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from the planned^Wscheduled-obsolescence dept.
Sonos, the consumer electronics company known for audio streaming and "smart" speakers, has decided that the music controller device, the "CR100", has reached end of life. By which they mean they will be pushing a software upgrade that will kill it.
... the next Sonos update in early April will turn off the CR100 connection -- unless you decide you don't want any updates at all. (Make sure you set that up in advance -- if you accept the update, you can't undo it and go back to using the old controller.)
That means if you want to keep on using a device you're happy with, you have to give up all the new features on all your Sonos speakers.
The company says its primary concern is the age of the lithium ion batteries in the controllers; although in that case an official device recall would be better than an update that stops them working - and a battery replacement scheme would handle the problem just as well.
Although the controller is old (Sonos stopped selling the CR100 in 2009) it is still perfectly functional for many users. However, according to a forum posting explaining the options these users will have to choose between the CR100 and the functionality of the rest of their system:
... opting not to update means you will not receive any new features or future security patches for your entire system – not just the CR100. For example, being on an unsupported version means that you might lose connectivity to music services, as is already the case for Google Play Music on the CR100. It is necessary to configure your system in advance to avoid future updates. Any update applied to the firmware and/or to the app, even unintentionally, is irreversible.
Originally spotted on The EEV Blog Youtube channel.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday February 13 2018, @03:10PM
Yeah, my flashlights were marketed as "tactical flashlights". They have a stupid serrated end, that will probably cut a man's throat, if you were to put it to that use. To me, it's just stupid. I love the LED light. A typical 3 D-cell professional flashlight, like the cops carry, will kinda light up the side of a building, 50 to 75 yards away. This little flashlight that I carry in my hip pocket will actually light up the side of a building in the same conditions. Better yet, I can focus it on something on that building. The door, a window, a hole where a tree branch went through the roof or wall - whatever. Let the crazies salivate over that "tactical" bullshit - I have a working light that outshines anything I've ever owned, with the exception of auto headlights, or a searchlight.
When I bought my first one, I took it to work, and several people asked where I got it. I told them, "Ebay" but no one seems to be capable of searching Ebay for themselves. I ended up ordering six of the same lights, and sold them all to coworkers. I ordered another dozen, and sold five of those. The rest are cached in my vehicle, in my toolboxes, and in my desks.
LEDs are beautiful, is anyone really wants to know!