Lady72nRob71

Not the tasty round fruit that go well in pies, but the icrap. The cute but short-lived, unservicable timebomb gadgets that cost you lots of $$ and frustration. If I buy something expensive, I expect it to be durable and last for 10 years+. Am I too crazy for thinking this nowdays? I think so..........

Take for ONE example my 2gb ipod nano.
Now I never would have paid the 250 bucks for it (price then!), but it was given to me in 2005 as a company gift, as my company makes the ICs for it (no I am not not proud of that, either...)
It was being babied all its life for 5 years. It lived in a clear plastic case and I kept the protective film on it and used it sparingly for 3 years.
I was never a fan of the tricky, confusing PC software, and i am still not.

I got another similar used 8gb ipod from craigs list 2 years ago just because it held more. The old 2gb one was charged and put away in a drawer in the study.

Yesterday I got it out and charged it as I finally discovered a use for it.
To my surprise, it had developed a fatal problem while not being used...
Everything worked fine except it would only display a folder with an exclamation point when disconnected from the PC. The Diags passed, battery was still good, it worked fine with PC and itunes, would even transfer songs...

I tried to fix it and reset it with all the advice from online forums but nothing fixed it. Nothing changed, better or worse.
I went to the last resort and as apple DID recommend, I used the stupid itunes restore feature to restore it to factory default. That move killed the remaining life of this nano, as it said firmware was corrupted and it stalled and killed the ipod completely. Being an engineer, I know that flash memory is called that because one wrong electron flow will cause your data to be all gone in a flash... I am guessing maybe the software sensed the ipod was over 5 years old and it wanted me to buy a new one. I am betting lot more new stuff is rigged, like many laptop batteries, to die at determined times. We make the ICs for the batteries at work and they ARE designed to render the pack useless if conditions are right!

Anyway, my hosed ipod got chunked against the wall, breaking its fragile little screen. It was toast now.
Next I wanted to open it up. It took 5 throws on the driveway and another 5 against a brick wall for it to finally come apart.
I decided to do it in with a 3lb sledgehammer and vow to NEVER buy expensive apple junk again. To my amazement, the hammer treatment did not produce too many more loose parts!

This new little stuff is completely unrepairable if broke, unlike my 50 year old record players which just need a cleaning an lube every 20 years.
Even small hardware I can deal with, however firmware and software removes almost all hope at fixing something. Any customer service is non-existing, especially from a big co. And will I pay 100 bucks to service an outdated thing like this? Heck no. It seems lots of people online are also having problems with these costly toys.

When my new ipod dies, i will go back to cassettes. The audio equipment I bought 10-20 years ago still works fine. Even a forgotten walkman from 12 years ago was uncovered in a drawer and even those old AA batteries played a tape for over an hour! Screw new technology!
Sorry for the LONG rant, but I am POed beyond comprehension right now.

Here mr ipod meets mr sledgehammer! This did relieve some frustration...



I tried to get the lithium ion battery to blow up by hitting it right, but it looks like I will have to incinerate it to do that.


The modern concept is spend more, get less, own it for less time. I have seen this in lots of other cheaper gadgets but I thought you just got what you paid for - I was wrong.

Anyone else the victims of the above concept??

Blk71SX

I understand your frustration, it only took one shot to relieve mine





dell008.jpg

redoldsman

Man, I don't want to cut in front of you guys in traffic. I have to admit, I have done similar things myself. Age has helped and it doesn't happen too often now.

Eric Anderson

Hey Rob thats one way to peel an Apple,

Nice shot Blk, hope you took it outside first

hamm36

Rob, please do not bring your hammers to my house. I might get the fever.

Bluevista

Need a bigger hammer Rob.

If I had a BFH,
I'd BFH in the morning
I'd BFH in the evening
All over this la-and.

I'd hammer out Ipods...


I hate that stuff Rob, why do you think I always say it gives me a headache?
I hate this PC I'm typing on right now, if it don't fix on restart restart again, if that don't work break glass with the LFH and grab the BFH.

You know my credo, "I dont mess with electronics or women", as Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations", he also said "It happens".
"Do you know what kind of BFH this is? do ya' punk?"

I have a little Sansa MP3 player my daughter gave me but I just use it for my 8 track to cassette adapter-cassette to MP3 adapter.
I might install a fire suppresion sytem pointed at the unit just in case it goes into some strange audiotronic fission and spontaneously combusts.
It sounds like a constant Neil Young guitar solo no matter what's playing.

I'm looking for a decent 8 track recorder, been reading up on the best older units, about a buck and a quarter on evilbay.
Blank tapes are no problem, I can tape over old Neil Young 8 tracks.

Maybe I'll upgrade to quadrophonic someday?

Bunser

Tape over old Neil Young eight tracks? Well, hopefully your collection of Wayne Newton "classics" turn out to your satisfaction.

My442

I have been teaching objects that don't perform a lesson for decades.

I have shot running lawnmowers, crushed toasters, body slammed weed trimmers....you name it, I have destroyed it.

I am a true Luddite at heart.

firefrost gold

Thats why I like a manual choke and pull the wire turn it over warm it up push it in. It is funny to hear some guys talk about their car at work . they cant change their oil or fuel filter But they can get to level 12 on grand theft auto. MAN UP

cutlassgal

.....Tape over old Neil Young eight tracks?


Say it isn't so!!!!!

wolfman98

I can relate with you on the quality of some of these new products. Technology is changing too fast so when I buy something for my kid as a present and spend a lot of money to do that i would expect it to last and him to get enjoyment from it for a long time. Instead I find it is outdated after a year and not used anymore. even my last laptop I had to get rid of , actually wiped it clean and added 4x memory to it , then gave it to my mom so she can play solitaire and scrabble on. She also uses it for emails. I was tired of it crashing every other month so I bought a desktop PC with 4MB system memory and 500 MB hard drive with an expansion bay where I could triple that if necessary. More bells and whistles than I know what to do with. It will probably be outdated next year

Olds64

Bummer!

I know what you mean Rob. I purchased a $1000 Philips LCD last spring and I've been fighting Philips Customer Service to get it repaired/replaced since October. As of right now, I don't have a TV because they had me send it to them in December. FWIW, don't ever buy a Philips product, and I will make sure I don't buy an IPOD!

Jamesbo

What's an ipod?

Lady72nRob71

How did you stop at one shot?? I would have taken it to the range for shotgun practice. Oh my, it is a dell! The laptop with the 18 month battery! I understand your action - makes me feel a bit better about my dells...

I keep one on the bike and in every car, just in case of emergencies...


I need to borrow my neighbors 12 pounder!

I can deal with most SW issues on a PC at least. But proprietary firmware on these little toys are out of the question.

My next mp3 player will be a cheapie. If it dies prematurely, I will not be as upset. In fact I have a cheapie 20gb unit from 2002 that still works! It is big and clunky, but it is very easy to use and needs no software - just copy songs to it like a hard drive.

I have one at home and used to record over prerecorded stuff. However you need to make sure the head is well aligned otherwise you will have ghosts of the previous recording on your new recording.

I have been close to destroying other stuff, all being newer little crap that use firmware and software. Most of the old stuff I can fix or just doesn't break.
If I had a gas trimmer, I probably would have BFH'ed it. My neighbors go through one about every 4 years. The fuel lines break and you have to take the ENTIRE engine apart to replace it. They toss them. I am sticking with the cordless 18V B&D stuff - very reliable!

I do not care about something being outdated, as this new crap is outdated the day you buy it. Therefore any support is probably 2 years or less, if at all.
Functionality is what I am concerned about - this stuff breaks too soon for no good reason, even when cared for.
Technology is moving way ahead of good designs. It is "slap it together and get it on the market." Firmware bugs and software glitches (what killed my ipod) will render the most expensive & sophisicated thing useless without extensive repair cost.
How about these dumb new appliances for $1000's that connect to the internet? If an improper update is done, they are totally dead. Everything these days want firmware updates, too.
My cheapo timer controlled units are reliable.
And get this - a bug in a new plane's software caused it to crash right out of the factory!
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/newpho...anes/049.shtml

Something THAT NEW being broke already? Hope you had it on a major credit card - you might have some extra leverage there. Heck my mom's 1972 Zenith is STILL working!!
My coworker is going through the same crap with panasonic for his new tv.

Its' a Piece Of Dung.
Crap you do not want, need, or should have. Stick with the LPs, cassettes, and 8-tracks.

Stick to OLD, RELIABLE, SIMPLE technology for less headaches and hastles...

Jamesbo

Anyone want or need in 78's ?

70 cutlass s

I would like to see a computer getting destroyed by C-4. That would make my day.

cutlassgal

.....What's an ipod?


These are Ipods Jamesbo! I got my daughter the I-touch Ipod for Christmas. So far, so good! I had a nano but never used it.

Jamesbo

Why would I want one? What do they do?

cutlassgal

You download music on them and listen with ear phones!! You can put videos on them (the bigger ones) from you tube or your own... Nicole has so many things on hers, I can't keep up!! Her fingers move so fast over that thing! lol!!! You can get a lot of stuff from the internet too, I guess, and put on them, but that costs you.
Kind of like those Blackberry things! And I don't mean the ones you eat! LOL

Jamesbo

Why in the Wild Wild World of Sports would anyone what to do that?

I have a ole college bud who is RETIRED and gets e-mails and surfs the net on some thing-a-ma-jig 24/7

I mean like you're trying to have a conversation over lunch and the friggin Dow Jones Average is coming in to his shirt pocket.

Geeze Louise. Get a life.

Truthfully, I subscribe to a newsletter titled "Friends of Silence"

http://friendsofsilence.net/

IMHO There's enough noise in this world

big mean

Now I am realy glad I didnt spring for the custom auto sound stereo with Ipod interface. That would have caused me to purchase an Ipod just for the car radio...lol I have a cheapo sansa 8mb that i use for riding my Harley, it is small, simple and works. The best part is I think i spent $60 bucks on it and it will still hook up through the cheaper custom autosound radio i just purchased.

Lady72nRob71

I got a bunch already, but more would be cool. I have several players that will play 'em!

Mine, too!

Betcha it does not work anymore - it probably expired while in storage like mine did.
Do not drop those ipods with big screens - they will break easily.

Good move!

BTW - how do you like your CAS radio? Which one did you get? I am thinking about getting one some day that has the USB drive reader.

I do not mind 60 bucks for one, so when it dies, i will not feel too ripped off. If it is simple and works, that is what counts! I liked using my nano on the Harley when it worked, but now I will need to look for cheaper alternatives.

slowolds

IPOD/Itunes has the most brain dead (or masochistic) followers around. They are more than happy to put up with the proprietary limitations, horrible customer support and being gouged for every accessory.
I can't wait for the next release
Had real good luck with old IRiver devices. Drag and drop whatever music you wanted to the device.

big mean

I have not installed the CAS radio yet. I think i got the 230 model. Radio, aux input, 50x4 power and 2 sets of rca outputs. I am trying to figure out where to put some front speakers before I instal it. I will post back after instalation. If anyone wants to see the Olds specific one, let me know I can snap some pictures of it. Overall it cost about $190-200 after shipping and tax. I ordered it from a local steroe shop so i have a place to take it back if I have problems. I figured the $200 was worth the original look and newer technology, ok crap I just said the bad words that started this thread...lol

Oh and the cheapo sansa seems to work great, had it 2 years, so I have got money worth. The only problem I have is that it autosynch's and I dont know how to turn that feature off. My wife has a similar sansa unit and it synchs all her crap. Imagine this, cruising at 70mph on my Harley jamming to metalica or rob zombie and brittney spears starts playing!!!!!!! I couldnt really reach the mp3 player to change the song while riding, so i ripped the ear buds out and let them dangle until I could stop and change the song....lmao

Olds64

Please post pics. I've heard about these radios and have never gotten any good concrete info on them.

442much

Damn Rob! I hope your car never fails to start...

citcapp

When I am in my 57 I leave the radio off. I prefer the sound of the 2.5" dual exhaust comming from my 455. In my Cad I have a 10 disc CD changer thats as modern as I care to get. When I am with someone in a resturant and their phone rings I ask them to not answer it. I am old school and do not believe you need to have something in your ear all of the time. I see couples in resturants all the time each on their phone or texting or on their I-pod. Doesn't anyone have a conversation anymore

Lady72nRob71

Got a BFH in each one, just in case!!

J/K...

Actually, this was a rare isolated incident. I was just imagining it was forbes... So much for my desire to buy a mac later.
Despite the high price, these new gadgets are designed to be completely disposable (and very easy to F up), so might as well get even with it before it goes in the trash bin... The last time I did this with another little techno gadget, but I cannot remember what it even was - it was many years ago.
These things have no chance at being repairable and most other new stuff is catching up to that design. Cost keeps going up though.

Most of my stuff at home is very old - the vacuum, lawn mower, edger, console stereo, laundry pair, etc, for the sole reason is that they give little trouble and they are simple to fix if they do break. In fact those first 3 items are from the early 60s to mid 70s! They are simple yet great quality!

dan2286

I am one of the rare 23 year olds who has never had an Ipod. I usually just listen to the radio and that's it. I rarely even touch my cds unless I really want to hear a specific band. I barely even have any music on my computer.

big mean

Here are the pics of the radio, i tried getting the small olds logo but the flash was fading out the small chrome detail.

big mean

I guess the detail is ok. I dont know if it matters, i assume they didnt have a starfire specific model so the box said 66 cutlass.

Lady72nRob71

Wow - you are one of a kind! One who saves themselves the hassle of fighting with one of those iconic, disfunctional things! Use the saved $$$ for car parts.
You are not missing anything good - the cheapie mp3 players would be a much better buy if you ever choose to get one. Hey - I still use cassette tapes!

THANKS for the photos - that thing looks pretty sharp! It looks a lot better than any other new stuff on the market, aside from a modified factory radio. I need to replace my 1983 jap job someday soon and am considering the model with the USB interface.
Let me know how yours fits and sounds, but do not expect a lot of power. Only about 7-10 real RMS watts per channel at best. I do not know why MANY mfgrs continue to falsify car amp power outputs. It only disappoints customers in the end. However, you can add an external amp easily with that one.
Kick panels with speakers may be a good way to go if you do not have them already. No hacking your original interior.

Olds64

Big Mean, is this the original manufacturer of your radio?

http://www.casmfg.com/index.htm

jeffreyalman

thanks for the inspiration, dragged this out today and it works. I never did the iPod thing, but did spend like $400 on a Dell MP3 player 6 years ago. The battery stopped holding a charge after 3 years and Dell stopped supporting it as well. The Dell rep told me to buy an iPod. I have not yet. And now, I am glad I didn't. I did drag out a bunch of CDs, cassettes, etc, and I sat in my driveway for 10 minutes trying to get everything organized. The MP3 players really are better.

big mean

Sure is. I used their dealer locator and went to a local place. They still charged $10 shipping but I wanted a place to take it back to if I have any problems.

big mean

I am not to worried about the power, I just want some music. I am going to get some fairly cheap speakers and call it good. I had my days of massive systems and honestly dont mind a stock system. Less hassles, less of a theft chance and easier to work. I do appreciate a nice system, I would just rather spend my money on other areas. Plus with a baby on the way my priorities are changing......I cant believe I just said that....lol I am 27 and until 25 or 26 said I would never have kids.

Lady72nRob71

I am lookind at the USA630, which is the same as the 230 but with the USB drive interface. The ***** on it looked fugly in their website picture, but looking at your pics, their website pics seem to just have reflection on them.
If only the USB had a random feature, I would be jumping on it already!

On another SMASHING topic, did you know you can pay a place 60 bucks and send in your hard drive for secure destruction?? You know how they do it?? BFH!!
I am gonna open one of those places. I think I would enjoy it! I will charge only 30 bucks base price. With pictures, 40. With video, 50!
In fact why don't people do it themselves? Maybe some people do not know how to use the BFH... Hmmm... I have some busted hard drives laying around...

big mean

I will let you know when my cheapo sansa craps out....

Indy_68_S

Ahhh, With topics like this, I love this site more & more as I despise modern overly-complex, delicate, and quickly obsolete disposable techno
baubles.....

I hear you.

I hate throwing things away only to replace it with something even more disposable. I have always prided myself on fixing something when it broke. That's almost impossible. I've spent countless (& ultimately pointless) hours trying to repair some modern widget (toys, laptops, printers, camcorders, appliances, etc..) only to find that its either unrepairable or too costly to continue.

Disposability aside, there's the learning curve for new devices. The mfg'rs deceptively tout attractive features/benefits, but in reality you find that it takes hours of frustration (& usually add'l equipment/$$) to actually do/use the advertised capabilities if they can be used at all. This really makes me PO'd.

I bought my wife a nice ($$) new digital camcorder because "You can put your videos on your PC!". When I finally tried to do this I found that the 120+ page instruction manual was little help. 2 days later after 8+ agravating hours scouring forums, dl'ing apps, & having to buy a $40 cable, I managed to get some video to the PC only to find that add'l software ($) is needed to do anything with it. Wait, that wasn't mentioned in the ad/commercial. Only the cam's cost saved it from pulveration....Gimme Super8...

I need a new cell phone, but am loathe to get a newer one. My trusty 5+ y/o Sanyo's only flaw is battery life. It dials, I talk. It rings, I talk. That's it. Now, it looks like my only options are new ones with touchscreens, email, 'Net acess, texting, ad nauseam... Email might be nice for my business, but I don't want to spend hours & hours or frustration
learning something that will be worthless in a year (or less).

[touchscreenrant]
Some popular modern devices are amazingly poorly conceived, but are loved by the masses due to the gee-whiz factor, slick marketing, & the masses' sheep-like existence. Take auto touchscreens....

"Wow ! An automotive control that requires me to take my eyes off the road to use it? Brilliant ! That's much better than the tactile ****/switches/sliders that I used to have!"

Whoever is resposible for the proliferation of touchscreens in cars should be executed for crimes against humanity.
[/touchscreenrant]

You have to wonder if people actually care that they're wasting countless hours on this junk. I suppose not... based on the number of heads-down thumb-typing screen-staring zombies I see everywhere....

I'm not a true Luddite since I'm a systems analyst/programmer and depend on some tech for income, but at times I secretly hope for a world-wide EMP blast. Then it'd just be me with my points distributor cruising the empty roads !

Now, excuse me while I head to the garage. I going to fire up my 25+ y/o Technics receiver & wrench on my car with 25+ y/o fractional inch wrenches & maybe call a friend on the 1960's rotary dial phone out there.... Ahhhhhh...analog!

70 cutlass s

Here you go Rob.