PC Makers Pitch Broadband

*cough*

How long have you known your parents?

putting an icon on your desktop which is like the internet connection wizard does very little in the sense of "stealing thunder". HP better come out with contracts like Dell/Gateway/Compaq. It also might be nice if they put an internet shortcut to broadbandreports.com Much better than their "broadband compass" program.

broadband compasshat.

Agreed, I just tried it and the only option I received was Earthlink via satellite when multiple DSL providers provide service to my location.

DUDE YOU'RE GETTING DSL!

NOT! funny how RBOCs couldnt cooperate this well with other companies [Northpoint, Covad, CLECs ect...]

Half the people getting these computers don't even know what broadband is. Broadband is still for power users. Everyday people who check email and web surf do not need it. Most of the people buying these computers are those types of people.

indeed... just remember, you're buying a computer from one of them. No way in hell you'd need broadband.

yeah were screwed. gateway has already struck deals with cable co's. so here come all the aol users running there uploads maxxed with kazza. isnt that just a warm feeling.

Same here. Whoopee, I can get crappy satellite service, even though SBC and Charter have BB here. Where are they listed?

said by DSLHeadaches:

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Agreed, I just tried it and the only option I received was Earthlink via satellite when multiple DSL providers provide service to my location.

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Yeah same here: $600 setup plus $70/month. No thanks. I can get DSL from Verizon and Choice One.

arent HP and Compaq the same thing now?

Tried the Broadband Compass at this address/phone number. Guess what? Earthlink residential DSL and Earthlink Direcway Satellite are available! Wheee!

No mention of Speakeasy, Megapath, any number of ISPs via SBC, Focal, AT&T, Worldcom, or even Covad etc. etc. etc. which I could have, or the SBC/Ameritech.net ADSL which has serviced this location since May 2000.

Bah. More Earthlink marketing crap this time via HP (or the other way around, same difference).

LOL I tried the compass also what a joke I just moved and I have a Rural Route (RR) address with no street name. It won't even search without a street name LOL
so how many people does that exclude. At least on the search tool here I can even narrow it down to my county

said by RadioDoc:

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Bah. More Earthlink marketing crap this time via HP (or the other way around, same difference).

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Don't think so. I have Earthlink DSL. Tried the Broadband Compass for my address and got the result that broadband was not available at all.

Its funny.. The Switch/CO is right around the corner, 513 feet away...

Heres what their link offered-->

EarthLink Satellite, powered by DIRECWAY (Data only) - Professional install
$69.95 Monthly Fee
Up to 400Kbps download/60Kbps upload speed
Click here for equipment description.
12 month contract required
More Features

EarthLink Special Promotions

NEW! EarthLink Satellite powered by DIRECWAY Offer!* Goes where Cable and DSL can't! 2-Way service. 20 hours dial-up/month included. Equipment/Installation $598** and $69.95 monthly service charge.

I had to laugh really hard when I ran an FTP test and received the following-->

226 Transfer complete.
ftp: 3145728 bytes received in 7.52Seconds 418.54Kbytes/sec.

At 20$ less a month then what earthlink wants!

I believe the biggest factor has been previously stated. The people buying these shitboxes have no need for broadband to begin with.

its probably set up to always list Earthlink Satillite from DirecWay, because most US citizens can get satellite

it didnt bother to list Adelphia Powerlink, thats a pretty big company to not be listed

i didnt expect to find my ISP on it since its just a local company

Maybe BB Compass is setup to return services only for providers which HP has partnered with.

If the company they would hook me up with is reputable and I'm getting a discount, why the F not? I don't give a crap if they are HP preferred if they are also ME preferred.

Don't kid yourself. BB Compass is paying for that desktop space.
The same revenue stream that keeps BB Reports running is trying to be bought up by BB compass. Too bad Justin couldn't have struck a profitable deal with the comp manf. instead.
Oh well, based upon the accuracy these posts claim BB Compass has, these buyers will be here eventually.

How'd that old Fram oil filter commercial go?
"You can pay me now, or pay me later..."

Now! Buy a Dell and get FREE SUPER AWESOME DSL FREE FREE WITH AOL FREE FOR 6 MONTHS!!!!* 900 thousand times faster than a typical 2400 baud dial up!

(* DSL not available in all areas. Make that most areas. In fact, if you live somewhere with a driveway and a lawn, you are out of luck.)

I am so sick of DSL offerings that seem to forget that most people who don't live in downtown LA or NY can not and will not ever be able to get DSL.

Dude, I live in the woods about twenty five miles from downtown St Louis and I've got DSL.

Pretty funny, I live in the woods about 25 miles north of Atlanta, and I have DSL!

hehe... I'm just bitter because my house in Vienna is 25,000 feet from a CO with fiber in the lines, and my college apartment in Blacksburg is only 10,000 feet from a CO, but it also has fiber in the phone lines. No DSL provider seems to have discovered the missing link to overcome this.

I have cable in both places, and service was great in both places for about a year. Now, I'm seeing a slow but steady increase in pings in both locations. Without DSL as competition, I'm doomed to inevitable overloading of my nodes. It makes me angry that no one seems interested in deploying remote terminals or overcoming this "impossible" fiber phone line problem.