I agree, even with the cheaper price of this new TiVO device I still won't buy it, its still way too expensive for the little extra you get. If TiVO was $10 a month and that included the rental of the equipment I would do it in a hot second. Spending more then $100 on the device is ridiculous, and unless TiVO changes the pricing structure they will die off in time.
Wrong... you can purchase an iPhone without activation. You just can't do anything with it until its activated. To show the device working, chances are they swaped in a sim card from an activated phone. (Just have to resync it with iTunes). Getting a replacement sim card from Cingular is very easy, they don't charge for them with the iPhone. I know this because I had to have my iPhone sim card swapped out 3 times now. This is because when I activated it I had trouble trying to port a NJ number to California. I had to activate it, do a relocation then a port.
Yes, they are out $500... but thats all, no contracts or anything.
Only because I am getting an iPhone and I want an iPhone optimized version of it for personal use. If I had not been getting an iPhone, chances are I wouldn't do it. I am going to guess the same holds true for many site owners.
Personally, I haven't resigned my contract (with Verizon) since it ended. I have been waiting for the iPhone to be released. Same thing with my girlfriends contract, it ended almost 7 months ago. She wants to play with the iPhone before she asks me to get it for her.
Sure, piracy is a problem... there is no easy fix. I would be all for forming a new law enforcement group to help keep it under control. However, trying to compare piracy to bank robbers is ludicrous. Don't know if the author knows this, but bank robbery is typically done using some form of a weapon. The chance of getting killed during this event is rather high.
I just can't believe someone would think that dangerous crimes like this aren't as big of a problem as piracy. Sure, money wise is much higher... but come on. This is just common sense.
I hope who ever suggested that gets mugged on their way home from work... that will learn em.
Even though I have heard some great things about LOTR, I won't even waste my time until a Mac version comes out. WoW is doing fine for me, and runs well on the Mac.
In the MMO market, it looks like Blizzard has the right answer.
I agree 100%. I also think that since Blizzard put some a popular game on the Mac, more people are willing to give it a shot. After all, I am one of those people. When I heard that WoW played really well on the Intel Macs, I dove in and bought one. I am very happy with my choice.
I have heard that LOTR was gonna be a cool game, but I am not going to get it. For 2 reasons:
1) Obviously, no Mac support... I don't have Windows, nor do I need it. Not going to install it for a game.... 2) I think WoW is gonna be my last MMO, I played EQ for like 4 years, and played WoW since Beta... it sucks too much time out of your life.
I have found that console games are much more fun. Generally, you can stop playing when you want.. your not locked in. You don't have issues with drivers or it not running on your slightly older rig.
See now, the story makes sense. If what you are saying is true, then yes he did break the law. Theft of services. Just like walking up to someones house and plugging in your laptop to an outside jack or removing the tamper lock on your gas when they shut it off.
The headline for this story is misleading, not to mention the linked article doesn't mention that critical fact.
Yes, I am stuck with my 700p until next month when the iPhone is released. (Great timing on my contract) It will be interesting to see if the update does anything good for my device.
That survey requests are very common. If I answered every survey that was sent to me, I would waste like 3 days a year doing that. 15 minutes here, 5 minutes adds up. It doesn't surprise me that such a low percent responded.
The treo 700p was great when it didn't have much data on it. However, when you load it up with a few hundred contacts, appointments and about 8000 emails... it fails apart. Switching between applications results in a white screen for 7 - 10 seconds. Common lock ups, at least once a week. To top it all off, Palm didn't respond to any of these problems. Numerous support requests and calls got ignored. That pissed me off more then anything. The only answer I ever got was to do a hard reset.
Needless to say, I am done with Palm. I will not purchase another phone from them. Even if they solve the software issues, they have a very serious problem with their support that they need to tend to first.
When they went to satellite... they went down hill very fast. When they were in NY, they were funny as hell. Once the freedom to curse was presented, they stopped being crafty about their comments and it got boring. Half the fun was seeing how they would find a way to describe what was going on, or a story, or what not.
It sucks that XM is now censoring their shows, I knew it was only a question of time. I think the only thing left for them is to create a podcast when XM cancels them. (I still won't listen to them again though)
I agree. Apple is starting to make a good size dent. You can really see this by going to an airport terminal. Used to be, you would see all sorts of types and sizes of laptops. Now, its a sea of Macbooks and Macbook Pros. (Seeing a Powerbook is actually rather rare) It all my travels, I have only seen a few people using Linux.
Besides the fact that the company I work for is 85% Mac, I do see lots of vendors coming in with their Macs. Those that aren't using Macs, want to use one but their company won't buy it for them. (They are waiting to shell out the cash them selfs).
In the past year, I have only come across 3 or 4 die hard Windows people. 1 of them, we almost got to switch... only a question of time before we convince him.
Besides a pretty much ripped UI, what does Vista bring to the table ? DRM and headaches... what a shock that people aren't switching...
I will actually be rather pissed if Google buys AdBrite. I was using AdSense for a while, however Google found my site questionable and decided to pull the plug. I first looked at going with doubleclick, but with the rumors going around I jumped ship on that idea fast.
I am now going with AdBrite and couldn't be happier. Not only do they not mind the content of my site, but I have increased my revenue from ads by at least double of what AdSense brought in. Not to mention that I don't have to wait for $100 to be generated to pull some cash out of it, I can set it lower. My site isn't that high traffic (Not yet at least)
This purchase is good for Google, bad for publishers with content that the Christians at Google find questionable.
Pretty much. The problem is the more advanced we get, the more we realize that humans can't fly them or require computer assistance. There is too much to do at once. Not to mention, if a pilot blacks out the computer will take control for a bit.
I have no 3rd party software on my Treo. I have no need for 3rd party software. The treo isn't very stable without 3rd party software I could only imagine how bad it would be WITH 3rd party software.
The iPhone with very controlled development will end up being more stable in the long run.
When the treo 700p first came out (my current phone) I paid $599 for it. So, I honestly don't see the difference. People were also willing to spend $499 for the 700w when it first came out.
To top it off, many people signed a 2 year contract to get their treo 700s for $100 cheaper. I signed a 1 year contract because I knew in a years time I would get tired of the phone and want something else. The early termination fee from Verizon is $175. The great thing is, my contract with Verizon expires the same month the iPhone comes out.
Of course, the price has come down on it. Unlike the iPhone which will stay at $500 for a very long time.
People are just cheap, thats what it comes down to. But hey, you get what you pay for.
Its called, when I get in my car I want to listen to music... not 47 car commercials, 2 ads for viagra, 6 plugs for the station I am already listening to, and 5 clips from songs that I would rather be listening to.
I have little patience for advertisements. I would rather pay for XM / Sirius then listen to that crap. Not to mention, look at how many more channels you get.
I am gonna take a guess that you either have no or only basic cable. I personally have full cable with 3 premium channels. (too expensive to have all 5) I don't see any difference between getting cable and getting satellite radio.
Yes, most cable channels have advertisements but I spend 80% of my time watching channels that are in HD. (For the most part, HBO, Showtime and Starz)
If I could pay more for cable that doesn't have advertisements, you better believe I would order it right away.
If you compare Microsoft and Apple based on vendor lock in, you will notice MS wins hands down. Think about how much hardware is out there that is tied only to the MS operating system. Think about how much of their software will not run on another OS.
Want an MP3 player for your Mac or Linux box ? Don't look at the Zune... Want to view that webpage that requires IE (talking about those things that no matter what you do, will not work on another OS. For example, Quicken online) Don't look at any other OS or browser... Want to use your xbox has a media viewer ? Don't look at anything except Windows Media Center... [ could go on for a while with this, just don't have the time ]
Of course, there are better solutions to much of the above, but thats not the point. MS has way more vendor lockin then Apple does. Besides the recent trouble with Vista, I can get iTunes and Quicktime on a Windows box. Try to get WMP or what not to work on your Mac... AND be a current version from the past year or 2.
Best thing to do these days, is buy a Mac... then you can run Linux, OS X or Windows... legally and at the same time if you want.
First off, when the porn industry helped pick VHS vs BetaMax there wasn't the internet or other good forms of media to watch porn. (Cable TV was still a luxury) What the porn industry picks now will have little bearing on which format wins.
There is also the issue of do we really *want* Bluray porn ? Who wants to see a 5' penis on a large widescreen. Any porn I purchase on Bluray must be lesbian porn.
Beyond that, if you are still complaining about the DRM in both formats, give up... its a losing battle. Go back to your VHS tapes. DRM is here to stay, just get used to it.
The players will come down in price, by Christmas you will see players under $200 and at least 200 movies on each format. That is when you will start seeing a strong shift.
You also need to realize that most people don't have HDTVs. Despite hearing stories about people not able to get cable boxes for the superbowl in HD, HD TV is still a big luxury. Yes, you can get an ok set for under $1000 and a really nice set under $2500. But, HD sets won't be more common until the prices get closer to $400.
I guess the point of my long rant is that Bluray and/or HD-DVD is here to stay for a long while. When the price drops a lot, it will become much more mainstram. No single thing will decide which format will win. (Yes, that includes consumers)
Although I didn't personally buy it just for a Bluray player. I originally camped out and purchased a PS3 for profit. I realized early on that the market was going to fall from under it. Then I started looking at keeping the PS3 for my self. Needless to say, within a few weeks of having the PS3 I purchased not only a 61" DLP set, but about 15 Bluray movies to date.
After seeing Blurays on my set, friends (who did have 360s) went a bought a PS3 for the Bluray part. They also didn't like the fact that 360 has a addon HD-DVD player. Not to mention, more and more good movies are poping over to Bluray rather then HD-DVD.
It doesn't make sense to purchase a standalone Bluray or HD-DVD player. Why not buy a console that you can also play some games on. Sure, not every is into games but I am sure most of the people reading/. do.
I was someone who had to pay $1000 deposit. My credit used to be really bad, but I have been working hard for the past few years to repair it. Verizon does have a much larger deposit requirements then other providers. With a self phone, who can blame them honestly.
I payed $600 for my Treo 700p when it came out, so the same price for an iPhone is no problem at all. (in fact, I will be buying 2... 1 for me and one for the girlfriend). I pay about $250 a month for my phone currently. Why ? The cost is the same on all carriers.
You say that coverage is the only thing going for Verizon ? Might not be the only thing, but guess what. That alone is quite worth its weight in gold. You get what you pay for. This is a classic example of it.
This might come as quite a shock, but I don't care about DRM. I have been buying media off iTunes for over a year now. I have spent over $1000 at iTunes. (Mostly TV shows)
HOWEVER, that being said I do want the freedom to play the media on ANY device or OS that I own. Yes, that means my cell phone regardless of provider or model, my Linux server, my Playstation 3, AppleTV, my Macs, etc.
Thats a perfect world though, which will never happen. I don't mind DRM to protect the content makers, but I don't want to be crippeled because someone out there chooses to not pay for content.
If you are a Linux guy, you will fall in love with a Mac if you use it for a little while. Thats how I was. Totally pro Linux... found a Mac, and its the perfect mixture of a powerful GUI with *nix under it.
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I agree, even with the cheaper price of this new TiVO device I still won't buy it, its still way too expensive for the little extra you get. If TiVO was $10 a month and that included the rental of the equipment I would do it in a hot second. Spending more then $100 on the device is ridiculous, and unless TiVO changes the pricing structure they will die off in time.
Wrong ... you can purchase an iPhone without activation. You just can't do anything with it until its activated. To show the device working, chances are they swaped in a sim card from an activated phone. (Just have to resync it with iTunes). Getting a replacement sim card from Cingular is very easy, they don't charge for them with the iPhone. I know this because I had to have my iPhone sim card swapped out 3 times now. This is because when I activated it I had trouble trying to port a NJ number to California. I had to activate it, do a relocation then a port.
... but thats all, no contracts or anything.
Yes, they are out $500
Only because I am getting an iPhone and I want an iPhone optimized version of it for personal use. If I had not been getting an iPhone, chances are I wouldn't do it. I am going to guess the same holds true for many site owners.
Personally, I haven't resigned my contract (with Verizon) since it ended. I have been waiting for the iPhone to be released. Same thing with my girlfriends contract, it ended almost 7 months ago. She wants to play with the iPhone before she asks me to get it for her.
Sure, piracy is a problem ... there is no easy fix. I would be all for forming a new law enforcement group to help keep it under control. However, trying to compare piracy to bank robbers is ludicrous. Don't know if the author knows this, but bank robbery is typically done using some form of a weapon. The chance of getting killed during this event is rather high.
... but come on. This is just common sense.
... that will learn em.
I just can't believe someone would think that dangerous crimes like this aren't as big of a problem as piracy. Sure, money wise is much higher
I hope who ever suggested that gets mugged on their way home from work
Even though I have heard some great things about LOTR, I won't even waste my time until a Mac version comes out. WoW is doing fine for me, and runs well on the Mac.
In the MMO market, it looks like Blizzard has the right answer.
I agree 100%. I also think that since Blizzard put some a popular game on the Mac, more people are willing to give it a shot. After all, I am one of those people. When I heard that WoW played really well on the Intel Macs, I dove in and bought one. I am very happy with my choice.
... I don't have Windows, nor do I need it. Not going to install it for a game .... ... it sucks too much time out of your life.
.. your not locked in. You don't have issues with drivers or it not running on your slightly older rig.
I have heard that LOTR was gonna be a cool game, but I am not going to get it. For 2 reasons:
1) Obviously, no Mac support
2) I think WoW is gonna be my last MMO, I played EQ for like 4 years, and played WoW since Beta
I have found that console games are much more fun. Generally, you can stop playing when you want
See now, the story makes sense. If what you are saying is true, then yes he did break the law. Theft of services. Just like walking up to someones house and plugging in your laptop to an outside jack or removing the tamper lock on your gas when they shut it off.
The headline for this story is misleading, not to mention the linked article doesn't mention that critical fact.
Yes, I am stuck with my 700p until next month when the iPhone is released. (Great timing on my contract) It will be interesting to see if the update does anything good for my device.
That survey requests are very common. If I answered every survey that was sent to me, I would waste like 3 days a year doing that. 15 minutes here, 5 minutes adds up. It doesn't surprise me that such a low percent responded.
The treo 700p was great when it didn't have much data on it. However, when you load it up with a few hundred contacts, appointments and about 8000 emails ... it fails apart. Switching between applications results in a white screen for 7 - 10 seconds. Common lock ups, at least once a week. To top it all off, Palm didn't respond to any of these problems. Numerous support requests and calls got ignored. That pissed me off more then anything. The only answer I ever got was to do a hard reset.
Needless to say, I am done with Palm. I will not purchase another phone from them. Even if they solve the software issues, they have a very serious problem with their support that they need to tend to first.
When they went to satellite ... they went down hill very fast. When they were in NY, they were funny as hell. Once the freedom to curse was presented, they stopped being crafty about their comments and it got boring. Half the fun was seeing how they would find a way to describe what was going on, or a story, or what not.
It sucks that XM is now censoring their shows, I knew it was only a question of time. I think the only thing left for them is to create a podcast when XM cancels them. (I still won't listen to them again though)
I agree. Apple is starting to make a good size dent. You can really see this by going to an airport terminal. Used to be, you would see all sorts of types and sizes of laptops. Now, its a sea of Macbooks and Macbook Pros. (Seeing a Powerbook is actually rather rare) It all my travels, I have only seen a few people using Linux.
... only a question of time before we convince him.
... what a shock that people aren't switching ...
Besides the fact that the company I work for is 85% Mac, I do see lots of vendors coming in with their Macs. Those that aren't using Macs, want to use one but their company won't buy it for them. (They are waiting to shell out the cash them selfs).
In the past year, I have only come across 3 or 4 die hard Windows people. 1 of them, we almost got to switch
Besides a pretty much ripped UI, what does Vista bring to the table ? DRM and headaches
I will actually be rather pissed if Google buys AdBrite. I was using AdSense for a while, however Google found my site questionable and decided to pull the plug. I first looked at going with doubleclick, but with the rumors going around I jumped ship on that idea fast.
I am now going with AdBrite and couldn't be happier. Not only do they not mind the content of my site, but I have increased my revenue from ads by at least double of what AdSense brought in. Not to mention that I don't have to wait for $100 to be generated to pull some cash out of it, I can set it lower. My site isn't that high traffic (Not yet at least)
This purchase is good for Google, bad for publishers with content that the Christians at Google find questionable.
Pretty much. The problem is the more advanced we get, the more we realize that humans can't fly them or require computer assistance. There is too much to do at once. Not to mention, if a pilot blacks out the computer will take control for a bit.
Its scary.
I have no 3rd party software on my Treo. I have no need for 3rd party software. The treo isn't very stable without 3rd party software I could only imagine how bad it would be WITH 3rd party software.
The iPhone with very controlled development will end up being more stable in the long run.
When the treo 700p first came out (my current phone) I paid $599 for it. So, I honestly don't see the difference. People were also willing to spend $499 for the 700w when it first came out.
To top it off, many people signed a 2 year contract to get their treo 700s for $100 cheaper. I signed a 1 year contract because I knew in a years time I would get tired of the phone and want something else. The early termination fee from Verizon is $175. The great thing is, my contract with Verizon expires the same month the iPhone comes out.
Of course, the price has come down on it. Unlike the iPhone which will stay at $500 for a very long time.
People are just cheap, thats what it comes down to. But hey, you get what you pay for.
Its called, when I get in my car I want to listen to music ... not 47 car commercials, 2 ads for viagra, 6 plugs for the station I am already listening to, and 5 clips from songs that I would rather be listening to.
I have little patience for advertisements. I would rather pay for XM / Sirius then listen to that crap. Not to mention, look at how many more channels you get.
I am gonna take a guess that you either have no or only basic cable. I personally have full cable with 3 premium channels. (too expensive to have all 5) I don't see any difference between getting cable and getting satellite radio.
Yes, most cable channels have advertisements but I spend 80% of my time watching channels that are in HD. (For the most part, HBO, Showtime and Starz)
If I could pay more for cable that doesn't have advertisements, you better believe I would order it right away.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Yes it's true, This man has no dick.
If you compare Microsoft and Apple based on vendor lock in, you will notice MS wins hands down. Think about how much hardware is out there that is tied only to the MS operating system. Think about how much of their software will not run on another OS.
... ... ...
... AND be a current version from the past year or 2.
... then you can run Linux, OS X or Windows ... legally and at the same time if you want.
Want an MP3 player for your Mac or Linux box ? Don't look at the Zune
Want to view that webpage that requires IE (talking about those things that no matter what you do, will not work on another OS. For example, Quicken online) Don't look at any other OS or browser
Want to use your xbox has a media viewer ? Don't look at anything except Windows Media Center
[ could go on for a while with this, just don't have the time ]
Of course, there are better solutions to much of the above, but thats not the point. MS has way more vendor lockin then Apple does. Besides the recent trouble with Vista, I can get iTunes and Quicktime on a Windows box. Try to get WMP or what not to work on your Mac
Best thing to do these days, is buy a Mac
First off, when the porn industry helped pick VHS vs BetaMax there wasn't the internet or other good forms of media to watch porn. (Cable TV was still a luxury) What the porn industry picks now will have little bearing on which format wins.
... its a losing battle. Go back to your VHS tapes. DRM is here to stay, just get used to it.
There is also the issue of do we really *want* Bluray porn ? Who wants to see a 5' penis on a large widescreen. Any porn I purchase on Bluray must be lesbian porn.
Beyond that, if you are still complaining about the DRM in both formats, give up
The players will come down in price, by Christmas you will see players under $200 and at least 200 movies on each format. That is when you will start seeing a strong shift.
You also need to realize that most people don't have HDTVs. Despite hearing stories about people not able to get cable boxes for the superbowl in HD, HD TV is still a big luxury. Yes, you can get an ok set for under $1000 and a really nice set under $2500. But, HD sets won't be more common until the prices get closer to $400.
I guess the point of my long rant is that Bluray and/or HD-DVD is here to stay for a long while. When the price drops a lot, it will become much more mainstram. No single thing will decide which format will win. (Yes, that includes consumers)
Although I didn't personally buy it just for a Bluray player. I originally camped out and purchased a PS3 for profit. I realized early on that the market was going to fall from under it. Then I started looking at keeping the PS3 for my self. Needless to say, within a few weeks of having the PS3 I purchased not only a 61" DLP set, but about 15 Bluray movies to date.
/. do.
After seeing Blurays on my set, friends (who did have 360s) went a bought a PS3 for the Bluray part. They also didn't like the fact that 360 has a addon HD-DVD player. Not to mention, more and more good movies are poping over to Bluray rather then HD-DVD.
It doesn't make sense to purchase a standalone Bluray or HD-DVD player. Why not buy a console that you can also play some games on. Sure, not every is into games but I am sure most of the people reading
I was someone who had to pay $1000 deposit. My credit used to be really bad, but I have been working hard for the past few years to repair it. Verizon does have a much larger deposit requirements then other providers. With a self phone, who can blame them honestly.
... 1 for me and one for the girlfriend). I pay about $250 a month for my phone currently. Why ? The cost is the same on all carriers.
I payed $600 for my Treo 700p when it came out, so the same price for an iPhone is no problem at all. (in fact, I will be buying 2
You say that coverage is the only thing going for Verizon ? Might not be the only thing, but guess what. That alone is quite worth its weight in gold. You get what you pay for. This is a classic example of it.
This might come as quite a shock, but I don't care about DRM. I have been buying media off iTunes for over a year now. I have spent over $1000 at iTunes. (Mostly TV shows)
HOWEVER, that being said I do want the freedom to play the media on ANY device or OS that I own. Yes, that means my cell phone regardless of provider or model, my Linux server, my Playstation 3, AppleTV, my Macs, etc.
Thats a perfect world though, which will never happen. I don't mind DRM to protect the content makers, but I don't want to be crippeled because someone out there chooses to not pay for content.
If you are a Linux guy, you will fall in love with a Mac if you use it for a little while. Thats how I was. Totally pro Linux ... found a Mac, and its the perfect mixture of a powerful GUI with *nix under it.