Dear Linux Pro Reader,

The commoditization of tech reached new heights this month with the announcement of the Pepsi smartphone, which appears to be a standard Android model. The new phone will only be sold in China. Whether the trend continues and spreads to the West will depend on many factors that would discourage my speculation in a one-page Welcome column.

One significant feature for the company that lent its name to this venture is the Pepsi logo emblazoned on the back of the phone. The buyers of the phone will carry the Pepsi brand wherever they go. The picture clearly shows a phone with the familiar Pepsi colors on the back. I don't know how it is in China, but in my country, teenagers, who would presumably be the target for Pepsi-related marketing, often invest as much time and energy in purchasing a phone case as they do on choosing the phone itself, and an external case will cover up those pretty Pepsi colors. Still, when someone asks the user what kind of phone they have, the answer will always be an emphatic, "I have a Pepsi phone."

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