m.gsmarena.com/ringing_bells_out … -19270.php
If any of you remember Zinnati (militant knee-jerk Indian nationalist) and I had a tussle over the Freedom 251 phone… I pointed out instantly it was obviously a Chinese bootleg way more costly than the $3 or $4 bucks it was advertised as… impossible to make a smartphone at that price.
Zinnati disagreed, thought the guy pulled some serious magic out of his ass.
The company has been sued by contracted companies meant to help with phone sales, it has been brought to court, but court said it was premature to press charges as he sold the phones on pre-order, and it wasn’t proven fraud if he wasn’t required to deliver yet.
He recently delivered… some of the phones, and won’t make anymore, admitting the impossibility of doing so, unless given over 8 Billion dollars!
He bought exactly enough phones to give to people to avoid jail, apparently by up selling other brands of phones and using the proceeds to buy the phones he dramatically undersales.
His two new brands of smart phones are far, far more expensive than his former $4 smart phone.
Lesson to be learned… I was right and am always right, it was a fraud, everyone knows this now, and he just barely got out of it by the skin of his teeth. It isn’t possible using today’s technology to make a $4 smart phone. Perhaps someday with epaper scrolls and scanners under $10, but impossible otherwise in the short term future of a decade.
It was a obvious fraud from the second it was announced, only fools buying into government slogans like “Make in India” or “Yes we can” (we clearly fucking can’t as the last 8 years in America has shown) are con artistry designed to inspire by inspiration alone, with no substance. It is hoped something competent and pragmatic will fill the gap… it sells emotion like any good salesman would. In the end, it just attracts similar small end con-artists looking to exploit the larger con. I have a gut instinctive reaction to reject all these attempts. I want to see the physical mechanism of how we will get there, if it is too good to believe, it is likely so. I’m not buying.
Philosophers shouldn’t give into blind nationalism or exciteable sales and pitches, by politicians or by salesmen. Skeptical eye, bring a Doubting Thomas, asking questions is what matters more for us. Seeing the flaws, the inefficiencies, the ugly break diwns as the truth is better than flossing over and just seeing the positives. The latter case can ruin you, while the former encourages a pragmatic search for solutions.
Takes more to build a smart phone than a slick marketing blitz targeting the most gullible. This goes for schools of flashy philosophy as well. Look for the substance, the meat. Too much shit is said that comes off as utter meaningless, there is a thread in this section of the site analyzing Putin’s joy of all things, some sort of Neo-Nietzschean trash. Has no place in philosophy. Philosophers need to become more skeptical, and be ready immediately to disregard the not so clever bullshit.Studying history, trends help. Being wise to the world, looking at scams and what causes people to fall for them does as well, especially past personal mistakes.