Google Charges ETF For Nexus One On Top of Carrier's

dumbnose sends along the news that Google is double-dipping on the Nexus One early termination fee. Ars sorts out the double dose of fine print from Google and T-Mobile. What it boils down to is, if you give up on your Nexus One between 14 days and 120 days after the sale, it will cost you $550: $350 to Google (automatically charged to the credit card you used to buy the phone) and $200 to T-Mobile. After 120 days the Google fee goes away and after 550 days the T-Mobile ETF begins prorating. A poster on Dave Farber's email list provides another perspective on the "restructuring of the handset premium."

You say WTF, I say

[Anonymous Coward]

FGITA (F*ck Google in the Ass), that's what they're trying to do to you!

Re:Early termination fee (ETF)

[kbob88]

It's customary to explicitly define the acronym before its first use in the main body.

Come on, here on Slashdot, everyone knows that ETF stands for "Exchange Traded Fund". Google is giving out Nexus Ones to all investors in some fund, and charging them for it. Or is it "Electron-transferring flavoproteins"? Maybe "Emergency Task Force"?

It's not evil...

[Dartz-IRL]

It's not evil, it's just business.

Re:And buy what as an alternative?

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay so I need a cell phone to do my job, and keep in touch with my family. .. How do I check my email and keep my calendar with one of those?

You don't. You do email and calendar at your desktop computer. You pick up the cheap $50-with-1-year-contract cellphone when it makes a noise indicating someone wants to talk to you.

You don't need immediate mobile email access to keep in touch with family. Read your mailbox once per day (or every few days) when you get to your desktop. If someone has an emergency, they can fucking call you. If it's not an emergency, a delayed turnaround is fine.

And if you are required to read email/calendars immediately for your job, then don't worry, because your employer is going to buy the phone.

it's basically telling me to find a job and a lifestyle that doesn't require a cell phone.

Yep, it's pretty clear you don't know the diff between a cell phone, and a ridiculously powerful (expensive) handheld personal computer. The two are merging but they're sure as hell not quite the same thing yet. One costs $50 and the other costs $500. Quit saying that you want a cellphone (a $50 device) and then bitching that the $500 overkill device costs too much. Get the $50 one and make your fucking phone calls like you said you wanted to.

But, but, but...

I ! YOU ARE THE WORST PARENTS EVER!

*cries*