It started as a line of missing pixels on my iPod nano a few weeks ago and then completely self-destructed into this:
The unit still works and plays music. It’s just that the screen is completely bonked. I take pretty good care of my electronics so I’m wondering how this happened. I always have my iPod nano in a case of some sort so I’m puzzled.
Anyways, I’m sending it in for repairs since it’s still under warranty. Of course, the issue now is that since it’s been more than 120 days since the purchased date, I have to pay shipping/handling fees of $29.95 plus tax. If I had purchased the $59 Extended AppleCare warranty, this fee would have been waived. In hindsight, I probably should have just bought that first since it would extend the warranty to 2 years. Oh well, lesson learned…more updates on the whole process.
E3 2006 has come and passed and I’ve finally got around to sorting my thoughts and the photos that I took. Overall, the show was underwhelming. I’ve been going to E3 since 1999 when it came back to Los Angeles after a brief stint in Atlanta. I think because I’ve gone to so many E3s and the fact that my tastes have changed due to getting older, I’ve become more cynical of the show. Years of broken promises and missed expectations have overshadowed the occasional jewels that have emerged. Also, as I’ve gotten older, I find that I have less time to play games. I still want to play games but I don’t have 3-4 blocks of hours to play games anymore. If anything I have about 30 minutes up to 1 hour (if I want to give up sleep) to play so this year’s focus was definitely mobile gaming and simple fun factor.
Read more.
In their quest to market their products and confuse their customers, a lot of companies shamefully use terms they have no business using on their products. A buddy and I were discussing this very subject this morning and we came up with the following list:
universal - Number one on our list is the term universal. Specifically, Sony’s use of the term universal in it’s UMD (Universal Media Disc). Universal is defined as applicable or common to all purposes, conditions, or situations. It’s hardly universal since it only works in one known device, content is regionally locked, and users can only use the disc in one way (read data off of it). How is that universal in any sense? I know some people may argue that they mean “universal” in the types of media it holds (photos, video, music, games) but again, it’s not universal it’s simply “versatile” (as in DVD). It’s not surprising that UMD is getting little love and being dumped left and right. UMD - Unloved. Must Die.
high-speed or hi-speed - What does high-speed mean? This is commonly used in flash memory advertising. For some companies, at least they qualify their high speed with some multiplier like 80x so that you can gain some sense of what it means. Again, Sony shamelessly uses “high-speed” on their products. The funny thing is that most of their products need the high-speed versions of the memory anyways so that you can take full advantage of their products.
special edition - Since when did Special Edition come to mean “dumbed down” version? I’ve noticed this a lot on video cards. Normally, you would expect SE to mean that it’s actually special and has some features that you can’t get anywhere else. Instead, SE now means Slow Edition. Usually this means that pipelines have been cut out, clock speeds are slower, and memory buses are reduced. Products like these confuse customers and tarnish what Special Edition means.
enterprise - My buddy feels this one is way overused and I agree. All it means is that it takes up more disk space and hogs all available memory and asks for more.
pro - This one goes back to Sony. Most of Sony’s products require the PRO version of their flash products to get the full functionality out of the product. Why don’t they simpy make PRO standard so all the customers can maximize their experience. Besides, who buys 32, 64 or 128MB memory sticks anymore?
deluxe or premiere - These two are popular terms used for product differentiation. It can mean one of two things. First, it can mean “bundled with crap you don’t need”. Secondly, it can mean “these features should have been standard but we’re got greedy and decided to charge you for them.”
So, those are our favorites so far. If you have any, please be sure to comment!
I recently had to call Sony Service because I wanted them to look at my girlfriend’s Sony Core Walkman NW-E505 which recently started acting erraticly. The support person I spoke with was friendly and took all of my information so that he could look up the terms of the service. He informed me that since I was under warranty, that I was eligible for their exchange service.
At first I thought this was great since it seemed like a good solution…that is, until I found out they wanted to charge me $29.99 for the replacement even though the unit was still under warranty! Apparently, all of the US models get a 1 year warranty on parts and 90 days warranty on labor. Of course, the NW-E505 I had was an Overseas Model which came with an official Sony Warranty card (which I believe is legally binding) that specifically said that it came with a 1 year parts AND labor warranty. So, I’m still working out the details with Sony Service right and will keep you all updated on the situation.
The whole situation got me thinking warranties and how the 1 year/90 days warranty seems like complete nonsense. A proper basic warranty should include at least 1 year for both parts and labor. Such a chintzy warranty doesn’t build the greatest confidence in a company’s product. If they can’t build something that will last a year under normal usage then they shouldn’t be selling that product to begin with. Even the industry leader (Apple) gives you at least a year on parts and labor. They do get you with the 90 days on phone support but at least they’ll fix it.
I browsed around to the SonyStyle Japan site and found out that the same models there get a 3 year parts and labor warranty. Additionally, one can pay 420-630 YEN (roughy $4-6 USD) to add accidental coverage which includes accidental drops and fire and water damage.
Sony US charges $29.99 to extend your warranty to match that of Sony Japan’s standard 3 year warranty. Even worse, it’s $56.99 to extend your warranty to 3 years with accidental warranty. That’s just plain wrong.
So, why are Sony’s US customers getting the shaft when it comes to warranty? Yes, I know that it’s probably a strategy that some genius MBA came up with to lower costs. Personally, I think it’s a poor strategy that diminishes the integrity Sony’s brand. It’s also yet another example of a bad decision that’s eroding Sony’s mystique of building quality products.
