vpoko
Premium
join:2003-07-03
Jamaica Plain, MA | Of course it can be disabled
Like anything else, I'm sure a determined user could defeat it. |
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Rickez
Goinginsane
join:2000-09-02
Three Rivers, MA | Ericsson
Ericsson products suck, this laptop will probably break before the consumer decides to stop paying for the service.
--
Got a one way ticket, going the wrong way.... |
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seederjed
join:2005-02-28
Snellville, GA | Embedded kill switch
I don't have a netbook, but wouldn'ta re-flash of XP or Linux stop this? Or is embedded in the hardware and untouchable by the OS? |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | Dell has this feature
I went to flash the bios within XP with their app after doing some upgrades. Then, BaM! The PC was rendered useless and I had to replace the motherboard out of my own pocket change. I had to use lots of change. |
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Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ | reply to seederjed
Re: Embedded kill switch
Probably embedded in the hardware.
Someone will find a way around this though.
BTW, reason enough for me not to buy any subsidized netbook. |
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Nightshade
sic semper tyrannis
Premium
join:2002-05-26
Salem, OR | reply to vpoko
Re: Of course it can be disabled
Couldn't you disable the internal modem and buy a external non-Ericsson modem to use? |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY | debt collectors
When your "debt" gets sold to a faceless debt collector, the "debt collector" will "initiate" the e-repossession because you now have stolen property of the debt collectors. Carrier's PR is not harmed. |
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nnaarrnn
join:2004-09-30
Nitro, WV | Sim card
Wouldn't removing the SIM card before they "kill pill" it be a way around it? |
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Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ | reply to ninjatutle
Re: Dell has this feature
That's not the same feature. I think you just simply bricked your laptop. |
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DarkLogix
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX | reply to nnaarrnn
Re: Sim card
I call April Fools on this news post |
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Visage
@ccarnes.com
| reply to nnaarrnn
It all depends on how well they hide it. Some networks do not use a SIM, so they may just hide it on the PCIe card. If it's hidden on a board that is soldered into the mainboard, then that presents another issue. As already stated: someone will have a fix for this in a matter of days -- if not hours. |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
| reply to DarkLogix
said by DarkLogix  :I call April Fools on this news post Sounds like some way to kill those "lost" laptops that contain the credit cards and identities of a couple 100 million people, or the laptops that belong to laid off/fired employees. Makes the executives and politicians feel better the information was terminated (meanwhile is was copied away from the machine hours/days/minutes before the kill signal was issued). This sounds like something Lenovo would do for its corporate clients. |
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me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO | WFT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??!
Is that legal!? Is it extortion?! |
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sven_kirk3
join:2002-07-23
Mableton, GA | OnStar is the vehicle version of this |
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jmn1207
Premium
join:2000-07-19
Reston, VA | How Much is My Bill?
It's a shame that they can't find a solution that warns users when their usage costs exceed 1000% of their normal bill. Hate to read about people racking up bills over $10,000. |
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Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ
 ·PenTeleData
 ·Future Nine Corpor..
·VOIPo
·Vonage
| reply to DarkLogix
Re: Sim card
said by DarkLogix :I call April Fools on this news post The linked article was dated March 31 so I say it's real. |
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k1ll3rdr4g0n
join:2005-03-19
Homer Glen, IL
| reply to Eat Me
Re: Dell has this feature
said by Eat Me :That's not the same feature. I think you just simply bricked your laptop. I agree, I think that the flash just went wrong. Did you try holding your breathing and making a prayer?
Btw, why were you flashing it in the first place? |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | I flashed it because they had to fixes. You had to update the bios first in order to have these patch work.
I forgot to say a prayer before I flashed it. I'm never doing a flash again unless its under warranty. |
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DrModem
Premium
join:2006-10-19
USA
·EarthLink
 ·1and1
 ·PeoplePC
| reply to sven_kirk3
Re: WFT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??!
said by sven_kirk3 :OnStar is the vehicle version of this Onstar has a car killswitch? |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | reply to jmn1207
Re: How Much is My Bill?
There is a meter built into the connection manager. |
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