[BC] What is

[Cowboy]

On Saturday 21 January 2006 10:14 pm, DANA PUOPOLO wrote:
>Yep..
>and remember, every radio that locks up during s firmware update needs to be
>brought back to the dealer (store, etc.), removed from the dash, repaired and
>reinstalled.

 Not necessarily !

 ALL that's really needed, is a header plug with access to the
 pins of the EEPROM.
 Plug in the programmer, and burn the chip directly.
 No removal, no reinstallation.
 Maybe a one minute process.

 True, if it locks, it will need to be taken somewhere, but it's not
 the end of the world scenario you postulate.
 ( at least it need not be )

On Sunday 22 January 2006 12:35 pm, Barry Mishkind wrote:
>At 10:19 AM 1/22/2006, DHultsman5 at aol.com wrote
>>
>>Mandated upgrades could be supplied on a card similar to the one used on  the
>>"xD" digital cameras. a rubber covered slot could be built into the front
>>panel of the radios.
>
>         True... but....

 Something I ( and others ) postulated previously,
 and was rejected for a number of reasons.

>>New service mandates could be the same way or for a fee,   download  (Using
>>the abundance of digital space) off the air.   etc.
>
>         Who gets the money?  The amounts and quantities
>         the public will pay are insufficient for any of the
>         manufacturers, who make more money building
>         new radios than administering a $100 a download
>         upgrade.

 The station providing the download to the customer directly.
 Normal distribution could apply.
 The manufacturer makes it available "wholesale" and the "dealer"
 re-sells to the end user.

 As many have noted, the tight integration of the car radio with the
 on-board "other" vehicle management systems make replacing
 the radio not a practical solution, so a saleable upgrade becomes
 a realistic possibility. 

>>I think eventually upgrades will be available in some form.
>
>         Possibly.  But not at the "Free" level that
>         most postulate.

 I suspect you are probably right.
 The cost of any upgrade must ultimately be born by the
 consumer, one way or another.
 ( just like corporate taxes are *never* paid by the corp.
 but by the consumer as one of the hidden costs in any product )

>         The problem is there are many good ideas, but
>         as has been repeatedly stated, unless they
>         are taken to the FCC with some "power" behind
>         it, it is just "spitballing."

 Very true !
 Until their is motivation ( in whatever form ) it's not likely
 to happen.
 Few of us are in business purely to do the world a favor !

-- 
Cowboy

http://cowboys.homeip.net

Slang is language that takes off its coat, spits on its hands, and goes
to work.