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

Posted by samzenpus on from the phone-of-a-new-generation dept.

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'.

7 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. "At that price it's almost a burner" by Nutria · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    1. Re:"At that price it's almost a burner" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

    2. Re:"At that price it's almost a burner" by Nite_Hawk · · Score: 5, Informative

      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...

  2. Call me clueless by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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?

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  3. Just under the worldwide median monthly income... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?

  4. Burner Phones for Robber Barons by enjar · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

  5. When did they rebrand months? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    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...

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.