Marc Gerstein

Nokia Enters the Already Crowded Netbook Market: Pros and Cons

"Nokia has a price tag of approximately $300 for its net-book."

Wrong!

Nokia has a price tag of approximately $600 for its net-book, which is way overpriced.

Who in their right mind would take the $300 version which requires a $60-a-month plan with AT&T? Most people are already paying somebody somewhere for internet access and wouldn't even consider giving AT&T $60 a month.

This sort of nonsense is an example of what happens when corporations pay more attention to their own "biz dev" (business development) group rather than to their customers.

And by the way, who wants Windows 7, another Microsoft operating system of the future. One of the benefits of netbooks is that you can get them with XP, which we know works even on normal amounts of memory.

Circuit City's Bankruptcy Is Great News for Best Buy

I can see where BBY might benefit, but whether they do or not seems to me an open question. Here's a copy of an e-mail I just sent to BBY:

"I was intrigued by BBY’s latest earnings release.

'Yes, consumer spending is under very severe pressure. But it looks to me like BBY is doing extra things to worsen its situation, namely following the Circuit City approach to customer care.

'Last night, my family walked into the store on Northern Blvd. in Long Island City intending to spend $700-$900 on a flat-screen TV. After considerable frustration trying to find a sales person who would help us, we gave up and walked out empty handed.

'Perhaps BBY has been on top for too long and is getting a bit complacent re: its customers."