If I ever needed a reminder of my place on the totem pole, Palm was happy to provide one. I just got my Pre review unit in the mail today. If you recall, all the big sites reviews went up Wednesday.
It’s a peculiar and humbling arrangement. On the one hand, it’s nice to get a review unit. On the other hand, it leaves me with little to do or say that hasn’t already been done or said.
So excuse me while I flail about a bit, trying to discover if there’s anything I have to offer to the world of Pre. Until I discover what that might be, I’m failing over to the most braindead of enthusiast blogger tricks: pulling shit out of a box on video. Surprisingly, there doesn’t actually seem to be an unboxing video of the Pre yet.
(Thank you to everyone on Twitter who are also offering up ideas. I like the idea of trying to use it in real life, especially while drunk. Which reminds me, Cruzan did send me a bottle of single-barrel rum to review, and it is Friday…)
Also, this video quality is horrible! I don’t know why. I probably have the ISO bumped up way too high. This is the sort of professionalism that gets you review units a week after everyone else.
Drink the rum. The Cruzan single-barrel is exceptional.
Low enough on the gadget blog totem pole to get a preview Pre a week later than everyone else, but high enough on some other one to get sent free alcohol. That my friend is a difficult position to lament.
Ok, here’s something I haven’t read in any of the reviews:
Is it possible to receive a file attachment through the e-mail client, save it in a common area, and then retrieve it over USB mass storage from a computer? That would be pretty much the next best thing to tethering.
Query, because I don’t know how these things work:
Do you actually sign up for review units? Or do they just get sent to you out of the blue?
And again, just because I’m curious, not because I think there’s anything underhanded or nefarious going on, does Boing Boing (Gadgets) have a policy on reviews, review units, other swag, etc? Is it informal? Written? Seat of the pants? Sniff test?
I’ll second the vote to drink the rum, although I do so green with jealousy. As to the Pre, I’m meh. Maybe you could see if it blends? Has that been done?
Do you need an assistant for the Rum review? I’m very talented.
You opened the Leatherman one-handed, so points for style there.
yes, but WILL IT BLEND??
yes, but WILL IT BLEND?
How reviews work:
1a. We ask for one.
1b. They ask to send us one.
2. It arrives and is reviewed.
3. It is returned.
3 is the interesting part. Some companies enforce it, with signed agreements: Palm, for example, wants its Pres back within 7 days.
Others do the opposite to try and manipulate you: never outright bribery, but often passive aggressive things like sending send heavy gear unsolicited without a return shipping label.
When I was working at a radio station, all the promo material always had “property of such and such label” on it and they claimed it had to be returned whenever they asked. Of course, a gift confers no rights even if I did ask for the CDs, so that is not enforceable. The used CD shop didn’t seem to mind the stamps and warnings