Microsoft, AMD, and PR firm Edelman give out Ferrari laptops with Vista to bloggers!?

For those of you who have been in a hole or entirely too busy to read about this latest "scandal"...well here it is in essence. Microsoft, AMD, and PR firm Edelman give out Ferrari laptops with Windows Vista to bloggers...dur...read the title :P In a bid to get bloggers to write about one of several versions of the Ferrari laptop and Windows Vista...Microsoft, AMD, and Edelman sent out these laptops so these bloggers can evaluate Windows Vista and also get a look into the performance of the Acer Ferrari laptop(s). All of the bloggers got a machine with Windows Vista, but not all got the top of the line Ferrari...some got the 4000 while others got the 5000 and I have read of a few1000's being sent out. From visiting the Acer site...all models of the Ferrari seemed to have been covered in the distribution.

Now the part that gets funny is whether or not this mailing of laptops was a "bribe" for good reviews or just an honest means of getting these bloggers a machine to do some honest testing and reviews with. So many of the bloggers that I know about have taken a lot of crap over accepting the laptop and accused of being biased. Some have been forthright in receiving the laptop and their intentions for using the laptop, others have gone as far as selling the laptop on Ebay and donating the procedes to the EFF, and finally there is one blogger I have read about that pretty much did not disclose receipt of the laptop and made it sound as if he had upgraded...before being called out and finally coming out with the truth of the matter. Needless to say...blog readers have ranged from supporting of these bloggers to being jilted somehow by all this and quite angry. I think the anger stems more from the "what about me" factor than the integrity of those who run these blogs. Me for one...would give a shit what anyone thought of me if one of these laptops was sent to me...sure I would keep it or possibly give it away on my site, but you could be damn sure...I would have me a laptop:P I am also very confident that most of these people bitchin' about what these bloggers received would be in the same mind set as myself and thus their comments on these sites in an angry tirade...are full of shit and wouldn't be whining so damn bad if they received one of these units that were sent out.

Anyhow...this has totally been blown out of proportion by most...and in the end who really gives a crap about who received these machines and their review of the laptop and the O/S. I for one will visit certain sites on a daily basis looking for reviews and such...but I do not base my opinion on one sites analysis of such things. I will go and visit many sites that review such things...I will even go as far as finally going to those online retailers of said hardware or software and read the consumer reviews of these items...these generally prove to be the most valuable as these people have touched and used the item without bias of having anything sent for testing or having to write a review of said item in detail. "IT WORKS GREAT!" is sufficient enough a description for me to add a notch of confidence in something, if more than a few people said the same thing about it :P

Anyhow...let these people be...and hope for the day you to will get a freebie...we all love the freebies!