Forget "think different," forget the "bunny people." A bomb squad has handed NEC a hot marketing opportunity.
That's right. A bomb squad.
A squad of Rochester, New York, bomb defusers were called in last month to dispose of a suspicious package that was spotted in an Army National Guard Armory parking lot. CNN reports that, after a bomb robot found wires inside the package, the squad blew the object sky high.
Only then did they discover the contents: an NEC Versa notebook computer.
The armory's facilities manager, Joseph Songin, who had reported the computer stolen, hooked up his machine to a monitor. Like magic - especially if you've dealt with a machine that resists all attempts at resuscitation - the machine booted right up. Yes, the battery and CD-ROM drive were a bit worse for wear, but Songin's data was intact. He lost no time handing NEC a slogan.
"You make one rugged machine," he emailed.
But for every dab of marketing ointment, there is a fly.
The Versa's is this: PCWeek reported earlier this month that about one in 14 of NEC's Versa 6000 machines contains a hardware glitch that caused unexpected freezing. NEC says the weakening of solder joint connectors on the notebook's I/O boards cause the freezing.
PCWeek reported, "One customer, for example, has sent close to 1,000 units in for repair up to three times. 'It has resulted in us buying fewer NEC laptops'" said the customer, who requested anonymity. 'I've got other, more important things that I should be working on.'"
