Just had a funny conversation with a rep at Gateway about what Centrino
actually is.

I'm not syaing I'm an expert about this (because I'm NOT), but I don't make
a living selling these products either.

I connected to Gateway's live chat feature to see if they had anything
similar to a Dell Latitude D505 I'm thinking about buying. During that chat
we got off topic on what Centrino actually is. Read below if you understand
what "Intel Centrino Mobile Technology" is and would like a chuckle...(I
changed the names).



11:30 New party ('Eric') has joined the session
11:30 You have been placed in queue. An advisor will join soon to assist
you. When you choose to finish your chat, please use the EXIT CHAT button on
your right.
11:31 New party ('Jenny') has joined the session
11:32 Eric> Hello Jenny, I'm looking at buying a laptop from Dell, but
wanted to see what you guys might have that would be similar.
11:33 Jenny> Hello Eric
11:33 Jenny> How are you today ?
11:33 Jenny> Welcome to Gateway.com! Home of America's Best Selling Plasma
TV and Hot New Line of Digital Cameras! My name is Jenny your esales
advisor. What would you like to chat about today?
11:34 Jenny> Great ,
11:34 Eric> The Dell I'm thinking about is a Latitude D505 with the
following:
11:34 Eric> Pentium M 1.5 processor
11:34 Eric> 15 inch screen
11:35 Eric> 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory
11:35 Eric> 40 GB hard drive
11:35 Eric> CD-RW/DVD drive
11:35 Eric> 64MB graphics card
11:36 Eric> 802.11b wireless card
11:36 Eric> That's about it...I want to stick with the Pentium M processor
and stay away from the wide screen that normally comes with the M.
11:36 Jenny> Do you need a floppy
11:37 Eric> Not really
11:37 Eric> the price was just under $1,400
11:37 Jenny> Or windows xp pro or office
11:37 Eric> Just XP Home is okay (no MS Office)
11:38 Jenny> Does the dell have the centrno technology ?
11:38 Eric> yes, that's why I want to stick with the M processor
11:38 Jenny> Ok
11:39 Jenny> http://www.gateway.com/home/products..._catalog.shtml
11:39 Jenny> Looks like the 450 x customized it the closest i can get to
those specs
11:40 Eric> sounds similar if you can customize it. What would be the price?
(It's already higher than the Dell)
11:41 Jenny> Not all M , Have the cetrino that is why i asked
11:41 Jenny> Total $1,918.98 ,
11:41 Eric> I know. They have to have the processor, the chipset, and the
wireless card.
11:41 Jenny> Shipping and handling is free tax may apply
11:42 Jenny> Correct on that ,
11:43 Eric> $1918? The Dell is $1,400?
11:44 Jenny> Im on dell's web site and i do not see the d505
11:45 Jenny> Sorry i found it , one sec
11:45 Eric> It's on there. go to
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/prod...=04&l=en&s=bsd
11:46 Eric> I can send you the quote I have if it will change anything in
terms of Gateway's price.
11:47 Jenny> Please do , my email address is Jenny@gateway.com
11:48 Eric> Will you be able to match the deal?
11:49 Jenny> I will do my best
11:49 Jenny> Something sounds incorrect we are not normally that far off in
price
11:50 Jenny> I am on there site and can not get it to give me a quote, or
customize. I think there site is not working correct right now
11:51 Eric> I just forwarded it to you.
11:51 Eric> Dell is also offering a free Palm Zire 21 PDA (retails for $99)
11:52 Eric> So the total price was $1,477 with a $100 rebate AND a free Palm
Zire 21 PDA. It looks like they are offering a great deal compared to what
Gateway can do.
11:54 Eric> (so $1,377 after the rebate)
11:56 Jenny> Can i give you a call after i look at this ?
11:56 Eric> I'd rather give you a call, what number?
11:56 Eric> Will you be able to compete with this offer?
11:57 Jenny> When i customize it i come up with more then 1900
11:57 Jenny>
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...bsd&kc=6W30 0
11:58 Eric> The quote is for the price I mentioned. I'm not sure about if
you customize it on the site.
12:02 Jenny> I can not pull up your quote you sent me
12:02 Jenny> This is the page i get
12:02 Eric> did you get the email?
12:02 Jenny>
http://membership.dell.com/myaccount...to/default.asp
12:03 Eric> that link won't open for me
12:03 Eric> Did you get the email I sent you?
12:04 Eric> I just sent it to you again





We were disconnected at this point. I re-connected and the chat continues
below:





12:11 New party ('Eric') has joined the session
12:11 You have been placed in queue. An advisor will join soon to assist
you. When you choose to finish your chat, please use the EXIT CHAT button on
your right.
12:13 Eric> I was just disconnected while chatting with Jenny. Can you
transfer me?
12:14 New party ('BT') has joined the session
12:15 BT> yep one sec
12:15 Party ('BT') has left the session
12:16 New party ('Jenny') has joined the session
12:18 Eric> I was just talking to you about the Dell Latitude D505
12:19 Jenny> Ok and i did look at this quote
12:19 Eric> Did you get the email I sent you with the quote?
12:19 Eric> ok,
12:19 Jenny> It is not the centrno technology
12:19 Jenny> That is the difference in price
12:20 Eric> why isn't it the Centrino technology?
12:20 Jenny> It is just the Pentium 4 M, M = mobile chip
12:20 Eric> No it's not... It's the Pentium M at 1.5GHz
12:20 Jenny> It does not say it is and the 802.11 is not part of the
processor itself
12:21 Jenny> Correct then the 450 is not matching = specs the 350 or 305
would be an equal system
12:21 Eric> Yes, it does say it. The very first line says "Lat D505, 1.5GHZ
PEN M, 15.0XGA
12:22 Eric> 1.5GHZ PEN M stands for the Pentium M 1.5
12:23 Jenny> Can i call you ?
12:23 Jenny> It is a M technology but not the centrino
12:23 Eric> If this is what I'm saying it is...CAN YOU COMPETE with this? If
so, I'll call you, if not, there's no reason to.
12:23 Jenny> http://www.gateway.com/home/products..._catalog.shtml
12:24 Jenny> I can i have a much more powerful system
12:24 Eric> Why do you keep saying it's not the Centrino? Did you see where
it says the Pentium M 1.5 also the Intel pro wireless card?
12:24 Jenny> The M350S
12:25 Jenny> Yes but that is not centrino
12:25 Eric> It also has the 855 chipset which would be the third component
of what makes up "Centrino"
12:25 Jenny> Centrino technology is all those but it is also all built in
the processor chip itself
12:25 Eric> Yes it, is. Centrino is made up of the M processor, the 855
chipset, and the intel wireless card. If a laptop has those three components
it IS "Centrino"
12:26 Eric> If you disagree with this, please go and ask someone to confirm.
12:27 Jenny> On your quote it shows it is a ' 1.5 not that it is a M 1.5
with centrino technology , when i made a quote offering this it was much
more
12:27 Eric> Yes (for the second time) it DOES say it on the first line.
12:28 Eric> "LAT D505 1.5GHZ PEN M"
12:28 Jenny> The fisrt line says this : Latitude D505, 1.50GHz, Pentium M,
15.0 XGA, English
12:28 Jenny> Correct , it does not say centrino technology
12:28 Eric> CORRECT - Pentium M 1.5GHz + 855 chipset + Intel Pro/Wireless
802.11 card = Centrino technology
12:29 Jenny> Correct , so that is = to my m 305 sereise
12:30 Eric> you really need to go and ask someone what "Centrino" really is.
this is just silly.
12:31 Jenny> I know what it is , Intel makes a lot of processors
12:31 Eric> Centrino is NOT a processor
12:31 Jenny> I also see dell offers this system with a centrno chip and it
is much more then 1400
12:31 Jenny> Yes it is
12:32 Eric> Centrino is not a chip.
12:32 Eric> It's not anything tangible...it's a technology made up of the M
processor, the 855 chipset, and the wireless card.
12:33 Jenny> The 802.11 is part of the processor chip itself
12:33 Eric> if a laptop has those three components...then (and only then) is
it considered to have "Centrino Mobile Technology".
12:34 Eric> Let's get back to the point. Can you compete with this offer
from Dell?
12:35 Eric> If not, we don't need to continue.
12:35 Eric> If you can, I'd be happy to see what you could offer.
12:36 Jenny> On the quote you sent me the mM350S is equal system for less
12:36 Eric> It has the Pentium 4...NOT the same processor as the Pentium M
!!!!!
12:36 Jenny> No it has the : Processor: Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor
2.6GHz with Hyper-Threading Technology
12:37 Jenny> This has a more powerfully processor the hyper threading
12:38 Eric> the 350S has a (normally used in a desktop) P4 w/ HT ... not the
P4 mobile processor.
12:38 Jenny> Or o have the m305xl this thas the : Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4
Processor 2.2GHz-M4
12:39 Jenny> These are mobile processors , not the desk top
12:40 Eric> Still, just a typical P4 processor ... not a mobile P4. This is
helping you more than it is helping me. You actually could be learning a lot
here if you listen and not try and correct me...lol.
12:40 Eric> Go and ask one of your techs if these units have the mobile P4
or just the typical P4's
12:40 Eric> There IS a difference
12:41 Eric> The three Intel processor you should know the difference between
in these laptops are the Pentium 4, the Pentium 4-M, and the Pentium M
12:42 Jenny> I can email you some quotes to look at
12:42 Eric> the Pentium M is the one you need (along with the chipset and
the wireless card) to have Centrino technology
12:42 Jenny> I hope i am not confusing you on this
12:43 Eric> if they are the same type of configuration as the one I sent
you, go ahead. Don't bother with any of the ones you mentioned...they don't
have the Pentium M processor.
12:43 Eric> I hope I'm not confusing YOU on this...lol !!!!!!
12:43 Jenny> Your correct on the chip set
12:44 Eric> thank you
12:44 Jenny> But the quote you sent me does not say this
12:44 Eric> say what?
12:45 Eric> Look, I can't spend anymore time on this. Send me a quote if you
can come up with something that would compete with the Dell Quote I sent you
(with the Pentium M).
12:46 Jenny> It just says D505, 1.50GHz, Pentium 4, 15.0 XGA, English
12:46 Eric> Yes, that's correct, what in the world would you like it to say?
12:46 Jenny> If you have any questions throughout your research, please give
me a call directly or email me. My direct number is 800.846.2036 ext. XXXXX
and my email is Jenny@gateway.com. I work on commission and would love the
opportunity to earn your business!!!
12:47 Eric> Like I said, send me a quote if you can come up with something
similar to the Dell.

newtothis wrote:

Isn't it a sub-atomic particle??? ;-)

--

Fundamentalism is fundamentally wrong.

To reply to this message, replace everything to the left of "@" with
james.knott.

You're a real jerk. Is that the way you speak to everyone?

"newtothis" <newtothis@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:2BZMb.46310$na.37354@attbi_s04...

brian wrote:


Uh ? You mean you don't expect sales staff to know something about what
they're selling ?

Hmmm...I'm not sure how to answer this one, but I do expect a Gateway
salesperson to know about the Gateway product they are trying to sell. I
don't feel I was out of line or rude. I started by letting the person know
what the Centrino technology is (to my understanding) and that there is no
such thing as a Centrino processor.

If you think I was rude...okay, but I doubt very many others would feel the
same way after reading the "chat".

To each there own, so have a wonderful day.


"brian" <brian@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Kh0Nb.14028$%wh.11957@news04.bloor.is.net.cab le.rogers.com...

"newtothis" <newtothis@nospam.com> wrote in message
news62Nb.51250$I06.291158@attbi_s01...
Not rude at all. The salesperson was rude to simply ignore what you were
trying to say. The dialog almost reads as if the salesperson was some
typical artificial intelligence program (like Eliza the virtual
therapist...).

Now that you mention it, she might have been some type of AI program...lol.


"Slashed Zero" <slashedzero@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:xh2Nb.11096$bV5.3559471@phobos.telenet-ops.be...

I don't think so... an AI program would, at least, have used a
spell-checker.
--
Rocket


"newtothis" <newtothis@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:Qg3Nb.45818$sv6.123851@attbi_s52...

sounds like you were talking to a BOT not a person!

"newtothis" <newtothis@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:2BZMb.46310$na.37354@attbi_s04...
s=bsd
P1N&m_22=BASAD&m_1=D5P15X&m_19=TM1400&c=us&l=en&s= bsd&kc=6W300
=http://qto.us.dell.com/qto/default.asp

You were NOT rude. In fact, I thought you were very patient - more so than I
would have been!

I suppose that would depend on where the AI program was written; with
outsourcing and all these days. :-)

Most sales people seem to have little to no understanding of hardware and
manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway, and Apple try their best to confuse
buyers. For instance my Dell Latitude C400 is listed as having an "XGA
maximum resolution of 1024 x 768, 16.7 million colors - supporting up to
1600x1200 resolution on an external monitor, 16.7million colors." To most
people, that would appear to mean that the LCD can display up to 16.7
million _different_ colors. However, looking at the hardware specs for the
LCD, which are not available when buying the computer, indicates that the
LCD only displays 6 bits per color channel, not 8. Thus, while the LCD
supports 8 bits per channel, this is displayed as 6 bits per channel. Just
about all computer manufacturers seem to try to confuse buyers when it comes
to the capabilities of their laptop LCDs and the sales people are usually
absolutely wrong when I ask them about the LCDs. As far as I know, just
about all laptop LCDs are still only capable of displaying 262 thousand
different colors while desktop LCDs can display 16 million. I would like to
know how to identify a laptop whose LCD can display 16 million different
colors when it appears on the market without having to dig deep into the
technical specs of the laptop.

-Yves

"Rocket" <rocket@spamcop.net> wrote in message
newss6dnW2J0uzyWZndRVn-uQ@comcast.com...

"Rocket" <rocket@spamcop.net> wrote in message
newss6dnW2J0uzyWZndRVn-uQ@comcast.com...

--
Regards
Lucar

i did not think ether one was reading what the orther was typing

d505 seem more like the 200x
not the 305 or 350

( yes i work for gateway)
i would have put him into the 200x at 1399

as far as the palm goes
really could not give him a free one but
at the price point at 99 it would have been an even deal
peter

How does someone with your language skills get a job
at Gateway? You must be in shipping or something.


"news" <stingray_2010@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OLU%b.3834$PY.1425@lakeread05...