Will O'Brien
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Alienware: Dell's new pain in the neck?
Earlier this year, Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) acquired Alienware but largely left the company alone. But Alienware's recent alienation of product review journalists may create some public relations backlash towards Alienware, and by proxy, its parent company Dell.
A recent article on Hexus.net, a tech review site, revealed a poorly thought out vision for ensuring good reviews. Apparently Alienware is refusing to provide sample units to journalists who've given less than glowing product reviews. Sure, if a reviewer calls your company bad names you probably won't go out of your way for them next time. In this case, the review wasn't harsh, it was just honest and suggested some alternatives for the high cost of the Alienware machine.
Nobody goes out of their way to help someone who called them a bad name. In Hexus's case, the review wasn't terribly critical. If Alienware is openly trying to manipulate the media for good reviews, the backlash could become staggering. Maybe it's time for Dell to get more involved in raising their new stepchild.
A recent article on Hexus.net, a tech review site, revealed a poorly thought out vision for ensuring good reviews. Apparently Alienware is refusing to provide sample units to journalists who've given less than glowing product reviews. Sure, if a reviewer calls your company bad names you probably won't go out of your way for them next time. In this case, the review wasn't harsh, it was just honest and suggested some alternatives for the high cost of the Alienware machine.
Nobody goes out of their way to help someone who called them a bad name. In Hexus's case, the review wasn't terribly critical. If Alienware is openly trying to manipulate the media for good reviews, the backlash could become staggering. Maybe it's time for Dell to get more involved in raising their new stepchild.
Gearing up for investing... what account to open where and more
After a hiatus from the stock market, I'm finally gearing up to start investing again. Why the break? I worked for a company that had one of the worst IPOs in history. I made a previous attempt to start investing again, but that was stalled by a bad customer service experience with my old broker.
I was single and self sufficient the first time I started investing. I treated it like a trip to Vegas - all the money I put in was considered a loss rather than an asset. I worked on the network side at a trading data company, so I had access to real time stock information and worked with several day traders. My only goal was to try to make a little money.
Today, I'm the sole source of income for my family, so the amount of income I'll be diverting into my accounts is relatively small. This time around, I've decided to take a different approach to my investing. I'll certainly trade to make money, but I'm also working towards retirement. I'm treating my investments as an asset, and plan to ratchet up the amount going into my accounts as time goes by.
I was single and self sufficient the first time I started investing. I treated it like a trip to Vegas - all the money I put in was considered a loss rather than an asset. I worked on the network side at a trading data company, so I had access to real time stock information and worked with several day traders. My only goal was to try to make a little money.
Today, I'm the sole source of income for my family, so the amount of income I'll be diverting into my accounts is relatively small. This time around, I've decided to take a different approach to my investing. I'll certainly trade to make money, but I'm also working towards retirement. I'm treating my investments as an asset, and plan to ratchet up the amount going into my accounts as time goes by.
Continue reading Gearing up for investing... what account to open where and more
Counterfit equipment could threaten Cisco
Cisco's name could come under attack from the oddest of places, it's own vendors. Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is one of the most valuable companies in the world. So much in fact, that Network World is reporting counterfeit knock off network hardware has been appearing in mainstream distribution channels. This could seriously undermine Cisco's reputation, and reputation can often mean market share.
Microsoft has been fighting 'counterfeit' copies of Windows software for years. In Microsoft's case, the software in question is usually just an unlicensed copy of a genuine product. Counterfeit hardware is far more insidious. It comes with Cisco's name and logo, but hasn't met any quality assurance or compatibility standards.
Cisco's gear is sold as reliable and well supported. Initially, the end customers get shafted because the fake equipment won't have warranty coverage. Aside from angry phone calls, Cisco won't feel the bite quite as badly because of their previously insane seeming habit of putting serial numbers on just about everything (I think even my cisco shirt has one on it somewhere).
The next time customers are rolling up to upgrade their networks, however, the scourge of the counterfeit equipment could have them taking a hard look at other hardware vendors.
Microsoft has been fighting 'counterfeit' copies of Windows software for years. In Microsoft's case, the software in question is usually just an unlicensed copy of a genuine product. Counterfeit hardware is far more insidious. It comes with Cisco's name and logo, but hasn't met any quality assurance or compatibility standards.
Cisco's gear is sold as reliable and well supported. Initially, the end customers get shafted because the fake equipment won't have warranty coverage. Aside from angry phone calls, Cisco won't feel the bite quite as badly because of their previously insane seeming habit of putting serial numbers on just about everything (I think even my cisco shirt has one on it somewhere).
The next time customers are rolling up to upgrade their networks, however, the scourge of the counterfeit equipment could have them taking a hard look at other hardware vendors.
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