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Operating System Specific Discussions => Other Operating Systems => CommodoreUSA Amiga => Topic started by: bitcpy on August 21, 2012, 05:11:33 PM

Title: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 21, 2012, 05:11:33 PM
Is Commodore USA alive or is it smoke and mirrors?
 
I've sent 2 emails to them in the past 3 weeks inquiring about products and asking for clarification on details of specs and never got a reply to either one.
 
I even sent the emails from 2 different email accounts just to make sure it didnt get lost in spam.
 
I dont get it. They have all these BUY IT NOW buttons on their website, and no one answers sales questions? They say "ship within 1 or 2 days" on some of the things I was looking at but I was skeptical to order because I didnt get a reply to my emails.
 
Has anyone here bought something from their site? Did you get your product in a reasonable timeframe?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: commodorejohn on August 21, 2012, 05:22:34 PM
There's someone over on the Vintage Computer Forum (http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?29850-Anyone-actually-try-experience-a-quot-Commodore-USA-quot-64x-or-other/page2) who ordered an "Amiga Mini" at the start of the month and hasn't heard a thing back yet, even to confirm whether it shipped or not. Then again, it's not like ridiculous delays aren't SOP for them, so who knows whether this is indicative of their finally having taken the money and run.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 21, 2012, 05:43:40 PM
I have to say Thank you very much for the link.
 
It looks like there is more than just 1 person waiting for product. I am glad I didnt push that Buy it Now button.
 
Also, it seems that all of their products are rebadged standard cases and parts being sourced from Zotac, Wesena, and others. This is sad.
 
I was an original Amiga owner (and I use the term Amiga by itself because  the A1000 was THE Amiga.. lol) back in the 80s and when I found out that there was a Commodore USA I got excited about the prospect of a new-age Amiga. I am really dissapointed that they really havent created anything other than a new badge to put on the case.
 
 
Quote from: commodorejohn;704525
There's someone over on the Vintage Computer Forum (http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?29850-Anyone-actually-try-experience-a-quot-Commodore-USA-quot-64x-or-other/page2) who ordered an "Amiga Mini" at the start of the month and hasn't heard a thing back yet, even to confirm whether it shipped or not. Then again, it's not like ridiculous delays aren't SOP for them, so who knows whether this is indicative of their finally having taken the money and run.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: lassie on August 21, 2012, 11:37:03 PM
It is a real shame if people do not get what they have paid for, and it is strange they dont answer when people sends email to them. Hope they starts to pick up on things
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: kedawa on August 22, 2012, 01:37:49 AM
Barry should just stick to what he knows.
I for one would love to have an Amiga branded ottoman, or a Commodore computer desk.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on August 24, 2012, 05:15:25 AM
Barry responded to one person on their new forum. He blames been caught off guard with the sheel volume of units they ship, *pfft*, and also lays the blame on some guy who he has now sacked.
 
Quote
Your C64x Extreme is being shipped today. It is presently being loaded with COS Vision, and will undergo a final check before it is picked up this afternoon by USPS. You will receive an email confirmation with tracking info later today.

Your experience is just beyond what I would ever expect a customer of Commodore USA to endure, and for this I sincerely apologize. Without even offering any excuses, since there are none, there is an explanation that highlights some of the issues that we have experienced during the past year. It is unfortunate that you had to be the recipient of a perfect storm of miscommunication, horrific customer service, and a customer service issue that simply just fell through the cracks.

It has been just over one year since we began shipping, and needless to say we were totally caught off guard, and somewhat surprised as to the huge amount of orders that we received, and continue to receive on a daily basis. Thousands of orders have been processed and shipped with absolutely no problems at all. Considering the volume of shipments, there have been very, very few customer service issues that were not resolved in a timely manner. However, that is not to say that all is perfect in OZ, and there has been instances where we were less than stellar in resolving these issues, but nothing like the problem that Panna has had to go through in getting his unit returned to him in Norway.

Although it may seem to Panna that over 100 calls were made to our office, I believe that number is somewhat exaggerated due to the utter frustration he must have felt in trying to contact us without success. I will say that since our phone system is strictly VOIP ( we use two service providers; Net Talk and Voice Eclipse, both of which are acceptably reliable as far as VOIP is, we have had problems with calls coming in from various overseas locations. This could explain a part of the communications issues we have had. Additionally, we have changed and updated both our email servers over the last six months, and in the transition from POP to IMAP, we "lost/ misplaced/or simply misdirected emails that were directed to our various email accounts. That issue has been resolved. And finally, when I inquired about Panna's order status and shipping details, I was given incorrect info from our staff (who, needless to say, is no longer employed here). Put all of these conditions together,throw in a few that I haven't even included, and I can see how this horror show escalated to the point where Panna had to resort to posting his frustration here on our forum.

Let me assure all our members, customers and visitors that we are making every effort to resolve these issues. I note that a member here suggested that we hire a full time customer service rep to handle these issues, reply to customers requesting some type of email assistance etc. Luckily, there are so few of these customer service issues that a full time employee is just not warranted. We are very fortunate in this regard, since our barebones units rarely, if ever have any type of problem, other than requests for order status updates and tracking info. Additionally, our configured units enjoy an incredibly low failure rate as we only source components with the highest quality from major manufacturers and OEM suppliers.

I hope this addresses the very valid concerns that were raised here by Panna, and to those who have an interest in both our company and products.

Barry

The Forum post.  (http://forums.commodore.net/showthread.php?257-130-days-still-havent-got-my-C64extreme-back!&p=523&viewfull=1#post523)
 
That post has been edited a couple of times. The thing about there been thousands of units sold was the latest addition. Personally if I had the money, burning a hole in my pockets and really bored, I would just build a much better PC with the money.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: commodorejohn on August 24, 2012, 05:35:27 AM
"Without even offering any excuses," Barry passes the buck like a pro, blaming his customer base for too many orders (right,) the customer in question for totally probably misreporting the number of calls, maybe, the phone system for probably not taking all the calls that may not have been placed, the mail server for not backing itself up of its own accord before they switched to IMAP, a nameless staffer who gave ambiguously incorrect information about something or other (like, presumably, whether or not the customer had actually placed over 100 calls,) and a few more totally unspecified reasons that are probably even better not-excuses, maybe, you don't know that they aren't! And conveniently enough, nowhere in that list is blame assigned to Barry, so he must not be at fault! And also he'd like you to know that this hardly ever happens, except for all the times when it's happened.

Incredible. Simply incredible. (And I mean that in the most fully etymological sense of the term.)

[youtube]JFvujknrBuE[/youtube]

"There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT I SWEAR TO GOD!"
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 24, 2012, 08:33:38 PM
I am not sure whether to believe they are simply going through "growing pains" or they are covering up for very poor business practices.
 
In either case, I've spent a little more time looking over the 2 Amiga models that I was interested in (Mio and Mini).
 
With the Mio, they didnt even try to customize it or change it.
 
It's basically a Zotac ID70Plus that has 2 plastic stickers attached to the front and a C= logo replacing the Zotac logo on the top. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqy2qAzyha8
 
For $995 in base configuration you get a copy of OpenSource Mint Linux with a "Commodore Theme" + a Zotac ID70Plus. They consider this the sequel to quite possibly the best computer that existed back in the 80s?
 
The Amiga Mini is even much worse. This time around, they only sell it as a BASE configuration which shows up as CASE & FAN for $295USD???? This is just a Wesena ITX2 with Amiga engraved on the front which can be bought for a whopping $67USD!!!
 
They removed the fully configured spec. My guess is that the Pico PSU combined with the Quad core i7 was causing alot of heat issues and power stability issues so they scrapped it.
 
http://www.shop.perfecthometheater.com/HTPC-ITX2-Black-Ultra-small-aluminum-chassis-HTPC-ITX2-B.htm;jsessionid=A1A4157FB1E4345850390B4409A044A4.qscstrfrnt06
 
Its really sad to see all of this with the Amiga specifically. I think they are tarnishing what was once a great Iconic name in the computer industry with silly antics like this.
 
The only thing I can see that they have done so far is create a custom Linux theme, include some free software that allows you to run Amiga classic applications in UAE and made some new stickers.
 
I'm all for captilalism, but, at least give it a new name and dont put AMIGA on the darn things.
 
That's my $0.02 .
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: kedawa on August 24, 2012, 09:52:00 PM
Yeah, this ******* took the laziest approach possible to get a working computer on the market, and managed to screw even that up.
The sooner the market flushes this turd, the better.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on August 25, 2012, 02:37:03 AM
Quote from: bitcpy;705029
The Amiga Mini is even much worse. This time around, they only sell it as a BASE configuration which shows up as CASE & FAN for $295USD???? This is just a Wesena ITX2 with Amiga engraved on the front which can be bought for a whopping $67USD!!!

Never noticed that. It must be a rcent change to the price guide. As the Mini page still states the hardware that comes with it. Also if you try to "configure" the case you still get the 295 price tag with or withour the engraving. Also someone on their forums pointed out the extreme config of the 64x has gone. Meaning you can now buy an over priced Atom based c64x, overpriced greatwall computers or an overpriced zotac.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 25, 2012, 02:52:32 AM
Nope.. Go back and check again. They dont charge more or less for the engraving, but, if you DONT get the engraving, then you really are paying 4.5x the price for a $67 case.
 
They must have recently removed it because the mini page clearly states:
 
"Amiga Mini chassis only, for a configured unit in this form factor, see Amiga Mio".
 
(http://www.b00t.co/users/bitcpy/rpi/amiga_mini_page.png)
Quote from: CritAnime;705083
Never noticed that. It must be a rcent change to the price guide. As the Mini page still states the hardware that comes with it. Also if you try to "configure" the case you still get the 295 price tag with or withour the engraving. Also someone on their forums pointed out the extreme config of the 64x has gone. Meaning you can now buy an over priced Atom based c64x, overpriced greatwall computers or an overpriced zotac.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on August 25, 2012, 03:07:02 AM
Quote from: bitcpy;705084
Nope.. Go back and check again. They dont charge more or less for the engraving, but, if you DONT get the engraving, then you really are paying 4.5x the price for a $67 case.
 
They must have recently removed it because the mini page clearly states:
 
"Amiga Mini chassis only, for a configured unit in this form factor, see Amiga Mio".
 

Thats what i said. the price does not change no matter what you click. Along with the fact the Mini page still states the hardware it comes with but it's obviously not the case on the purchase page.
 
It's a massive ripp-off. Even the c64x internals match a zotac machine with a price tag of just under £300.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 25, 2012, 03:20:25 AM
Ahh ok.. I understand now.. you meant on the spec page.. I didnt even notice that one.. someone was in a hurry to remove the "order" button but forgot to update the spec page. lol..
 
 
Quote from: CritAnime;705085
Thats what i said. the price does not change no matter what you click. Along with the fact the Mini page still states the hardware it comes with but it's obviously not the case on the purchase page.
 
It's a massive ripp-off. Even the c64x internals match a zotac machine with a price tag of just under £300.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: cgutjahr on August 25, 2012, 03:03:35 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;705083
Also if you try to "configure" the case you still get the 295 price tag with or withour the engraving.

I think "without Amiga engraving" means just that - i.e. the Commodore logos still in place, but missing the Amiga logo at the front. That 'design' (cough) used to be available as the "VIC Mini", but that's not listed as a product anymore either.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: comptech on August 27, 2012, 03:39:38 PM
Quote from: commodorejohn;704899
"Without even offering any excuses," Barry passes the buck like a pro, blaming his customer base for too many orders (right,) the customer in question for totally probably misreporting the number of calls, maybe, the phone system for probably not taking all the calls that may not have been placed, the mail server for not backing itself up of its own accord before they switched to IMAP, a nameless staffer who gave ambiguously incorrect information about something or other (like, presumably, whether or not the customer had actually placed over 100 calls,) and a few more totally unspecified reasons that are probably even better not-excuses, maybe, you don't know that they aren't! And conveniently enough, nowhere in that list is blame assigned to Barry, so he must not be at fault! And also he'd like you to know that this hardly ever happens, except for all the times when it's happened.
 
Incredible. Simply incredible. (And I mean that in the most fully etymological sense of the term.)
 
[youtube]JFvujknrBuE[/youtube]
 
"There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT I SWEAR TO GOD!"

 
I tried to impart to Barry the importance of having customer service and this is the response I got:
 
http://forums.commodore.net/showthread.php?257-130-days-still-havent-got-my-C64extreme-back!/page2 (halfway down the page)
 
All it takes is 1 customer service rep (8.00 bucks an hour) to answer phone calls/emails instead of some poor schmuck who is already overloaded with his numerous other jobs.
 
It Takes Months To Find A Customer...
 
seconds to lose one
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 28, 2012, 06:20:14 AM
Those last 2 sentences just about sum it up for anyone who wants to run a business.
 
To be honest, everything I've seen and experienced has left a really bad taste in my mouth with respect to this new Commodore company. It's not for me.
 
I really dont see anything innovative or new and putting the name "Amiga" on a computer built from standard PC parts with Opensource Linux O/S and a custom theme doesn't cut it for me. Its a disrespect to the real Amiga.
 
There are only 2 things I have seen so far that are new from this company: The re-creation of the C64 case and the brand new plastic stickers.
 
Props to them for investing the $$ into the injection molding. Now if they would just do something innovative with the hardware and/or software they MIGHT have something to offer.
 

 
Quote from: comptech;705523
I tried to impart to Barry the importance of having customer service and this is the response I got:
 
http://forums.commodore.net/showthread.php?257-130-days-still-havent-got-my-C64extreme-back!/page2 (halfway down the page)
 
All it takes is 1 customer service rep (8.00 bucks an hour) to answer phone calls/emails instead of some poor schmuck who is already overloaded with his numerous other jobs.
 
It Takes Months To Find A Customer...
 
seconds to lose one
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: vexar on August 28, 2012, 08:23:55 PM
You know, I was |==| this close to buying an Amiga Mini (that is the net on a tennis court).  I really appreciate the form factor, and I realize I'm buying "a Linux box."  I thought it was expensive, I had a friend tell me "you can buy a whole lot more for less" and i thought, "no, I'm investing in the future, big, bold, etc."  
Eventually this summer, I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad E530 with an Intel Core i7 3612 QM (whatever the heck that means, it is a quad-core).  I paid $825, delivered, for it.  It is very fast, it sips electricity, runs on a whisper, and if I am so inclined, I can spend $100 or so and get it up to 16GB of RAM when I need it for a work project.  In fact, I'm using it now.  Lenovo has great customer service, I was able to add a video camera to it, and I got a tracking service when I completed my purchase.  

Commodore: you lost the sale because I realized I was in dream mode again, and that's how I usually make a financial mistake.  You are competing with Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, and the lot, and I realized that's really what I wanted: something business grade.  You haven't made a new machine worthy of your brand, and I can't believe I spent four hours offering up a product direction strategy in an email from my corporate account that didn't get noticed.  You won't beat Dell in the small margin commodity server market, no matter how hard you try, because you can't be bothered to hire even an overseas outfit to handle your tech support.  You are marketing but you aren't selling, and that's not closing deals.  Why aren't you actively going after a small business office hardware refresh?  Gosh, your market is so easy to get some leads.  Fish for a contact at I dunno... Sears, and offer to sell them their desktops for a refresh at an irresistible price, and include a premium hardware support plan for two years.  Pay someone locally to be "on call" for your customer, and you'd have unbeatable customer service to have a fella making house calls a couple times a month and taking calls.

Also, you wiped your forums to cover your tracks, especially when I (with Xerxes) made a lot of racket about the power configuration being wrong (neither of us take credit for it, someone on Amiga.org pointed it out first, we just went after it).  That helped me feel better about not buying your system.

Leo: CTO's don't write scripts.  You have an executive position and set the direction of technology, nothing else.  What you are is a principal architect and QA lead and tech support.  Barry isn't coaching you very well (by example) on how to be an executive.  I'm sorry about that.

Amiga / C= community: Linux Mint is a great distro.  I'm sure it will be fine for you.  Zotac makes great hardware.  As long as you didn't get the Core i7 machine, you should be fine, but they didn't test the configuration all that much at Commodore USA.  Nobody feels the "soul" is in these new Linux boxes.  Barry is feeling nostalgic, and that will wane.  I think he's at the age where retirement is a consideration.  Your best bet is to hope everything gets sold again, but I do not see the Commodore USA business model turning into a source of revenue to support $5M / yr in Research and Development and this certainly wasn't started with that kind of funding.  If the remaining 10,000 Amiga fans were able to scrape together $10 Million (USD), or even $6 Million and a lot of "share equity" for part-time engineering work, then the Amiga could rise from the ashes.  

Tesla Motors got 11,000 people to put $5,000 deposits down on a car they hadn't seen, touched, much less driven before, made with radical new technology.  That's way over $50 million.  I have since test-driven one of their cars and had a tour of their endless factory in Fremont.  Be honest with yourselves: if Commodore USA isn't making something as amazing as a Tesla car, they are a flash in the pan and nothing more.  I keep wishing Commodore USA wasn't a shanty of an idea, but dreams that I don't pursue/build are not ones I can influence.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: bitcpy on August 29, 2012, 05:34:27 PM
My story is similar to yours. I came really close (a few times) to ordering a fully built machine. When I started doing my typical searches looking for reviews of the product and seeing the posts I held off.
 
I went back and forth, emailed them a few times, looked at the barebones models, and then when I saw there was no response from their sales people I posted here.
 
That got me doing more and more research and eventually through some posts I read here and from other sites I discovered what the new Amiga REALLY was.
 
Quote from: vexar;705702
You know, I was |==| this close to buying an Amiga Mini (that is the net on a tennis court). I really appreciate the form factor, and I realize I'm buying "a Linux box." I thought it was expensive, I had a friend tell me "you can buy a whole lot more for less" and i thought, "no, I'm investing in the future, big, bold, etc."
Eventually this summer, I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad E530 with an Intel Core i7 3612 QM (whatever the heck that means, it is a quad-core). I paid $825, delivered, for it. It is very fast, it sips electricity, runs on a whisper, and if I am so inclined, I can spend $100 or so and get it up to 16GB of RAM when I need it for a work project. In fact, I'm using it now. Lenovo has great customer service, I was able to add a video camera to it, and I got a tracking service when I completed my purchase.
 
Commodore: you lost the sale because I realized I was in dream mode again, and that's how I usually make a financial mistake. You are competing with Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, and the lot, and I realized that's really what I wanted: something business grade. You haven't made a new machine worthy of your brand, and I can't believe I spent four hours offering up a product direction strategy in an email from my corporate account that didn't get noticed. You won't beat Dell in the small margin commodity server market, no matter how hard you try, because you can't be bothered to hire even an overseas outfit to handle your tech support. You are marketing but you aren't selling, and that's not closing deals. Why aren't you actively going after a small business office hardware refresh? Gosh, your market is so easy to get some leads. Fish for a contact at I dunno... Sears, and offer to sell them their desktops for a refresh at an irresistible price, and include a premium hardware support plan for two years. Pay someone locally to be "on call" for your customer, and you'd have unbeatable customer service to have a fella making house calls a couple times a month and taking calls.
 
Also, you wiped your forums to cover your tracks, especially when I (with Xerxes) made a lot of racket about the power configuration being wrong (neither of us take credit for it, someone on Amiga.org pointed it out first, we just went after it). That helped me feel better about not buying your system.
 
Leo: CTO's don't write scripts. You have an executive position and set the direction of technology, nothing else. What you are is a principal architect and QA lead and tech support. Barry isn't coaching you very well (by example) on how to be an executive. I'm sorry about that.
 
Amiga / C= community: Linux Mint is a great distro. I'm sure it will be fine for you. Zotac makes great hardware. As long as you didn't get the Core i7 machine, you should be fine, but they didn't test the configuration all that much at Commodore USA. Nobody feels the "soul" is in these new Linux boxes. Barry is feeling nostalgic, and that will wane. I think he's at the age where retirement is a consideration. Your best bet is to hope everything gets sold again, but I do not see the Commodore USA business model turning into a source of revenue to support $5M / yr in Research and Development and this certainly wasn't started with that kind of funding. If the remaining 10,000 Amiga fans were able to scrape together $10 Million (USD), or even $6 Million and a lot of "share equity" for part-time engineering work, then the Amiga could rise from the ashes.
 
Tesla Motors got 11,000 people to put $5,000 deposits down on a car they hadn't seen, touched, much less driven before, made with radical new technology. That's way over $50 million. I have since test-driven one of their cars and had a tour of their endless factory in Fremont. Be honest with yourselves: if Commodore USA isn't making something as amazing as a Tesla car, they are a flash in the pan and nothing more. I keep wishing Commodore USA wasn't a shanty of an idea, but dreams that I don't pursue/build are not ones I can influence.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: vexar on August 30, 2012, 02:22:12 PM
Quote from: bitcpy;705812
That got me doing more and more research and eventually through some posts I read here and from other sites I discovered what the new Amiga REALLY was.

What is the new Commodore USA Amiga, the Emperor's new clothes?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: vox on September 01, 2012, 03:36:04 PM
Quote from: bitcpy;704524
Is Commodore USA alive or is it smoke and mirrors?
 
I've sent 2 emails to them in the past 3 weeks inquiring about products and asking for clarification on details of specs and never got a reply to either one.
 
I even sent the emails from 2 different email accounts just to make sure it didnt get lost in spam.
 
I dont get it. They have all these BUY IT NOW buttons on their website, and no one answers sales questions? They say "ship within 1 or 2 days" on some of the things I was looking at but I was skeptical to order because I didnt get a reply to my emails.
 
Has anyone here bought something from their site? Did you get your product in a reasonable timeframe?


I ve never recieved an reply from official address, but a private mail from Berry.

Products if may be called so are famous for slow delivery, assambly and no support.

Check the latest 130 days repair story
http://anticusa.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/180-days-repair-service-norway-to-us/

However, it would be unfair to say the are gone,
they do some PR, new forum and are properly registred LCC
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on September 05, 2012, 03:43:09 PM
Well for anyone interested then here is a thread that was on their forums of someone who built a computer using the Wesena case. It's in MHT format because it's a dump of the page.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5RajerP9VC1alJ0YnJYS1laNTg
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: vox on September 05, 2012, 05:53:02 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;706650
Well for anyone interested then here is a thread that was on their forums of someone who built a computer using the Wesena case. It's in MHT format because it's a dump of the page.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5RajerP9VC1alJ0YnJYS1laNTg

Please follow these step by step guide
http://anticusa.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/sinclairuk-ql-for-less-then-800/

Also: thanks for the link! It has now been eternalized as blog page
http://anticusa.wordpress.com/amiga-mini-is-dead-already-as-well-as-cos-is-non-compatibile-to-many-standard-x64-machines/
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: vexar on October 05, 2012, 03:52:46 PM
So... Amiga Mini is gone now?  Just the shell, huh?  Six months of hype for 2-3 months of product availability.  They have no cash.  I think what they are doing now is building what they expect the market will buy up, selling out, and then re-tooling for a new "idea."  I use the term lightly.  I don't think they believe in what they are doing.  I think they would keep a product around if my understanding was otherwise.  I came close to buying one, I had hesitations.  In the end, my hesitations proved worthwhile.  If I were a computer builder, I'd still buy one of their cases, but I'm not.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on October 06, 2012, 12:51:32 AM
Even if I was a local PC store/inidpendent builder I wouldn't buy them. You have to buy in minimum bulk of 10 (with the 15% discount) which is $2201.50 for the Amiga mini and $2932.50 for the C64x not to mention inport taxes. Which is a large chunk of money to be spending on cases you could possibly not sell. And even if I was doing it as a one off purchase I still couldn't justify it as the importation costs would be just silly on a single unit.
 
They have been through lots of hardware revisions since they have been selling these things. My understanding, which is based upon snippets from the old forum which now no longer exists, is that they were buying complete board configurations in bulk that were close to the end of their retail life. The reason been, as I mentioned, they said things like the boards or components weren't been manufactured any more such as one of the atom chipsets.
 
suppose I should mention that Amiga Mini is no more. its been removed from their product listing.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: vexar on October 11, 2012, 09:53:00 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;710469
My understanding, which is based upon snippets from the old forum which now no longer exists, is that they were buying complete board configurations in bulk that were close to the end of their retail life. The reason been, as I mentioned, they said things like the boards or components weren't been manufactured any more such as one of the atom chipsets.
 
suppose I should mention that Amiga Mini is no more. its been removed from their product listing.

Okay, so that's their game, fascinating.  I'm sorry if you feel this is harsh, but buying things near the end of their market viability, claiming it is new, and then dropping the product as soon as your inventory is clear is really a bottom-feeder's mentality.  It means you don't believe in what you are making.  

Their elimination of the old forum seems to me like they were trying to erase some of their own mistakes or cover their tracks.  I mean, I had my (shared) story with the power supply coming up short, and yet here is one more.  

This does hurt, emotionally.  I want to believe things are better than they are.  It feels like a degradation transition between rational compromises and making a dollar off someone else's naivete.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on October 11, 2012, 11:30:55 PM
Launching a desktop in the tablet age was never a bright idea.  They chose the wrong market.  RIP Commodore USA.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: commodorejohn on October 12, 2012, 12:00:18 AM
Quote from: persia;711067
Launching a desktop in the tablet age was never a bright idea.  They chose the wrong market.  RIP Commodore USA.
Alternatively, it may just be that going up against every other established computer manufacturer with middling and badly-executed hardware builds, free-as-in-quality-not-as-in-price software, at luxury prices and with crap support is doomed in any circumstance...
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on October 12, 2012, 01:38:25 AM
Quote from: vexar;711061
Their elimination of the old forum seems to me like they were trying to erase some of their own mistakes or cover their tracks. I mean, I had my (shared) story with the power supply coming up short, and yet here is one more.
Quote

They have also moved onto a completely new board system so that even rules out them porting the informattion over as it's probably a completely different data structure to the databases. Far too much for their busy time.
 
Quote from: persia;711067
Launching a desktop in the tablet age was never a bright idea. They chose the wrong market. RIP Commodore USA.

The tablet market is saturated. I doubt if they entered it that they would make a big enough impact for it to be really viable. And if their PC prices are anything to go by then they would probably price it right into the firing lines of Sony, Samsung, Acer, Asus, Apple and not to mention the hundreds of brands that saturate the cheap end of the tablet market.
 
I think their next venture will possibly be into the whole Raspberry Pi thing. Not enough people have jumped on that bandwagon yet.  
 
Quote from: commodorejohn;711069
Alternatively, it may just be that going up against every other established computer manufacturer with middling and badly-executed hardware builds, free-as-in-quality-not-as-in-price software, at luxury prices and with crap support is doomed in any circumstance...

This is probably the most realistic view. I feel their very much like how Commodore Gaming was. Making so so computers and premium pricing them right into the same brackets as much more powerful and feature packed brand computers. And we know how it ended for them.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on October 17, 2012, 10:36:23 PM
Quote from: commodorejohn;711069
Alternatively, it may just be that going up against every other established computer manufacturer with middling and badly-executed hardware builds, free-as-in-quality-not-as-in-price software, at luxury prices and with crap support is doomed in any circumstance...


The sad thing was, this is exactly what we were trying to point out to them right from the start, except they were trying to cover it all up.

They might have had a chance selling cheap PCs equipped with Windows and/or Linux and configured to play retro games right from the desktop... and stated just that.

All of this fluff about their own "OS" coupled with what was obviously rebadged existing  hardware, marked up to skyhigh prices and configured/assembled by an amature was going nowhere.

Didn't they have one single person who knew something about the computer market working for them?

I'm afraid that Barry (whatever his intentions) seemed to think selling computers was like selling coffee tables:  You by them as cheaply as you can, mark them up and resell them.  Unfortunately the margins on furniture are not the same as those on computers and you don't need to provide 24 hour tech support on a sofa.

As for the lies, he makes Pinochio look like Mother Teresa.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on October 17, 2012, 11:21:05 PM
SO if they're really gone what's going to unite us?  Does this mean red v blue v AROS is back on?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Maximius on October 18, 2012, 12:39:24 AM
hi,

the amiga mini barebone is missing now too? that's incredible. Are they going to restore it or not?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on October 18, 2012, 04:53:12 AM
Quote from: persia;711820
SO if they're really gone what's going to unite us?  Does this mean red v blue v AROS is back on?


Windows 8?

:p
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: amiga1084 on October 18, 2012, 05:03:50 AM
Who Cares!!!
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on October 18, 2012, 04:23:59 PM
Quote from: Darrin;711818
The sad thing was, this is exactly what we were trying to point out to them right from the start, except they were trying to cover it all up.

They might have had a chance selling cheap PCs equipped with Windows and/or Linux and configured to play retro games right from the desktop... and stated just that.

All of this fluff about their own "OS" coupled with what was obviously rebadged existing  hardware, marked up to skyhigh prices and configured/assembled by an amature was going nowhere.

Didn't they have one single person who knew something about the computer market working for them?

I'm afraid that Barry (whatever his intentions) seemed to think selling computers was like selling coffee tables:  You by them as cheaply as you can, mark them up and resell them.  Unfortunately the margins on furniture are not the same as those on computers and you don't need to provide 24 hour tech support on a sofa.

As for the lies, he makes Pinochio look like Mother Teresa.


There has been a lot of fluff over the OS. This comes from their forum (http://forums.commodore.net/showthread.php?3-Solved-Commodore-OS-Vision-b9-not-booting-into-GUI-Terminal-Mode).

Quote
Unfortunately, incompatabilties were found with COS with the newer hardware, and a new version is in development.
Your computer can run a multitude of OSes other than COS, and it is regrettable, that at this point of time there is a requirement for your intervention and effort to install one of these.
The lack of a working COS, however, should not have prevented you from using your computer in the meantime with any number of free operating systems available over the internet.
I believe that at least a version of Mint is being installed on machines in the meantime.
I wish I could give you an ETA, but a more realistic answer is 'when it's done'.
I would be highly surprised if it is not available by mid November, a year after its launch.
Commodore OS (in its current incarnation) is provided for free to everyone.....and we are making best efforts to support our hardware.......


This is not the first time that they have admitted that something is wrong with the OS. I have seen a few other posts saying that they were having issues with it and were trying to get COS Fusion, basically a ubuntu build with a Mac like dock and some wallpapers, out to fill the gap. But now it looks like they are dumping that and sticking with just Mint.

The entire OS thing has obviously been far too much for them to handle and why they felt they needed it I don't know. They should have just done the original plan and dumped Ubuntu on them.

Quote from: Maximius;711829
hi,

the amiga mini barebone is missing now too? that's incredible. Are they going to restore it or not?


Oh didn't you know the Mio is the Mini mk2 (http://forums.commodore.net/showthread.php?1229-Forum-Update-Product-Lineup&p=2016&viewfull=1#post2016)?

Quote
The Amiga Mio is more like the Amiga Mini version 2.0, rather then an entirely new product. They both have the same motherboard, it's just the Mio is IMHO laid out better and easier to work on..
Other improvements are the case design allows more airflow for better cooling, there is now a built in SD card reader, the eject button on the Bluray drive is functional, it comes with an IR remote and receiver, and not only does it handle a second hard drive, but we've already installed the cables and everything, so its incredibly easy to install a 2nd HD or replace the first one..


Must be really difficult working on a prebuilt machine lol. But I feel that they realised just how much of a pain it was to do laser etched stuff and probably thought it was easier to stick to pre-builts. Don't forget the Mio went from been the Vic Mini and Amiga Mini for a brief spell.

Quote from: amiga1084;711840
Who Cares!!!


We don't it's just funny. And besides this is in it's own little section now so why bother posting ;)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Kesa on November 11, 2012, 11:43:23 AM
It's been a bit quiet on the CUSA front. Are they still alive? I just checked their store and the only thing they feature are the Vic slim and the barebones C64x. What happened to the Amiga mini and the other Amiga line HTPC's they were bringing out?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: gertsy on November 11, 2012, 11:55:28 AM
Toasted Sandwiches.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on November 11, 2012, 05:30:31 PM
(http://i53.tinypic.com/7257jm.gif)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on November 13, 2012, 05:53:44 AM
Reading their forums it would appear that they are in the middle of yet another product reshuffle. Someone mentioned something about a new 1000x and keyboard, I would assume this is the one that dammy tried to tout a while back, but nothing more than that. After that c-net interview thing they also claimed that they were trying to promote their custom config thing where people becaome dealers. So far nothing has come from that.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on January 10, 2013, 03:47:38 AM
No product, no Baron nor Big Ben Aussie, they appear to have reached the end of the line.  Let us morn C=USA.....



(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa444/superdogbiter/71776__UNOPT__safe_animated_oc_dance_artist-1n33d4hug_gangnam-style_coconeru.gif)

Gangnum style!
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 10, 2013, 03:17:27 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;714793
Reading their forums it would appear that they are in the middle of yet another product reshuffle. Someone mentioned something about a new 1000x and keyboard, I would assume this is the one that dammy tried to tout a while back, but nothing more than that. After that c-net interview thing they also claimed that they were trying to promote their custom config thing where people becaome dealers. So far nothing has come from that.


That C-Net effort was a feeble attempt to push their "Emu Eggs" on an unsuspecting community.  I emailed C-Net about that piece and asked them whether they actually researched the people they interviewed beforehand or whether they wanted to be held liable for the losses these "dealers" might face when they discovered they bought into a bad deal based on C-Net's apparent endorsement.

They never replied. :)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 10, 2013, 03:20:27 PM
Quote from: persia;721920
No product, no Baron nor Big Ben Aussie, they appear to have reached the end of the line.  Let us morn C=USA.....

(http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa444/superdogbiter/71776__UNOPT__safe_animated_oc_dance_artist-1n33d4hug_gangnam-style_coconeru.gif)

Gangnum style!


LOL.

I wonder how Ben was getting paid.  They couldn't sell enough products to meet his wages, let alone the rent on the office, etc.

Oh well, they wont be the first company to go belly up for trying to dictate to the customers rather than listen to them and deliver a product that someone actually wants.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: kedawa on January 10, 2013, 11:06:40 PM
It's simple; they engraved a C= logo on some pennies, increasing their value by hundreds of dollars.
How do you think they financed their $30M marketing budget?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on January 11, 2013, 12:04:05 AM
Quote from: Darrin;721974
That C-Net effort was a feeble attempt to push their "Emu Eggs" on an unsuspecting community. I emailed C-Net about that piece and asked them whether they actually researched the people they interviewed beforehand or whether they wanted to be held liable for the losses these "dealers" might face when they discovered they bought into a bad deal based on C-Net's apparent endorsement.
 
They never replied. :)

It's funny because when the article first appeared I sent the author a tweet showing the original case. His response was to call me a troll and I didn't know what I was talking about with fake products. I then sent him a set of links to Barry gems on here and Amiga world and never got a reply.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 11, 2013, 04:44:48 AM
Quote from: kedawa;722040
It's simple; they engraved a C= logo on some pennies, increasing their value by hundreds of dollars.
How do you think they financed their $30M marketing budget?


Damn, why couldn't I think of something like that?  :D
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 11, 2013, 04:46:45 AM
Quote from: CritAnime;722047
It's funny because when the article first appeared I sent the author a tweet showing the original case. His response was to call me a troll and I didn't know what I was talking about with fake products. I then sent him a set of links to Barry gems on here and Amiga world and never got a reply.


He called you a troll???  Strewth!  I wouldn't be surprised if the author had been "bought and paid for".  I should have sent someone higher up with C-Net an email and suggested that their author was possibly participating in a scam in exchange for money... or just completely useless at his job.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on January 12, 2013, 04:50:31 AM
Jason Perlow is supposed to be one of the top 100 tech experts on Twitter if your to believe what wiki says.

Still sitting back with a tub of popcorn watching the spectacle.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on January 12, 2013, 01:44:18 PM
So what happened to all the C=USA fellow travellers who used to post here?  I think of Red who really seemed taken in by the huckster.  Do you think they'll return home to us now that modor has fallen?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on January 12, 2013, 01:49:28 PM
Big Ben Aussie just popped up to say they have just halted sales temporarily and watch for an announcement.  Maybe they're at CES shopping for a clue?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 12, 2013, 09:19:43 PM
Quote from: persia;722202
Big Ben Aussie just popped up to say they have just halted sales temporarily and watch for an announcement.  Maybe they're at CES shopping for a clue?


Another announcement!  I can't wait.  Perhaps they've copied The Daddy's case and had someone in China run off a few.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 13, 2013, 01:17:04 AM
Quote from: persia;722201
So what happened to all the C=USA fellow travellers who used to post here?  I think of Red who really seemed taken in by the huckster.  Do you think they'll return home to us now that modor has fallen?


I think poor Jim was already getting fed up with the community and falling for Barry's BS was probably the last straw for him.  It's a real shame because he was one guy I really liked and trusted.  I bought a bunch of "real" Amiga and Commodore stuff off him.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on January 14, 2013, 03:59:07 AM
"Yeah, um, we just took Christmas off because everyone else does, it's not like anyone buys anything that time of year."
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 14, 2013, 02:19:13 PM
Quote from: persia;722388
"Yeah, um, we just took Christmas off because everyone else does, it's not like anyone buys anything that time of year."


ROTFLMA!

If Xmas sales couldn't help them then they're really buggered.

One thing I'll be interested in, once this is all over, is whther "certain parties" were just used as pawns to mislead us, or whether they knew about the lies all along and did it deliberately.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Optimus on January 14, 2013, 04:26:41 PM
Quote from: persia;722202
Big Ben Aussie just popped up to say they have just halted sales temporarily and watch for an announcement.  Maybe they're at CES shopping for a clue?


Maybe this is the groundbreaking major announcement they were saying was coming a year ago?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on January 14, 2013, 05:12:54 PM
Doubt it Optimus. I can't see why they would halt sales if it was a simple case of getting a new ip or new products. They are playing damage limitation and I feel something major has gone wrong. Or at the very least something serious enough that it means they can't sell their only viable products.

Even if they were moving production facilities I can't see why there would be this break in sales. It all seems to fishy.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 14, 2013, 05:30:50 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;722465
Doubt it Optimus. I can't see why they would halt sales if it was a simple case of getting a new ip or new products. They are playing damage limitation and I feel something major has gone wrong. Or at the very least something serious enough that it means they can't sell their only viable products.

Even if they were moving production facilities I can't see why there would be this break in sales. It all seems to fishy.


Something major went wrong the moment they were advertising the C64x in Tron DVDs and didn't actually have a product to ship.  :)

I think we're likely to see one last desperate offer for "partnerships" to dump any existing stock, or perhaps some feeble effort to rebadge some sort of tablet as yet another "Amiga".
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on January 14, 2013, 09:53:54 PM
I wonder how much money they are bleeding in rent for office space, worker pay and other things while this is going on.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 15, 2013, 01:43:07 AM
Quote from: CritAnime;722532
I wonder how much money they are bleeding in rent for office space, worker pay and other things while this is going on.


Say $1000 a month for the office, next to nothing for staff as they don't have any worth mentioning, a low six figure salary for Ben...

It is obviously running at a massive loss, but as I've said before, it is still a tax write-off at the moment.  Time is running out though.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on January 16, 2013, 12:50:14 AM
Quote from: Darrin;722572
It is obviously running at a massive loss, but as I've said before, it is still a tax write-off at the moment. Time is running out though.

How long could they realistically leave it before it can't be a tax write-off?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: SysAdmin on January 16, 2013, 07:11:45 AM
Are they really still selling these on Amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/Commodore-AMIGA-Mio/dp/B0089F36M2/ref=pd_rhf_cr_p_t_3_74QA
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on January 16, 2013, 07:30:38 AM
They have sold 1 c6x in the entire time they have been on amazon, about the same time they announced the Mio.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 16, 2013, 05:05:14 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;722693
How long could they realistically leave it before it can't be a tax write-off?


I believe it is 3 years.  I've run a couple of businesses of my own, but I've never made a loss at it.  ;)

OK, quick check of a tax site shows this:

Quote
A simple, general rule is that if the business makes a profit in 3 of 5 years there will be a presumption of profit motive. For horse-racing, it is 2 of 7 years. Don't you wonder what lawmaker owned horses?

For a company that does not meet the presumption of profit motive, the IRS takes a closer look.

There are nine factors in determining if a 'business loss' is not a 'hobby loss' and therefore nondeductible:

1.You carry on the activity in a business-like manner
2.The time and effort you put into the activity indicate you intend to make it profitable
3.You depend on income from the activity for your livelihood
4.Your losses are due to circumstances beyond your control (or are normal in the start-up phase of your type of business)
5.You change your methods of operation in an attempt to improve profitability
6.You, or your advisors, have the knowledge needed to carry on the activity as a successful business
7.You were successful in making a profit in similar activities in the past
8.The activity makes a profit in some years and the amount of profit it makes
9.You can expect to make a future profit from the appreciation of the assets used in the activity


So after 3 years the IRS looks at your "business" and judges it against the criteria above:

1.You carry on the activity in a business-like manner
Pffft!  That's certainly debatable, but they're not worse than a lot of other businesses out there and probably better than others.  However, the whole model looks more like a "hobby".

2.The time and effort you put into the activity indicate you intend to make it profitable
Good question.  Is enough time being put in?  Nobody answers their phones, so the answer is probably "No".

3.You depend on income from the activity for your livelihood
That's a "No".  The furniture side must outperform it a million times over.

4.Your losses are due to circumstances beyond your control (or are normal in the start-up phase of your type of business)
So, apart from the inital startup (which has now passed), this means disasters, theft, etc.  Not the inability to run the business due to ignorance or mismanagement.

5.You change your methods of operation in an attempt to improve profitability
The failed idea to rope in "business partners" might fall under this.  The failure to implement it means "no".  Perhaps the "watch this space" announcement might reveal a change in direction!

6.You, or your advisors, have the knowledge needed to carry on the activity as a successful business
The key word here is sucessful and relates to THIS business not any previous ones.  Looks like a "no" to me.

7.You were successful in making a profit in similar activities in the past
Computer manufacturing and computer sales?  That's a "no".

8.The activity makes a profit in some years and the amount of profit it makes
Another "no".

9.You can expect to make a future profit from the appreciation of the assets used in the activity
Unless the C64x becomes a collectors item worth a million dollars each, then those dusty cases on the shelf don't count.  Call this one a "no".

So, I think they have 1 more year and then the IRS is going to start sniffing.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Darrin on January 16, 2013, 05:12:57 PM
Quote from: SysAdmin;722710
Are they really still selling these on Amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/Commodore-AMIGA-Mio/dp/B0089F36M2/ref=pd_rhf_cr_p_t_3_74QA


LOL.  2 "five star" reviews from 2 of the 10 people who hang out on the C-USA website.  

They state:  "Operating System Linux, Windows 7 Home Premium" in the specs.  I thought it just came with their Linux install.  Is this an attempt to "add value" by misleading people to think it comes with Windows 7, or have they really included it in the price?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: eliyahu on January 16, 2013, 05:51:37 PM
@thread

CUSA founder barry altman passed away in late 2012.  the discussion continues here (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=63881).

-- eliyahu
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on February 10, 2013, 03:58:58 AM
I would really like one of those C64 cases, were there any left before they shut down and if so will there be an opportunity to buy them?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on February 13, 2013, 04:11:39 AM
We don't know what is actually going on with them. I was half tempted to sign up to their site and try and find out. But supposedly the Itallian reseller has some stock so maybe try them.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on February 20, 2013, 01:22:31 AM
The forums at Commodore.net are gone now.  No product in a almost 3 months.  No word from Big Ben Aussie.  I guess they aren't coming back...
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on February 20, 2013, 04:09:03 AM
Maybe they just got sick of people suggesting kickstarter all the time.....

I don't know if they have gone. Problem is a Web server can always die then come back. Outages are nothing new for their forums.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: number6 on March 16, 2013, 06:08:31 AM
Quote from: CritAnime;727033
Maybe they just got sick of people suggesting kickstarter all the time.....

I don't know if they have gone. Problem is a Web server can always die then come back. Outages are nothing new for their forums.



Apparently they are being sued by one of their strategic partners.

T G 3 Electronics Inc vs. Commodore USA (http://court-record-report.com/record/1940548/2013CV000336)

Such is the sad history of everything Commodore and Amiga.

#6
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Optimus on March 18, 2013, 01:40:19 AM
Quote from: number6;729376
Apparently they are being sued by one of their strategic partners.

T G 3 Electronics Inc vs. Commodore USA (http://court-record-report.com/record/1940548/2013CV000336)

Such is the sad history of everything Commodore and Amiga.

#6


That was their keyboard supplier for the C64x.

Not a good sign, CUSA probably was buying on NET 30 or NET 60 terms, and now there is no one to write them a check.  Something tells me Barry was the sole owner of the LLC and all this probably needs to go through probate and the whole 9 yards.

Most interesting, who is left to defend the Commodore trademark?  Who the heck even owns it?  CUSA didn't, but I'm not sure they were paying royalties until the Asiarim court battle was over- what happened with that?  But Barry could write a cease and desist letter at the drop of hat, based on the presumption of an exclusive license from the winners of the court battle.  And he purposely put in the right to defend the Amiga trademark in his agreement with Bill.

Do we have ourselves the Wild Wild West ?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on March 18, 2013, 03:11:11 AM
I'm guessing nobody has been paying AsiaRIM either, so the name deal is likely dead.  How quickly the threads unravel.  It's time to start referring to them as "the company formally known as Commodore USA."

(http://iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/159489%20-%20animated%20paper_boat%20paper_hats%20scootaloo%20shipping%20ship_sinking%20Sweetie_Belle.gif)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: commodorejohn on March 18, 2013, 05:18:48 AM
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: number6 on March 18, 2013, 12:58:17 PM
Quote from: Optimus;729593
That was their keyboard supplier for the C64x.

Not a good sign, CUSA probably was buying on NET 30 or NET 60 terms, and now there is no one to write them a check.  Something tells me Barry was the sole owner of the LLC and all this probably needs to go through probate and the whole 9 yards.

Most interesting, who is left to defend the Commodore trademark?  Who the heck even owns it?  CUSA didn't, but I'm not sure they were paying royalties until the Asiarim court battle was over- what happened with that?  But Barry could write a cease and desist letter at the drop of hat, based on the presumption of an exclusive license from the winners of the court battle.  And he purposely put in the right to defend the Amiga trademark in his agreement with Bill.

Do we have ourselves the Wild Wild West ?



No news from the Netherlands yet, but you can be sure that this will affect the court case there, if only from a motivational standpoint. After all, CUSA was to be Ben Van Wijhe's "way out" of his decade long history of shuffling company names and assets whilst still drawing 246,000 USD salary.

Words posted vs facts? hmmm...most people would tell you that the defense of the Amiga IP fell to Hyperion...not CUSA, despite what was posted. You could say there is enough circumstantial evidence of that on Amigaworld when Hyperion posted about what they considered violations of the settlement agreement.

#6
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on April 16, 2013, 06:37:01 PM
Looks like the site is now 404.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on April 17, 2013, 12:57:40 AM
So we won't see the SAGE 64X?

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Elt_2EOpue4/UUEgn0bUZAI/AAAAAAAAC78/6r2h90ZF-qE/s1600/SAGE.JPG)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: number6 on May 17, 2014, 05:04:04 AM
Quote from: CritAnime;732160
Looks like the site is now 404.


The link has returned.

Commodoreusa.net (http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=37136&forum=44&start=200&viewmode=flat&order=0#734201)

#6
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on May 17, 2014, 10:16:01 AM
Quote from: number6;764582
The link has returned.

Commodoreusa.net (http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=37136&forum=44&start=200&viewmode=flat&order=0#734201)

#6

@number6

Having done a quick whois on the domain it is registered to a Sean Donohue. He is the director and lead engineer for a new company called My Retro Computer LTD here in the UK. There is also a Anne Heelan which shows up as a secetery for the company. Which is interesting as there is also a Heelan accountants on the exact same address (http://heelanassociates.co.uk/).

Whats intersting is this from the website:

Quote
Starting with the famous Commodore 64 & Vic 20 we aim to expand the range to include the Amiga, Atari and spectrum ranges. Whether you are a hardened 'Modder' or someone who just wants a complete system we can accommodate you.

Interesting indeed.

http://www.companieslist.co.uk/09028017-my-retro-computer-ltd#documents

If that read right they have £100 at start of company.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on May 17, 2014, 12:44:23 PM
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5oA_lJTT2bw/UdMkanraXqI/AAAAAAAAQEQ/zTfs0o-GZfk/s300/george-castanza-eating-popcorn-seinfeld-animated.gif)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: James2002 on May 17, 2014, 10:52:02 PM
Quote from: number6;764582
The link has returned.

Commodoreusa.net (http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=37136&forum=44&start=200&viewmode=flat&order=0#734201)

#6

Yeah it very odd. They over priced to much. I could build INTEl or AMD computer cheaper than them. I can build a 200.00 computer. It would be faster than their current offerings.
 
 They made another link.
 http://www.myretrocomputer.com/
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on May 18, 2014, 02:52:20 AM
So is this any relationship to Dogbert and his Mad Dog Linux?
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: James2002 on May 18, 2014, 03:07:33 AM
Quote from: persia;764606
So is this any relationship to Dogbert and his Mad Dog Linux?

I don't know for sure. I am just waiting and seeing.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on May 19, 2014, 05:44:49 PM
Quote from: persia;764606
So is this any relationship to Dogbert and his Mad Dog Linux?

Well he wasn't too flattering with his response to that.

Quote
First of all numb-nuts, its a %&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@! company from the UK.  It is owned  by Sean Donohue.  I obviously being from the US, North Carolina to be  exact, do not live in the UK.  Well these are the same people that claim  that "Amiga is the best OS in the world and that their 30 year old OS  beats Windows, Mac and Linux."  Also, the same group that thinks the  $5,000.00 USD, underpowered AmigaNG computers they buy is a  SUPERCOMPUTER.   With a crew that delusional do I really expect them to  master a MAP?  Of course not.

(http://techvues.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/commodoreusa-is-back.html)

I have been in contact with the guy running the site. He seems a genuine guy. I am waiting to hear if I can post the contents  of the mail. But basically he says he is not reviving Commodore USA or  Commodore for that matter. He is selling retro themed PC cases only.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: wrath of khan on May 19, 2014, 08:42:20 PM
Quote from: CritAnime;764647
Well he wasn't too flattering with his response to that.



(http://techvues.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/commodoreusa-is-back.html)

I have been in contact with the guy running the site. He seems a genuine guy. I am waiting to hear if I can post the contents  of the mail. But basically he says he is not reviving Commodore USA or  Commodore for that matter. He is selling retro themed PC cases only.

Right then! Sounds S.H.I.T!!:laughing:
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on May 20, 2014, 01:16:59 AM
Dogbert's a real sweatheart, isn't he?

Quote from: CritAnime;764647
Well he wasn't too flattering with his response to that.



(http://techvues.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/commodoreusa-is-back.html)

I have been in contact with the guy running the site. He seems a genuine guy. I am waiting to hear if I can post the contents  of the mail. But basically he says he is not reviving Commodore USA or  Commodore for that matter. He is selling retro themed PC cases only.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on May 20, 2014, 06:05:58 PM
I have had permission to post the initial mail.

Quote
Hi James,


 Let  me start by saying, we are not trying to sell ourselves as a phoenix flying from the ashes of Commodoreusa nor do we consider ourselves a  child of commodore Business machines/Commodore international. Commodore  is dead, it died in 1994.  


 With  that out of the way, let me introduce Myretrocomputer.com, our aim is simple, to give people the chance to purchase a modern day pc in a retro  shell or to buy a retro shell and create a bespoke mod all of their  own. We want to sell our products to people of all ages. It’s early days  at the moment and we have many start up issues but rest assured when we are ready everyone will benefit including the  Amiga and Commodore communities.
 
 All the Best
 
 Sean
 Myretrocomputer.com

He admits he has been taken a little off guard in his latest mail. The  expiration of the Commodore USA domain forced him to make a temp site  and act a little sooner than he wanted.

Anyway the rest of the mails are private and I am respecting his wish not to post any more beyond this initial exchange.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: commodorejohn on May 20, 2014, 06:58:33 PM
Well, that's a million times more sensible than anything Barry ever said.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Terminills on May 21, 2014, 12:00:05 AM
Quote from: CritAnime;764692
I have had permission to post the initial mail.



He admits he has been taken a little off guard in his latest mail. The  expiration of the Commodore USA domain forced him to make a temp site  and act a little sooner than he wanted.

Anyway the rest of the mails are private and I am respecting his wish not to post any more beyond this initial exchange.


Domain Name: COMMODOREUSA.NET
Registry Domain ID: 1589193893_DOMAIN_NET-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.godaddy.com
Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com
Update Date: 2014-04-28 20:42:45
Creation Date: 2010-03-17 18:19:06
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2015-03-17 18:19:06
Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC



Signs point towards transfer not expiration btw.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on May 21, 2014, 01:08:37 AM
Quote from: Terminills;764709
Domain Name: COMMODOREUSA.NET
Registry Domain ID: 1589193893_DOMAIN_NET-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.godaddy.com
Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com
Update Date: 2014-04-28 20:42:45
Creation Date: 2010-03-17 18:19:06
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2015-03-17 18:19:06
Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC
 
 
 
Signs point towards transfer not expiration btw.

Who knows. Hell he might have bought it off Barry's family or got it through Go Daddys auction system.
 
Quote
On the day after your domain name registration's expiration date, we attempt to bill you for the domain name renewal. If we cannot renew the domain name (for example, your card on file expired), we notify you of the domain name registration's expiration and park your domain name. You can manually renew your domain name.
 
On the 5th and 12th days after expiration, we email you additional notifications. You can manually renew your domain name.
 
On the 19th day after expiration, your domain name remains on hold but becomes subject to a redemption fee. You can call customer support to renew your domain name, subject to any applicable renewal and redemption fees.
 
On the 25th day after expiration, we put your domain name up for auction with a domain name industry auction service. You can manually renew your domain name, subject to any applicable renewal and redemption fees.
 
On the 42nd day after expiration, we cancel your domain name. We delete all services associated with the domain name

In any case. Some guy bought commodoreusa.net and plans to sell the c64x case. I only reached out to find out what was happening. Seems a alright guy. He hasen't called me vile things through a mail for asking a simple question, something Barry did after I pointed out a issue with COS, and he seems open about what he is doing, something Barry again had issues with.
 
I hope he does better with it. If the prices are right I might buy one. After all I am not going to get stiffed with import taxes with living in the UK.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Terminills on May 21, 2014, 01:29:57 AM
Quote from: CritAnime;764711
Who knows. Hell he might have bought it off Barry's family or got it through Go Daddys auction system.
 

 
In any case. Some guy bought commodoreusa.net and plans to sell the c64x case. I only reached out to find out what was happening. Seems a alright guy. He hasen't called me vile things through a mail for asking a simple question, something Barry did after I pointed out a issue with COS, and he seems open about what he is doing, something Barry again had issues with.


Never had this issue personally.   I can't say I agreed with what he was doing however I never had any issues with him personally.

Quote

 
I hope he does better with it. If the prices are right I might buy one. After all I am not going to get stiffed with import taxes with living in the UK.



Quote


On the 42nd day after expiration, we cancel your domain name. We delete all services associated with the domain name



This was my point if the domain had expired and they deleted all services associated with it, it would have had an updated expiration date not one that lines up with creation date.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: commodorejohn on May 21, 2014, 02:15:42 AM
Quote from: Terminills;764714
Never had this issue personally.   I can't say I agreed with what he was doing however I never had any issues with him personally.
He basically called me worthless as a person for not thinking that his direction was a good one. And lest we forget:
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on May 21, 2014, 03:56:08 AM
I've bought domains off GODaddy auctions before, they always look like that.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: James2002 on May 21, 2014, 04:54:40 AM
I will wait and see. If his prices are reasonable that change my mind. Maybe Sean might be good guy after all. I don't trust anybody.
 
 I have seen  a lot of old post from Barry. I am not saying either side are right and wrong. Some business people (Barry was in this camp while he was alive) believe that negative attention is good for a business. Which it is not in my view.
 
 I don't think the old company Commodore International is going to make anything. It totally dead as far as I am concerned.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: Terminills on May 21, 2014, 10:52:23 AM
Quote from: persia;764718
I've bought domains off GODaddy auctions before, they always look like that.


Weird so have I and they always get the updated expiration.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: CritAnime on May 21, 2014, 10:58:21 PM
Quote from: Terminills;764739
Weird so have I and they always get the updated expiration.

I beleive it might be a quirk of WHOIS. If you look at the renewal it is something like 41 days after the expiration of the domain. There is a grace period where you can renew, or they auction it off, of 42 days. This 41 days falls just short of the date when the domain is completely killed off. So the expiration date for 2015 will be correct, based on when the domain was registered. The renewal date fell within the grace period. Hence why the renewal date is diffrent from the expiration date.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: number6 on June 01, 2014, 09:40:01 PM
@thread

https://twitter.com/CommodoreUSA

Interesting post yesterday:

Quote
Jeremy is selling barebone c64x cases


#6
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on June 02, 2014, 02:10:42 AM
Just emailed.  I'm in.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: djos on June 02, 2014, 02:27:43 AM
C64 like case for a PC ... PASS

I'd rather by a Mac ... oh wait I did! :p
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: gertsy on June 02, 2014, 09:27:26 AM
Quote from: djos;765531
........
I'd rather by a Mac ... oh wait I did! :p


Don't you hate when that happens. Don't worry lots of people fall for it. I'm sure you'll be able to find a use for it:
- That door that won't stay open, or closed.
- That boat anchor that isn't quite heavy enough.
- A gift to someone you don't really like...etc.

:)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: djos on June 02, 2014, 10:21:52 AM
Quote from: gertsy;765539
Don't you hate when that happens. Don't worry lots of people fall for it. I'm sure you'll be able to find a use for it:
- That door that won't stay open, or closed.
- That boat anchor that isn't quite heavy enough.
- A gift to someone you don't really like...etc.

:)

Actually we liked our Mac Mini i7 so much we bought a rMBP 13" a year later - best damn laptop I've ever had and runs rings around my work Dell laptop running Win7 (both i5's with ssd's and 8gb ram).
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on June 02, 2014, 02:30:19 PM
Hey, it's a cute case, it's only US$250.  Why not?  Stick one of those FPGA emulator thingies inside and away you go.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: djos on June 02, 2014, 10:42:47 PM
Quote from: persia;765550
Hey, it's a cute case, it's only US$250.  Why not?  Stick one of those FPGA emulator thingies inside and away you go.


I have the real thing already and it cost me a lot less than just the case!
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on June 03, 2014, 04:13:00 AM
$250 is less than a days wages for most.
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: djos on June 03, 2014, 05:43:10 AM
Quote from: persia;765604
$250 is less than a days wages for most.


Yeah but when you've got kids $250 spare is hard to find.

Just saying...
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: persia on June 03, 2014, 12:46:53 PM
I always put a little cash away for "toys," this will come out of that money.  Only other thing on my radar this calendar year is a 5.3(?) inch iPhone 6.

Quote from: djos;765611
Yeah but when you've got kids $250 spare is hard to find.

Just saying...
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: SysAdmin on June 06, 2014, 07:13:42 AM
Quote from: persia;765632
I always put a little cash away for "toys," this will come out of that money.  Only other thing on my radar this calendar year is a 5.3(?) inch iPhone 6.


Save a little money so you can get the CommodoreUSA Ultimate Extreme Awesometastic C64x Turbo Extra Yummy Goodness. Special price only $99999999 for you.

:)
Title: Re: Commodore USA Alive ?
Post by: James2002 on June 09, 2014, 10:44:29 AM
Computer Case $250
 Parts                $250
 
 Total                $500
 
 
 Your problem would still be. That the keyboard does not work good with motherboards that are above socket 1155.