Very much like other bits of technology, though initial products may be compromises and imperfect, I'm a big fan of progress.
I'm talking, of course, of focus on making RFTs better:
1) A 60,000 MILE (~100,000km) warranty on RFTs?! Shortcoming #1 = offset.
2) Quieter? Shortcoming #2 = offset.
3) Able to still handle 'reasonably' once punctured? Shortcoming #3 = offset.
Of course, none are perfect, but this does make me happier. We obviously need to see prices come down before folks are willing to spend on these (people don't like to pay more for "what if?" moments - and Bridgestone is going to have to overcome this).
Lesley, I didn't read anything about TPMS - a requirement when you use RFTs. While it's great that the Driveguard is able to be mounted on any car, this qualification should possibly be explored in the article for accuracy's sake (not that it matters). Also, there's the added cost of adding sensors to the winter wheels, and the charge ($18 or so) for mechanics to reset the TPMS calibration at every changeover if you have different sensors on each set of rims.