Selfish Heathen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
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Well, here she is:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/general...710982,00.html We all heard about the "It" and "Ginger" hype a couple years ago. Steve Jobs called out Kamen and said it would flop without precisely the right look and marketing. Did it flop? Well, I have yet to see a single Segway in person; so, I think that's a little telling. This article shows off the Next Big Thing based on the Segway HT's design. It's a go-cart type thing that is supposed to be faster (OMG 25 MPH!!) and more rugged than the original HT. What do I think? Another monumental flop. It might pick up a very tiny niche from rich, lazy people like the guy in the article who says, "if I had an HT, I’d never walk again!" Uh huh. The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting. |
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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Yes, maybe it'll sell as big as the other one! All 13 units.
Most people are happy as can be with just a regular damn bicycle. Stuff like this comes along, people toil years designing and developing it, the press gets a collective hard-on over it and its implications, it finally comes out...and people STILL opt for a $79 Huffy from Wal-Mart and it winds up either as a punchline or a future Trivial Pursuit question. "In 2005, what overhyped and prohibitively expensive radical bicycle re-design failed to make any splash whatsoever?" But hey, if Kerry wound up President perhaps this is something he could stumble and fall off of too, in the interest of fairness, of course. |
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25 chars of wasted space.
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Kerry is a little more nimble then Bush <searching for articles and picture of Bush crashing >
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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I've seen a couple of Segways used by Airport cops to patrol terminals. They love 'em.
Postal workers and park rangers were also said to be testing some. Kamen deserves some credibility for creative engineering even if he had crappy marketing. 60 Minutes did a piece on both the segway and his Stirling engine water purifier machine, which has the potential to bring massive benefit in the developing world if he nails down a few final issues. If he concentrates on the stirling engine and skips the off-road gingerbikes, I'd be happy, but IIRC, some of the funding for these projects is intertwined. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
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I saw a flock of them in Monteal, on the waterfront. They were rentals.
Actually, I see this product being a huge hit with the disabled - Kamen's original work that led to the Segway was a wheelchair that could climb stairs and rise the rider up to reach things on a top kitchen shelf. This is the outdoor version of that, in many ways. |
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
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There are Segway cops here in downtown Atlanta. They're more pansy looking than bicycle cops. The have funny helmets and weird uncoplike uniforms.
One night I saw one after a large event downtown. There were plenty of regular traffic cops directing traffic and a single segway cop going down the sidewalk. When the segway cop got to the traffic cop, he nodded and said how's it going. The regular cop didn't even acknowlege him and just turned away. |
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Sub-PowerBook Lobbyist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Washington, DC
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That new thing looks pretty damn fun to me. Check out Pop Sci's Segway Centaur slideshow. But it's not nearly as compact as the "original" Segway.
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On the handicapped user side, yesterday's Circuits section of the New York Times had a nice article on how the Segway is improving some people's mobility: Disabled Embrace Segway. I'd love to see financials for the Segway's development and sales. I suspect it hasn't been the commercial success that Kamen and his investors had hoped it would be. But I'm sure that the technology in the Segway can be transferred to other devices. Escher I've been waiting for a true sub-PowerBook for more than 10 years. The 11-inch MacBook Air finally delivers on all counts! It beats the hell out of both my PowerBook 2400c and my 12-inch PowerBook G4 -- no contest whatsoever. Last edited by Escher : 2004-10-15 at 18:17. |
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Hates the Infotainment
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
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Only in Atlanta...
There must be something in the water there. The perennially bad taste and judgement of various city officials and organizations (everything from their ridiculous Olympic mascot and torch, to the pathetic opening pick-up truck ceremony... to... Segway cops) is jaw-dropping. ...into the light of a dark black night. |
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
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No kidding....
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/01....evolution.ap/ About the Centaur... I'd defiantely ride one. But I'm sure they're way overpriced. I'll just get a pocket bike instead. |
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Yarp
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Road Warrior
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I saw one of those in boston not too long ago. I was in my apartment looking out onto the street(we have a great view) and down on boylston I saw a guy zip across my field of vision pretty quickly, then he turned a corner and was gone.
First time I've ever seen one. I did see these "electric chariots" at a bike shop, they were like $200 or so, essentially the same thing as the segway, but with a 3rd wheel(cue maddox) I wonder if those are any more popular? Last edited by Wrao : 2004-10-15 at 19:10. |
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careful with axes
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
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I saw people on the field at MONSTER PARK!!111 last SUnday using Segway HTs.
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Space Pirate
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
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I'll see one occasionally when I go through downtown on Peachtree (THE Peachtree), down in Fairlie Poplar and over toward CNN Center. They're also at the airport. Strange, strange gizmos. I can't take my eyes off of them when someone is on them... they look INCREDIBLY unnatural. I saw one earlier this week that was tied up to something and the cop was off the scooter talking to some people. The darned thing was "prancing" in place, leaning back and forth slightly as it corrected its own balance, sans human. It was a very unusual sight.
Sure, I'd love to try one. Buy one? eh... |
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
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What's that store in the mall that sells them? Brooks something. I bet they've sold little or none of those things. The problem is... they don't let you try it! Sure you can sit in their vibrating chairs all you want, but don't touch the Segway! I bet if they has a small area just outside the store where people could actually get on it and try it, more people would buy them. They look fun, although you'd look like a putz. Who cares... I'd be all over it if I had the chance.
Oh, this thread reminds me... have you guys seen the new pogo stick? It looks fun. I goes over 5 feet high... what's even funnier is it looks like they're targeting skater type kids. Think this'll be the next event in the X-games? http://www.flybar.com |
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Veteran Member
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I can see the Fly-Bar ending up in another thread... The horrific videos one!!
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Hates the Infotainment
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
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Splatt! Guaranteed some kid is going to lose his testicles for real or die on one of those things.
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: May 2004
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i see them pretty often here at Cal. Postal workers, police, and professors have them
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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The pogo stick?!?!
"Freeze...police!" boing*boing*boing |
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Hoonigan
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
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I wonder how long it'll take for a Segway rental shop to make back its money. It makes sense, seeing that not many people want to throw down that much cash for one, but everyone wonders what it's like. |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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If they blend Segway rentals with some of the portable personal hovercraft the aussies rent, harbour cities like this one might see more activity than usually busy scooter rental does.
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Space Pirate
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
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Dean K. should implore S.Jobs to sell the Segway from the Apple Stores, as a deluxe mobile iPod charger. A customized slot, some nice HK speakers and a white finish is all it would take. Can't you see Steve walk off stage, yell "..oh, there's one more thing...".... then roll back onstage with his iChariot? MUCH more visible than those white earphone cords
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Selfish Heathen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
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I'm loving the Boba Fett motif!
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Not sayin', just sayin'
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