
Teen leaks unreleased HTC One successor, and HTC isn't happy - suprgeek
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/video-of-unreleased-htc-one-2-earns-wrath-of-an-htc-exec/
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chris_mahan
HTC, if you read this: I bought the HTC Droid when it came out (4 years ago,
something like that) and I replaced it with a HTC Droid LTE (and one for my
wife too).

Please don't do this sort of stupid stuff. I can't in good conscience buy
another phone from your company, ever, unless you apologize to the boy, his
family, and anyone you went after for leaking the info (reinstate the job of
anyone fired over that).

For the kid: a formal apology letter from the President of HTC, on company
letterhead, plus a $1,000 in cash to cover any expenses incurred, plus a
handwritten note by the President apologizing profusely, further thanking him
for promoting HTC products, taking an interest in technology, along with a
personal exhortation to study hard, work hard, listen to one's parents, and do
good for oneself and one's community.

Then, perhaps, I will reconsider my personal ban on HTC products.

For those of you who roll their eyes: I had a bad experience with Audi in
1997. Swore to never buy an Audi again. Last year I bought a BMW. This year I
leased a Mercedes-Benz. Yeah, we went to the Audi dealer, and yeah, my wife
liked a couple of them, but I said no, so they lost out on $35,000.

You may think the consumer is fickle, and you are right: the consumer is
fickle and irrational. You publicly insult children, you get automatically
added to the shitlist, and you stay there forever. Any questions?

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gph
Sure one question; Do you think you're little rant is more important to them
than guarding their IP and controlling the release of their products?

Because it isn't. And I can't seriously believe you are telling HTC to
apologize. The tweets, though misguided, are barely threatening. And whoever
works for the company that the kid knows deserves to get fired. They shouldn't
have let the phone come into anyone else's possession, especially a kids.

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chris_mahan
Oh, you bet. The first rule of business is "the customer's always right."

And I fall squarely in their definition of "the customer".

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gph
That's a mindlessly simplistic view of it. Do you seriously think HTC
corporate hierarchy is going to change their policy on protecting IP and
apologize to a person who unlawfully disseminated information on their
products just to please the 10's of people that might be outraged over this?

You can't please all the people all the time. Sometimes the customer is an
idiot not worth your time.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
> _apologize to a person who unlawfully disseminated information on their
> products_ //

Can you expand on this - I watched the video, what part was unlawful (stating
the jurisdiction and legislation/caselaw that apply would help)?

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victorhooi
Dude - it's stolen property, plain and simple.

Can you think of a jurisdiction where that's _not_ illegal? Lol.

The kid either stole it, or he somehow knowingly came into possession of
stolen property.

Just because you find something, doesn't make it yours.

The right thing to do, when you find something that is obviously stolen (and
there is no way an NDA phone would not be) is to return it.

Stealing something is illegal, and buying something that's stolen is also
illegal.

It's like Gawker, and the whole stolen iPhone fiasco.

Much as I detest Apple, Gawker were definitely in the wrong there.

And this kid didn't help things by trying to lie again, and again, and again
afterwards.

Just say, whoops, I "didn't" know it was stolen, and hand it back - no harm,
no foul.

Trying to weasel your way out so you can keep your stolen shiny bauble isn't
cool.

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pbhjpbhj
> _buying something that 's stolen is also illegal_ //

Usually that's limited to "if you know it, [or should reasonably suspect it]
to be stolen".

I can imagine many scenarios in which he used the phone in the video without
it being stolen, and more in which it was stolen and he wasn't aware of that.

"Hey my Dad found this phone left at his work, he's taking it to the Police
Station in the morning; do you want to have a look at it?"

"I won this phone in a game of poker, want to buy it?"

However, I thought you were claiming it was illegal to make the video.

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jackhammons
This could definitely be a planned move on the part of HTC. I hadn't even
heard of the phone until now. Mission accomplished HTC marketing.

~~~
triptychs
And they even had the marketing prowess to use a kid so annoying, inept and
clumsy that I couldn't be bothered actually watching the video long enough to
learn any real info.

Mission accomplished indeed!

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lotsofmangos
It looks just like a normal touchscreen phone. This level of 'secret' seems
hardly worth making threats to kids on twitter over. Not if you have ambitions
to appear more grown-up than kids on twitter, anyway.

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apunic
This is the best which could happen to HTC, cheap PR around a phone nobody
would have noticed. HTC lost significant market share compared to other
Android handset makers Samsung, LG and Sony recent years.

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sirspudd
Lots of kids appear to be losing their parents money.

Giving your kids access to tech under NDA is like giving your kids access to
guys. You are not going to have a good time.

You can debate the degree to which this kind of secrecy is warranted, but at
the end of the day, when you sign an NDA it is legally binding, and you can't
simply blame violating that legal contract with a "Kids will be kids"

The phone looks awesome, I really enjoy their design style.

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dubcanada
Access to guys?

I'm not sure that's what you meant, if it is then can you expand?

~~~
blhack
I'm fairly certain they meant "access to guns".

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catmanjan
Publicity stunt?

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gum_ina_package
If so, it definitely back fired. And, no, not all publicity is good publicity
in my opinion.

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pedalpete
I guess this is the last early release this kid gets.

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ytch
Will they unhappy with @evleaks?

