March 21st, 2008
Sony Says Give Us $50 More and We’ll Make Your New Computer Run Better
By Jimmy Daniels of Windows Tips
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
I couldn’t believe this when I read it this morning, but apparently Sony Computers has a new Fresh Start option, where they remove all the free trial software they install, Sony Vaio applications and games from your new computer, to free up valuable hard drive space, conserve memory and processing power to maximize system performance right form the start.
Sony has quite the history of crippling excellent, beautiful hardware with horrible, useless software. The company’s UX UMPC blue screened on us the first time we turned it on, and crashed the first time we tried to shut it down thanks to all the bloatware on it, while a Laptop Mag review says their Vaio TZ ran “as if it were broken” before they managed to wipe it clean. Lucky for us, it appears Sony is finally seeing the error of its ways, but instead of removing the crapware altogether, Sony has the nerve to offer a $50 “Fresh Start” option, which “scrubs” the machine clean before shipping it your way. At the moment you can only configure the TZ2000 crapware-free, but hopefully Sony will be rolling out the choice to the rest of its laptops soon. Source: Engadget
We Say: Hey Sony, take your fresh start, turn it sideways and shove it straight up your ass. How about you make us some computers that actually work good out of the box, you know, like you are supposed to. What is this world coming to when you have to pay $50 bucks to optimize your brand new computer. Wonder why Sony isn’t the number one computer manufacturer?
Added: From the Crave blog at Cnet: Sony’s Jon Piazza tells us, “Sony has decided to remove the $50 charge. Fresh Start will be free of charge.”
Michael Santo says:
If they’re going to remove it, they haven’t done so yet. The configuration still includes the charge. This is also a $150 charge, anyway, since you have to add Vista Biz to get it ($100 more). So will they make it a free option but only for Vista Biz? In my book that would still be lame.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Lewie says:
I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: There’s almost nothing that Sony makes that I can’t get from somebody else. And these days it’s probably better and cheaper.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:49 am
Sony Blows Chunks! says:
Hey you Sony Snobs!!!!
Charge you to buy the “Sony Computers has a new Fresh Start option, where they remove all the free trial software they install, Sony Vaio applications and games from your new computer, to free up valuable hard drive space, conserve memory and processing power to maximize system performance right form the start.”
Bull crap!!!! They don’t have to do a thing. They just create a mass install that doesn’t have any of the Bloatware in it (which they are paid by the “vendors” of the Bloatware to install)…. let me guess, the “vendors” must pay about a total of, say, $50 per PC that their crap is loaded on.
If that ain’t a fine example of your “Innovation from Sony”, I’ll even buy you one!!!!
What a despicable company!!!! Charge you to NOT load Bloatware on your PC!!!!!
You’ve GOT to be kidding me.
But of course, you Sony Snobs will be quite pleased with this newest, latest greatest piece of “Sony Innovation”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This just confirms that I will NEVER by a piece of crap from Sony, ever!!!
March 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Sony Blows Chunks! says:
Another quick note for you Sony snobs - they do NOT MAKE A SINGLE FLAT PANEL SCREEN - they are ALL made by SAMSUNG…..
So if you really want the quality & innovations that Sony provides (NOT!), just buy a Samsung for about 2/3s of the price!
See:
http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/04/sony-lcdtv-samsung-markets-equity-cx_jc_0304markets04.html
“Unlike Samsung and Sharp, which respectively rank as the world’s largest and third-largest makers of LCD television sets, Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ), the No. 2 manufacturer, does not produce the panels itself. ”
And:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/26/business/26sony.php
“Sony had fallen behind in developing flat-panel TVs, and does not make its own liquid crystal displays for its TVs. It has been buying LCD panels from a joint venture it has with Samsung Electronics, of South Korea.”
March 21st, 2008 at 7:28 pm
John Corliss says:
Sony needs to fire Howard Stringer, Ryoji Chubachi, Nicole Seligman and Robert Wiesenthal and replace them along with all the other top managment. They’re as bad as Gateway. I would never buy anthing from either company.
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:59 am
Samuel says:
Some one please sue sony. Please read to learn how much sony is charing for laptops.
http://www.myhwsolution.com/article.aspx?code=11
On what basis they are claming $49.00 for not giving us crapware. I own a sony vaio but I will never buy sony laptops again.
March 26th, 2008 at 6:07 am