Technocrat

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone

zogger
Wed Jul 30 20:36:00 -0700 2008
Computers
manage

Orange in the UK will begin offering people who sign up for a two year mobile plan a laptop as an inducement instead of a normal cellphone.

The "Connected Laptop" offer includes a free laptop from Asus or Hewlett Packard, a USB modem and up to five gigabytes of downloads for £25 to £45 pounds, or $49 to $88, per month. As mobile operators start giving away devices other than cellphones, experts say, the industry is entering a new phase. ed.z.: What, no gas grill??? And no steak knives, or tumblers??? cheap guys...and 5 gigs a month is not very good *at all*. Or maybe it is over there for wireless access, no idea really. Still, something of a better option over the teeny screen, toothpick button model cell phones, if you are going for a "plan" anyway.. I know they are popular and people use them, I just never see *how* they use those dinky phones. Need new quadfocals I guess and file my fingertips down.

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone
The Open Sourcerer
Thu Jul 31 00:06:00 -0700 2008
 manage

It get's even better:

Now there's this! http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2008/07/24/say-hello/

We have been beavering away with Elonex and Carphone Warehouse to bring the webbook to light.

Free with various 3G network subscriptions.

Oh, yes. It runs Ubuntu Hardy Heron :-)

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone
maethorechannen
Thu Jul 31 02:11:31 -0700 2008
 manage

Oh, yes. It runs Ubuntu Hardy Heron :-)

 

As in, "it comes out of the box with Ubuntu" or "I can install Ubuntu over XP|Vista"?

 

I was just walking by a carphone warehouse and I saw an add for the elonex and I was wondering what OS it came with.

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone
The Open Sourcerer
Thu Jul 31 02:41:52 -0700 2008
 manage

The units in store should come "out of the box" with Hardy Heron :-) That what we put on them...

Carphone Warehouse do have a few units left that were the original and these have XP installed but I think these are only being sold on-line.

Al

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone
maethorechannen
Thu Jul 31 02:45:45 -0700 2008
 manage

The units in store should come "out of the box" with Hardy Heron :-)

 

must... resist... running.. to... carphone warehouse

:-)

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone
The Open Sourcerer
Thu Jul 31 02:46:43 -0700 2008
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lol -

Resistance is futile...

More beans to spill?

zogger
Thu Jul 31 16:49:27 -0700 2008
 manage

Coming to the US, carrier, price, get a full gig of ram instead of half????

Cellphone Plan "Free" Hardware - Laptop, not a Phone
wowbagger
Thu Jul 31 04:48:43 -0700 2008
 manage

Long ago, when Bill Gates made his "hardware should be free" statement, I said this was the way things were going1: sign up for service, get the hardware. Indeed, that was the *intent* behind the I-Opener and other devices - it's just that the companies doing that didn't realize that selling the hardware at a discount was a mistake.

As computers of a given level of competency get cheaper, it becomes feasible to offer a computer as a part of a service contract, and make money on the service contract. This is just an example of that: sign up for our service, get a computer "free"*.
*Computer is leased as a part of the service. No user serviceable parts inside. User may not change the software on the computer save through our service. Computer may only be used for our service. User agrees to provide us with an unlimited non-exclusive right to all data on the computer, from any source. User agrees to view all ads we ram down his throat. User agrees we may terminate service at any time. User agrees we may terminate all access to any data on the computer at any time. User agrees that all disputes will be settled by arbitration, by an arbiter of our choosing, in a location of our choosing, at a time of our choosing.

1At least, this is the way Big Business wants it to go: after all, how can I monetize the consumer seats into a revenue stream if they actually OWN anything? These diamond-encrusted platinum backscratchers aren't cheap, you know!

p.s. fixed footnote subscript.

 

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