Techie Diva's Guide To Gadgets is giving away an Xbox 360 Premium Bundle! That's right!!! The bundle includes: Xbox 360 Console, 20GB Hard Drive, Wireless Controller, Xbox Live Headset, Component HD AV Cable, Power Supply, Ethernet Cable, and Bonus Media Remote.
So, how can you win it? Current U.S. subscribers of Techie Diva's newsletter will receive an official contest entry. If you're not a subscriber, hurry and sign up on the home page! It's the only way your name will be entered.
Good luck to all! I've got my gaming fingers crossed.
In our rigorous real-world testing (I took it home and used it while playing World of Warcraft) the Chiller was less than impressive. Although the cold plate was cold to the touch, it failed to cool a warm drink or even keep a cold drink cold, in glass, plastic, or a metal can. But then, if your drink has time to warm up, you're probably drinking too slowly.
Note: Some interns (apparently "let the intern test it" is a tradition at tech publications) have reported that the Chiller causes Windows problems because it draws too much power. I didn't have this problem. WoW pretty much maxes out my system's resources, so i thought maybe the ChillIt just didn't have a chance. But even now, when I'm doing relatively light work in my cubicle, all the Chiller does is make funny noises and fail to keep my Sprite cold.
[Thanks for the testing and writeup to Nathan Edwards, our intrepid intern this semester]
Several / blogs / today have claimed that either the French version of the Motorola Q smartphone has been cancelled, or the European version, or the GSM version; furthermore, the usually trenchant MSMobiles.com says that "Motorola has problems to find mobile operator in USA also for CDMA version of Moto Q."
I just called Motorola's Jason Gordon, and he said that isn't so.
"The Q is a device family we've committed to," he said. "The first version will be on CDMA with other interfaces to follow, and the first version will be on CDMA this quarter." Furthermore, "from an operator perspective around the world, everyone loves the Q."
That backs up Moto exec Ron Garriques' statement on Jan. 6 that the Q will appear in 8 to 12 weeks (from Jan. 6). Also, notice Gordon said "other interfaces to follow," which means "GSM not cancelled," unless he's talking about iDen, which, c'mon guys, I really doubt.
NEW YORK: The least reliable car sold today is better quality than the most reliable car sold 15 years ago. But differences in customer satisfaction, car design, and treatment of shoppers mean some brands will be more desirable, command higher prices, and generate more repeat buyers, says Chris Denove, vice president of J.D. Power & Associates (based in Westlake Village, California). Even as differences decrease between the haves and have-nots, the impact of Internet technology proves a powerful amplifier for the remaining differences.
"Ford can't say quality is Job One," Denove said, "if thousands of people online are saying it's Job Ten." Speaking to the International Motor Press Association (IMPA) in New York City, Denove said that customer satisfaction directly affects automaker sales and even a company's market value. When the market research firm divided the automakers into three groups based on low, medium, or high customer satisfaction across its customer surveys, J.D. Power found sales declined 4 percent, on average, for automakers with the lowest satisfaction scores; increased 24 percent for those in the middle; and increased 44 percent for those with the highest satisfaction rankings.
Cars sell when they're reliable, satisfying, or attractive, and when the customer is satisfied with the buying experience. "If you don't have any of those attributes, there's only one [buyer] passion left – low price," said Denove, who founded J.D. Power's Internet and Retailing practice areas and co-wrote a book due in February called "Satisfaction," about the link between customer satisfaction and company profits.
Universally popular design helps sell cars, but so can polarizing design. Based on its surveys, Power & Associates grouped models according to whether buyers liked or disliked designs and cross-compared to actual purchases. Findings showed that good design makes it easier to sell cars, polarizing design makes it easy to sell to the group that likes the design, and poor design means the car gets bought despite its design.
Universally appreciated designs included (in alphabetical order): the BMW 6 Series, Cadillac Escalade, Ford Mustang, Infiniti G35, Jaguar S-Type, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Mini Cooper, and Toyota Tundra. Polarizing cars that some loved and some hated, with little neutral ground, included the Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Infiniti FX, Mitsubishi Outlander, Plymouth PT Cruiser, and Toyota Matrix. Near-universally disliked designs included the Buick Rendezvous, Buick Park Avenue, Cadillac DeVille (the previous generation), Honda Element, Saturn Ion, Subaru Legacy, Subaru WRX, and Toyota Corolla. "The [Subaru] WRX looks like it was driven through a Pep Boys store with a magnet attached," Denove said. "Boy racers say they buy in spite of the design."
The Pontiac Aztek, until it went out of production, was a mainstay on the universally disliked list. When J.D. Power plotted good and bad design as a quadrant chart, Denove joked, "We had to move the rest of the chart over to make room for the Aztek." Part of the problem for GM and Ford, Denove says, is their dearth of vehicles with desirable or even polarizing designs, other than Cadillacs and the Ford Mustang.
Oddly, cars with high repair rates are more satisfying than zero-defects cars, when customers are treated well when they come in for service. If that sounds like a recipe for success -- well, not so fast. "Only 15 percent of the time, customers had a perfect service experience," he said.
As technology becomes a bigger component of cars, J.D. Power has begun surveying what can be one of the most satisfying or exasperating components: navigation systems. Japanese providers Alpine Electronics, Xanavi Informatics, and Denso Corp. take 13 of the top 15 spots, although one is an American car -- the Corvette.
If you're looking for a deal on a car, Denove said, consider vehicles that have high satisfaction scores but haven't caught on with the public: for example, the Chevrolet Malibu. On most measures, the Malibu equals or surpasses the Toyota Camry (except, say, sales and resale value), but because of lagging perceptions about the Malibu, it sells for about $2,000 less.
UPDATED 6/6/06: Price info now available. See below.
Dan Costa is out this morning taking his Pomeranian, Bebe, to the vet. I don't know if Bebe gets scared every time she visits the Vet, but I'm sure she'd love a few treats when it's all over. But, not just any ordinary treats. How about flying dog treats?
Dogmatic Products has created the SnackShotz Treat Launcher to enhance your dog's play time (and stamina, I'm sure). SnackShotz can launch Discos treats up to 12 feet away. The treats come in three delectable flavors: Beef, Chicken, and MightyMint. According to the product's web site, Discos treats are 100% edible and digestible (which calmed my worries), and they're the only treats that work with the SnackShotz Treat Launcher.
And if you want to spoil your pup even more, there's also Woofy Pop (microwave popcorn for dogs) and Nachews (nacho-shaped chips for dogs).
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