laptops pre-loaded with Windows Vista and AMD Turion, 64-bit processors and cost more than $2,200, were received over the last week or so by a number of select bloggers
Freitas, who lives in New Zealand, says the machines were to promote the new Vista operating system with extreme hardware and mobility features. "A lot of people around the world are getting these. I don't have a list but I know that it includes well-known bloggers, and blogs that reach a smaller niche." Freitas says he chose to disclose and keep the laptop. "I maintain my independence by making it clear which companies are sponsoring this review unit," he says.
But the publicity following the giveaway apparently prompted Microsoft and AMD to reconsider the gift. Marshall Kirkpatrick, director of content at pre-launch startup SplashCast, said in his blog that the companies were sending e-mail to recipients, including himself, requesting that they not keep the laptops.
