Posted on 05/21/2006 9:23:46 PM PDT by HAL9000
Excerpt -
The details of Microsoft Corp.'s mysterious deal with Transmeta Corp. have finally been revealed. And none of the speculation was even close.The microprocessor company has been working for the past year on a high-security, power-efficient chip for Microsoft's new "FlexGo" pay-as-you-go PC initiative in developing nations.
The "FlexGo" card for the program in Brazil works like a prepaid phone card. Users pay in advance for minutes on their home PCs. "This happens to be the project we were working on," said Art Swift, Transmeta's president and chief executive, in an interview about the FlexGo initiative.
So the mystery is solved?
"The mystery is solved," he said.
~ snip ~
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...
Oh, now there's a winning business plan.
I can purchase upwards of 100,000 used dell office pc's and have them delivered to any port in the Brazil in less than 2 weeks. At an avg cost of about $45 per machine delivered. I'll throw in Ubuntu CD's for free.
Actually, it's not me, but a guy in NJ who I met who does this. He was FlexGo's biggest competitor in Brazil before he found a better market for used pc's from the US/Canada.
They are selling machines that will have only 14.4 modem connections if that. PaintShopPro or Excel would be the most strenous software on the pc. Why wouldn't a Chinese off the shelve component pc using a standardized linux distro specific to the components beat MS's product hands down? Well, because MS has a tens of millions of dollars to throw down this sinkhole and be first to market.
Think of it this way, if I was in Brazil, I'd be thinking about importing low end mobo's and cpu's to rebuild these discounted flexgo pc's that customers bring in.
GM once sold cars, then they sold financing.
MS once sold software, now they sell financing.
The MS NOV(ist)A OS
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