http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 3:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
AHAHA!!

You guys should lay off the "Theory" word, as this is crap...

Now we all know AMerican cars are designed to fail completely after 3 years... why do you think Honda is so good?
GM knows their cars are crap they have no choice.. Chrystler cars have the kill switch acticated once you drive off the lot..

AMericans make POS cars... you die now.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Well if it's a VAIO, it's probably running the ISB Utility on start-up. Handy little thing that detects whether or not your running an official Sony battery. It prevents you charging the battery. Un-install the program, well then it shuts off the fan...]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
The weird thing if also my macbook failed 1 month after warranty and did not purchase applecare.

That's why I got a pc I built myself now.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Every Xbox tend to fail sooner or later, i went through 3 failures so far meh ]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Same here on a Viao, Mini 380n unit, but it was the battery the went ka-put.
however I took apart the battery and found some smc that acted like a fuse, but the cells were still good and I used them in another radio not a computer, and they lasted at the rated output for mths. However I could NOT get the battery pack "repacked" it would just not "see" it.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Whatever happened to writing quality articles? It's gone out of fashion here and at Ars... It's now just dumb fanboy baiting and Pathetic Sony hating BS..
]]>Jan 22nd 2010 6:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 6:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://forums.techarena.in/operating-systems/1283566.htm]]>Jan 22nd 2010 6:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 8:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 8:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://bit.ly/sony-vaio-z-details
beefed-out with so many features, still it doesn't answer this underlying problem at all. Anyway, we could only hope that this coming myth will give new edge to the usual vaio series. ]]>Jan 23rd 2010 12:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/However, stupidity is in high places nowadays, so i'll leave that door open...]]>Jan 22nd 2010 3:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 5:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Is does sound far fetched. But where revenue's to be made anything is possible. Sony products just don't last long nowadays. If proven this could kill Sony's electronics divison. Even the rumour could do that.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 6:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Dotoupirhana is right, this is conspiracy theory BS. As far as your percieved obsolesence of new things, people like to buy new things more often these days, which makes sense since tech progresses at faster and faster paces these days.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 10:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 3:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
This doesn't just happen with Sony. They just took the blame because they were (are?) once the biggest Japanese electronic manufacturer, selling very useful things to the world. But quality has been slacking since the 80s, which prompt people to theorize these.

In fact my cassette-sized Walkman, CRT TV and a few other Sony stuffs from the 80s still work, while those bought since the mid-90s have all but long gone.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/So true. Hell, I've got a Sony *8-Track* and 80's receiver that still work fine. But an early 90s VCR & Cassette Walkman broke within a few years!]]>Jan 22nd 2010 11:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 3:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
And after the original Xbox didn't take over my mind(it reminded me so much of 'The Box' from that Batman movie!) I was so let down, maybe that just put the ball in Sony's court.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 3:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Or like those game things from Star Trek: the Next Generation that ate at their minds...]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/And the PS3 doesn’t need a switch because it has its firmware updates break the machine. Duh.
]]>Jan 22nd 2010 3:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 3:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Would it be a hardware or software thing, and would there be a way to do a tear-down of the hardware or software to find out?]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
I think you're taking the article too literally, although I don't blame you since the title is somewhat misleading.

Sony doesn't actually have some kind of ticking time bomb in there that is programmed to explode after your warranty expires, but rather they just use parts which are designed to fail after a certain amount of time. Or at least, that's what the article is suggesting.

It's all probability and statistics; you get the proportion that is going to fail as a function of time, and then basically you want it to be very low until after warranty, and very high shortly after warranty. I don't know if that's what they actually do, but if it is, then that would be how they do it.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 5:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 6:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
If you're going to report a hearsay, at least do it right ;-)]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
I agree. This is one of the dumbest things I've read in a long, long time.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
The only products that self-destruct are HP inkjet cartridges.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
No kidding, you can read about it on HPs website.
http://h10060.www1.hp.com/pageyield/articles/us/en/InkExpiration.html]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Back when the iPod Nano 3G came out, I bought 2, one as a gift for a friend, and one for myself.
He still has his, and its really scratched up but works. And mine works just like the day I got it 3 years ago, battery doesn't last very long, but it hasn't failed yet.
Before that iPod, I had 5 different MP3 players from several manufacturers, all failed. The Samsung one actually had a battery failure and burst open, leaking acid. Sony one died just before my warranty expired. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony includes some sort of kill switch, but its unlikely (I've had the same Sony DLP for 4 years).
I'm no Apple fan, or anything. I was expecting the iPod to fail too, so I could redeem the warranty and try a different brand :P.]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
Similar to the above reply, I've got a Nano 2G, got it right when they came out, and it still works great. Granted, at the time it was like almost 300 bucks so I splurged and got the heavy duty two-piece skin from iSkin for it, but other than the battery life being relatively reduced (probably a little over half of what it was originally, 3.5 years ago), it still works great!

...I also don't use iTunes at all, and never have with it. Maybe that's why it still works well? ]]>Jan 22nd 2010 4:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 6:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 11:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 22nd 2010 11:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/As for the ISB Utility? I installed Windows7 before I got my free upgrade and did a clean install, using the Universal Extractor to install only what I wanted (meaning no ISB) and the laptop worked fine, fan and all. It's pretty sleazy of them to install that on there, but at least it's possible to remove it.]]>Jan 23rd 2010 9:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/Jan 23rd 2010 10:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/sonys-secret-kill-switch-myth-rumor-or-hearsay/
how do I remove the ISB from my hp?]]>Jan 24th 2010 6:33PM