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The biggest margin a business can make is on a product that doesn’t cost anything.  Some might say this is information or even electronic media, but the reality is that these things have development costs, and long term costs that are often hidden.  The next best thing is something that has no development cost and very little production cost.  No, I’m not thinking of the crap they sell at Wal-Mart.  A new product has been introduced that is the pinnacle of selling nothing for something.

The HIS iClear Card is the self proclaimed “best solution to video card noise reduction”.  Truthfully, it’s a little un-clear what the card does.  Looking at the card itself, there is not much to it.  Reading more in the description, the card, placed in between two video cards, will reduce the noise in the picture and signal loss.  Really? Lets look at the specs:

No, there is no problem with your computer, those are the specs as provided by the manufacturer.  These stats apparently represent the “State-of-the-art design” referred to on the website.  For $79.99 (via newegg.com) this reminds me of the crazy markup that was occurring (and still does) on HDMI cables before an internet revolt toward cheap substitutes.

For those naysayers which will tell me about the actual benefits from this card, there is some technical data out there about the actual performance of the card, and an Engadget post about how it’s all a load of crap. Never the less, they are doing what every American dreams of: selling nothing for something.