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You've Got PC

Posted by michael on from the false-economy dept.

freitasm writes "Geekzone is reporting on the AOL Optimized PC, a 2GHz Intel Celeron PC with 256MB RAM and 50GB ATA-100 HDD. It'll cost US$299.99 from Office Depot stores, with a commitment of 12-month AOL subscription. More information on AOL Optimized website." There's also a Reuters story.

3 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. basic... very basic. by ack154 · · Score: 5, Informative
    $299.99 + (12 months * $23.90/month) = $299.99 + $286.80 = enough to buy a decent PC without having to go with a full year of AOL (it also == $586.79 for those of you adding at home).

    Though I suppose it is actually on target, if someone only has $300 and can afford the $24/month payment, it might be a simple way to get a PC a little "cheaper" up front. Just too bad it has to be AOL.

    Full list of features:
    # Processor: Intel Celeron Processor 2 GHz
    # Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (pre-installed)
    # Memory: 256MB RAM
    # Hard Drive: 40GB, ATA 100, 5400 rpm
    # Optical Drive: 52x CD-ROM
    # Network: 10/100MB Ethernet
    # Modem: 56K v.92
    # Ports: Four USB 2.0 Ports (two front, two back)
    # Monitor: 17" CRT monitor (minimum 15.7" viewable)
    # Printer: Lexmark Color Inkjet Printer
    # Peripherals: Standard Multimedia Keyboard, Two-button Wheel Mouse, Speakers
    # Additional Pre-Installed Software: AOL Office suite of spreadsheet, word processing and presentation software; AOL 9.0 Optimized Internet service, the latest version of the AOL and AOL Latino services
    1. Re:basic... very basic. by bonkedproducer · · Score: 4, Informative

      My mother uses JOI internet for a whopping $6.95 a month and consistantly gets better connection speed, never a busy signal, better e-mail, and faster support and service than she ever got when she was an AOLer, so what is the point here?

      --
      Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society - M. Twain
  2. Dear God, Why? by TheSpoom · · Score: 4, Informative

    Is it just me or does this seem equivalent to signing away your soul to Satan?

    I do tech support for HP. AOL uses their own drivers to connect to their network, and also block off the Properties page of their connection. Thus, we cannot enable the Windows XP firewall, so God help someone who hasn't patched their machine (luckily I can get around this by installing Norton Personal Firewall, which is usually included with our machines). I've also heard that if you want, AOL will sell you a firewall for $3 extra a month or something. So to sum up: Block free included product, sell own (probably inferior) product.

    Not to mention that AFAIK their entire technical support division is stationed in India, and I think they have a 3 minute call length limit or something. Whenever people call me and say they were referred to us by AOL, I roll my eyes and ask what AOL actually did before referring them to us. 90% of the time, they did NOTHING. They didn't have them click on anything, they didn't check any settings, and they most certainly did not reinstall their own software. "It's a problem with the modem." "It's a problem with the computer." I've actually heard from customers where they had to hand up on the AOL tech because they didn't take the referral to us and he actually started yelling at the customer! And this service is worth $20+ a month?! God help the person who buys this PC and is RELEGATED to these people...

    Please, if you use AOL, consider switching to another provider. You're worth more than what they give you.

    --
    It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
    - E. Debs