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Inside the Free iPod Offer
jonathanhowell writes "David Lazarus, The SF Chronicle's tech guy, has an article in today's paper with an interesting investigation into the work you have to do to get a "free" (as in beer) iPod. I'm trying not to call it a scam, because it appears completely legal, if ethically challenged." From the article: "What it doesn't say is that the offer terms will expose you to reams of spam and marketing solicitations, that the user survey is actually a lengthy marketing ploy, and that the sponsor offers needed to qualify for that free music player will almost certainly cost you money."
As anyone who's read Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress knows, the Loonies were schooled in survival, not proper English. "From the TINSTAAFL Dept" may be more proper, but the definition (according to the usual source) is "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". Sure, it's a double negative and ain't ain't a word. But I don't think you'll ever hear a Loonie say "There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, by Jove" on their way to High Tea.
Or perhaps the editors left it that way so that us whiners would have something to bi^Wcomplain about.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
And I dissected the bastards' EULA at length.
Read, if you're interested.
Striking fear in the authors of godawful fanfiction, I am here, appearing in darkness, Tuxedo Jack!
TiVo has a TiVo rewards program. Sign up for a credit card and you get points with your purchases that you can use to get an iPod. If you pay the thing off every month, your iPod is free.
Besides the iPod, they also have Bose noise cancelling headphones, a Nikon digital camera, a couple types of new TiVo units, and some other lesser things.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
For an uninformed or disconected soul, the "chance" for a free iPod is well worth selling out your vital statistics. I'm always amazed at how easy it is to convice someone to sign on the dotted line, and it's offten only for a T-Shirt.
This organization simply raized the reward, and thereby made the hoops you must jump through more elaborate.
1. I used a throwaway email account.
2. I signed up for free AOL for broadband.
3. I put links on my personal website.
3. I cancelled AOL for broadband 2 weeks later.
4. I waited about 6 months.
5. They sent me an iPod.
6. A week later they sent me a t-shirt as well.
For every story like mine, there are a bucket of people that never got enough referrers. I think I got in early enough so that it was still a novelty.
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The doctors wrote software that integrates the ipod.. And had their employers buy them ipods..
Pure Geuinus..
article 1
article news.com.com
From the tech specs page, the iPod can play MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4) and WAV.
The majority of these formats are not encumbered. I really don't understand why so many people think the iPod can play only iTunes Music Store songs.
I know several people who have gone thru all the steps on these sites, and actually received a free ipod! For real. Then they just cancelled their trial accounts.
I've seen those consumer incentive places and they look pretty sleezy to me, but I DID get an ipod for free from freeipods.com. And it really was free.... with the possible exception of some junk mail to my house (easy enough to throw away) and some spam to an email account I don't use, and some telemarketing to a phone number that isn't really mine (When forced, I give out numbers that are a few digits off).
Seriously people I don't get the "They're going to spam me under" argument. Who doesn't have access to a 'spam account' now a days? If not, get a free one from google. As to the 'deals' they make you do, if you're careful you and your friends won't have to pay a dime. The key is be CAREFUL...
oh and avoid that consumer incentive one... but just looking at that site should be evidence enough
The point of free ipod is to offer you something that costs essentially only time, as opposed to mountains of cash. That, to the vast majority of people out there, is valuable. I've got a pal who paid people to sign up for the orders for him and collected his ipod for about $50 bucks. Saved a boatload of money.
Read jack phelps dot net
Quick, name a non-DRM format the iPod does not play. Hmmm... oh! I know! It doesn't support FLAC, I think... though, you could convert that FLAC to an AIFF or WAV and you'd be in business, i guess...
Just curious, why do you think iPods play only DRM formats??? Only Sony would try to do something so crazy as make a player that doesn't support at least MP3... and even they would figure it out after the it failed to sell...
I've gotten a free iPod, free Photo iPod, and I'm 3 refs away from a free Mac Mini :-)
-- Gone Crazy, Back Later