Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror

Comment Good luck. (Score 1) 2

by natrik (#30417044) Attached to: Non-disposable mobile phones?
Good luck. You could go for a ruggedized model, if you don't care that it's already obsolete. The newest fastest slickest technology is always fragile, and even older cellphone technologies are produced as cheaply as feasible. I seem to have no trouble finding reasons to get it replaced under warranty within the first year. After the second year, I have an upgrade from my carrier. I agree, though. Lack of dependability does suck. Especially with the sudden-phone-death-syndrome you describe.
Businesses

Submission + - Extended Warranty Purchases up 10% This Year

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Consumer Reports says that most of the time, extended service contracts aren't worth the additional dollars. "This holiday season shoppers are expected to spend a whopping $1.6 billion on extended warranties for laptops, flat-screen TVs, other electronics, and appliances," says the consumer magazine. "And almost all of it will be money down the drain." But the NY Times reports that purchases of extended warranties are up 10 percent over last year according to the Service Contract Industry Council, a trade group. Consumers "tend to be more risk-averse and are less willing to absorb the cost of an unexpected product repair or replacement," says Timothy Meenan, the council's executive director. In some cases, refusing to buy an extended warranty is an on-the-spot no-brainer decision, says Mark Kotkin, director of survey research for Consumer Reports. "I bought a pair of headphones for my iPod for $15, and they tried to sell me the extended warranty for $20," Kotkin says. "When the warranty costs more than the item, that's crazy." But Kotkin acknowledges that there are other instances when the extended warranty can be handy. "We recommend getting one for the Apple computer," Kotkin says. "The tech support that comes with the extended warranty is great. Without it, the tech support is skimpy." Another product where extended warranties may be of use are giant television sets, where few manufacturers will come to your home to make warranty repairs. Extended service contracts for big screen tv's often offer in-home repair, says Meenan, who once shipped a Sony TV to the service center for repair under the manufacturer's warranty. "They fixed it and brought it back 45 days later.""
Hardware

Submission + - Open source hardware projects - 2009 (makezine.com)

Submitted by ptorrone
ptorrone writes: MAKE's yearly open source hardware guide is now online. There are over 125 projects in 19 categories. The creators of each one of these projects have decided to completely publish all the source, schematics, firmware, software, bill of materials, parts list, drawings and "board" files to recreate the hardware — they also allow any use, including commercial. In other words, you can make a business making and selling any of these. This is similar to open source software like Linux, but this hardware centric.

Comment I've noticed this too (Score 1) 1

by natrik (#30416520) Attached to: HELP.COM needs help - Abandoned by CBS?
I've been a member there for a while, and I recall it being a lot better a couple years ago than it is now -- I do still contribute though. The biggest asset it's lost is a sense of everyone being in the same boat, part of the same global community. At this point though, it feels more like floating scattered in a mess of disconnected life rafts.
Google

Submission + - How do I keep my privacy while using Google? 5

Submitted by hubert.lepicki
hubert.lepicki writes: I use Google all the time. I keep two GMail tabs open when I browse Internet (one is private, another corporate account), I use Google search and recently I switched to Chromium browser. Google's services are fast, easy to use and usually reliable. At the same time I know Google is tracking everything I do, I can see it in search results or their ads on web pages, that tend to match my interests. After recent article posted on private blog by Mozilla's community director (http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/2009/12/if_you_have_nothing.html), I started to... "google" ways of keeping my private data safe while browsing and using Google services. The results weren't very helpful (what a supprise), so I ask you — Slashdotters: how do I stay anonymous to Google while using their services?

Submission + - Ebay and Craigslist duke-out starts today (courtroomview.com)

Submitted by davekleiman
davekleiman writes: A lot of secret transactions and maneuvers claimed to be antitakeover defenses are at the hear of this battle to be broadcast live on Courtroom View Network (http://info.courtroomview.com/ebay-vs-craigslist/).
"It's not often that we get to watch the founder of one seminal digital age company (Craig Newmark of Craigslist) and the former chief executive of another (Meg Whitman of eBay) taking their licks on the stand in a courtroom."

Comment CalTrans (california) is already doing this. (Score 2, Interesting) 131

by natrik (#14073590) Attached to: Baltimore to Test Cell Phone Traffic Monitoring
CalTrans already has a very complicated, however effective, publicly viewable system which, if you read their main page lists "motorist cellular calls" as one of the many sources of information. I was alerted to this site by a vigilant friend concerned about his motorist calls made in and north of L.A. and there may have been some outbursts against this policy, but I know of none.

If you have a secret to tell, meet in person, and whisper. --Tom Clancy

Jeez!

Slashdot Top Deals

Garbage In -- Gospel Out.

Close