And what is this supposed to prove? Why is El Reg giving space to a bloody *marketing* survey? I'll say it again in case you missed it - a bloody *marketing* survey?

Let me remind you what Bill Hicks had to say about people who work in marketing and advertising:

"By the way if anyone here is in advertising or marketing... kill yourself. No, no, no it's just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day, they'll take root - I don't know. You try, you do what you can. Kill yourself. Seriously though, if you are, do. Aaah, no really, there's no rationalisation for what you do and you are Satan's little helpers, Okay - kill yourself - seriously. You are the ruiner of all things good, seriously."

Stick to the IT stuff and leave marketing to rot in the pit of Satan's toilet.

True as that may be, but do people (ie, Joe Moron who's buying the things on the highstreet) actually realise it's even one and the same company? A lot of people I know are aware that Apple = computers but get a bit vague that "computer company" = iPods.

Fine, it's cheap slop, noone contests that. Yesterday I spent all day dealing with blithering idiots of one shape or another, resulting in my lunch being cut to a 10 minute drive between clients. Enter drive thru, pay, get big mac and out in under 30 seconds. I was so impressed I even tipped the girl who cheerfully handed me my stodgeburger.

Paris, because there's more than one kind of cheap filth.

But, How far did you get from them before you realised they actually got your order wrong?

... Sony Ericsson is where it's at!

Presumably, the big companies do similar research, so Nokia must have known that the N-Gage brand was tainted. Odd, then, that they decided to keep the name for the relaunch, rather than calling it "Ovi Games".

I'll grant that Nokia phones are ugly and getting uglier, while Sony Ericssons are nowadays things of beauty.

But really, there is never a good reason to eat McDonalds. Get yourself a Greggs pastie instead! Just don't forget your handy pocket salt cellar; the last few pasties I've had from Greggs have been hyponatrous to the point of inedibility.

and would not even consider getting another brand. O2 being on there surprised me though. I was not in the UK for the launch of 3 so missed all the bad stuff and have only ever had positive experiences with them and so can't see why some people don't like them. It's the only other brand that I strongly recommend, along with Blue Magic.

I don't do "the sun", pics or not (written for a reading age of 5 btw) 'cause it is nothing more than a politically manipulated waste of paper. I confess though, against all wisdom to the contrary, that I have found myself dashing into MacD's on ocassion to fill the aching hole (mmm - is that a timely reference to my icon?), and BK, and KFC etc etc ... but it's not FOOD. Food is what I make at home using top quality council juice and course ground coffee beans.

@ Henry Helmet - "cheap filth" indeed - I bet she tastes a load nicer than a stodge burger. Got less fat and more protein in her too I'll wager.

I don't know anyone who still has a Nokia, and I myself think they've lost their way with the phones. It's all Sony Ericsson or Viewtys at my place.

In the case of Beauty v Nokia, I would take Nokia anyday. From experience with phones the beautiful ones were damn right awful to use. Note how I am not mentioning names.

As for MacDonalds, when I was a field engineer they were a god send, no matter how unheathly they are.

"Greggs Pastie"?! ...a spelling mistake, oxymoron, contradiction and sacrilege in just two words....bravo! OK, yes, I'm Cornish, and yes I know those poor Devonians like to pretend they invented them, but still...either way it's 'pasty' and it's certainly not meant to be square! Ahem, I'll get my coat...

> Nokia must be pleased to see that at least someone

> has heard of the N-Gage, though from what we can

> fathom of the figures only one person actually

> thought the brand had credence - a chap aged

> around 30 and living in the south of the country.

Haha, I think I actually know him!

>> In the case of Beauty v Nokia, I would take Nokia anyday. From experience with

>> phones the beautiful ones were damn right awful to use. Note how I am not

>> mentioning names.

Surely you can't be arguing that Nokia's S60 interface is even approaching anything like usable.

You can't beat a McDonnalds breakfast to kill a hangover!

To be fair, when Nokia get it right, it's great. I had a Nokia 6300 before an unfortunate incident occurred in the bathroom and it fell into the "sink" (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) and became rather unfortunately waterlogged. It's easy to use and a nice, simple candybar design. No wonder that every Joe Schmoe in the street has one now.

Simply put, avoid the gadgets and they make a cracking range of excellent phones.

The Sun, quietly dropped the 'Chav and Proud' masthead, shame, it was rather apt.

McD, yeah. If I had only ten minutes for my lunch I'd rather go hungry, although,

Paris, cos she could make me go large any day.

Buying the thing is the easy bit - you are then apparently supposed to actually eat it. That's where I get stuck...

Pirate flag because the picture goes on deadly poisons,,,

Okay, yes, McDonalds is an easy target.

But before we get *too* down on the American Horror, let us remember that the British were doing just fine in the inedible food line yonks before McDonalds ever opened that first place in Picadilly.

Like in any British Rail cafeteria, at least the ones I ever attempted a meal in.

And for the truly iron stomached with something to prove there was Newport Pagnel Services on the M1. Situated in what must have been the longest lasting scenic contra-flow roadworks in the history of the Motorway, one could enjoy truly horrific food served at one by carefully recruited miserable gits.

McDonalds have a *long* way to go before they equal this level of food terrorism.

Ah but lovely dinosaur ridge or clam incroyable? Only on top on my paaasties, even if we emigrated to Devon...

Blah, blah, blah, voice guided satnav, blah, blah, blah.......Fine so far, but then UNBORING!???? What kind of a word is that. The illiterate bastards.

Cheap filth? I think it is fair to say that any filth you might get from ParisH is likely to be very, very expensive.

You may be thinking of Paris France, where cheap filth abounds on every pavement, which is why everyone walks around scowling at the ground, in case they stand in it in their Guccis...

Oh, come on!

If any retailer was ever due for a prosecution over the massive discrepancy between the product shots of its food as advertised and the shoddy lukewarm imitations you actually get handed by the staff then it's the dudes in red'n'yeller.

Clearly not a comment from someone who's ever served as a "crewmember" on the good ship McD's!

The smart people know that McDonalds actually run a world-wide chain of mostly clean, free, public toilets.

They only sell their nasty food to cover costs.

I'd take a dump there, but I would never eat there! Ye Gods!!

"But, How far did you get from them before you realised they actually got your order wrong?"

More importantly, how far did you get from them before you realised that the meat in your so-called beef burger tasted of recycled socks? Honestly, as someone else said, there is NO good reason to go to McDonalds unless heavily armed. Remember the recent adverts for the Monopoly promotion? "You can even win tasty McDonalds food!"...........I wonder why I can't just buy tasty McDonalds food instead and they only give away the tasty stuff as a prize.

@Steve Mann

Fair cop, Newport Pagnell services have always been rather dreadful on the food/restaurant front, but at least they're only in one place. It's hard to find a city in Europe that doesn't have at least one McDonalds restaurant, and impossible to find one that sells food that tastes of anything good. It's like the choice between having one disfiguring mole or ten thousand slightly smaller, but still disfiguring ones.

Of course my last point of wonder is if AOL, The Sun and McDonalds are so (or so it seems) universally hated, how are they still in business? There must be an awful lot of people who claim to hate McDonalds but still regularly buy food there, likewise people who buy The Sun.

The main problem I remember with 3 at launch, which is not as bad now (but can still be problematic) is the signal, or often lack thereof. I remember a mate who'd literally walk around the block several times just trying to get enough signal to make a call, or receive a text. On t'other hand I've rarely had problems with O2... *waits for it*

And if people don't like it ... sod 'em.

1. McDonalds arn't so bad when you've only got a 30 min lunch and have been held up by some lowlife 'friend' that you can't shake off blabbing about crap you couldn't care less about. Plus, their McFlurries are always nice on a hot day. The only problem is we don't get enough hot days...

2. I've been using Nokia Phones for ages and have never had a problem with them. Yes they have their problems, but who doesn't? Nothing's perfect in this world, look at M$. And I don't think the N95 is ugly. Although the 8GB one looks worse...

3. I'm with Andrew Kirkpatrick. Never had a problem with O2. Orange on the other hand are as bad as 3...

4. People still buy The Sun? *sigh*

No decent chippies in drivetoclientland then?

AndyD 8-)#

Hence the phrase "Going for a McDump".

Mine's the one with "Maxim's" on the back and the bottle of Chateau Lafitte in the pocket.

Isn't it more like monthly? I'm sure we had one of these not to long ago with Google and Apple on top.

"I don't know anyone who still has a Nokia, and I myself think they've lost their way with the phones."

Which is probably why they keep gaining market share!

"It's all Sony Ericsson or Viewtys at my place."

I used to work for Ericsson, my current phone is a Nokia! Nuff said.

McDonalds bacon rolls are very nice, shame they don't do them all day. The toasted deli sandwich things are quite nice too. I tend to avoid the actual burgers, though...

The very worst fast food I've had was a Burger King at some service station on the A1 up by Newcastle. Cold chips and soggy onion rings that tasted like they'd been cooked in sugar. 'Orrible.

I have a Nokia 6230i because work gave it to me, and a Nokia N800. They are both what the previous versions (6230 and 770) should have been.

Alan.

Chips are nice.

Going into high profile meetings with greasy fingers and smelling like a chippy is not.