CONTACTS 
0201 - SPEC Research                        909 598 6988
020101 - Mr. Johnny Liu; Sales Representative =112 Extension
020102 - jliu@spec-research.com
020103 - Sales Department
0202 - Lan Plus, Inc.                       800 536 8900
020201 - Ms. Erlene Wise; Sales Representative =6054 ext.
020202 - erlenew@lan-plus.com
020203 - Sales Department

SUBJECTS
Procurement
Keyboard 12 function keys
Lan Plus Sells Omni Keyboards
Lan Plus Sells Omni Key Keyboards Function Keys on Left Side

0906 -    ..
0907 - Summary/Objective
0908 -
090801 - Follow up ref SDS 30 0000, ref SDS 29 0000.
090802 -
090803 - Vicky at Liton called...
090804 -
090805 -
090806 -                     408 941 2232
090807 -
090808 -                     510 858 4762
090809 -
090810 -
090811 - She said Liteon has 100 keyboards in available inventory from prior
090812 - manufacturing runs.  They have no plans to make more of these
090813 - keyboards.
090814 -
090815 - The cost is $99, and they only be purchased through their distributor,
090816 - Spec Research, where we bought one of the Maxi Pro keyboards a few
090817 - weeks ago. received on 001230, ref SDS 29 0001
090818 - ..
090819 - Vicky said there is another company that makes programmable
090820 - keyboards.
090821 -
090822 -
090823 -  ..
090824 - Omni Key Keyboards Available from Lan Plus
090825 -
090826 - Vicky researched the Internet and suggested contacting....
090827 -
090828 -
090829 -                     http://www.lan-plus.com
090830 -
090831 -
090832 - While we talked, we reviewed this location together.  It shows a
090833 - company...
090834 -
090835 -                       LAN PLUS, Inc.
090836 -                       16700 Gale Ave.
090837 -                       Industry, CA 91745
090838 -
090839 -                       800 536 8900
090840 -
090841 -
090842 -      [On 010717 received inquiry about this record. ref SDS 32 0001
090843 -
090844 - Sales people can be contacted.....
090845 -
090846 -          Erlene Wise  ext. 6054  erlenew@lan-plus.com
090847 -
090848 -          Charla Gonzales  ext. 6048   charlag@lan-plus.com
090849 -
090850 -
090851 - The home page shows this company makes the Omni Key keyboards, and the
090852 - picture indicates the function keys are on the left side, which is our
090853 - principle procurement criteria.
090854 -
090855 - Another page.....
090856 -
090857 -
090858 -       http://www.lan-plus.com/catalog/showitems.cfm?CategoryID=7
090859 -
090860 -
090861 - ...shows Lan Plus manufactures two models.....
090862 -
090863 -  ..
090864 -
090865 -              Avant Prime.................... $149
090866 -
090867 -              Avant Stellar.................. $189
090868 -
090869 - Lan Plus says
090870 -
090871 -         Due to overwhelming demand, Lan Plus is proud to bring back
090872 -         the OMNI line of keyboards for consumers.*
090873 -
090874 - ...this evinces hope for mankind, that it will not entirely innovate
090875 - itself into oblivion.
090876 -
090877 - The picture for each of these does not show the function keys on the
090878 - left had side, although the picture on the Home page shows the
090879 - function keys are on the left side.....
090880 -
090881 -       http://www.lan-plus.com/images/heavydutyKBlrg.jpg
090882 -
090883 -
090884 -  ..
090885 - Omni Key Keyboard Available Through Lan Plus
090886 -
090887 -
0909 -
0910 -
0911 - 1049 called Lan Plus
0912 -
091201 - Talked to...
091202 -
091203 -          Erlene Wise  ext. 6054  erlenew@lan-plus.com
091204 -
091205 - Erlene advised that some years ago Lan Plus acquired product lines
091206 - from Northgate Computer, which included the Omni Key keyboard.
091207 -
091208 - I explained research on the Internet over the Past month did not yield
091209 - lan-plus.com, see for example on 001212. ref SDS 24 255L  Noted that
091210 - another customer, who evidently bumped into an SDS record on the
091211 - Internet that has some research for Omni Key, asked in a letter this
091212 - morning for a source to buy an Omni Key keyboard, and I had to reply
091213 - that Northgate had gone out of business.
091214 -
091215 - Since Vicky at Liteon later disclosed Lan Plus, I will send the
091216 - customer updated information.  Lan Plus needs ensure that a search for
091217 - Omni Key leads to Lan Plus.
091218 -
091219 - Erlene will investigate to ensure Omni Key is adequately represented
091220 - on the web.
091221 - ..
091222 - She said Lan Plus stopped manufacturing the Omni Key keyboard a
091223 - fews years ago, but recently brought it back to satisfy strong
091224 - customer demand.
091225 -
091226 - I asked why Lan Plus would eliminate products that increase
091227 - productivity of customers, and of Lan Plus employees?
091228 -
091229 - Erlene said the decision was made by engineering and manufacturing
091230 - based on conforming to what everybody else is manufacturing.  It costs
091231 - less to manufacture inefficient keyboards, so they are easier to sell,
091232 - so long as customers are buying strictly on price.  Erlene said for
091233 - several years the engineers and managers ignored customer requests
091234 - function keys on the left end, so there is an efficient means of using
091235 - the computer.  It took a long time to align paradigms of Lan Plus
091236 - management to produce low cost products, with customer demand for
091237 - productive equipment.
091238 -
091239 - This record aligns with Tom Landauer's book "The Trouble with
091240 - Computers," reviewed on 950710. ref SDS 2 0722
091241 -
091242 - Asked about getting the keyboard with function keys on the left end,
091243 - since the pictures of the Avant Prime and Avant Stellar both show
091244 - function keys only across the top?
091245 -
091246 - Erlene said she looked at the product brochure for the Avant Prime,
091247 - and it does not show function keys on the left end, which is
091248 - consistent with Lan Plus web page, but conflicts with the general
091249 - picture on the home page.
091250 -
091251 - Erlene said the picture of the Avant Stellar shows it has function
091252 - keys on the left side of the keyboard.
091253 -
091254 - She will investigate to update the Lan Plus web page, so customers
091255 - are aware of the configurations for these products.
091256 -
091257 - Erlene will send product information.
091258 -
091259 - Submitted ref DIT 1 0001 to Erlene linked to this record to confirm
091260 - understandings, and that Lan Plus will submit product specs.
091261 -
091262 - Let her know that another customer contacted us about the Omni Key
091263 - keyboard.
091264 -
091265 -
091266 -
091267 -
0913 -
0914 -
0915 - 1329 received letter from Erlene
0916 -
091601 - Received ref DRT 1 0001 responding to our letter sent this morning,
091602 - ref DIT 1 0001
091603 -
091604 - She says the Omni Key keyboard looks like the picture that is on the
091605 - Lan Plus home page....
091606 -
091607 -
091608 -                     http://www.lan-plus.com
091609 -
091610 -
091611 -
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091627 -