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?
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.
Your reply reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Judge Snyder lets Bart out of any kind of personal responsibility under the "Boys will be boys" rule. I'm sorry but I don't agree. People should be held responsible for their actions and perform their job duties to what is expected. This child's parent should absolutely be held responsible. We live in a society that wants to take no responsibly and sue everyone and everything for our own stupidity.
tldr: take responsibility for your own actions. Parent should have never given a secret device to a child.
The real owner of the phone is the one that is going to be in trouble not the kid. However the article did say that neither of the kid's parents work at HTC which most likely means he stole the phone from somewhere. He deserves everything he has coming to him.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[+] [-] chris_mahan|12 years ago|reply
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?
[+] [-] gph|12 years ago|reply
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.
[+] [-] angryasian|12 years ago|reply
tldr: take responsibility for your own actions. Parent should have never given a secret device to a child.
[+] [-] bcguy390|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gagaga|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joyeuse6701|12 years ago|reply
Sure, hold a company to a high moral standard, but I'd expect the same from you, the ability to forgive.
[+] [-] jackhammons|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] triptychs|12 years ago|reply
Mission accomplished indeed!
[+] [-] lotsofmangos|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apunic|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sirspudd|12 years ago|reply
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.
[+] [-] dubcanada|12 years ago|reply
I'm not sure that's what you meant, if it is then can you expand?
[+] [-] eyko|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] catmanjan|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gum_ina_package|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pedalpete|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ytch|12 years ago|reply