cost

Cell phone users in the U.S., Spain, and Canada pay more for mobile phone service than cell phone users in other parts of the world, according to a survey published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The OECD surveyed mobile carriers in its 30 member countries. The report showed on average how much consumers spend over the course of a year.

For a consumer subscribing to a medium-use package that provides about 780 voice minutes, 600 short text messages, and eight multimedia messages, the survey found that the monthly price of service ranged from $11 a month … Read more

Since I have been a Sprint user for coming up on a decade now, I took its service level for granted. I am going to attempt to rectify that now with some basic notes on how the service is with Sprint and the Pre.

While I cannot compare against personal experience (see above), I do have friends with a mix of cellular carriers and I can compare against them. In my area (Seattle), I have rarely noticed an instance where I got worse service than others around me and have noted several times to be getting any/better/more reception … Read more

We've all read those blogs that "reveal" the parts cost of a fill-in-the-blank, Kindle, iPod, or Palm Pre. If you ask me, this simplistic, by-the-numbers gambit overlooks most of the costs of bringing a product to market.

First and foremost, products, all products, are priced to what the market will pay. I don't care if it's a 16-ounce bottle of Poland Spring water, Coldplay concert tickets, or a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, retail prices are determined by what the market will pay. And luxury products have higher profit margins than mass market stuff. Oh really?

But the mindless rash of blogs that purport to add up the parts costs, for example $39.51 for the display, $15.96 for 8 gigabytes of flash memory, $15.41 for components, and $12.39 for the 3-megapixel camera, to calculate the cost of anything are hugely misleading. The writer merely subtracts the parts cost from the retail price and concludes the difference is the "profit."

Does the writer assume the company's factory doesn't pay rent or for electricity or heating and air conditioning? And that the factory labor force works for free?

These articles completely ignore other costs, such as research and development and engineering expenses associated with creating say, a Kindle. Manufacturers also pay significant licensing fees for technology used in their products.

Shipping costs of large products such as flat-screen TVs must be factored in before determining the final cost to the consumer.

Oh, and what about the online or brick and mortar retailer? They have their own set of expenses for rent and employees. Some of whom might need health insurance. … Read more

Microsoft has found a powerful incentive to get people to use Windows Mobile--at least those within its own ranks.

The software maker has stopped paying for cellular data plans for those using BlackBerries, iPhones and all manner of non-Microsoft devices.

Although the move took place earlier this year, it is only making headlines now, thanks to an article on Silicon Alley Insider.

It's hardly a shocking move. Lots of companies standardize on a particular mobile operating system or two and limit reimbursements to those devices.

A Microsoft representative confirmed on Monday that "the data plan reimbursement for Microsoft … Read more

Since last year's announcement of the iPhone 3G, customers have grown accustomed to a price tag heavily subsidized by AT&T. Similarly, the just-announced iPhone 3G S will be offered in a 16GB model for $199 and a 32GB model for $299--but only if you are adding a line to your AT&T service or you are a new AT&T subscriber. Early iPhone 3G adopters seeking to upgrade will face serious sticker shock.

If you purchased an iPhone 3G on or after July 11, 2008, you will not be able to purchase an iPhone 3G … Read more

With Windows 7, Microsoft may lift one of the biggest limitations of its Starter edition--the restriction that the operating system run no more than three applications at a time.

Blogger Paul Thurrott said in a posting Friday that Microsoft plans to remove the restriction, without elaborating.

Microsoft neither confirmed nor denied whether such a move will take place.

"We continue to work on developing Windows 7 and have nothing new to share at this time," a Microsoft representative said on Friday.

With Windows XP and Windows Vista, the Starter edition was sold only for use on new PCs … Read more

With a new 40-nanometer manufacturing process behind it, AMD announced the ATI Radeon HD 4770 3D graphics chip this morning. Available now on 3D cards starting at $109 (before a $10 online rebate), the Radeon HD 4770 is the first 3D chip built on the 40-nanometer process, which allows for faster, more power-efficient hardware than AMD's previous 55nm chips.

The various enthusiast review sites found the 512MB Radeon HD 4770 fast enough to play most current games at lower resolutions and image quality settings. Think 1,680 x 1,050 or lower and with little-to-no anti-aliasing. The Radeon HD … Read more

When Microsoft said on Thursday that it had found more ways to trim expenses, it wasn't kidding.

The software maker notified its workers on Friday that it is canceling its annual summer picnic for Seattle-area workers.

Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos said that the company made the move as part of its effort to pare its expenses and said workers were notified on Friday because this is around the time of year that the company typically sends out a reminder about the event.

Gellos noted that the event has become a growing logistical challenge as Microsoft's Puget Sound workforce … Read more

This one flew under my radar, but Microsoft announced earlier this month that it is scrapping an effort to develop a general purpose Web analytics program.

In a blog posting, Microsoft said it is closing the beta of Microsoft AdCenter Analytics.

"The insights you've contributed through your feedback and your use of the tool have served an invaluable purpose in shaping Microsoft's future in this space," Microsoft said in the March 12 blog posting. "You've helped us work towards making an informed decision about building a general Web analytics solution, and despite the end … Read more