The Pepsi P1 Smartphone Takes Consumer Lock-In Beyond the App (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: On the 20th of October Pepsi will launch its own smartphone in China. The P1 is not just a cowling brand, but a custom-made device running Android 5.1 and costing approximately $205. At that price it's almost a burner, but even so it represents new possibilities for a brand to truly control the digital space for its eager consumers in a period where mobile content-blocking is becoming a marketing obstruction, and where there is increasing resistance on Google's part to allow publishers to push web-users from the internet to 'the app'.

Comments

"At that price it's almost a burner"

[Nutria]

You either have no children, or are in the 1% (or, naturally, both).

Re:"At that price it's almost a burner"

[Anonymous Coward]

A $40 Walmart feature phone or a sub-$20 off Craigslist could be a "burner". $200 isn't even notably cheap by general smart phone standards.

Re:"At that price it's almost a burner"

[Nite_Hawk]

The 16GB version of the ASUS zenfone2 is $199.99 carrier-free and is considered to be a reasonably good mid-grade phone.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VW...

Re:"At that price it's almost a burner"

[Fwipp]

I bought my phone new for $80 a year ago, and I didn't even have to look hard for it. 2013 Moto G. This year's model (just came out) is $180; the Moto E is even cheaper, $120. You can save more money by buying it from a carrier (still unlocked, no obligation to use with that carrier). They aren't the only company making cheap Android phones, either.

There's also a whole bunch of cheap Windows phones out there.

Re:"At that price it's almost a burner"

[mopower70]

"In the 1%" means you make $32,400 a year.

Source: globalrichlist.com

I personally sit in the top 0.38%.

Now you're just being pedantic. "The 1%" was a phrase popularized by the Occupy Wall Street movement, and refers almost exclusively to wealth inequity in America. The median income for the cohort to which the phrase "The 1%" refers is $400,000. Global wealth has no seriously meaningful value when considered on the scale of the individual. By your metric, the average homeless person in the US will be in the top 15 - 20%.

Call me clueless

[Archangel Michael]

I saw this over the weekend and simply shook my head thinking "what is the goal here Pepsi?"

And looking at the specs, it isn't anything that hasn't already been done before (and better) for less. Unless they are going to be giving these away as some weird promotion I don't get it (right now).

Here is the one real question I have, how is a Pepsi phone going to make people drink more Pepsi?

Re:New truthful slogan

[tripleevenfall]

I'm going to wait for the BRAWNDO phone.

BRAWNDO! The thirst mutilator!

Just under the worldwide median monthly income...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can think of a $200 phone as a "burner", then you are the 1%. Congratulations! But can you try not to be such a dick about it?

Burner Phones for Robber Barons

[enjar]

"I light my cigars with $100 bills, so a $200 phone is almost a burner! BULLY!"

Re:New truthful slogan

[lister king of smeg]

I'm going to wait for the BRAWNDO phone.

BRAWNDO! The thirst mutilator!

its what plants crave

When did they rebrand months?

[wonkey_monkey]

On the 20th of October Pepsi

How much did that pay to rename that?

That reminds me, though, not long until Thanksgiving in November-Facebook. Then I'll have to start thinking about buying Christmas gifts before the 25th of December-Coca-Cola...