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Desiderato Merriwether
So, you're checking out a pair of headphones online or at your local Best Buy and its got this swooshy red and white logo in the description that says "Snapdragon Sound," and you wonder, "huh, what is that?" Then, coincidentally, you find out that your new Android smartphone has the same logo. The plot thickens. What does it all mean?
In the overwhelming world of wireless audio tech terms like Bluetooth codecs and hi-res audio, when it comes to how our audio devices such as smartphones and wireless headphones or earbuds connect to and work with each other, Snapdragon Sound is one of the best technologies ensuring that they do it seamlessly.
For eight years, NFL fans got used to seeing the familiar Bose logo on coaches' sideline headsets. However, Bose chose not to renew its licensing deal for the 2022 season, and the league's headsets have featured the generic NFL logo ever since. That's about to finally change now that Sony has stepped into the role of official headphones of the NFL.
Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.
Thank you for contacting GameFly. We are sorry our service is not meeting your expectations. We do process returns and shipments six days a week. In most cases, we ship your next game within the same day we receive the returned game. We also use FastReturn, developed in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, to improve delivery times by allowing us to send you the next available game in your GameQ before we receive the returned game in one of our facilities.
A FastReturn is initiated when a barcode located on the return mailer is scanned by the U.S. Postal Service. This scan is then sent to GameFly to enable our FastReturn system to start processing the next title in your GameQ. Your GameQ may temporarily show that you have more games out than your plan allows. It will be updated as soon as we receive the returned game.
Unfortunately, the USPS scan rate is not 100%, so FastReturn is not available in all cases. For example, the equipment may not be present in certain USPS facilities, the equipment could be out of service, or the barcode may have been damaged. We encourage you to contact us if you are not receiving FastReturn service so that we can identify problem areas.
Shipping thru the U.S. Postal Service first class mail to or from one of our facilities is estimated to take 2 to 4 days. However, we realize there are exceptions and understand this situation can be frustrating. We work diligently to improve shipping performance and rely on members like you to help us focus on the most important problems.
im havin the same problems.. i just started gamefly account maybe a month or 5 weeks ago and ive already waited 2 weeks just to get a new game.. im on 1 game plan and takes 2 days to get the 2 days to send game back.. lately i wait and wait and get pissed off n email em a rage storm telin em to gimie my fuckn game.. rediculous shit i hate gamefly somebody else needs to make a website like it
Since then, I have moved a thousand miles westward, and GameFly has added three new distribution centers around the country. I live roughly equidistant from the ones in California and Texas, so I figured it was time to give the company another shot at my business. Unfortunately, the service hasn't improved much in the past five years.
Last Monday, I returned my first game, Gears of War, and began eagerly awaiting the next one on my queue, Indigo Prophecy. I got notice of the exchange on Friday and received the new game today, Monday. So the turnaround time has improved from ten days to only seven. This is still totally inadequate considering that I'm paying by the month.
For comparison, let's examine my service from Netflix last week. I mailed in a movie on Monday, the same day that I returned Gears of War. I became slightly alarmed on Tuesday when Netflix didn't send me a notification that they'd received the disc. By Wednesday, their website acknowledged widespread shipping problems due to a massive computer error. By Friday, they fixed the problem and shipped out my delayed disc, which I received on Saturday. Netflix was so embarrassed by last week's delays that they are issuing a 15% credit on my next bill. In summary, Netflix had a corporate disaster and still replaced my disc two days faster than GameFly's regular service could.
Is this a fair comparison? Yes, absolutely. GameFly is a blatant imitation of Netflix, sharing exactly the same business model and even similar websites. The main difference is that Netflix has eighteen distribution centers, compared to GameFly's four. I recognize that Netflix is an older, more established, and more successful company, but in my opinion, GameFly lacks the minimal infrastructure necessary to provide efficient service to anyone living outside Los Angeles, Tampa, Pittsburgh, or Austin. In fact, former staff member Karl Castaneda told me that he couldn't get timely GameFly service even when he lived in Tampa, so I don't think you can put much blame on the U.S. Postal Service.
The only way I can see to get consistent value out of GameFly is to use their two-game plan and stagger them so that you always have one game at home and one in the mail. But then you're really paying the two-game rate to have one game at a time, aren't you? A more reasonable plan from the consumer's point of view would be a plan that charges you per game rental instead of a monthly fee. It won't let you get the games any faster, but at least you wouldn't be paying for rental time when games are in the mail or churning through the warehouses. Or best of all, GameFly could spend a lot more capital for additional distribution centers and improve overall efficiency of the process, so their customers can receive the service they expected in the first place. As things stand now, I can't justify paying $15.95 next month to rent a couple of games at the most. Even my local video stores have better prices than that.
GameFly, like NetFlix, is really only economically viable when you are quickly burning the discs and sending them back. That way, you can truly enjoy the film/game at your convenience, while not holding up your entire account!
I went through a GameFly phase on the gamecube, but I think the company is doomed to failure due to the fact that free demos for console games are going to take the place of video game rentals for a large portion of gamers. There's a very limited number of games I'd want to rent these days, and they mainly amount to, "games I'm interested in but not sure about, that don't have demos". Well, or Wii games, but even there I think I'm to the point where I can make a buying decision based on reading about a game.
I don't know where you got the 18 distribution centers quote - there are 55, at least one in each state (unless we're defining "distribution center" differently), including one in Medford, my hometown and current location (pop. 70,000). (note: the business is based, in part, out of Beaverton in Northern Oregon)
Netflix hasn't always been as good as it is now - five years ago, when I first used the service, it would take roughly a week (four to six days) of total turnaround time. Netflix's size and efficiency has increased as its popularity has grown (unless, of course, you rent a ton of movies at high speed and get throttled), and GameFly just doesn't have that kind of audience. It's also important to note that in those five years, Netflix's prices have gone DOWN, not up, so at one time the service was worse AND more expensive. I think GameFly is suffering from growing pains.
It seems to me that GameFly's slower turnaround would serve videogames moreso than movies because of the amount of time it takes to play a game. If you play through a lot of games and don't feel compelled to purchase everything except the best, and use the two-at-a-time plan as you suggest, then you could conceivably use GameFly to replace your normal purchasing habits. With no late fees, the price sounds supremely reasonable.
Please note, however, that I've never used GameFly. I have been a loyal Netflix-er for years, however, and aside from the mainstream-oriented movie selection, I have only seen the service improve. One day I'd like them to include a "NicheFlix" style service that rented multi-region DVDs and older foreign movies. There are plenty of "big-name" directors that have limited or no Netflix representation: John Cassavetes, Todd Haynes, Costa-Gavras, Agnes Varda, Les Blank, et al.
I don't the buy the throttled claims. I have the three-at-a-time plan and usually end up sending all three back the same day I get them, or the very next day. I regularly go through six discs every week, and have for the two years that I've been a paying member, yet haven't seen any indication that I am actively being throttled.
NetFlix does have a surprising number of lesser known films. Although this area could always use improvement, the service is hardly limited to just modern, mainstream stuff. If it were, I'd have no use for it. :P
Evan, I got that number from Netflix's own website. Where did you find a list of 55?
As for Netflix not carrying all those niche directors and films, keep in mind that some of that material isn't available on DVD at all, and in other cases, there is no Region-1 version available. My taste in film isn't as exotic as yours, but it is quite diverse and at times relatively obscure; I've almost never found a desired selection to be unavailable at Netflix, although the availability is occasionally limited.
I should also note that I have never been throttled to my knowledge, but then most of the movies in my queue are at least ten years old. It seems to primarily affect users who load up on brand new DVDs.
As for Netflix not carrying all those niche directors and films, keep in mind that some of that material isn't available on DVD at all, and in other cases, there is no Region-1 version available. My taste in film isn't as exotic as yours, but it is quite diverse and at times relatively obscure; I've almost never found a desired selection to be unavailable at Netflix, although the availability is occasionally limited.
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