CBS has announced that they’re going to start allowing people to play a special home version of “The Price Is Right” using your CELL phone!  They’ll show a “showcase” item on the TV program, and give a special phone number to call.  When you call the number, you’ll get three different prices, you’ll have to guess which is the RIGHT price.  If you’re right, you’ll be entered into a drawing with all the OTHER correct guessers to actually WIN the prize.

Pardon me if I am underwhelmed.

First of all, what’s to keep someone from making three calls, one call for each guess, thereby guaranteeing that you’ll be in the drawing?

Second, even if you GET the price right, you don’t necessarily win anything–in fact, you probably WON’T win.

Third, you’ll probably have to PAY for the call.  I don’t KNOW this, but I’m guessing the opportunity to generate cash would be too great for a corporation to pass up these days.  After all, people pay to vote for “American Idol” and they don’t get anything out of THAT do they?

They might be able to win me over, though, if they increased the number of choices on the phone-in.  Maybe have seven, or even TEN choices.  That would narrow the number of people in the “correct” pool.   Also, they could limit the time for the call to be placed to maybe sixty seconds.  That way, you COULDN’T make more than one guess.  Now see, THAT would make it exciting–even if you DID have to pay for the call!

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