Rob Williams
03-24-2008, 03:47 AM
From our front-page news: Last week, Engadget posted about (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/sony-hates-you-offers-50-fresh-start-option-to-build-your-la/) an option that Sony added to their TZ2000 notebook - one that you don't see often. For $50, Sony would give you a "fresh start", with equates to a new laptop without all of the bloatware. Sadly, no option exists that would give you a notebook with no OS.
What rubbed many the wrong way was the fact that it cost $50 to include this option, which essentially meant that they would remove bloatware that shouldn't be there in the first place. Thanks to a public outcry (not verified) though, Sony wasted no time in removing the price tag for that option, making it free to all.
Was this a mistake, or did Sony actually mean to make this a free option? If it was meant to cost $50 from the get go, then offering the option to begin with was a mistake, since if they kept quiet, they'd still be able to load bloatware on all of their notebooks. Here's a guess that this option will not soon be available on their other models, though it would be nice.
<table align="center"><tbody><tr><td> http://techgage.com/images/news/fresh_start_sony_032408.jpg
</td></tr></tbody></table>
After a minor outcry at Sony's new "Fresh Start" option to skip the crapware on TZ laptops for a hefty $50 charge, the company has seen the error of its ways and is going to start offering the option for free as of tomorrow [Saturday].
Source: Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/sony-is-giving-fresh-start-a-fresh-start-losing-the-50-fee/)
What rubbed many the wrong way was the fact that it cost $50 to include this option, which essentially meant that they would remove bloatware that shouldn't be there in the first place. Thanks to a public outcry (not verified) though, Sony wasted no time in removing the price tag for that option, making it free to all.
Was this a mistake, or did Sony actually mean to make this a free option? If it was meant to cost $50 from the get go, then offering the option to begin with was a mistake, since if they kept quiet, they'd still be able to load bloatware on all of their notebooks. Here's a guess that this option will not soon be available on their other models, though it would be nice.
<table align="center"><tbody><tr><td> http://techgage.com/images/news/fresh_start_sony_032408.jpg
</td></tr></tbody></table>
After a minor outcry at Sony's new "Fresh Start" option to skip the crapware on TZ laptops for a hefty $50 charge, the company has seen the error of its ways and is going to start offering the option for free as of tomorrow [Saturday].
Source: Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/sony-is-giving-fresh-start-a-fresh-start-losing-the-50-fee/)