Ian Morris
Ian Morris loves televisions so much he's been banned from wedding chapels in Las Vegas for trying to marry them. When he's not romancing technology, he can be found watching American TV. Ian likes roast potatoes, but he doesn't like digital rights management.
Next: New Xbox? Now I'm cross...
Previous: Apple TV delayed until mid-March
Tuesday 13 March 2007, 9:14am
Pop goes the Xbox
On Thursday 28 February Amazon delivered my shiny new Xbox 360. On Saturday 2 March it exploded during Gears of War. Okay, exploded is a little dramatic, but it froze and then when I tried to restart all I got was the 'ring of death'. The three red lights that scream "You've had it, I'm bust for good."
I would estimate that I'd had less than ten hours total use out of it and probably less than five of actual gaming. As you can imagine, I was gutted.
The next day, once I'd stopped crying, I emailed Amazon to tell them it was broken. Within minutes I had a reply saying "we'll send you a new one". On Monday 4 March, just 24 hours after I told Amazon about the problem, a new 360 arrived.
Credit where it's due, Amazon is one hell of a retailer. I've never experienced customer service like this before from any company. It's harder to persuade high-street stores to take back broken things, even when you're standing in front of them with your bust electrial item and a receipt. Amazon is also incredibly chilled about the return of the old unit. They give you a label to post it back, they pay for everything and all you have to do is let the courier know what day to come.
One company I won't be so complimentary about is Microsoft. Like many people, I was aware of the ring of death issue long before I bought my 360. I just assumed it would never happen to me. Looking at the Xbox, I have a feeling it's because of the way the console is ventilated. Basically, at one end is a vent and at the other is the hard drive. If you stand your Xbox on its end, it's effectively blocking the vent. It strikes me this is poor design -- I couldn't say for sure it's the cause of the problem, but it certainly won't help.
The good news is my new Xbox seems fine, although I haven't been brave enough to play Gears of War again...
Next: New Xbox? Now I'm cross...
Previous: Apple TV delayed until mid-March
Comments on this post
yep my machine failed just out of its warranty and during GoW - the cooling method they've employed on the first revisions of the console in my opinion isn't good enough. If you were building a PC with similar specs to the 360 you'd be insane to stick two passive heatsinks on the cpu and gpu and then blow air across them from two fans at the rear. Also figure into that the small case it's in. I'm sure we'll be seeing alot more console failures as the games coming out push the cpu/gpu usage more.
Posted by Anonymous on Fri 16 March, 2007 6:43 PM
Offensive? Inappropriate? Report this comment
"Unlike other Internet radios, such as the Terratec Noxon iRadio, there is no way to add radio stations that the TR2015 fails to pick up. With the iRadio there's a site where you can enter the details of your favourite stations, which will then be accessible via the radio. This would have been a nice feature for the TR2015 to include." These radios are Reciva-powered. So, you've not head of the 'my stations' facility at www.reciva.com ??
Posted by paul evans on Mon 9 July, 2007 10:15 PM
Offensive? Inappropriate? Report this comment
Articles by Ian Morris
Samsung PS50A756
Review Samsung has improved its plasma TV range this year -- a real achievement considering how good the previous range was. And this PS50A756 is a truly fantastic TV, with bright, beautiful colours, sharp detail and good sound quality. Then there are the infinite features, which put this TV at the top of its class
B-movies on Blu-ray: Strippers, flying saucers and sea monsters
Crave Michael Bay might want every movie to cost $300m, but there are some truly hilarious movies that cost less than a sandwich to make and will keep you entertained for hours
LG 50PG6900
Review This LG's built-in Freeview+ recorder is its main selling point. With 160GB of storage, it has more than enough room to record your favourite TV programmes. Despite some picture quality problems on Freeview, the system works well and is fairly easy to navigate
Five ways the Japanese are technically better than us
Photo Us Brits may have a proud tradition of innovation, but now we're having our rear-ends handed to us by brilliant Japanese engineers who live, breathe and in some cases eat technology
Samsung PS50A756 1080p plasma: Come on you Red Devils
Crave We uncover a major faux pas in the world of football sponsorship, but take a few moments to enjoy Samsung's new plasma TV anyway
Philips HTS6515: Apparently, the sound will embrace you
Crave Philips believes its new 2.1-channel home-cinema system is capable of embracing you in sound, so if the idea of movie soundtracks giving you a hug appeals, look no further
Panasonic DMP-BD35 and BD55: New ultra-sleek Blu-ray players
Crave If you're in the market for a Blu-ray player, and for some reason the idea of buying a PS3 offends you, Panasonic's new players should offer pretty much everything you need
The best media streamers
Round-up If you've got video on your computer from DVDs, home movies you've shot or TV programmes you've recorded on a TV capture card, you might want to watch them on your TV through a media streamer. We've rounded up the best on the market at the moment, so read on
