Um, I thought the 1-series was going to be their entry-level whip. Did I miss something?

Agreed. What Lincoln really needs, besides a coherent design, is a stand-out replacement for the TC. Personally, I'd LOVE to see them get bold and do a retractable HT convertible sedan with design cues from the early 60's Lincolns. I'm not talking a Mustang-esque design lift, btw, just some elements. Rear suicide doors would be sweet, though :)

This is exactly what I've been saying should happen for years. The auto retail channel (and real estate agents, for that matter) are basically a Mafia of Dinosaurs in this age of information. There is simply NO REASON for them anymore. We can get all the info we need (and most of us do) online already - it's just a matter of having regional test/service centers instead of dealerships. There should be fixed pricing, set by the manufacturers and no more, "Hmm, I dunno ... let me check with my boss on that" bullsh*t.

A big part of Detroit's problems is the antiquated "dog wagging" dealer channel. It's time for the manufacturers to join the 21st century.

Ha! I love that image. The first time I saw it years back, the caption was, "Winner of the 13th Annual 'Not my job' photo contest."

While it does cost a bunch of $$$ to acquire customers in the mobile world, what with handset subsidies, agent commissions, marketing, etc, it's not like AMP'd management wasn't in this biz before (Boost). They should've known better. This all makes their "we grew too fast" excuse weak at best.

And, yes, VZW would love nothing better than shutting them down. They could probably buy AMP'd out for a $10 million or so "song." A cheap way to acquire 200K+ new customers lickety-split! Why do you think VZW time-stamped their demand for payment, and then said "Oh no you didn't" when AMP'd played the CH.11 card three hours after? From my understanding, VZW is exempt from the bankruptcy "shield" as a result.

What's stupid about it? Both are rather spendy devices. The HTC has pretty much the standard bearer smart phone features. So does the iPhone, with the minor exception of free push e-mail (look out, RIM), an apparently better web browsing experience, that video v-mail thingy and OSX running the show. If the price point after buy-down for the Touch is less (a distinct possibility), consumers who value push e-mail are still getting a better deal going with the iPhone. Remember, the cheapest Blackberry add-on is $19.99/month.

This surprises me a little. Last earnings report we heard 40% rev growth - nothing to sneeze at. They also have among the highest ARPU in the biz.

They effectively burned through >$300 million in 6 months ... and are seeking Ch. 11 protection because of "too much growth," WTF??? They must be spending WAY too much acquiring customers, cause their churn (from what I can tell) is not bad. Maybe they have underestimated customers usage when they intro'd the $99 all-you-can-eat plan?

I don't get it. On the face of it, they should be printing money. And, yeah, their handsets suck a bit but that alone does not account for the news.

Have they even *sold* any PTT plans?!?

I can't see this happening anytime soon - far too many humongous egos involved.

I can't BELIEVE Nissan didn't run this through the standard interference testing, etc. You're right, murray, heads should roll.