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The Best Tech You Can't Get in the US
DigitalDame2 writes "The US isn't always on the cutting edge of technology. We see a new product release that has just the blend of styling and features we've been looking for, but alas, it's only available overseas. From the Thanko MP4 watch to Sony's OLED TV, these are the hottest new gadgets to drool over, that you can't get here."
The US is a mixed bag, on average it's far behind the technology curve. It's not population density because Canada is less dense but more in touch with technology. Some areas and industries are cutting edge but the average American seems pretty low on the tech literacy totem. At least from my interactions with Americans on trips there and on visitors here.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Nine of the sixteen were just cell phones that had pretty standard variations on the normal designs of any recent cell phone. None were remarkable or any more desirable than an iPhone in terms of function or design.
Some of the UMPCs were nice, but again, aside from the addition of colors, none were significantly better than what can be obtained here.
Tech differences between the US and Japan are a mixed bag. When I'm in the bay area or Seattle area people are far more tech savvy and have far more gadgets then the people I met when I lived in Tokyo. There is some great technology in Japan but has to do with tech gadgets and at times we have better stuff in the US. In the US you have a much better selection of computers and computer parts and they are cheaper. Fujitsu and Sony don't make the greatest machines so your not missing much by not having their latest model right away. In contrast if you want a great gaming machine your options are more limited in Japan. Cell phones are one of those items people like to bring up and thats also a mixed bag. The service is more expensive and the data rates are far more expensive in Japan. My cellphone bill last month went from $50 to $200 just from sending emails to other people's phones. In contrast I have sent far more emails and text messages from my US phone without extra charges. They have some neat models if you look but most places offer the same lineup of phones who's design is more limited than the designs we see here. Take a ride on the subway and it will seem like 90% of the people are using the same model flip phone. You will see far more people using smartphones and similar devices in the US. When people in Japan saw my old T-Mobile MDA they are always amazed. Those types of devices aren't as popular there among everyday people. Here you can easily find people using smartphones and blackberrys who don't even use the email features or web browser. They tend to stick to the flip phone design with no keyboard in Japan. But they do tend use web services that are tailored to mobile devices more often. If you really want to see superior Japanese technology that is not common here go to a love hotel. The last one I went to required no face to face communication with any employees. You walk in the building take a number, go to the room number on the slip. When you get to the door a voice greets you from an intercom and then your door unlocks. You go inside, the door locks you in :( and it stays that way until you pay the talking touch screen machine that is built into the wall which bills you by the hour. In the bathroom there is a hot tub with a large plasma tv built into the wall. In the bed room is another plasma, a PS2, a Sega Genesis, an NES, a karaoke machine and a sex toy vending machine. Overall it was average for that type of establishment.
Well, I've had some business dealings with Americans, and here's what I've found:
- They appear to really believe that "the customer is always right" without any limitations whatsoever, and that I should be willing to compromise absolutely anything to satisfy unreasonable requests. I'll happily go out of my way to keep customers satisfied when my product fails, but I've also been called an "asshole" because I wouldn't replace a device for free, including the cost of shipping, that an American customer's kid had run through with a knife.
- They're not very friendly. When I receive e-mails or phone calls from American clients, the e-mail almost never starts with "hello" or any other greeting, and the phone conversations usually start with "yeah, I'm..." They also just hang up when they're done talking, and there's often no "goodbye" or anything.
Personally, I've never been stifled by the U.S. patent system or anything, but I do find dealing with U.S. customers to be trying---they tend never to be satisfied, and they treat me like the enemy because I'm at this to make a living. I like to think of myself as a fair businessman, but I never get the feeling that I'm viewed that way by my American customers.
The omnipresent cell phone with a clock that sets itself via network access to extreme accuracy has pretty much killed the need for most people to have a watch.
I don't have a watch because I need accurate time. I have a mechanical watch because:
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Let's see... techno backwater, religious loonies running rampart, ultra-rich vs. dirt-poor, importing knowledgeable people who're willing to work because the dirt-poor can't pay for education and the ultra-rich care only for partying and deem work beneath themselves (unless it's running some corporation)...
You're not there yet, but you're heading in that direction.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
What makes you think they aren't available? I've been using for months the one that I bought on ThinkGeek. It's a neat little video player. It's a real shame it will only play uncompressed video (the "MP4" name is quite deceptive, IMO), but that's about 0.7 GiB per hour, so you can fit one full-length movie in the standard 2 GB model. The battery lasts for about 7 hours.
The drawbacks are that is has a non-standardly-shaped USB port and audio jack, so if somehow the cable or earbuds get damaged, the MP4 Watch becomes a paperweight. (I'm unaware of any place to buy replacement cables for it) So I think that the MP4 watch is not long for this world, at least not in its present incarnation, especially since you can now get (for the same price) the Creative Labs Rio. It is actually a better buy for a mostly-MP3-player-that-also-does-video because it has a standard USB port and audio jack.
Personally, I'm waiting for one of these people to come out with a Rio/MP4 watch/whatever that also plays MPEG video. Even MPEG1 would be OK - just *anything* that's better than raw, uncompressed data. The video iPod doesn't suit me, but an MP4 watch that really does support MPEG-4 compression would be great.
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Because you dealt with a couple of idiot customers, you now think that the entire american population are a bunch of impossible-to-satisfy, rude customers?
I'm sure you're not all rude, but I'd say the general level of customer politeness in the US is pretty low compared with other parts of the world.
I was on holiday in Breckenridge, Colorado a few years back - one day when grabbing lunch from a stall I was told by the guy behind the counter that I was first person of the entire day to actually say "please" when ordering my meal. But that's just basic politeness as far as I'm concerned. Politeness costs nothing and makes everyone happier.
On the other hand I have some American friends who think that the level of customer service here in the UK is really poor, since we don't have such a "customer is always right" attitude here.
Guess it's just a cultural thing...