Worst Christmas Ever For Gadgets? 305
An anonymous reader writes, "CNet says this will be the most disappointing Christmas ever for gadget-lovers. The Playstation 3 is delayed across most of the world, the Zune MP3 player is cancelled for everyone outside the US, Vista won't be out for home users before the big day, and even Final Fantasy XII won't reach Europe in time. From the article: 'It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble... Santa fails to deliver on almost all of his Yuletide promises. Most of the major technologies that were supposed to be ready for purchase have been delayed until next year.' The writer goes on to suggest phrases to use over Christmas dinner when the offending companies' products are mentioned. To reduce the pain of a Zune-less party, he suggests remarking: 'Imagine the stability and usability of Windows migrated to an MP3 player. In short, imagine a small portable version of Hell.'"
Wii! (Score:5, Insightful)
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Yeah, holy crap, what's TFA got against Wii? You can point at your TV to play games. Instead, we're going to whine about the incrementalist PS3?
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PS3 versus Wii [google.com]. For those that didn't see it yet, I found it hilarious.
Maybe it's time to go low tech (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech (Score:5, Funny)
What ever happened to pets? (Score:5, Funny)
Wha.... OH GOD!!! I'd forgotten! Fluffy! Sure enough, I found that skeleton behind the couch. Thanks a lot, way to make my day!
Look at the bright side (Score:5, Insightful)
You can use that skeleton for a real nice case mod ;-)
Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone who's thinking about getting somebody a puppy, or any other animal, as a surprise for Christmas
If you get tired of playing with a video game system, it just sits in the closet. Chances are, if people get tired of that puppy, it'll be sent to a shelter to be slaughtered.
Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech (Score:5, Funny)
Or at the very least, get them Nintendogs if you have to!
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There's no good being done there. There are a whole lot of peop
Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably the best present my parents ever got me and my brother was our cat, and later over the years hamsters, gerbils & guinea pigs. However they made an informed decision and planned for all the responsibility that went along with it. Pets help build immune systems in growing kids, don't ask me why, google it, there have been studies. It amazes me how much companionship, stress relief and quality of life improvement pets can bring to a family They also provide a good education on responsibility if the parents properly supervise the kids taking care of the pet.
But remember:
If your unsure about your ability to care for a pet properly, don't do it. Start small if you need to, goldfish are about as low maintenance as you can get, if you or your kid can't keep one alive, the ASPCA would be after you if you got something furry and four legged. If you can handle a fish, then think about a hamster, they are cute, reasonably easy to care for, and not as longterm of a commitment as a cat or dog.
My wife and I are in Afghanistan for the year, and leaving our kitty was probably one of the harder things to do. However she is being well cared for by my in-laws who already had a couple cats that our kitty grew up with.Re: (Score:3, Informative)
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Not if you swallow them while they're still fresh from the store....
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Got hungry and ate them!
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Not that upset, really... (Score:5, Funny)
I'd rather have a Wii.
the Zune MP3 player is cancelled for everyone outside the US
I'd rather have an iPod (if I wasn't perfectly happy with my Rockbox'd iRiver).
Vista won't be out for home users before the big day
I'd rather have a lobotomy.
and even Final Fantasy XII won't reach Europe in time.
Never mind that, when's Final Fantasy III coming out for DS?
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I'd rather have a bottle in front of me,
than a frontal lobotomy.
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Back on topic, FF12 is absolutely incredible. Star Wars (love it or hate it) is the big-production sci-fi series. LoTR is the big-production fant
Not many gadgets for the first Christmas (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not many gadgets for the first Christmas (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, I remember. The iPods back then were the size of a phone booth and only held 128K worth of iTunes. Coal-fired CD burners, too. Yeah, those were the days.
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I believe those were called kilns.
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Re:Not many gadgets for the first Christmas (Score:4, Funny)
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I don't care much about gadgets... (Score:3, Funny)
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I'll take the coal, please (Score:5, Insightful)
Regarding the Zune thing - aren't there already like 50 different MP3 players on the market - not counting the iPod family? So again, who the hell cares? What a stupid article.
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Thousands of computer shop owners
Being able to display areo on your demo machine and have the salesman proudly talking about the very top most latest new release of Windows during the most important sale period of the year
"So again, who the hell cares?"
Considering the burden of shopping during Christmas and the insane prices on almost everything related, I say, why do people still care about Christmas at all? Wait January for re
I have 4 comps in my house, + a server (Score:2)
Someone in a one computer household, that's old and decrepit and up for renewal- will go to someone like me for a reccomendation.
I'm the one that's going to tell them to wait for vista to be loaded on the machine...
they are going to hold onto that machine for 2-3 years at least- and it's the only advice I can feel safe giving a neophyte right now.
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Recommending a Mac would be safe too, you know -- in fact, it's almost certainly safer!
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No one. That's why Santa is stuffing stockings of bad children everywhere with the betas.
No, I'm New Here (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No, I'm New Here (Score:5, Funny)
Final Fantasy XII (Score:2, Interesting)
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Famitsu believe it to be the best Final Fantasy so far, giving it 40 out of 40 [wikipedia.org], a feat achieved by only 5 other games.
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I feel like this thing has been going on forever...
(note to self, find someone with a playstation to finally find out what FF is about)
Add one more (Score:2)
--trb
Bad news ? (Score:2)
And you think it's bad news ?
Distracting tree decorations (Score:2)
I see someone has yet to discover the amazing simplicity of the Festivus Pole.
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Oh no (Score:2)
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A witch I used to know reckons it's because whenever a missionary was trying to convert a bunch of people, the people would say "Well, we've got this festival at this time of year and it's all great fun" and the Church had set festival dates so the missionary would be able to reply with "We have something similar".
Maybe for geek gadget lovers (Score:2)
Face it, the article was written for the /. crowd, not to the average consumer. For the average consumer, there's still a lot.
1) Wii
Okay, it's a crappy name, but at $250 it's very affordable to most households.
2) iPod nano 2nd gen
One word: colors. No self-respecting geek would buy a pink iPod but every female I know that doesn't have one wants one.
3) Sansa e200 series players
There is an alternative to the iPod. SanDisk should step up their marketing.
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Hey! I don't want a pink iPod! I want EVERY color so it can coordinate with what I'm wearing each day!
Missing Option (Score:2)
No impact on the Open Source Community (Score:2)
My Christmas Gadget (Score:2)
I think I'm more likely to find a PS3 lying in the street to be honest.
digicams (Score:2)
Back away from the tinsel, we're here to help... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble...
Is it just me, or is the list of events requiring ritual seppuku getting a little crowded?
Title is misleading (Score:5, Insightful)
Here in the US all these gadgets will be here. Good Luck laying your hands on one of those overpriced-ForcednewMedia-PS3s though.
Speaking of the PS3. I just realized this High Price, Low Volume, pre order only console strategy is a valid strategy. A strategy to sqeeze one more Xmas out of the PS2. Selling at 129 for the slimline/bundle, it is the Wii's only real competition. And they managed to sneak it up on us. And I thought they were Idiots.
No Problem! Make Your Own! (Score:3, Interesting)
I have not done Christmas 'shopping' for close to 10 years now.
Every year, I make my own gifts for my family.
Popular opinion says that it's far better and more deeply personal to hand make your holiday gifts. By making my own gifts, I also give a part of my own self with each family member.
I have three hobbies that bless me with thie freedome. Sewing, electronics, and glass. I have made a variety of gifts for the family, ranging from unique rainwear; unique clothing crafted from upholstery and drapery fabrics; glass art; and this year, very unique burning mane inspired clear plastic rain bonnets lines with el-wire, or what some of you know of, as glow-wire and cold-neon.
Surely, all of you must have some creative energy and spirit. Let it flow free. Give it a try!
Luv
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My cat has rather more artistic talent than I do.
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My family is well off enough that if they want something, they can pretty much get it on their own. I spent several stressful Christmases trying to find something they'd really respond to. One year I decided instead of trying to find them gifts, I went the charity route instead. There was a Christmas tree at the mall that had several cards on them from kids who were asked to make a Christmas wish. I went through the requests and
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I spend the first week of December super gluing random crap together from my basement. I spray paint it a color and then wrap it.
Then I give the gift, wait for them to open it and ask, "do you like It? I spent all year sculpting that for you. The gold leaf was really hard as well. I so hope you like it!"
then I get the joy of asking for the next month, "hey where did you put my scupture I gave you for christmas? when we show up at the
Its more like a cause for celebration (Score:2)
Wha? (Score:5, Insightful)
There are pantloads of gadgets and non-gadgets out there I'd love to receive this holiday season, chances are you've never seen a television commercial for any of them, none of them will cost you a week's pay, and if you know me you can guess what they are. And I hope whatever I give you is just as appreciated.
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Amen to that. Not only does it not saying anything new or interesting, it fails in even coming close to evaluating the thesis of the piece. Is it the worst gadget Christmas ever? Who knows, they've done nothing to put the situation into historical perspective.
If you're going to say something is the worst ever, it's important to actually describe how you are judging and why other entries are so much worse. For instance, did they consider the dredded gadget year of 1998? Let me take a
Who gives: (Score:4, Insightful)
Or a good book? "The Ascent of Science" by Brian Silver is quite a nice read. Buying for an eight year old? May I reccomend a reprint of "the Golden Book of Chemistry" (Go to LuLu books. Several versions of differing quality. Some are very good labors of love, others not so much, yet still useful.).
Or a subscription to MAKE, CRAFT, National Geographic, or some other magazine?
Or if you are going to break the bank on a gift, how about something not obsolete in a couple of years. How about a chemistry set? The CHEM C3000 doesn't suck. And given todays "chemistry sets", that is high praise. Or go all out if its a son/grandson/daughter/granddaughter. Buy a nice shed, build a chemistry workbench. Cover it in bronze sheeting (or copper. or brass). Buy some surplus glassware and an inkwell burner at American Science Surplus. And a lot of mason jars of varying sizes. A golden book of chemistry. A pack of three moleskin notebooks for their notes, and to top it off, privacy if they want it. Or get involved in their lives. Make it fun. Bond.
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I asked "santa" for a subscription of WoW.
In the letter I stated "If you bring me the subscription to WoW I wont do anything [bad] for one year". And of course next year I would ask for another subscription.
Best Christmas ever? (Score:2, Informative)
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Doctor Steel's gadgets (Score:2)
Sorry. Gadget-wise, he used to sell a "remote anti-gravity flying saucer (for $625,000.99 U.S.)" [scifi.com], but I can't find it in his catalogue anymore. He must have sold out.
News for nerds, my shiny metal ass (Score:2)
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And the european version:
Slashdot: News for consumers. Stuff you can't buy this christmas.
Ha. I love in Europe, but I care for nothing on this list.
huh? (Score:2)
That just means it sucks if you are a european. Thats not exactly news. Vista not coming out is hardly bad news.
There is nothing on this list that make it seem like a bad x-mas. FFXII is europe's own damn fault with several different languages and PAL,SECAM and other TV standards.
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The game draws graphics using OpenGL, Direct3D or whatever other graphics API is available and then the graphics library or hardware (TV output chip for example) handles all the differences between PAL, NTSC etc.
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World of Warcraft (Score:2)
But hey! Neverwinter Nights 2 is out!
Aliens in the UK (Score:2)
They are a cross between those slimy grow things that you put in water, and a little robot, because there are sensors popping out of them (they are electronic). There is a little trick in how they respond to their own we
How about we cut consumerising Christmas? (Score:5, Insightful)
Since I became an adult I am far less worried about what gifts I receive at Christmas and far more thankful for the gifts I already have. Not all gifts come wrapped in pretty paper and bows.
Merry Christmas!
When I was a kid.. (Score:2)
But more seriously, I had to settle for a plastic JAWS and a Tonka fire engine. What are they whining about?
Cnet editors are idiots... (Score:2)
There are a crapload of cool gadgets coming out. Want an example??? sure...
Mediagate MG-35 or the MG-350HD is a extrnal hard drive that acts as a movie player/server that has wowed everyone I have shown it to. It will play DVD's as a normal dvd with menu and extras from iso files. I have a demo unit with about 40 movies on it that blows away everyone thta asees it on the small 42" plasma we demo with.
Granted it's not a gadget for the techie that has no skills at a
If delays with PS3 or Vista makes you suicidal... (Score:2)
"It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble."
Clearly Chris Stevens has far bigger problems than suffering production delays from Microsoft or Sony. Who really ASKS for Vista as a Christmas present? (or any kind of holiday present, actually) How bizarre. It's an insult to suicidal people everywhere.
AD 951 was pretty bad too (Score:2)
I think that's putting it a bit strong.
Most of the dark ages pretty much sucked
for gadget lovers [in Europe at least].
Final Fantasy... (Score:2)
Good Christmas After All (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like it will be a good Christmas after all!
I predicted the PS3 outcome... (Score:2)
Have Wii forgotten... (Score:2)
Calendar changes (Score:2)
Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Independence, Mom's and Dad's days are to be adujsted accordingly to product release dates.
This way we all have a better year experience than ever.
Worse ever? (Score:2)
CNet is right (Score:2)
But... (Score:3, Insightful)
Worst Christmas ever [in Europe]? (Score:2)
Re:In summary... (Score:4, Funny)
in other news sony have revised the number of PS3s being distributed to 5, 3 to North america and 2 to Tokyo
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The good news is that this is an increase on previous estimates...
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So how come there's 7 for sale on E-bay?
Re:In summary... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In summary... (Score:4, Funny)
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I'm certainly looking forward to the Wii! And maybe to upgraded Mac Minis (Core 2 Duo). And to Samsung's SPH-M8100. No honestly, it might be a nice christmas. And because there is no Vista and no PS3, less people will bring their christmas presents back to the shops to get something else instead.
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thus quoth the Geography nazi (Score:2)
Kind of redundant: India is entirely part of Asia.
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Continents are very different than tectonic plates. For the first example, remember that all of the State of California is in the continent of North America.... despite the fault that splits the state. This map [usgs.gov] should prove useful. Note that a large chunk of eastern Siberia and much of Japan are on the North American tectonic plate, but are not part of the North American continent. Ever hear anyone say that Siberia a
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