became cheaper and usage of tin declined. These days some people still call it "tin foil", but its correct name is actually "aluminum foil".

Re:DAMMIT

[uberdave]

Aluminum<>tin? Dang! So that explains why they're still able to find me. Curse you Alcan! You're in on it, aren't you?

Re:DAMMIT

[Nick of NSTime]

"Aluminum foil hat" just doesn't have that ring to it, especially in the UK pronunciation.

Re:DAMMIT

[GTRacer]

"aluminum" <> "aluminium"

Y'know, that's been bothering me for a LO-O-O-ONG time now. Just how do you Brits and Aussies get that extra "i" in there?

Is it like how Cadbury gets the creme filling in the eggs?

GTRacer
- Has to remember "z", not "s"

Re:DAMMIT

[blighter]

The way I heard it was that they invented the word and it had the extra i, but in translation to American we dropped it.

Probably put it the same place we put all those extra u's the Brits insist on throwing into all kinds of words.

Re:DAMMIT

[csteinle]

What, those words like "colour" that originally come from French? That's why they have French-esque spellings.

You probably gave them all back to the French for helping you get independence from us.

Re:DAMMIT

[AKAImBatman]

As usual, Wikipedia has the scoop. Basically, the discoverer named it "Aluminum". However, he quickly realized that his name wasn't in line with the standard, so he changed it to "Aluminium". But by that time, the lack of an 'i' had already caught on with the public. Thus Americans completely switched to calling it "Aluminum". The international standards agencies were much slower and didn't officially switch until ~1990, and as a result many Brits and French grew up learning "Aluminium", but are now incorrect! :-D

Re:DAMMIT

[the pickle]

Well, those "tinfoil" hats are aluminium too...

p

Re:DAMMIT

[That's Unpossible!]

Please don't, he's still not on to the fact that his "tin foil" hats aren't made of tin either!

Unless he's saved them from the 50's.

No Purchase Necessary?

[taped2thedesk]

How will the "no purchase necessary" part of this promo work? I can't see them mailing out cans to people who send in a postcard... or are companies not required to do "no purchase necessary" anymore?

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[VertigoAce]

I assume they would just send you a slip of paper saying whether or not you won. If you win, you then claim the prize like any other promotion.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[LostCluster]

The only part of "no purchase necessary" that they need to take care of is making sure that the odds of a postcard winning are the same as the odds of a 12-pack winning.

Most likely, the cans won't be the actual "game piece". Instead, they'll print up serial-numbered cards, most of which say "You Lose" and one for each car they have will say "You Win!" They'll shuffle up the cards, and then drop one into each specially marked 12-pack and keep a pile aside for the mail-in entries.

12-packs that get the winning game pieces will also get the cell phone gadget. People who end up with a winning gamepiece in their SASE will get a phone number to call to claim their prize. The key thing will be that the odds of getting a a winning piece instead of a loser has to be the same by both methods... at that point, "no purchase necessary" is taken care of.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[falcon5768]

no your right, this WILL be interesting to see, Even the iTunes music store contest involved a no purchase necessary clause, so odds are they will have to too.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[uberdave]

You get to win even if you steal the case?

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[GigsVT]

Well, yeah... it's part of that whole "avoiding being declared an illegal lottery" thing.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[Bobman1235]

How will the "no purchase necessary" part of this promo work? I can't see them mailing out cans to people who send in a postcard... or are companies not required to do "no purchase necessary" anymore?

Why are companies required to do the "no purchase necessary" clause anyways? If you're required to purchase is it considered gambling or something?

I suppose I could look this information up but I'd rather turn to the informed Slashdot community... ...

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[taped2thedesk]

I think it's to avoid running a lottery, which is subject to additional rules and/or licenses. If you have to buy something to enter, an arguement could be made that it's like buying a lottery ticket. Gambling tends to be highly regulated in most areas. If they treat it as a 'contest' with no purchase necessary, then the rules are much looser.

Of course, they don't have to make it easy to do - for example, in the iTunes giveaway, you had to send in a SASE for a 1 in 3 chance to win a song... that's (37 cents x 2 envelopes) + the cost of two envelopes (one to mail, and one to mail it in), for a 33% chance of winning. Figure you actually win once for every three entries, it costs you $2.22 plus the cost of six envelopes for each song you win. You're probably better off just buying the song.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[unperson]

They'll shuffle up the cards, and then drop one into each specially marked 12-pack and keep a pile aside for the mail-in entries.

Any idea of how they know how many to keep aside for mail-ins? What if you keep too large of a stack...unclaimed prizes. To small, and some mail-in entries won't recieve a chance.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[LostCluster]

They usually error towards too many pieces. Unclaimed prizes are no problem. Usually they're awarded in a "second chance giveaway".

Coke only needs a few winners whose faces they'll show in the media. They'll simply not bother telling the stories about when the prize patrol took eight hours to get to the winner, etc.

Re:No Purchase Necessary?

[thpdg]

I worked at a printer for a few days one summer, and did cards for a Snapple cap game. These were the cards that you could mail and request for no-purchase necessary. They were VERY careful about counting. Every stack was checked again and again. There were agents there to keep watch, and the grand prize winner cards, of which there were enough that all of the winners could be mail-in, were checked and rechecked around breaktime and quitting time. It was VERY stressful, to say the least, but a bit of insight anyway.

Hardware Hack Time!

[imidazole2]

Time to hack this thing to bits! I want free phone calls, I want war-dialing, I want lots of l33t g00t13s!

next

[Errtu76]

Now all you'll need is that the car will include a red button that, when pressed, will send your location to Coca Cola and a person comes to deliver you a ice cold can of coke!

First words Coca-Cola rep hears...

[YetAnotherAnonymousC]

*BRAAAAAP*

Re:First words Coca-Cola rep hears...

[Anonymous Coward]

"WHAAZUUUUUUUUUUPPPP!!!!!"

Oh wait, that was some beer or something.

And Pepsi is selling what they sell best...

[Anonymous Coward]

Pepsi.

I mean - what is the _idea_ behind this promotion?

Re:And Pepsi is selling what they sell best...

[Anonymous Coward]

you're an idiot

zzz

[SparafucileMan]

One of three buttons connects the winner with a company representative, who will explain that the person has won a Chevrolet Equinox SUV. Pressing a different button activates the GPS beacon, which sends the winner's location to the company...

So, for $200,000 or so, Coke gets to find out the location of every coke drinker who presses the GPS beacon button...sounds like a steal to me!

Re:zzz

[stratjakt]

They find out the location of the person who won the car, not every coke drinker.

Fuck, if any of you slashtools win, dont press the button. Give it to me, I'm not worried about being "tracked" by the "man" at coca cola.

Re:zzz

[SparafucileMan]

Except that most people will press the button just for kicks or the novelty of it, giving Coke plenty of data.

Re:zzz

[Anonymous Coward]

What? You're not making any sense - Rtfa and shut up.

Re:zzz

[Anonymous Coward]

Except that most people will press the button just for kicks or the novelty of it

Apparently you need to work on your reading comprehension. Only the winning cans have a GPS phone built into them. Seriously, if Coke were placing GPS phones in every 12-pack, their cost would be way too high to balance out any possible benefit from finding out where a bunch of Coke drinkers happen to be standing when they decide to push the shiny red button.

Re:zzz

[jrtweeter]

The fun part would be to mail all the GPS cans to our troops in Iraq. Then see the Coke rep have to go there!

With gas at $2/gal, who wants an SUV anyway, unless you're in the land of oil and cheap gas.

lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Ubergrendle]

Do i get to keep the GPS enabled phone!?!?!?

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[dr_labrat]

Well I think I would probably strip the can and reprogram the sim... free calls for 6 months, and then claim the car.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Enry]

Really. My Cell phone has "GPS" written all over it, but it has no GPS capabilities. I've really been pondering calling up Verizon Wireless and ask why they're selling products that don't have advertised features.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[mekkab]

While you're at it, call up the FTC. I'm sure they'd love to fine Verizon.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[andyf]

Dial 911, yell "Help! The GPS on my cellphone doesn't work!" and then just wait in that exact spot. If the cops come right to that spot (and subsequently arrest you) then the GPS probably works. (Though, admittedly, it could be triangulation, so make sure to pick a tough spot to find).

Andy

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[proj_2501]

are you sure it's not buried in a setting somewhere, or perhaps it only transmits its location when you call 911?

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Detritus]

If it's like my cell phone, it's a crippled form of GPS. The phone can receive signals from the GPS constellation but it doesn't have the electronics required to decode and process them. Instead, the GPS data is relayed to the cellular company's cell site, which has the equipment needed to calculate your position.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[kinzillah]

It surely does. Just call 911 and your coordinates will be sent to them.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Enry]

It's trangulation. The cell phone doesn't know where it is, but the towers do.

http://www.rogerbinns.com/vx4400/vx4400faq.html# GP S

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Enry]

My phone doesn't know where I am. The towers do.

Thus, I can't find my location with my phone unless I call 911 and ask them where I am.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[andyf]

That link says "The phone itself reports GPS signal information to the cell towers which combine that with their own information." which to me means it's GPS plus triangulation. And yes, I have that phone, and mine says "GPS" on it too. But it's obviously more than just triangulation, because otherwise the phone wouldn't have to 'report' anything beyond its regular voice transmission.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Anonymous Coward]

yes, but they used GPS to figure out where the towers were.

Very sneaky.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Tintivilus]

If it's like my cell phone, it's a crippled form of GPS. The phone can receive signals from the GPS constellation but it doesn't have the electronics required to decode and process them.

That's usually only the case of cdma phones. UMTS and iDen phones with "GPS" usually have full-fledged GPS receivers, but what you can do with that data varies from phone to phone. Many iDen phones have a menu option to turn on an NMEA data stream on the phone's serial port... though you can't do NMEA and data at the same time.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[Dr. Ion]

CDMA phones also have true GPS receivers in them. They switch from CDMA to GPS band, having been clued-in by the cell towers regarding which sats are likely in-view.

Then they receive the code stream from the GPS sats for a while, correlate them, and send them to the (SnapTrak?) basestation computer to resolve to a location. Whether the CDMA network sends the resolved location to your phone or not is up to them. For E-911, they just keep it and pass it on to the emergency services. For user $paid$ services, they might share the location with your phone.

Note that this isn't a 'stream' of location determinations, but a one-shot fix. To have an NMEA stream not dependant on the network would require a local correlator and solver in the phone.

Re:lets get to the important Slashdot question...

[theLOUDroom]

If it's like my cell phone, it's a crippled form of GPS. The phone can receive signals from the GPS constellation but it doesn't have the electronics required to decode and process them. Instead, the GPS data is relayed to the cellular company's cell site, which has the equipment needed to calculate your position.

That's not quite true. The phone has all the electronics necessary to decode GPS, it lacks the software to do so. As an engineer, this annoys the fuck out of me. Everyday, I carray around a device that I *could* use for GPS, but some fuckhead manager decided that only the phone company should be able to tell where I am.

Flying

[Himring]

So the big question is, will the phone give off any residual waves that will allow custom made detection equipment to find the right 12 pack

I can imagine flight attendates augmenting the usual shpill:

We ask at this time that you turn off any cell phones, laptops, PDAs and GPS-enabled soda cans....

Re:Flying

[Tackhead]

> I can imagine flight attendates augmenting the usual shpill:
>
> We ask at this time that you turn off any cell phones, laptops, PDAs and GPS-enabled soda cans....

Imagine being the poor bastard who buys the winning can, doesn't know it, and tosses the can into his luggage so he's got something to drink while he waits for his flight.

And then he goes to the security checkpoint...

"Sir, could you please step behind the curtain?"

*sound of six rubber gloves being snapped on, and safeties on 20 machine guns being removed*

"No, Sir, nothing's wrong. By the way, you might want to avoid making any sudden moves."

Scanning the 12-packs

[WebGangsta]

I'd guess that the phones would have their batteries isolated to prevent the phones from responding to any pre-purchase scanning. Once you uncork the can, you pull a clear plastic tab out of the battery compartment to activate the phone (similar to the way all those noisy electronic toys displayed on store shelves work).

Or maybe the battery is only activated when the user holds in the Big Red Button on the front of the phone.

I can't imagine that Coca-Cola didn't think of all the ways to cheat the system after the McDonald's contest fiasco from a few years ago.

Like Lemmings off the cliff

[Willeh]

Take can to sandy Beach. Click, call win the SUV. Throw can into sea. Watch coke reps do a yellow submarine job out into the pacific. Call papers ahead of time watch the event.

Re:Like Lemmings off the cliff

[Lord_Dweomer]

A non-slashdotter might take the phone to sandy beach, click, call and win the SUV, and drive off with all the bikini-clad women around who want to be in on the action. Of course, this is like suggesting a penguin visit the Bahamas.

ATTENTION: SLASHDOT IS DEAD.

[Anonymous Coward]

* If you expect companies to follow the copyright of the GPL, you should support the RIAA going after infringers of its copyright. If not, you're a hypocrite.

* There is absolutely nothing wrong with a company being upset that its product is being pirated freely over online networks. A recent Slashdot poll showed that the majority of Slashotters are unemployed or are students ("academics"), which explains a lot. Try getting a real job sometime and see what it feels like when your work is everywhere, and you start worrying that your days are numbered. Does John Carmack want you to "sample" his new game via the "free advertising" happening on eMule?

* VA Linux-owned Slashdot thinks its niche opinion represents the majority of the world. This is a result of people visiting every day and buying into the groupthink. Nobody outside of Slashdot knows or cares about "Linux," "RIAA", "M$," or anything else Slashdotters think is such a huge issue in today's society. Go to a mall or coffee shop sometime and see what people actually talk
about.

* Speaking of VA Linux--it's a Linux company...that owns a "tech news" site...that posts news stories negative toward competitors like Microsoft. If a Windows company or even Microsoft itself owned a "tech news" site and posted anti-Linux articles all the time, everyone would be up in arms. But with VA Linux, it's a-okay.

* Slashbots think people don't like the music coming out these days, which is the cause of the piracy. Never mind that if people didn't like the music they wouldn't be pirating it, most Slashbots--again, this goes back to the niche opinion thing--don't realize that most people these days love the music coming out and want to hear all of it. Probing around, you discover that Slashdot is made up of nerds and fogies who listen to things like The Who and Blind Guardian and techno--not what mainstream society enjoys.

* Any company ending in "AA" is evil. Especially if it doesn't want you distributing its works without paying for it. Somehow, this mindset is supposed to make sense.

* The inevitable result of all this is a world in which nothing can be profitable because people simply pirate free copies. Is that really what Slashbots want? OSS and free-ness in general reminds me of the hippie era of the 60s--idealistic socialism that only exists because of the surrounding capitalism around it that provides the environment for it to exist. We all know what happened to that idea.

* Linux rules the desktop, when in reality: Windows = 91%; Mac = 4%; Linux = 1%

* At the 2004 WinHEC, Allchin demonstrated an alpha version of Longhorn that played six hi-resolution videos at the same time while playing Quake III in the background. An equivalent XP machine couldn't play more than four videos. Meanwhile, I can't even get xmms to play without skipping, and windows to drag without visual tearing! That's because KDE and GNOME are hacks to emulate a desktop on top of the crufty XFree86 architecture that people won't let die (Linux users absolutely fear change).

* Slashdot editors are abusive. We all remember The Post. It's amusing the editors never mention the issue. The worst editor is michael, who will mod you down, insult you for your post count, and post unprofessional color commentary along with the article. This is the same bizarre person who cybersquatted Censorware for years--even as Slashdot posted articles negative toward cybersquatting! Michael played it off like he was some sort of stalking victim, which made it all the more bizarre.

* The moderation system is broken. If you mod someone as "Overrated," you can't be metamodded. People abuse this all the time to gang up and knock you down into oblivion.

* If "Linux" just refers to the kernel and not the operating system, how can "FreeBSD" refer to the operating system (userland tools, standard libraries, etc.) and not just the kernel? Face it, "GNU/Linux" looks and sounds ridiculous.

Coca Cola did something similar way back when

[Anonymous Coward]

Only instead of a cell phone and GPS, there was a horse and a telegraph. And instead of a SUV, there was a big sack of cocaine that they used to use in the production of the soda.

What If?

[Mr. Troll]

The artical says GSM phone.....what if you live somewhere that has no GSM coverage? I mean, if you aren't near a coast or a heavily populated area, you kinda screwed no?

Then again, I'm sure they'd just have you call some number otherwise...

I really should think before I post. /all spelling errors intentional

Re:What If?

[isn't my name]

The artical says GSM phone.....what if you live somewhere that has no GSM coverage? I mean, if you aren't near a coast or a heavily populated area, you kinda screwed no?

Given that the article also says they are going to drive the SUV to you, I would expect that they will know which city the cell-phone is located in. I can't imagine them driving the SUV all the way across the country.

So, likely it will be released where GSM coverage is available.

Re:What If?

[JoeBar]

If you aren't near a coast or heavily populated area, you gotta worry about lots more things screwing you than GSM.

Re:What If?

[The_K4]

We would like to give you this brand new SUV. Please excuse the 3000 miles we put on it getting here, and sorry about the spilled soda in the passanger seat, and thankyou for staying right here for 5 days while we got it here, sorry about have got stop for directions 10 times. Enjoy!

Re:What If?

[Nightbrood]

While you have a good point, both Cingular and T Mobile have GSM networks. I'm quite sure the Cingular's GSM network would have to be pretty extensive due to their service. I use T-Mobile and even I'm not exactly thrilled with the service on long trips, (goes into roaming in remotes areas on other GSM networks), it works great for the 99.9% of the time I am in town.

Just my luck. . .

[eutychus_awakes]

I'd get the winning can while boarding an airplane.

(Me, opening can:) Hey - I think I won!

(Flight Attendant:) "At this time, please turn off all personal electronic devices.
Your flight crew will inform you when it is safe to use approved electronic devices in flight."

(Me:) --AARRRGGGH!

Re:Just my luck. . .

[Bvardi]

Good thing too... I could imagine the reactions of the poor SUV drivers trying to follow the GPS signal of a can in midflight...

"Speedup damnit, that guy has to be doing a few hundred miles per hour!"

Re:Just my luck. . .

[Anonymous Coward]

Press the button on the flight anyway, and smile as you imagine the poor bugger who has to try to drive your prize to keep up with your plane.... ;-)

As an alternative, why not press the button while on an adventure holiday in the Amazon rainforest...

Re:Just my luck. . .

[OlivierB]

Yeah uhuh, right.
So how is this can gonna transmit it's GPS position via cell networks if it's in Midflight?
You do know GPS is one way - ie you only receive info from the sats and do not transmit anything to them.

So it will turn out that they will only find out when you land (if the batteries are still good after trying to transmit for hours of flight)

Still would be funny though if there was a realistic way for these guys to chase a very fast target

Re:Just my luck. . .

[Wayfare]

You do realize cell phones work in planes, right?

Re:Just my luck. . .

[smyle]

Hmmm... but who gets the prize if the flight attendant opens the can to give it to you?

Re:Just my luck. . .

[OlivierB]

Unless has wonders I am not aware of I don't think so.

Here in Europe my phone (gsm) doesn't work in midflight. I have serious doubts that phone networks make it 10Km high THROUGH the faraday cage that a plane is.
To your credit though, they do work at low altitude in take-off and landing phases. But never in jets at cruise altitude.

Re:Just my luck. . .

[OlivierB]

Unless CDMA that is..

I won a Coke prize once

[Anonymous Coward]

Back in Junior High. I put my 50 cents in the machine, and out popped a slightly larger can with some red markings on it. (not a regular looking coke can.) I pulled the top off, and inside was a Coke T-Shirt and 50 cents to get another coke. Pretty cool back when I was in junior high, but I kind of wish it was an SUV.

Re:I won a Coke prize once

[Bigman]

You know, I've still got one of those, with the T-shirt (still un-rehydrated!!).

But I spent the 50p coin...

Re:I won a Coke prize once

[Spytap]

I don't think it would have fit inside the can...unless it was a RAV4 or something...

Re:I won a Coke prize once

[Anonymous Coward]

I dunno. All sodas in California have a CR-V inside of them...

Imagine...

[cheesekeeper]

...a beowulf fridge pack of these!

Re:Imagine...

[Anonymous Coward]

Imagine... a beowulf fridge pack of these!

It may be cola, but can it run in Linus?

Re:Imagine...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, the only thing that runs in Linus is that burrito dinner at the corner taco stand.

Just look for the coke can...

[dark-br]

...with an attached Pringles can.

Stock up before that trip

[Anonymous Coward]

Grab a few cases before you make that trip up Everest. Just the chance of winning and making them follow you up would make the attempt worth it.

Inductance detector, i.e. a metal detector

[Jtheletter]

I doubt very much these phone cans will be always on, more likely when you press the button to make the call it also turns on the device so simply waiving an EMF detecting device around a coke display probably won't work.

Still, the phone inside will be conductive, and in fact have an antenna of some sort to transmit the signal. A basic metal detector should be able to distinguish between an empty aluminum can and one containing a gps phone because of the differrence in inductance. Waiving around a beach-sized metal detector might not be such a good idea but it's not too hard to build your own hand-held unit.

Unfortunately this approach would require you to pretty much scan an entire display up close. Anyone with more knowledge of gps and cell phones have an idea of how to detect the components even when they're powered down?

Re:Inductance detector, i.e. a metal detector

[loyalsonofrutgers]

It doesn't matter. Being able to detect it would be like buying an extra powerball ticket: it doesn't substantially improve your chances of winning. So what if you go from having a 1 in a bazillion chance of picking the right box to a 20 or 30 in a bazillion chance? With the pepsi bottle itunes thing it was different, because you had a reasonable chance to begin with. I don't know how many SUVs they are giving away but I doubt the odds are so good that you can actually improve your lot this way.

overheard in marketing meetings worldwide....

[slappyjack]

"Don't you see? Its a PHONE, but... get this... wait for it...
its shaped like a CAN! "
"Brilliant!"
"We can leverage the market paradigm of trans-shifting beverage consumption and need-to-speak!"
"The Beer Can Holder Hat Demographic will eat this up!"

Marketing ASSHOLES.

I cant wait for the prize SUV to be delivered to a drunken teen party where kids are drinking off half the can and then refilling it with whatever booze that managed to steal from their parents.

Re:overheard in marketing meetings worldwide....

[Anonymous Coward]

I cant wait for the prize SUV to be delivered to a drunken teen party where kids are drinking off half the can and then refilling it with whatever booze that managed to steal from their parents.

Boy, you sure have a chip on your shoulder. You weren't very popular in high school, eh?

I guess this was inevitable

[JohnnyComeLately]

With new phones coming in a disposable form, then it was soon to follow with advertising phones. Kinda like the USB memory sticks you could get free at CES shows.

For the technical questions. I'm sure it's going to be similar to existing avenues of phone distribution. The phone is shipped with the battery seperated for safety and electrical reasons. You plug the battery in and the phone will register. The FCC and manufacturers have deemed that cell phones come on with GPS enabled. This ONLY sends the info within the cell phone's system, and if your municipality is equipped then it goes out to E911 when you place a 911 call. Even though the GPS feature is now FCC mandated, most cities can't afford the equipment. The enabling of sending GPS is a new development in the last few months. Carriers have been tossing the idea around of geographically located advertising. For example, Pizza Hut is closing and has two pizzas that someone ordered but never showed. The next two drivers who drive by get a short SMS message saying, "Pizza hut at 15th and Lincoln will sell you a Large pepperoni pizza if you stop in the next 10 minutes"

John

Re:I guess this was inevitable

[LostCluster]

Here in Massachusetts, there's been a big controversy over contracted plow drivers being ordered to carry state-issued phones that send their GPS location back to headquarters while they do their routes. The state wants this for two reasons.

A. So they know where their plows are, and can make sure any given area is being evenly covered with service.

B. So they can detect plow drivers who are taking unauthorized breaks and dock their pay accordingly.

The plow drivers complained that there's all sorts of situations where they get stuck on a non-moving road, and they're still "on duty" despite no movement. However, the state quickly calmed those fears by pointing out that they knew the GPS coordinates of their routes, and they know the GPS coordinates of Dunkin Donuts locations. Stop on the middle of your route where they know there's a traffic problem and you'll be okay... go off your route to stop at a donut shop and you're busted.

If you could discreetly...

[Anonymous Coward]

...fire a handgun into the cans, you could look through the bullet holes to find the winner.

Re:If you could discreetly...

[Anonymous Coward]

aha! a most american solution to the puzzle!

TFM

[Marnoot1]

I may be mistaken, but when I follow the "Full Story" link in the article, it takes me to an FCC page with a license being granted to Momentum Worldwide in Wooloomooloo, Australia?!?

It's not real GPS but GSM location-services

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a complete misnomer that the phone companies have been spewing the past year or so. It's not GPS but rather triangulation of the phone from the cell towers. It's GPS-like in that it can tell you about where you are but it's NOT GPS. GPS requires line of sight to several of the 14 GPS satellites which you wouldn't get inside a building or even in a metropolitan area with high-rise buildings all around.

Re:It's not real GPS but GSM location-services

[Miphnik]

Incorrect. There are a number of single-chip GPS solutions (here, (here, and article here), that are being integrated into GSM phones. There have been substantial problems reaching the FCC E911 requirements using only EOTD (Enhanced Observed Time Difference). And then there's the problem of those areas serviced by only a single cell, where the best location estimate only narrows the position down to an arc up to several miles long with radius x in one sector of the cell. Like long stretches of rural interstates, for example.

That's not to say that GPS-based solutions aren't without their problems. Picking up a GPS signal indoors in a steel-framed building is a substantial challenge, even with assisted GPS (where the cell system itself provides additional timing information to improved signal acquisition).

Re:It's not real GPS but GSM location-services

[rbrome]

It's not GPS but rather triangulation of the phone from the cell towers.

Not true. All current CDMA phones sold in the U.S. (including all Verizon and Sprint phones,) have A-GPS, which stands for Assisted GPS. In most cases it's gpsOne technology that Qualcomm builds into all its newer CDMA chipsets.

It requires help from the network, but the phone DOES receive raw readings directly from the GPS satellites.

The "assisted" part is a location server on the network that tells the phone which satellites to look for, (based on the tower the phone is near and a database of GPS satellite orbits,) and the server also processes the readings into a location.

However, that's not what happens in the case of this "soda can phone". It's GSM, so it's either using tower triangulation (U-TDOA), or it could actually have a true GPS chip in it. Motorola's new WCDMA (3G) phones have this type of chip as well.

I don't know about this

[srcosmo]

... the user will push one button which will auto dial a Coke rep that will tell them they won an SUV.

I'm not sure how profitable this will be if everyone wins an SUV..
Neat idea nonetheless.

Re:I don't know about this

[lxt]

The /. article kind of implies everyone gets a cell phone...which isn't the case :)

I think the cost of producing a cell phone for every 12 pack would bankrupt Coca Cola anyway, even without the SUVs...

Most Likely It's Shielded and Off

[stuffduff]

So detection by remote electronic device is highly unlkikely. Now in a simpler vein, it should be detectable by weight, or x-ray. Considering that most of the actual land mass does not have coverage, they have obviously decided to 'urbanize' the experience. Hope they don't get a drug dealer in the process (although it would be funny).

GPS indoors

[theMerovingian]

Actually, GPS indoors is rather cutting-edge. It isn't commercially available on a large scale.

Clicky

Disclaimer: Our company sells trimble gps

Cool Can

[pcp_ip]

With my luck (and the amount I drink) this can will sit undiscovered - in a case - in my fridge for months. The electronics better be able to handle some low temperatures for long periods of time.

Re:Cool Can

[Miphnik]

A refridgerator is nothing. Most pieces of consumer-grade electronics (minus portable MP3 player hard disks, from what I've seen) are tested down to at least -10C, and often more. Your average refridgerator is around +4C.

Re:Cool Can

[Anonymous Coward]

Really? That's interesting, because my average refrigerator is spelled correctly, moron!

Nokia?

[earthloop]

Looking at the FCC docs, and this one in particular. The is a photo of the bottom of the can. On the bottom is a label, on this is text that says "Made in Finland". What the betting that the device has been made by Nokia?

Re:Nokia?

[Lord_Dweomer]

"What the betting that the device has been made by Nokia?"

Next thing you know Taco Bell will be running a similar promotion where one lucky person might find an nGage in their taco combo meal.

The solution -- it's just too simple

[JonTurner]

Whether it's turned on or not, it should be simple to detect -- just shake the can. If there's no "sloshing" sound, it's a good candidate.

Proceed to "round 2" testing, which is as simple as using a magnet. Presumably, the contents will not consist entirely of non-ferrous metals. Using a "bondo pen" (basically, a magnet mounted to a spring-loaded gage in the form of a pen -- it's used in the auto-repair trade to detect and measure the thickness of "bondo" repairs) and place it against the can. Any deflection will indicate a "winning" can.

Re:The solution -- it's just too simple

[drinkypoo]

The paint thickness device is useful but the sloshing won't help. In the past they have loaded cans with special gadgets, and they just fill them with water so they still slosh.

How to have fun (and see yourself on the news)

[IceSabre]

Step 1) Give the phone to your freaky, paranoid, paramilitary and big brother suspicious neighbor. Step 2) Get some lawn chairs and a cooler. Step 3) Watch the prize delivery crew show up unannounced. Step 4) Get interviewed on the 10:00 news.

Re:How to have fun (and see yourself on the news)

[Anonymous Coward]

You left out Step 5) Profit.

"You know, come to think of it, he always DID seem like the kind of guy who'd keep 35 axe-murdered bodies in his basement, and we did hear screaming now and then, but he kept his grass cut so what's there to complain about?"

Re:How to have fun (and see yourself on the news)

[Anonymous Coward]

No, that's step 6. Step 5 is always "?????"

That's all well and good...

[Huxley_Dunsany]

...but if you shake the can, do SUV's come flying out at high-pressure?

:-) Huxley

Re:Nokia? Just squeeze...

[Anonymous Coward]

Looking at it, it seems that you could tell if the can was a phone by simply squeezing it lightly. I'm sure the plastic liner would make it feel stiffer.

Make Coke work for it

[hopemafia]

Coke is obviously going to track where the winning cans are distributed so they can have the prize stationed nearby, soooo....

Who ever wins should mess with them by finding to the most remote location they can get a cell signal before pushing the button. Go to Nome, or Yellowknife, or park a boat offshore somewhere.

Re:Make Coke work for it

[Anonymous Coward]

Better yet, wait until midnight and press the button in front of the Capitol building. All those trucks careening across the lawn would get in deep with the Capitol security.

Re:Make Coke work for it

[OlivierB]

Altough they will be keeping in mind where the can is heading. they will not post a Private eye after that can.
So your idea of going out at sea or in the deep country side with the can and pressing the button is gonna turn out as exciting as a wet turd.

I can just see you executing your plan, hiding your can, going far out and then pulling the secret can from your bag of dirty undies, then franatically pressing the button and..... well nothing because as you said no signal. You'll just have to repress it when you get home and pray the gadget spared some batteries to transmit when in a covered area.
Or else you could end up with a winning can, no batteries and thus no prize.

Oh the irony of you trying to screw them and in the end calling in your local bottler and asking for your prize..

Lol

Re:Make Coke work for it

[NineteenSixtyNine]

Say, is the White House open for tours yet?

Re:Make Coke work for it

[encebollado]

Uh, I'd rather just get the car and move on with my life.

Re:Make Coke work for it

[SilentChris]

Coke rep: "You're where?"
Winner: "Underwater. Multi-person submersible. Just off the continental shelf. Come get me."
Coke rep: "Uh, sir, I don't think I can..."
Winner: "Hey, that SUV has all-terrain right, four wheel drive? I've seen the commercials: those things can drive through anything. Come get me. Four on the floor, baby!"

In Canada...

[mks113]

Lottery or Contest winnings are considered a windfall, and are not taxable. I believe it is the same with inheritance.

It is hard to believe that there are cases where our taxes are actually _Lower_ than in the US!

Re:In Canada...

[lucifuge31337]

Lottery or Contest winnings are considered a windfall, and are not taxable. I believe it is the same with inheritance.

Another top notch /. accountant, I see. I'm sure as hell not an accountant, and even _I_ know that 3/4 of the statements on what is taxable and what is not made so far are totally and completely wrong.

Re:In Canada...

[Fjord]

No, he's right. Lottery winnings are not taxable in Canada.

Re:In Canada...

[lucifuge31337]

No, he's right. Lottery winnings are not taxable in Canada.

They will be when we've run out of land down here.

Three ways of finding the can:

[thomasdelbert]

Sound: If you shook the can with the phone in it, would it rattle or would it slosh like a normal coke can full of coke?

Heat capacity: when you pull the can out of the fridge at the store, does it stay cold for more than 10 seconds? A can full of mostly water (coke) will stay cold and a can full of mostly air (phone) will not.

Pressure: squeeze a can - if it's full of carbonic acid (coke), it won't squeeze as easily as if it's filled with air.

I could go on....

Now I can imagine all these kids shaking coke cans at the store, and hapless customers openning them afterwards without tapping the top...

- Thomas;

Re:Three ways of finding the can:

[fusionpit]

I don't know what kind of half-assed bottling Coke does where you live, but the can should make no sound when shaken.
And Tapping the top of a Can does nothing that time can not do by itself.

Re:Three ways of finding the can:

[another blockhead]

The phone/GPS is inside of a sealed 12-pack, so inspecting individual cans would not be possible. But the moment of inertia of a can full of liquid will differ from the moment of inertia of a solid object of the same size, shape, and density, and this might (theoretically) allow the unopened case containing the phone to be identified.

For example, you could embed each case to be tested in an incompressible homogeneous cylinder and roll them down a slope. The cylinder that rolls most rapidly would be the one containing the smallest amount of liquid (all other things being equal). (You can buy incompressible homogeneous cylinders on eBay from the same folks who sell the massless springs and the frictionless pulleys.)

A (very, very, slightly) more practical approach is to suspend each case from a rope and start it swinging. All other things being equal, the pendulum that swings longest has the smallest amount of liquid (since the kinetic energy lost to sloshing is minimized). Of course, all other things won't be equal, so this would actually be a Pointless Waste of Time (TM).

A variation on the pendulum idea is to twist and release the suspended case rather than swinging it. A torsion pendulum such as this may give just enough extra sensitivity to make the difference. And it requires less space (more time though, so it would qualify as a Pointless Waste of More Time (TM)).

You could, if sufficiently motivated, test any of these ideas by freezing a can of soda and returning it to its case.

Of course, all of this assumes that you actually want an SUV. If you'd rather just have a Coke, then buy one of the cases that stops swinging first, and you should have no worries. Cheers!

Re:Three ways of finding the can:

[thomasdelbert]

When a convenience store sells an individual can of coke, does that can come from a twelve pack?Though, yes, the fluid dynamics involved give another way of detecting that can, it would look very odd to bring a giant pendulum and astop watch to the store (mind you, not quite as odd as an incrompressible cylendar large enough and an inclined plane to roll it on).

Hey I love my Suddenly Upsidedown Vehicle. It hauls, it carries people, it does road trips very well... (but it sucks for city driving - man I want a new car!).

- Thomas;

I know how to find it!

[CXI]

Simply go into the store with a metal spike and poke 12 holes in each of the 12 packs until you find one that doesn't leak.

Give me a break, you're not going to do much to cheat the system. You'd have to be lucky enough to be in the right store in the right state in the first place.

Yes...

[OmniGeek]

Yes, a turned-off cell phone DOES give off detectable radiation. Reason is, there are parts of the phone circuit that are still powered so the phone can recognize the "soft" power button in the keyboard (unlike a hard power switch that actually disconnects the power, this one's just a keyboard switch.) Sooo, there's at least a minimal amount of circuitry with a crystal clock oscillator running and radiating a small amount of RF. That is, in a conventional phone. Probably the manufacturer of this specialized gadget did a true hard power switch to ensure that the battery is live when it's needed, but possibly not. Of course, the task of DETECTING that RF emission may well be impossible given the EMI environment of a warehouse or store, and not knowing exactly what frquency to sniff for.

It's been done.

[Anonymous Coward]

You may notice from perusing the FCC documents linked from the PhoneScoop page that the company that designed the phone is Australian. This promotion was "playtested" last year in Australia, but instead of a can the phone was embedded inside a 1.25L bottle of coke. The bottle contained compartments in the top and bottom full of coke as normal so that it could be picked up and handled without anyone thinking anything was strange and the middle of the phone unscrewed along a seam at the bottom of the label to reveal the phone.

The developers went to great lengths to ensure that the prize bottle weighed exactly the same as a regular bottle.

Re:Off the air... but not RF unreactive

[G4from128k]

Afterall, does a cell phone that's turned off give of any energy that can be detected?

It does not emit any RF, but it will absorb RF transmitted at it. I'd bet the RF properties of the cell phone can are very different form those of a regular can. The built-in antenna on the cell phone would react differently to RF radiation at band center frequency than at frequencies above and below the band center. A scanner that sends out pulses at various frequencies and measures the return signal might be able to detect the phone's unusual signature.

Two problems. First, the cost of developing and building the scanner might exceed the expected value of winning the SUV, especially if the scanner is not 100% reliable and you aren't in an area that gets one of these cans. Second, your local grocer migth take a dim view of someone passing a scanning wand around all the Coke displays.

Look at the bottom of the cans to find a winner

[phayes]

From the pictures of the test device in the FCC application , it appears that the bottom of the "coke can" has a slot that contains the SIM card. It also looks like the "can" was assembled from two pieces.Coka-cola Corp may change the packaging to make it less visible than in the test device, but it may be possible to find winners by looking at the bottom.

Microwave it

[spectrokid]

One of the most spectacular kold-war stunts was when the ruskies gave a wooden statue to the U.S. Embassy. It was of couse thouroughly scanned for mikes and found clean. Turned out the thing had a passive mike in it. The russians would bomb it with microwaves from a nearby building and this would cause the statue to start working like a transmitter. Maybe if you bomb the cans with microwaves, you get them to react?

Re:Microwave it

[ricklow]

It was a two-foot wide wooden sculpture of the great seal of the United States, complete with a microwave resonant cavity, modulator and antenna.

Details are here.

Go Rock Climbing...

[Anonymous Coward]

Call Coke only when somewhere in the middle of Navada while rock climbing...

Let's see if the SUV they bring can climb mountains the one in the TV commercials...

Or take a cruise and call from the midatlantic ocean.

Weight

[marklyon]

The simple solution will be to weigh cases of Coke. Since they should all way pretty much the same, the one that doesn't is the winner.

Tinfoil Hat!

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I'll need to wear my tinfoil hat everytime I want a Coke and a smile.

responsibility?

[Anonymous Coward]

says it all: http://www.suv.org/newsarticle.html

how they imbed the can

[frankmu]

my wife's cousin worked for Pepsi, and apparently he got to imbed the winning cans or bottles in stores and supermarkets. what he did was go and buy a sixpack, then return the thing with the contents changed. this was a few years ago, so i don't know how it would stand up to the Patriot Act.

Yeah, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but can the phone run Linux?

Hack project ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Figure out how to spoof the GPS signal to look like the can is at the funniest and most inconvenient location possible -- somewhere *far* off-road, 100m below the surface of the Earth, the middle of the Atlantic, top of a mountain, inside a secure nuclear facility, Antarctica, etc.

Boy am I thirsty

[Hard_Code]

Ahhh...a nice refreshing coke...

GLURG GLURG SPLORK COUGH CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE

<DEATH>

*ring* *ring* *ring*
Hello there, you've won a free SUV! Sir?

GPS-in-a-can trick

[Embedded Geek]

For once, I decided to RTFA and it appears (from reading between the lines) that the thing isn't inside a can, merely shaped like a can and placed inside the cardboard 12 pack box.

This is good, because I was wondering how they how they were going to pull off the "GPS-in-a-Faraday-Cage trick." Forget winning an SUV - there would be a Nobel prize in physics for that one.

Global... indoors?!

[snack]

Wouldnt the term Global Positioning System be incorrect when it's just a Local Positioning system? Come on... come up with a better buzz word. I'm out of ideas right now... but Indoor GPS just doesn't fly in my book.

-Tim

Re:Global... indoors?!

[silentmusic]

Actually IndoorGPS is a trademark - see Global Locate

They do have chips in production which work in difficult indoor environments.

win by cheating though

[sir_cello]

coke needs to be smart and ensure that the can weighs _exactly_ the same as an existing can, otherwise, everyone who works at a shop or distribution channel could weigh the boxes or pallets and discern the differences.

Equally, another way to cheat would be to be use sort of low-tech radar/xray device that can detect different types of solids (for example: cans and liquid are pretty simple, but a radio has a lot of complexity that'll generate signal splatter).

Another way [:-)] would be to see if you can generate radio signals at right frequency to induce resonant effects in the antenna within the can.

This type of low-tech gear wouldn't take more than one or two cluey engineers and weeks work of work.

Have fun :-)

Re:win by cheating though

[poot_rootbeer]

I don't think scales that are used in warehouses to weigh entire pallets of product are going to be precise enough to discern the difference between a 12-ounce can of Coke and a 13-ounce can with a phone contained inside it -- especially when each can's fluid contents may have a few mililiters' variance as it is.

Re:win by cheating though

[sir_cello]

It depends upon a number of issues, though you'd expect that coke's manufacturing process would produce cans with good tolerance levels, and the "radio can" could be quite outside of the tolerance. I would expect them to have covered this by ensuring the radio can comes up to the same weight.

Like I said, there are other possible approaches.

Maybe RFID like technology can be put to good use

[RhettLivingston]

If you could at least determine the model of phone they are using, you might be able to use active detection of the presence of circuits by finding a frequency that you can broadcast at high enough power to excite some circuit in the phone or device that has features that match the wavelength you're using. If it were reliable, you wouldn't have to find the right box, just go to stores that carry a large stock and buy the stock if the presence of a responsive circuit is detected (after making sure that noone is in range with a cell phone :o)

Few things wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, I can see a few things wrong with this idea:

1. Kid: Mom, There is something wrong with this can, there is no coke in it.
Mom: Just throw it away and get another one honey.

2. Someone loading a cooler full of ice by ripping the end off of the box and dumping the box in at once. (not unless they make the winning can water proof.)

3. A kid takes a can from the fridge, and goes down the street to the park or play ground. When he/she opens the can and no soda, they throw it down and go home to get another. Prize SUV shows up and no one is there.

Sounds like a job for the F-Ray....

[otis wildflower]

... OW! MY SPERM!

Too late

[Orion Blastar]

My friend, Dumb Donald, got the can, but he got mad that there was no soda in it and beat the heck out of it, now it does not work. He just lost the prize then. :)

RTFA -- comes in a 12 pack

[geoswan]

Since it comes in a 12 pack sonic detection and EM detection will be even more difficult.

Re:RTFA -- comes in a 12 pack

[AKAImBatman]

Actually, it makes it easier for sonic detection.

Methods for finding the can

[ablcmx]

It would be difficult to try any of these methods without having a case with the phone inside. You could guess, but without knowing exactly what the phone is made of, it would be nearly impossible to find it.

i just hope...

[-O.ster_66]

that any emissions don't affect the taste of my coke.

i'd already be out of sorts about only getting 11 cans

I have experience with coke hidden in can contests

[deft]

i won the really old coke can instant win game, where I opened a can of coke, and a 10 dollar bill popped out of the can, spring loaded and rolled into a tiny holder.

The can was identical to the others in every way. I could hear liquid sloshing around in it (still does, still have it), it had weight like a full can.... I cant remember if it had a pressurized noise when it opened, but i think it did.

They can do a good job of hiding contents.

Re:Second words Coca-Cola rep hears...

[fenix down]

"What the fuck you do with my coke?"
"Congratulations, you've won..."
"No, no, fuck that, I paid for 12 cokes and I got 11 cokes and this talking plastic thing."
"Ummm...car..."
"Bitch, I'll cut you!"

Um.

[RomulusNR]

Just make sure that you don't open your prize-winning Coke indoors.

great prize

[An ominous Cow art]

Another $%&^ing SUV choking the road.

Won by someone with no cell service

[Anonymous Coward]

I can just imagine if this can is purchased by someone in a dead area with no cell service (yes, those areas do exist). Or if the can is found in an area where GPS doesn't work (near Dalgreen, VA comes to mind, I wonder why?).

sdrawkcab ti kroW

[terras]

If you could figure out the MINs for the can-phones, and they're turned on in the cases, you could always try to call the numbers from your cellphone while standing in front of the store display. Then it becomes a simple matter of picking up the ringing case.

If you believe that this'll work, I've got a nice bridge for you...

My roommate is on the prize team

[gothrus]

Here's the deal as I heard it... He has the SUV and keeps it at our place until someone in his area (several states large) gets a winning can. They call and activate the GPS. Then my roommate gets the press together and drives to the winner's location within a day or two and "surprises" the winner with the media present. By the way the SUV sucks. Looks like a mini-van ate a station wagon and it gets crappy mileage but then again don't all SUVs?

Re:My roommate is on the prize team

[jamonterrell]

Right. My Brother is the CEO of the Coca Cola Company and he says that we can believe you!

Re:My roommate is on the prize team

[NateTech]

Like the damn CEO of Coke has any knowledge or cares how the "workers" run the silly contest? It's good to be the King... back to work, sugar-water peasants!

Re:My roommate is on the prize team

[jamonterrell]

and stop stealing the cocaine from the line!

How to detect this.

[goombah99]

How could you detect the can. First I'm assuming they were smart enough to make it weigh the same. and Second I assume First I assume this is in a 12 pack so you cant fondle the can. if you could then simply rolling down an incline or twirling in the air should be enough to reveal it by it's moment of inertia and the fact that it's not liquid filled. (heck the sound might give that away).

so barring the obvious then, a couple things come to mind. One is use a magnetic ferrous metal finder. the phone is bound to have steel in it somewhere. where as a coke does not. The other is to use a speaker, for example one of those sonic bugs they sell on thinkgeek. move this around the twelve pack and listen for the one that sounds different.

choking

[Anonymous Coward]

I open a nice cool can of coke and immediately began guzzlings until... (I'm choking on a phone). tomorrow's headline, Man Chokes to Death on Coke Contest.
The coke prize crew arrives at the funeral home with a hand scanner wich leads them right up to my coffin.

Can GPS signal be 'sniffed' to find a winning can?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm curious here. If the device has a GPS embedded in it wouldn't it be possible to do some kind of scan on a vending machine or in a store display to tell if the winning can was there or not?

Even if the GPS and phone are off or in standby mode there should still be an EMF signature that can be read much like a VA state troopers radar detector detector.

I'll tell you what. IF someone uses this to find the can I'll split it with you. :)

nospamkodack10@comcast.net (remove nospam for real address)

Use a police band scanner...

[daina]

... and wait for the call to the bomb squad.

This is exactly what happened in Toronto a few years ago with a similar promotion involving milk cartons wired with a piezo speaker and some electronics to make the carton "moo" when opened. Someone got one of these and presumably had no idea that a mooing carton indicated a winner, so they left it on a table in a cafeteria with the speaker wires partially pulled out.

The clean-up staff, apparently also not keen followers of popular culture, saw a milk carton with wires and electronics inside it, and they called the bomb squad, who efficiently blew the carton to blazes.

Here's a link for Snopes and the other skeptics:

Picture of the "can"

[GeRM_007]

Since so many people are speculating about what this "can" will look like, here is a picture of it. http://www.engadget.com/entry/7706925370302336/

How To Win

[SEWilco]

• Hire as many people as necessary to follow all Coca-Cola reps who might deliver winning cans.
• Look for men in black in the soft drink aisle.
• Look for can with a GPS antenna on it.
• Find Coca-Cola building where winning cans are stored. Sweep everything that goes in and out with pings of cell phone and GPS frequencies, listening for weak antenna echoes for both. Follow those objects.
• Buy same model of vehicle. Post pictures on a web site. Tell /. about your experience as a winner.
• Become manager at store. Wait for someone to tell you that your inventory count shows one too many boxes of Coke.
• Become clerk at store. Wait for someone to bring in a box of Coke.
• Become security officer at store. Arrest anyone you see coming in to store with a suspicious bulge under their clothing.
• Offer twice as much money for someone with a can to sell it to you instead of pushing the button. Bring cold Coke to give to thirsty person who found phone instead of a cold beverage.

Re:How To Win

[Anonymous Coward]

You eat paint chips, right?

Re:How To Win

[Deaper]

1. Follow Coca Cola Reps
2. ...
3. Profit!

What?

[EaterOfDog]

This is ridiculous. Who the hell has the time, resources or access to search hundreds of thousands of cases of Coke?

Nope, first words will be:

[That's Unpossible!]

"Fuck, I was thirsty!"

Way to find terrorists!

[DaLiNKz]

Drop these cans over the moutains, so when they are thirsty (wouldn't you be in the desert?!) they'll go to open it to realize they pressed the button! Which will then report em!

I'm off to do a Micrsoft and patent my idea.

ayb

[danielsfca2]

> Article: They'll then press and enable the GPS...

COKE: WE GET SIGNAL!
- GPS PHONE TURN ON!

coke can cellphone pics

[Anonymous Coward]

https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/ret rieve.cgi?attachment_id=419449&native_or_pdf=p df
here is the fcc's pictures of the can

Geek factor

[NoDoZ]

Who here is geek enough to say screw them, this is a one of a kind gadget here! I'm not trading this in for a stupid car!

I wonder what such a unique cellphone/GPS in a can would go for on ebay..

Clearly this is circular then.

[danielsfca2]

Heh. I didn't think of that, either. What an efficient Catch-22 we have in the tax code.

What a pitch!

[danielsfca2]

> "Pizza hut at 15th and Lincoln will sell you a Large pepperoni pizza if you stop in the next 10 minutes"

Wow. Pizza Hut will sell you a pizza! For a limited time only. That's got to be the best ad campaign ever!!

+5,Funny

[danielsfca2]

That was awesome. Welcome to my "Friends" list.

How to keep more of your bonus.

[LinuxHam]

bonuses get taxed 50% (or damn close) no matter how much you make per year

If you can expect annual bonuses, jack up your deductions with a W-4 right before your bonus hits if you want to keep more of that money. Payroll depts are required to process as many W-4's as you submit -- not only during major life changes. Don't forget to bring it back down to a normal range for the next paycheck. Also, if you have a 401(k) and want to put most of the bonus in there, jack your 401(k) contributions to the limit right before the bonus kicks, and then lower it after the paycheck with the bonus. Puts the whole bonus in your 401(k) as pretax money.

Remember, it is key to think of any overpayments of your federal tax witholdings as an interest-free loan you are giving the government. People who lack the maturity to save tend to use income tax returns as a "vacation fund" and often cannot wait until the refund checks come in because they need the money so desperately. Although I don't have to care anymore, my absolute best year for planning had the feds owing me $125 on April 15th. That means I shorted myself about $10 a month over the entire previous year. In other words, I put *all* of my money to work for me that year. Nowadays I get a downpayment on a car back :(

Amex does this

[rjstanford]

They have (had?) a sweepstakes where the grand prize was $1mm, after taxes. You actually won $1.66mm, the taxes on which are approximately $0.66mm.

Re:Amex does this

[WolfWithoutAClause]

Yes, it's a sensible thing to do with a cash prize. It's probably not done with things like cars because the company offering the prize probably got it free from the manufacturer, and the prize givers can't easily pony up the extra money to cover the tax.