I'm writing this way too late to get modded high enough for anyone to see but maybe someone will see it and it'll help. The irony is that I'm so late in posting as I'm in China and just woke up this morning.
I was here briefly last summer and am now doing a semester abroad. China really is not that a bad of a place to be. It seems most of the replies are very negative or sarcastic about the security situation in China. In all seriousness, living here as a foreigner is not that bad. Sure you have to deal with weird, to the US, government regulations, but I don't feel as though I'm under an iron fist or anything. Just respect the culture and their customs/laws and you will have a great time.
Oh and if you take the time to learn even a bit of the language it can help immensely. I know I've run into many people who were much more cordial when I told them (in Chinese) that I was a student here learning the language.
Everyone has different experiences, especially if you are ABC or even look remotely Chinese. But instead of listening to a bunch of other people talk about it, just take a 2 week trip to China and see for yourself. I think more Americans need to get out and see the realities of the world (although my cynicism says that when the they do the average Americans will do something stupid, get into trouble, and then blame it not on themselves but on the country they are in)
I have a Treo 300 and it gets great reception. Even in basements I make and recieve calls with no problems. I wouldn't expect anything less with the 600.
When I talked with the guys from BFG (who are already taking preorders) at the HardOCP Workshop, they had a FX card on hand that you could look at up close. I asked one of their guys about the huge ass coolers and they said that the manufacturers had the choice to put their own type of cooling on it if they wanted. So I'm sure there will be some 1 slot options out there if the customers demand it...
IIRC, when shooting one sword fight part of Viggo's front tooth got chipped. They wanted to stop shooting so he could go get it fixed by a dentist but he asked if they could just glue the chip back on so he could finish filming first.
Just the fact that he places the movie before his vainity astounds me. Perhaps that's why he plays the role of Aragorn so well, he has a very similar mindset as the character.
saw this posted over at the treocentral forums...its from Salomon Smith Barney discussing the 3G launch.
"We have been tracking the signs for Sprint's upcoming "3G" launch, regarding the brand, launch date, price, and handset selection. Our checks have indicated that Sprint's new brand for its "3G" wireless data service is PCS Vision, which will be billed on bits and bytes, rather than minutes.
On timing, we believe there is substantial confusion over the "official" launch date. Based on our channel checks, "3G" capable phones may go on sale in the indirect channels in stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City, beginning on August 8. The "official" launch in Sprint's direct stores may not occur until, at least, August 12, and may extend to August 19.
On price, we find that Sprint PCS will build upon its national pricing schematic with its introduction of data, rather than become more aggressive for national voice minute pricing. We would emphasize the data pricing described in this report are indications and are still subject to change ahead of the launch. We have received indications that Sprint will maintain its current pricing for national voice minutes, which is constructive for the industry. However, the decision may limit the company's ability to improve its share relative to the aggressive pricing tactics of its competitors. We find the data pricing indications to still be somewhat expensive with a minimum increment of around $10/month on the existing national plans for 2 MB and likely around $0.02/Kilobyte thereafter. All-in, pricing is not substantially cheaper than current data plans in the market.
On the handset front, we believe Sprint will launch with several new color phones by Samsung, Sanyo, and LG as well as with a PC Card, likely from Novatel. Price points for the handsets should range between $179.99 and $279.99."
"* Branding -- We expect Sprint PCS to launch a new brand name for its "3G" service, "PCS Vision." The service will offer applications such as MMS (multi-media messaging), games, downloadable ring-tones and screen savers, and ISP-like access for laptops/PDAs.
* Timing -- We find a substantial level of noise within the channels, regarding the launch date of Sprint's "3G" service. Based on our channel checks, we believe "3G" capable phones may go on sale in the indirect channels in store such as Best Buy and Circuit City, beginning on August 8. New displays may not be constructed until the weekend. The "official" launch may not occur until, at least, August 12, and may extend to August 19. Our conclusion is that August 8 will begin somewhat of a soft launch, with the promotional campaign set for, at least, 1-2 weeks later. We find few employees have been trained on the service, based on our discussions. Some employees expected to be trained within the next week. Also, several company stores expected to receive their full "3G" displays from Sprint within the next 7-10 days. We do not believe the direct PCS stores are stocking material levels of inventory of the new phones, yet.
* Pricing -- We have learned that Sprint PCS is currently planning to maintain its national voice pricing and charge a premium for data access by the megabyte and kilobyte. Our data points on pricing are preliminary and are subject to change ahead of the launch. We believe Sprint will begin offering data packages at an access level of $49.99 with data plans going up to $119.99. The company will offer these plans on several new color-screen phones with data capabilities as well as a PC-card modem at launch. Services will initially focus around multi-media messaging (including digital pictures), gaming, and laptop connectivity.
Figure 1 highlights the preliminary pricing indications we have received from our research. Sprint has essentially added a $10 charge for 2 MB of data to its popular national price points at $39.99 and $49.99. For 8 MB of data, Sprint has typically added $20-$25 to each of the access charges. We expect the additional charge per KB to be around $0.02 if customers break their buckets.
FIGURE 1. PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS ON 3G PRICING
Monthly Charge $49.99 $59.99 $74.99 $84.99 $89.99 $99.99 $119.99 Peak Min. 350 500 750 750 1,000 1,000 1,300 Off-Peak Min. 3,650 4,500 5,750 5,750 7,000 7,000 8,700 MB Data 2 2 2 8 2 8 8 Source: SSB research and estimates.
To put the pricing into perspective, we return to our VEP, voice-equivalent pricing model, that is far from perfect, but allows us to compare the price for data services on an apples-to-apples basis with voice. The methodology uses average throughput of the data network to convert data traffic into voice minutes. This can give us a back of the envelope measurement to compare with voice capacity and pricing. We calculate a voice equivalent price (VEP) per minute for a given data plan as follows:
where VEM, or voice equivalent minutes, is defined by the following formula:
Using average throughput of 30 kbps (our average 1X experience on Verizon's Express Network), we find Sprint is pricing these buckets at a healthy implied voice equivalent price of $0.70 - $1.13/minute
The sensitivity analysis above shows that Sprint has flexibility to increase the size of the data buckets, especially if the loaded 3G network offers faster average throughput speeds. As the speed of the network improves, Sprint is able to achieve better voice equivalent pricing per minute. Data margins will be sensitive to the cost for content and subscriber acquisition and education.
Sprint is clearly trying to hold the line on its national voice pricing, which is constructive for the industry and the company's subscriber economics. However, its national competitors have not broadly shared Sprint's strategy. Thus, pricing is a double-edged sword for PCS as the company is trying to improve subscriber economics at low access plans, but may limit its marketshare in the process. We do appreciate Sprint's effort to differentiate on its service offering, rather than on price, and view it as a constructive signal that Sprint is focused on its subscriber profitability. On the data pricing front, we believe Sprint's data pricing, like its competitors, runs the risk of revenue cannibalization for customers that use too much or too little data. We still believe material data revenue is, at least, 12 months away given the pricing plans and level of customer education required. We highlight the pricing of its competitors' 2.5G data services below."
"* Handset Selection -- We are enthusiastic for the launch of Sprint's new line- up of handsets that should begin with at least two color-screen phones at or below $200 and a PC-card for laptops/PDAs. We expect Sprint's phones to include the color Samsung N400 which should retail for $199.99 and likely a color-screen Sanyo 4900 for $179.99. These phones should be 1X voice and data capable. Sprint should also offer the Samsung A500 for around $279.99. We also expect LG to launch a color-screen flip phone at or near the launch date, but we could not ascertain the SRP (suggested retail price) from our channel checks. We expect Sprint to deploy several PC-card modems that will range in features and price. We expect PC-card modems to range from $249.99 - $399.99 at retail. The company should also shortly launch the Audiovox Thera, an integrated phone/PDA using Pocket PC, as well as the color Handspring Treo."
i know just what you mean. i love mozilla but still use IE when i log into netflix because the same popup killer in mozilla won't let me see the confirmation windows when i add movies to my queue
the F-111 is also noted as a product of a TFX program. has the TFX designation been given to more than one competition? becuase i am certain that the F-4 and F-111 were never tested against one another before production.
i noticed that same thing...looks remarkably similar to this listed on their site. they just changed its looks a bit and added the software needed to run your main computer from it...
Slashdot Mirror
I'm writing this way too late to get modded high enough for anyone to see but maybe someone will see it and it'll help. The irony is that I'm so late in posting as I'm in China and just woke up this morning.
I was here briefly last summer and am now doing a semester abroad. China really is not that a bad of a place to be. It seems most of the replies are very negative or sarcastic about the security situation in China. In all seriousness, living here as a foreigner is not that bad. Sure you have to deal with weird, to the US, government regulations, but I don't feel as though I'm under an iron fist or anything. Just respect the culture and their customs/laws and you will have a great time.
Oh and if you take the time to learn even a bit of the language it can help immensely. I know I've run into many people who were much more cordial when I told them (in Chinese) that I was a student here learning the language.
Everyone has different experiences, especially if you are ABC or even look remotely Chinese. But instead of listening to a bunch of other people talk about it, just take a 2 week trip to China and see for yourself. I think more Americans need to get out and see the realities of the world (although my cynicism says that when the they do the average Americans will do something stupid, get into trouble, and then blame it not on themselves but on the country they are in)
check out iAudio. they have multi format players including flac and ogg.
I can understand giving it to Leos, I just hope they don't start giving out the information to Capricorns, Virgos and Scorpios. That'd be terrible...
the video may have to cut and paste it, I had to.
I have a Treo 300 and it gets great reception. Even in basements I make and recieve calls with no problems. I wouldn't expect anything less with the 600.
1. Buy carrier ...
2. Float around Pacific picking up refugees
3. Drop them off on the West coast
4.
5. Profit!
wait...this sounds too familiar
this is probably the closest you're gonna find
When I talked with the guys from BFG (who are already taking preorders) at the HardOCP Workshop, they had a FX card on hand that you could look at up close. I asked one of their guys about the huge ass coolers and they said that the manufacturers had the choice to put their own type of cooling on it if they wanted. So I'm sure there will be some 1 slot options out there if the customers demand it...
IIRC, when shooting one sword fight part of Viggo's front tooth got chipped. They wanted to stop shooting so he could go get it fixed by a dentist but he asked if they could just glue the chip back on so he could finish filming first.
Just the fact that he places the movie before his vainity astounds me. Perhaps that's why he plays the role of Aragorn so well, he has a very similar mindset as the character.
...a beowulf cluster of these.
People will end up wardriving near furniture stores in hopes of finding a WAP connected to all the sofas.
saw this posted over at the treocentral forums...its from Salomon Smith Barney discussing the 3G launch.
"We have been tracking the signs for Sprint's upcoming "3G" launch, regarding
the brand, launch date, price, and handset selection. Our checks have
indicated that Sprint's new brand for its "3G" wireless data service is PCS
Vision, which will be billed on bits and bytes, rather than minutes.
On timing, we believe there is substantial confusion over the "official" launch
date. Based on our channel checks, "3G" capable phones may go on sale in the
indirect channels in stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City, beginning on
August 8. The "official" launch in Sprint's direct stores may not occur until,
at least, August 12, and may extend to August 19.
On price, we find that Sprint PCS will build upon its national pricing
schematic with its introduction of data, rather than become more aggressive for
national voice minute pricing. We would emphasize the data pricing described
in this report are indications and are still subject to change ahead of the
launch. We have received indications that Sprint will maintain its current
pricing for national voice minutes, which is constructive for the industry.
However, the decision may limit the company's ability to improve its share
relative to the aggressive pricing tactics of its competitors. We find the
data pricing indications to still be somewhat expensive with a minimum
increment of around $10/month on the existing national plans for 2 MB and
likely around $0.02/Kilobyte thereafter. All-in, pricing is not substantially
cheaper than current data plans in the market.
On the handset front, we believe Sprint will launch with several new color
phones by Samsung, Sanyo, and LG as well as with a PC Card, likely from
Novatel. Price points for the handsets should range between $179.99 and
$279.99."
"* Branding -- We expect Sprint PCS to launch a new brand name for its "3G"
service, "PCS Vision." The service will offer applications such as MMS
(multi-media messaging), games, downloadable ring-tones and screen savers,
and ISP-like access for laptops/PDAs.
* Timing -- We find a substantial level of noise within the channels, regarding
the launch date of Sprint's "3G" service. Based on our channel checks, we
believe "3G" capable phones may go on sale in the indirect channels in store
such as Best Buy and Circuit City, beginning on August 8. New displays may
not be constructed until the weekend. The "official" launch may not occur
until, at least, August 12, and may extend to August 19. Our conclusion is
that August 8 will begin somewhat of a soft launch, with the promotional
campaign set for, at least, 1-2 weeks later. We find few employees have been
trained on the service, based on our discussions. Some employees expected to
be trained within the next week. Also, several company stores expected to
receive their full "3G" displays from Sprint within the next 7-10 days. We
do not believe the direct PCS stores are stocking material levels of
inventory of the new phones, yet.
* Pricing -- We have learned that Sprint PCS is currently planning to maintain
its national voice pricing and charge a premium for data access by the
megabyte and kilobyte. Our data points on pricing are preliminary and are
subject to change ahead of the launch. We believe Sprint will begin offering
data packages at an access level of $49.99 with data plans going up to
$119.99. The company will offer these plans on several new color-screen
phones with data capabilities as well as a PC-card modem at launch. Services
will initially focus around multi-media messaging (including digital
pictures), gaming, and laptop connectivity.
Figure 1 highlights the preliminary pricing indications we have received from
our research. Sprint has essentially added a $10 charge for 2 MB of data to
its popular national price points at $39.99 and $49.99. For 8 MB of data,
Sprint has typically added $20-$25 to each of the access charges. We expect
the additional charge per KB to be around $0.02 if customers break their
buckets.
FIGURE 1. PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS ON 3G PRICING
Monthly Charge
$49.99 $59.99 $74.99 $84.99 $89.99 $99.99 $119.99
Peak Min. 350 500 750 750 1,000 1,000 1,300
Off-Peak Min. 3,650 4,500 5,750 5,750 7,000 7,000 8,700
MB Data 2 2 2 8 2 8 8
Source: SSB research and estimates.
To put the pricing into perspective, we return to our VEP, voice-equivalent
pricing model, that is far from perfect, but allows us to compare the price
for data services on an apples-to-apples basis with voice. The methodology
uses average throughput of the data network to convert data traffic into
voice minutes. This can give us a back of the envelope measurement to
compare with voice capacity and pricing. We calculate a voice equivalent
price (VEP) per minute for a given data plan as follows:
where VEM, or voice equivalent minutes, is defined by the following formula:
Using average throughput of 30 kbps (our average 1X experience on Verizon's
Express Network), we find Sprint is pricing these buckets at a healthy
implied voice equivalent price of $0.70 - $1.13/minute
FIGURE 2. VOICE-EQUIVALENT PRICE POINTS
VEP
Throughput 2 MB 8 MB
20 kb/sec $0.75 $0.47
30 kb/sec $1.13 $0.70
40 kb/sec $1.50 $0.94
Source: SSB Estimates.
The sensitivity analysis above shows that Sprint has flexibility to increase
the size of the data buckets, especially if the loaded 3G network offers
faster average throughput speeds. As the speed of the network improves,
Sprint is able to achieve better voice equivalent pricing per minute. Data
margins will be sensitive to the cost for content and subscriber acquisition
and education.
Sprint is clearly trying to hold the line on its national voice pricing,
which is constructive for the industry and the company's subscriber
economics. However, its national competitors have not broadly shared
Sprint's strategy. Thus, pricing is a double-edged sword for PCS as the
company is trying to improve subscriber economics at low access plans, but
may limit its marketshare in the process. We do appreciate Sprint's effort
to differentiate on its service offering, rather than on price, and view it
as a constructive signal that Sprint is focused on its subscriber
profitability. On the data pricing front, we believe Sprint's data pricing,
like its competitors, runs the risk of revenue cannibalization for customers
that use too much or too little data. We still believe material data revenue
is, at least, 12 months away given the pricing plans and level of customer
education required. We highlight the pricing of its competitors' 2.5G data
services below."
"* Handset Selection -- We are enthusiastic for the launch of Sprint's new line-
up of handsets that should begin with at least two color-screen phones at or
below $200 and a PC-card for laptops/PDAs. We expect Sprint's phones to
include the color Samsung N400 which should retail for $199.99 and likely a
color-screen Sanyo 4900 for $179.99. These phones should be 1X voice and
data capable. Sprint should also offer the Samsung A500 for around $279.99.
We also expect LG to launch a color-screen flip phone at or near the launch
date, but we could not ascertain the SRP (suggested retail price) from our
channel checks. We expect Sprint to deploy several PC-card modems that will
range in features and price. We expect PC-card modems to range from $249.99
- $399.99 at retail. The company should also shortly launch the Audiovox
Thera, an integrated phone/PDA using Pocket PC, as well as the color
Handspring Treo."
i know just what you mean. i love mozilla but still use IE when i log into netflix because the same popup killer in mozilla won't let me see the confirmation windows when i add movies to my queue
the F-111 is also noted as a product of a TFX program. has the TFX designation been given to more than one competition? becuase i am certain that the F-4 and F-111 were never tested against one another before production.
...right after i decide not to go to college in pittsburgh.
that is the most important factor in choosing a college right? access to wifi networks?
i noticed that same thing...looks remarkably similar to this listed on their site. they just changed its looks a bit and added the software needed to run your main computer from it...