Is Free Really Free?

I just love free. Who doesn't? I mean, if a friend walks up to you and offers to shovel your walks during a freak snow storm, would you really turn down the offer?

That being said, is free always free or are there obligations associated with the "freeness?" In the above example, would the friend require anything for his service (i.e. hot chocolate, or return of the favor some day) or is it just that, service?

In the business world, free is a term that is used liberally to mean upfront no catches but we'll get you eventually. Do you remember the days of NetZero and free dial-up? One could argue that the service was free, with the annoying ad banners. But in the long haul, especially when we got a taste for speedier services, we longed for bigger pipes and were willing to pay just a little more. So free amounted to long term connection addiction and eventually an adulterous affair (or at a minimum cohabitation) with the Internet.

Today's example of something that is marketed as free but really isn't was a deal I scored that originated on slickdeals.net (yes, R, you can sigh now). The offer was from GoDaddy.com and IndyCar. If you subscribe to the newsletter (not sure what all that entails just yet) you are awarded with a free domain purchase. Free!!!

The catch? Spam from IndyCar newsletter. And possibly they sell off your e-mail and your spam filter goes into overdrive.

But come on, a free domain? That's how I scored my first domain, grecca.com (which is currently offline and has been for 1.5 yrs do to a domain transfer to godaddy.com). I like free and if it means having to put gmail to work to filter out the newsletter and any other sluff that may creep into my precious 7 GB email account then so be it.

Remote for iPhone

Wow, I just got a cool little free app working on my iPhone. This is the best thing I've seen since upgrading to iPhone 2.0. The premise is that any iTunes that is on the same LAN as the iPhone can be remotely controlled through the iPhone. And sure enough, the little bugger works like a charm.
The interface is decent for the iPhone and the response is immediate. The only caveat is for device that are on the LAN but connected to a VPN. Those devices are offlimits. Should be fun later to remotely start a song while my kids are upstairs, then ask them why they're playing iTunes and get that "Who me?" look from them :)

iPhone Back, Mostly

So just after I posted my ugly review of the iBrick, the iPhone decided it was time to get out the queue and actually finish the restoration. Mostly.

The phone became active again but all of my bookmarks, wall papers, music, video, pictures, txt histories, contacts, everything was still missing. Trying now to restore those as well. Hopefully not all is lost.

iPhone 2.0 Firmware Update Bricked Me

Uggggh! While I've sung the praises of the device that beats all other smart phones for firmware upgrades at no cost, I have to publicly admit I'm highly disappointed with Apple's preparedness today and my now useless iBrick. Yep, upon upgrading my iPhone 1st Gen to 2.0 status, the complete process failed and my iPhone is currently useless.

But to my relief, I'm not alone. Others have flooded the Internet, especially Twitter, with posts of their grief and dismay. All seem to have the same issue: all seems to go well (backup, upgrade, restore) then when accessing the iTunes Store for activation and the last step in the restoration process you get an error and a device that only allows for "emergency calls" with no signal to actually make the call.

Some have stated that the devices are in queue. I highly doubt this as the events to activate are user driven, not asynchronous queued events. The reality is 1st gen owners are competing with bandwidth and server issues with 2nd gen owners and Apple just simplied messed up. Will they be forgiven. Off course, as long as there are Apple Fanboys out there. Will the blogosphere forget this punishing day? Hopefully not.

As for me, I will not forget this day and will likely be a bit more hestitant to upgrade my firmware without waiting a few weeks. After hearing positive reviews from yesterday's successes, I thought, "sure, I'll chance it." Never again. Thanks Apple for a very stressful day. May it end well for both of us.

Like Tech Freebie Online Software?

If you're like me, you like a good deal, especially when it's free. There are several sources available online that offer just that, monetizing on ads or upselling users for more premium services.

Click this link to explore a few common services available. Also, don't forget FotoFlexer in the list of cool apps for photo editing. The image below was modified using FotoFlexer. You can also Crank it by clicking on the icon on the image and add your own text or image on top. Give it a try and have fun!

FlexPlay: disposable DVD in era of enviro-sensitivity?

There is a new service in town (well, the tried 5 years ago and failed), that is offering dispoable DVD. Yep, you read that right. Kind of mission impossible isn't it? They use an oxygen reacting glue on the surface of the disc that makes the DVD laser misread the contents of the disc and renders it useless. Ok, not quite as cool as melting down but still has an element of coolness to it. Once the disc is unsealed from its package, the DVD is only good for 48 hrs. Unsealed its good for up to a year. Sounds like a great deal, right?

In a period of environmental lobbying at its peak and prices for services on the rise, I don't see how this company can sustain a lasting business model. While the technology behind the business is certainly intriguing, one must question its sustainability. The following are my doubts on this product that time will give us a proper view of how successful or otherwise the product will be.

IS THE PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE? I guess that depends upon how you define safe. Impactful? Certainly. Detrimental? Depends on volume and success. As the discs are render useless, one questions how the product will de disposed. FlexPlay does have a recycling program but the details are a bit sketchy. The only reuse I read of was in display stands which if there is a significant volume, maybe this will help spurn the new eco-techno-art I've been thinking of pushing.

IS THE PRICE WORTH THE CONVENIENCE OF NON-RETURN OPTION? This question for me holds the most weight and I'll be key to the success of the product. Currently priced at 4.99 per purchase, it would seem a bit exorbanent for merely trashing a discs for those in anger management, maybe breaking apart a DVD after use is cost effective, but for the majority this is certainly questionable. By comparison, other services exist where a rental downloaded to a computer, good for 24 hrs, is $3.99 and seems appropo for the target business traveler, especially those with iPhones. Netflix and Blockbuster also offer zero shipping fee services for their millions of titles and a very low service fee with no pressure on returns. Even RedBox (who by the way gave my family a free rental last night) is priced at $1.00 per rental and has kiosks placed generously in supermarkets where for many are frequented daily. So the price point on this just doesn't make sense to me.

WHAT RELATIONSHIP DOES THE SERVICE RETAIN WITH THE CONSUMER? This is an easy one to answer. NONE! This, to me, is one of the most damaging points of this offering. The relationship is between the distribution companies, the physical space owners (i.e. walmart, 7-11, bookstores) but not the end consumer. FlexPlay has no direct way of marketing to the consumer. There are no demographical statistics on consumer choices and therefore no good metrics for altering the business model based on sound business intelligence. Seems like an obvious dead end to me.

All this being said, new services have a way of shaping the landscape and bewildering logic. Netflix did it when Blockbuster and Hollywood video were in their hayday and its approach shifted how we consume digital video (and this is morphing once again from physical to merely digital). Will FlexPlay have the ability to yet again change the landscape?

What do you think?