Executive

…65

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen."

The young anchor seemed sure of himself and joyous for that early hour of the morning. "We're kicking off this new work week with an examination of a GPS system from NanoLance, the Guide. This GPS model has been around for a few years, yet constantly evolving, redesigned, and enhanced. For many, it has proven to be a great device. Yet, as of late, more consumer complaints end up in our mailbox. Therefore, we decided to give the NanoLance Guide a test drive, to see for ourselves."

The TV screen was showing the anchor handling the GPS device and using it to get guidance on a hiking trail.

"We've hiked around with the little Guide in our hands for quite a few miles before it started acting up. When it did, it simply lost satellite connection and wouldn't restore it. Sometimes, the available channels for GPS routing are maxed out, and GPS devices, now popular, are competing over insufficient satellite bandwidth. However, this wasn't our case, because the NanoLance Guide was quick to re-establish satellite connection after a full power restart, as in removing and reinserting its battery pack.

"Then, just a couple of miles later, the LCD screen went completely dark. The voice guidance worked, but the screen stopped showing any information or map detail. This time, a restart didn't do the trick. A good shake did, the type you'd see given in the movies to dying flashlights. Finally, we tested a second handheld unit, but that worked properly for the duration of our test run."

The image changed to show the anchor back at his studio desk.

"Somewhere between design flaws and manufacturing flaws lies the explanation for NanoLance Guide's decreasing quality standard. Just a couple of years ago, this particular device scored five stars on consumer satisfaction, best in class for reliability in the last year's Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, and overall best performance as indicated by our consumers. Today we can only award it 4.1 stars, a significant loss of prestige for this proud manufacturer. With the hope that this product will soon regain the superstar status it lost, we are rooting for the NanoLance Guide to make a comeback."

A ticker appeared at the bottom of the screen, displaying an email address.

"Remember, for any product or service quality concerns, our email address is shown below. From Ted's Consumer Central, I am Harry Hosteen, always on your side."