Slashdot Mirror
Sony Finds Defect In Digital Cameras
gbobeck writes "Sony announced Friday that it found a defect in 8 Cyber-shot compact digital camera models. 'The liquid crystal display screens of eight camera models might not display images correctly, images could be distorted or cameras might not take photos at all.' The affected models were sold between September 2003 and January 2005 globally. According to Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa, 'Sony will repair for free only cameras that show signs of the problems.'"
Or is Sony really going downhill between the laptop batteries, the PS3 and now this?
For those who seek perfection there can be no rest on this side of the grave.
Seriously, I cannot grasp why companies continue to do business with Sony. With the exploding batteries, defective CCD and LCD components, and their sneaky software practices, you'd think corporations wouldn't want to touch them with a ten foot pole. I certainly won't buy any of their products, and I'll try to avoid anything that contains a Sony component. /Dell-Sony battery recall really pissed me off.
Gee...shock and amazement
Sony with another broken product.
anyone want to put odds on what item is going to crap out next...psp that shoots the UMD at passers by? an LCD TV that explodes outward throwing shards everywhere?
I think i'll just keep avoiding sony products as i always have
might not display images correctly, images could be distorted
It makes my gut look small, so I'm keepin' it!
Table-ized A.I.
..... CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
FTA:
"Sony will repair for free only cameras that show signs of the problems, Kitsukawa said. He refused to say how many cameras might be affected."
If I had one of these cameras, I want a NEW camera. Period. End of sentence. How do I know that the defect is gone if it is fixed? With their track record of late, I don't. Presumably they have fixed the defect in their manufacturing environment, so why not send a new one out (maybe with a free memory stick or something) to get some POSITIVE mindshare?
I guess that would make too much sense or something.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
Japan - the new China.
Which models are affected? The article's pretty useless, and I don't even know where to begin on the Sony site.
Michael C. Hollinger
This is stuff that matters to people who own Sony cameras. It becomes a part of "news for nerds" because many nerds own cameras, or may even have to troubleshoot/fix the things.
It also continues the trend of defective Sony components, which extends beyond just digital cameras.
What, no exploding cameras? Damn!
So how do I find out which exact models are deffective? Link?
These cameras are almost entierly 2+ years old! (September 2003 - January 2005)
If I had a defective camera, I would not hold on to it for 2+ years, I would have returned it to the store that sold me the piece of junk in the first place.
Meh, I don't get it at all.
Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
Sony branded their good name and reputation in the 80s when their stuff was great quality. You remember the 80s..same era of the Sony MGM case.
Now they are totally (almost totally) crap with rootkits.
Try telling that to a customer in best buy. They'd turn to ignore you and make a point of buying sony after that.
Long Lives Sony
Stop invalid scientific research. Ask your local scientists to feed their lab rats with a phytoestrogen-free chow.
At least the cameras don't explode...
Not so associated with quality now are we?
BOOM! Its a Sony.
Going forward I see Sony increasing its quality further and screening its suppliers in a more tough way, at the cost of higher product prices.
Indeed their products have high quality, but things can go wrong with everyone. Think of Apple, Nasa, Microsoft, Diebold, Nortel, IBM (deskstar), AMD and whoever are the makers of Duke Nukem Forever. Sony really must succeed with the PS3 and hopefully 4 years later I'll be able to buy a used one for $300. Don't care about the rest.
"Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
Slashdot may be beating the drum, but Sony is setting the tempo.
You guys don't get it. This is clear evidence that SONY IS THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY.
Have you never watched Star Trek? Who do you think manufactured all those exploding computer displays?
The article fails to mention the models with the defects... and then goes on to glow about the PS3. What happened to "reporting"? I would have liked to see more ACTUAL INFORMATION - or at least a link back to the press release from Sony. This article is no different than "Some guy said that Sony sucked". (Which lots of slashdotters seem to say often).
Hmmph.
D
http://www.bistolas.net
According to the Sony Japan website the affected models are the:
DSC-F88, DSC-M1, DSC-T1, DSC-T11, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40 and DSC-U50
It looks like it's just another installment of the ongoing Sony CCD assembly problems that affected a large number of manufacturers a year or so back though.
I suspect that someone with a defective camera already knows he has a defective camera without reading it on Slashdot.
It also continues the trend of defective Sony components, which extends beyond just digital cameras.
And it follows the press-hated-of-Sony trend. And the Zonk anti-Sony-drumbeat trend. And the groupthink-hatred-of-Sony trend on message boards. Lots of interesting trends.
.... Affected by this recall, here's the list:
- eight-defective-cyber-shot-models/ which had SLIGHTLY more info than the original article.
DSC-F88
DSC-M1
DSC-T1
DSC-T11
DSC-T3
DSC-T33
DSC-U40
DSC-U50
I got this from http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/24/sony-to-recall
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
Just because you made the mistake of buying Sony stock doesn't mean you have to blame the rest of us for sensing which way the wind is blowing.
Have we gone from the loud but slow adagio of the root-kit fiasco to what...a moderato with this?
Still a ways to go til we hit anything really worth dancing to.
Going on means going far
Going far means returning
Presumably the latter, cause I can't imagine a nerd buying a Sony consumer camera in the Cyber-shot series. Sony had nerd cameras back when they sold the digital cameras that took floppy disks and ISO mini-CDs, but the cameras in question here are for consumers with more money than ability to examine specs, features and measurements, and no desire to fiddle with it, just use it.
What matters is that consumerism gives you exactly what Karl Marx predicted when he coined the term: The lowest possible quality that the market can bear, at the highest possible cost that the consumer will pay. Sony is an iconic example of the trend towards consumerism, and the decline in quality and artificial prices that have little to do with manufacturing costs. As such, these examples are a useful reminder and wake-up-call -- Sony is only the vanguard here, and lots of other companies will follow, until we consumers smarten up and start to demand quality instead of maximum bling at a minimum price.
""news for nerds" because many nerds own cameras, or may even have to troubleshoot/fix the things."
cop out.
Many nerds do a lot of things, but that doesn't make it news for nerds.
I had trafixc on my way to work, maybe that should be posted? I hear nerds like to eat, maybe food critics should get a post?
The focus of this site used to be(last millenium) stuff that interest mostly nerds.
A more proper article would probably be a review of ShadowRuns latest system changes. Or a review of the impact of the open d20 system has had on gaming, if any.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Just because you made the mistake of buying Sony stock...
wrong.
I'm just not a big fan of hate campaigns. Also, there's no real explanation for this one that I can see. What's the motivation supposed to be?
Once again, Sony drops the ball. I used to tell people to buy Sony equipment when they would ask me what brand to go for. I personally think that there must be something going on behind the scenes at Sony that we are not seeing. I cannot think of anything else that would cause a company to go so downhill, so fast. For years Sony was one of the best names in home electronics. If you had Sony equipment, you knew it was going to last for a lifetime. Now when you buy a Sony product, you are lucky if it lasts a year. Root kits on CD's, blue laser shortages, the PSP, exploding batteries, PS3 pruduction cuts(I don't think I missed anything), and now defective camera's. When will this downhill spiral for Sony come to an end?
To be honest, I have stopped buying Sony product's just as much as the next guy.
The problem is not Sony, the problem is You. Yes you.
On one hand you want products that costs less and does everything, on the other hand when you invest your money you want maximum returns. These bad products are a direct outcome of this cache 22 situation.
Sony is a aggressive company and a rather successful one no matter what anyone says, more often than net they have researched the market very well and are the only ones offereing a good solution, eg: I wanted a video camera, in this day and age of HDTV I figured lets look at the market for HDTV video cameras. Sony was the only one that made a consumer level HDTV cam corder. Its a pretty good camcorder and a good product overall. The features are well thought off and gives me what I need.
This has happened more often than not forcing me to buy a Sony product. And my personal experience says that yes, they do innovate.
Trinitron TV was an innovation
F707, sony cybershot was an innovation
their HD1 HD cam corder is an innovation.
PSP is an innovation
And like it or not
PS3 using a cell processor is an innovation, agreed Cell is not their innovation but using it knowing full well and taking a risk is.
When you and I invest and want maximum returns, this is what happens, face it corporate America.
Remember those recalled Sony cams that could see through clothes because they did not filter infrared properly?
I, for one, welcome our manufacturing-error-filled-Nipponese overlords.
The latest Slashdot meme.
a digital camera that you think is taking snap shots of the best moments of your life:Which is worse?
Kudos to them for being honest and announcing this. The unfortunate reality is that things like this happen in the manufacturing process (even with QA), specially when it involves hi-tech - what matters more (imho) is how a company deals with it. And Sony seems to be doing the right thing.
:-)
Fortunately, it doesn't affect the H2 or A1, which I've been looking to purchase. Say what you will, but Sony makes some really good cameras (not to mention, pro AV equipment and mobile phones!)
...but I remember a day when "Sony" meant a product of superior quality. It's too bad those fond memories seem distant and are slipping from my mind.
'Sony will repair for free only cameras that show signs of the problems'
so basicly if you haven't discovered the problem then sony are willing to let you live in ignorance about your purchace.
Surely if there is a problem with any of the camera's that sony sold they should offer this patch to everyone with an affected product.
Maybe its just me, but a recall or potential recall involving electronics sounds like it involves nerds.
Perhaps the focus of nerds has changed since the last millennium? Computers are no longer just for nerds. The nerd has changed to a more respectable position in society because almost everybody uses computers, but only we understand them.
They announce a recall on products that are now between 2 and 3-1/2 years old!
How many people actually KEPT these pieces of crap after that long? Damn few!
Bravo on your timeliness Sony!
Gimme a fucking break!
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Don't be too hard on Sony. I recently had to get Canon to replace my PowerShot A70 with a A530 (better res, flimsy camera body) because the image sensor was defective. It was a known defect but they couldn't come up with the replacement part for 2 months.
And people call Sony arrogant. To put it simply, I resent small-minded thinking such as yours. Tell me, just what is a 'nerd'? What are they allowed to like or dislike? Is it some elitist club with a secret handshake? Because, if it is, I sure as shit don't want to be a part of it. It strikes me as naive; and no different than any other so-called 'clique', 'tribe mentality' or 'groupthink' which people tend to want to associate themselves with.
True intelligence knows no boundaries and has no limitations. Think for yourself and no-one else.
It's echoing what others have already said, but there was a time I looked for the Sony name on electronics and bought their brand (or others that used their components) almost exclusively. Sony Walkman, Sony stereo, Sony Trinitron TVs and monitors...
Since my wife got hit by the Suncomm DRM on a Sony/BMG CD about a year ago, I've still looked for the name -- to avoid it. No one I know is buying a PS3 -- everyone wants a Wii and has or wants an Xbox 360. No one I know is buying high-def movies because they're waiting for Blu-Ray to inevitably crash and burn so the format war will be over. Seems like the last year or two Sony has lost it so badly it may be impossible for them to get it back.
We're a long way from "Sony -- because Caucasians are just too damn tall."
-- Old Man Kensey
There are a lot of reasons I won't buy Sony any more. They used to be at the top of my list of favorite tech companies, but because of the way they've embraced the worst of copy right protection schemes and other suppressive practices, I've given up on them, PS3 or no.
Microsoft, Sony... there are others on the list that I won't do business with unless I absolutely have to. In my work I needed a very high quality portable digital audio recorder and the Sony was the only one who had what I needed (at a cost I could afford), but the days of me grabbing a pair of earpods or mp3 player just because it said "Sony" on it are over.
I remember how I felt when I bought a CD/MP3 player because it was a Sony, only to find that I had to encode everything with something called "ATRAC". It was downhill fast from there.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I used to be a big Sony fan. My friends would make jokes about how much of a Sony fan I was - Sony TV, Sony monitor, Sony CD players and headphones. The whole deal. Not fanboy mind you, just a genuine fan of a great company.
.. buying that record company is high on the list of possibilities. Taking a king hit from Apple and/or Samsung that they never really recovered from, maybe. Or perhaps just inevitable corporate cultural decline. It's an interesting, but depressing, story.
About 5 years ago my opinion of them slowly began to sour, like a lot of peoples' it seems. And now, looking around me, I don't have any Sony stuff at all - I gave it all away during my natural cycle of replacements. My new generation of stereo equipment, for example, is heavily informed by the existence of iTunes & iPod, and where I once would have had nothing but Trinitron there's now Samsung and Apple.
So I've got pretty strong feelings about Sony. I used to love them, before they started going wrong. They used to be the best in so many categories, now I couldn't name any area in which I think they are. It's a kind of bitter feeling for me at least, watching a company you used to love go bad. I've often wondered about what really caused it
But no matter how bitter I feel about them, I'll never dig this kind of overenthusiastic schadenfreude that I see here, gleefully revelling in every little misstep, like a bunch of stupid little brats in some playground. Sony used to be great. What's happened to them should be a sobering study in corporate cancer, not an opportunity for some cheap yuks at any possible bad news.
I think there's a lot of entrepreneurial wannabes here, maybe like me. Sony used to be the kind of company I aspired to. Maybe not realistically expecting to mirror their successes but, you know, "if I could have any company, it would be Sony" kind of deal. But now, seeing what's happening to them, I wonder if any company can keep its integrity or whether companies that get too big just inevitably rot from the inside, as seems to be happening here. I'd love to have intelligent discussions about what the hell went wrong at Sony, how and if other companies can avoid this kind of cancer, try to find the inflection points where decisions were made that were critically wrong in hindsight.
But fuck this childish mocking! Are there really people here who take actual pleasure in seeing once-great companies falter? If so, that's just pathetic.
Let my new 7-digit UID be a lesson to all - write down your passwords.
They announce a problem with a model that is 2 years old - and say they'll fix it. Most warranties only cover a year or so, and some will even ignore the problem unless there's threat of lawsuits (think personal injury).
Compare this to Microsoft and the Windows OS.
Microsoft fanboys (including Zonk) may bash Sony like they're getting paid, but this is can be considered a positive for Sony's customer service.
On the other hand, Sony's hardware with the exception of the PS3, has been disappointing because all the company's resources are being diverted to the content and media side of the business. You can blame Howard Stringer and the rest of his media group for this.
From last year http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/ 10/2235206.
t ails.aspx?Id=45536.
t ml :)
Sony, a year ago, admitted that some digital cameras (not only Sony's digital cameras but all that had Sony's CCD) had a defect on theirs CCD http://www.css.ap.sony.com/consumer/template/ANDe
More about the subject from last year http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1128958202.h
I have a Cyber-Shot DSC-U30, and this year occurred the problem on CCD. Sony (Portugal) repaired the camera, I had to pay just the postal charges.
If you had written "a trend of groupthink-hadred-of-Sony", I agree that it's bad, but if you really mean "a groupthink-hatred-of-Sony trend", it's the Sony trend that we hate, and I think that's quite proper under the circumstances.
Products with quality so low that the occasional recall-crash is to be expected is consumerism at its worst. It's time to turn the tide, and buy things based on quality. Sony used to have that, but that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
Regards,
--
*Art
If someone at Sony is rude to an old lady in an elevator, it's headline news on Slashdot.
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
Nintendo replaces defective product, everyone cheers. Sony replaces defective product, everyone boos. Any peripheral PR problems aside, I don't understand how making a mistake and offering to fix it makes Sony evil and anyone else virtuous. Really though, I guess this is a side-effect of branding. Sony isn't one entity, it's hundreds of thousands of people, making thousands of products and services of the varying levels of quality you'd expect from such a large group of people and products. Unless defective products can be linked to flawed policy, I don't think you can peg these things on the company--the people involved come and go, some were probably fired for this. I'll probably get attacked for defending corporations, but what I'm trying to say is that "corporations" don't exist. They want you to think they do, which is the point of branding and PR and instilling "company spirit" in employees, but a Sony factory executive in China and an Sony advertising executive in Europe work for virtually different companies...
Sendou Wave Kick!!
I have a Sony DSLR Alpha-100 and I consider it a great buy. It has taken some amazing photographs! (I'm slightly disappointed with the sensitivity and noise in low light but I'm not convinced that other brands do significantly better.) Also, the Sony earphones I purchased ten or more years still sound great. I don't own any other Sony products (and I have no intention to purchase a PS3 or any other game consoles until the consoles out perform PC games and offer a level of control on par with keyboard/mouse). Maybe user error can explain why your battery exploded. :)
...the rootkit "fiasco" was Sony BMG, which is pretty much run by Bertelsmann (the CEO is a German and everything is run in europe). The rootkit would have been 100% their idea and decree (there's not a single Sony exec in a high-level position in the company).
Let's not forget the head of SONY has gone on the record as saying that he thinks music downloads are overpriced, he'd prefer the 25c mark and higher volume.
I am NaN
It powers on, as soon as you try and snap a picture it shuts down. You can view pictures on the card all you want.
Stupid thing.
Beware of sending anything into Sony to have the warrenty work done on it. Fuck that, beware of anything having to do with Sony.
Let me tell you a tale of my Sony PDA, a Th-55. As far as PDA's go I though sony made the best, the sony th-55 was great. Well I had mine for a few months then it died. It was still under warrenty so I shipped it off to Sony to be fixed. A few MONTHS later they told me it was going to cost 695 bucks to fix it. Fix something still under warrenty.
After fighting through the phone maze seems that it was a problem with the battery and it was covered under warrenty even though they couldn't prove it. Seems they figured someone opened the pda and damaged the battery. I know I never opened it so it had to be done at the factory.
So if you ship you shit off to sony beware that sony will do everything they can to get out of fixing it. Even damaging it more to make sure its not worth fixing and telling you to fuck off.
Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification
Samsung is the new old Sony.
.. first they force rootkits down our throats, then their laptops have a meltdown and now their camers can't take the heat. Is it any wonder my family and I currently refuse to buy Sony products?
Come on, Sony, if you can't get it right.. get out of the market.
"I'm just not a big fan of hate campaigns. Also, there's no real explanation for this one that I can see. What's the motivation supposed to be?"
Are you serious? You should go back through Slashdot's "hate-campaign" and click on the linkies. You'll find that Sony has made some real stupid and/or nasty moves in the last year. This "hate-campaign" isn't Zonk's invention, it's a reflection of how the media has responded to Sony's misadventures. Here's a little teaser of Sony's fall from common sense:
- UMD. "Less video for more money!"
- Rootkit. "We need root level acess to your machine to prevent piracy."
- $599. "If it's too expensive, you can get a second job."
- Sixaxis. "The DS is a gimmick, the Wii is a gimmick, but our half-assed attempt is revolutionary."
- Batteries. "Oops. We shipped out so many dangerous batteries it's insane!"
- Launch games. "The next generation of sequels is here!"
- Supply. "Um.. yeah, sorry. We're not going to come close to meeting our promised number of shipments. Even those of you who have pre-paid for the machine will not be getting a PS3 for Christmas."
I'm not saying Zonk isn't biased against Sony. But dude, seriously, don't behave as though they haven't monumentally err'd this year. They actually pulled off a worse launch than Microsoft last year. How the heck do you do that? People complained that the 360 was too expensive? Sony topped it! Few people actually got their hands on a 360 last year. Sony topped that! People complained of the launch games for the 360... SONY TOPPED THAT!! This didn't happen because Slashdot decided it hated Sony and tried to run its name through the mud!
Go check any of the gaming news sites and you'll read the same stories. If anything, Slashdot's playing catch-up.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Earlier this summer I managed to blow my privates off with an exploding battery, then installed a really aweful DRM rootkit.. My Playstation 3 is still on back order (however I am thinking of paying 2000$ on ebay for one now), and now I need to return my digital camera (I don't plan on getting it back soon).
My playstation was literally flung across the room onto a wall causing the game inside to popout. It was then slammed into the cd that popped out causing it to shatter (first time i've ever seen a CD shatter). The playstation still continued to run all games flawlessly (other then the shattered CD!). It also fell down a flight of carpeted stairs once.
I'm baffled whenever i here of overheating playstations (i've played in carpet for at least a few hundred hours although i try to keep it on some platform) or disc lens going out. I guess a few batches may have had manufacturing defects or people play it in 120 degree temperature on a carpet. Otherwise it's the toughbook of consoles.
Hmmm... Pie...
Explosion @ crotch via Sony batteries.
Hmmm... Pie...
we shoot defects on spot. Unless they are women, we make them clean barn, then shoot. Yes." -Borat
I dropped my camera after the warranty was up, broke the viewfinder, sent it in to Sony repair to get an estimate on the charges, and they repaired it and sent it back free. Happy customer += 1
exactly - they are announcing recall outside warranty period, so you know you will get free replacement outside warranty period.
Obviously if it happened inside the warranty period, you could get it fixed for free anyway, right?
wacky, isnt it? lol.
"At least the cameras don't explode..."
Actually, some brands do.
Back in the mid-late '90's, several of my caving buddies had those yellow Nikon "waterproof" cameras, and over a years time, three of them exploded while in use.
Lucky no one was really hurt, but it scared the crap out of them.
It almost always happend while using the built in flash, and we all speculated that it was the lithium battery that was the source of the explosions.
There even may have been a class action suit, but I'm not sure about that.
So exploding cameras are old news.
Boo fricken hoo.
So the choices are:
1. Don't buy their stuff or
2. Run a public campaign of hatred against Sony for YEARS, highlighting every negative story about them, even the false ones.
And you're saying choice #2 is the wise, sane choice?
my jeep cherokee just had a recall issues a few months ago for wonky software and possibly a rotten catalytic convertor. the car is a 1996 model! seems crazy to me, but i took it in and they replaced the catalytic convertor for free after doing the software update. i had been planning on replacing the cat before my inspection, and was expecting to pay a few hundred dollars for it. if it was some failure with the brakes or or some safety issue, i can see a massive recall, but for an exhaust component? seems weird to me, but i'm not complaining.
I think you spelled something wrong there. What you meant to say is:
- Rootkit. "We need root level access to your machine to prevent privacy."
Granted, you also spelled "access" wrong, but who's quibbling??
Yes. Well, not the part about highlighting false stories. But if you really want to hit a big company like Sony where it hurts, to show them just how costly their ineptitudes can be, then it's not just enough to not buy their stuff. You also need to inform as many people as possible so that they too can also make the informed decision to buy or not buy as they see fit, rather than living in ignorance of Sony's poor business practices.
All that other jibber jabber about it being a "campaign of hatred" is just semantics. One person's campaign of hatred is another person's public service announcement.
"And you're saying choice #2 is the wise, sane choice?"
Welp, if I had to choose between that and your suggestion of only reporting the good news and sugar coating the bad (lying), then yes, #2 is a saner choice. Sony screwed up a lot this year. They're accountable for it. Sorry. I'm not claiming that Slashdot isn't biased, but dude, these are the same stories making their rounds all over the place. It's hard to call it a 'hate campaign' when there's little but bad news to report.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
-- jchenx
I don't see the problem here - the camera has a defect, and they are willing to repair defective cameras for free (I assume by replacing the defective parts). Provided they do this for all effected cameras, regardless of warranty status or where you are at the time, then this is a good thing. Provided hardware faults are rare, I don't think there is any reason to get all worked up over this. Get your camera repaired, take pictures again, ???, profit.
But I guess fanboys will be fanboys, eh?
Anyone can "stand up for what they believe", but it takes a very brave individual to change what they believe. - Loundry
I have several Sony products here which work perfectly well, and always have. One is a VAIO PCG-FXA36 laptop with a 1 GHZ AMD cpu, firewire, 15" screen, tv out, dvd/cdrewriter, and floppy drive, which I bought in december 2001. Another is a DCR-PC9 miniDV cam with nightshot, steadyshot, firewire, usb, memory stick, tv-out, 10x optical zoom, 120x digital zoom. bought at roughly the same time.
Both these items were taken on a long trip to various places, like across the US 3 times by car, around Australia, by car, plane, and train, to Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, where they were subjected to extremes of temperature, humidity, vibration stresses, and rain. They both operated flawlessly throughout that trip (duration 9 months) and I used the camera to capture video which was then transferred to the laptop, edited, and uploaded to my website as a kind of travel "blog" (the word didn't exist back then).
Since then they have continued to work flawlessly, and I have added a bullet cam and a LANC to the DV-cam so I can take video via a remote control whilst driving. Also, I have a Garmin sat nav which when connected to the laptop and running Infomap navigator I can plot and navigate routes full screen when driving. I am working on combining the two inputs (video and gps) to create a dbase that allows you to select a route and see the actual road that route consists of. Google Maps would be a nice interface.
The laptop has only one flaw now, and that is because while I was pissed I dropped it, and it landed on the wireless pcmcia card, breaking the connector right off the motherboard. I removed the broken bits to stop them rattling and possibly causing shorts and the laptop continues to run as well as it ever did.
So you may be correct when you diss Sony for their quality these days, but my Sony gear, which is coming up on 5 years old, is perfectly functioning. Of course the items mentioned weren't cheap to buy ($1600 laptop, $1400 DV-cam) but maybe if you pay for the higher spec, you actually get a higher spec of components, not just capability, and also better reliability. Which leads me to think that maybe Sony these days is trying to compete on price, which leads to lower spec equipment. I can't say for sure because I don't need to replace the items I have, they still work !
YMMV."Seriously, I cannot grasp why companies continue to do business with Sony"
Because slashdot knows beans about businesses, and holds them in contempt to boot.*
*An attitude guarenteed to foster ignorance.
Whats next, comparing ibm x86 pcs to apple macbooks?
You should probably sit down; what I'm going to say may come as a shock to you.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Gee man, just little things like:
-Infecting their users computers.
-Making batteries that may explode in your lap (watch your crown jewells).
-Making cameras that may not work.
-Harrasing enthusiats developping for the PSP with constant firmware "updates".
-Killing the Aibo.
-Recognized the bet in the worn technology (plasma) in the plasma vs LCD TV wars.
-Not figuring at all in the portable music player market, which the used to dominate.
Honestly man, you are going to heaven, such a kind soul should receive some kind of reward.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
If Sony has no involvement then the company should not bear their name.
It is that simple.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
They put so few machines in the market that the few derided people that did not reserve their machine in advance (honestly, what kind of loser do you have to be to stand in a queue for hours instead of reserver your products a few weeks in advance) were completely desperate to get one.
Lets wait for sales figures over a longer period of time 9once hype has subdued and the machine has to satnd on its own merits.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Well, gee, I am so fucking grateful for Sony comming forward. 200, 300 400 US$ fone bad in 2 years.
Man, I am really grateful for their due care and consideration.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
I will go no further explaining why, i should be patently obivous to anybody why I can ascert this and be right on the money.
As for your sorry tirade about the complexity of Sony, well, that is not my problem.
If they want to have their fingers in all the pies they should be up for it or get out of the kitchen.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Why should we use statistics, maket analysis and even companies re-calls when we can have a few anecdotes?
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Actually, I'm incredibly good at pattern recognition on intelligence tests and the like. I wowed a AI lecture class once with this skill, on a group problem that was meant to be an example of how incredibly hard pattern recognition can be. When I grew up, NES was synonymous with, "piece of crap that never works when you first put a cartrige in." How greatly is that information affecting the present? It shouldn't have anything to do with my opinion of Nintendo right now, and it doesn't. My point actually was along the lines of pattern recognition, though: humans by nature tend to generalize and make disparate entities whole (in fact, we have to in order to interact with the world around us), but that kind of reasoning isn't always "right."
If they want to have their fingers in all the pies they should be up for it or get out of the kitchen.
So then we agree. "Sony" is too big for its own good, and this is what is making people angry at it. Our definition of Sony differs though. You consider it to be some sort of ethereal "essence" pervading the company and people who work for it, while I believe it to be simply a word. I'm not saying that there aren't management policies to blame, just that blaming the "company" is nonsensical, find something real to hate. My point stands that even if Satan himself were to rise from the ground and start replacing defective cameras he produced, that particular action wouldn't be worthy of criticism.
Sendou Wave Kick!!