Microsoft to give out thousands of netbooks to TechEd Australia participants

win7 teched australia

Microsoft has a history of giving out free software licenses to techies that attend the company’s conferences. Now the company is upping its game by not only giving TechEd Australia participants a pre-release copy of Windows 7… but it’ll be installed on a complimentary HP Mini 2140 netbook.

Of course, you’ll have to pay a pretty hefty fee to get in the door in the first place. Registration for the conference will set you back $1,999 Australian, although you can save $300 by registering before July 14th.

The conference runs September 8th through 11th, which means the netbooks will probably be running Windows 7 RC or possibly RTM. But the full version of Windows 7 won’t be available to the public until October 22nd. Attendees will be able to use the netbooks throughout the conference to keep notes and communicate with one another and the outside world. At the end of the conference, participants will have the option of keeping the netbook or returning it.

via i started something

Posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009, 12:27 pm by Brad Linder

pixel qi fan in waiting

The 2140 is being _ discontinued_ or phased out, currently at HP. The only one worth getting with XP Professional downgrade from Vista , FM904UT is no longer available as well per recent email from HP regarding an RMA or DOA situation with 2140 – so, if it is not working correctly, then only replacement would be a “refurb” maybe this is why MS is doing this unit (as in HP's eyes, they are on the way out the door and really cheap for them to sell out inventory, and then MS can then get without OS and MS can add MS OS for free, right now).

That FM904UT had 6 cell battery, and HD 1366×768 screen (lesser models have SD screen that is not as good).

I would want a SMARTbook with ARM processor, hopefully with Pixel Qi screen, and LINUX (Mobiln, or Ubuntu Netbook Remix, OR CrunchBang Linux) instead… so, any free 2140 would be junk with MS OS until it was UPGRADED to LINUX.
pauli

you know what? you just might not be the sort to sign up for the conference.
DougC3

$1,999 Australian… no free lunch from MS.
Mikez

HP has been quoted as saying: “a customer placed a big order”
as the reason they ran out of 2140's before the new machine
was introduced. Now we can guess who placed the order.
Supportive

Desperate, desperate, desperate
Fduch

Please UPGRADE your head by installing brain before commenting.
Fduch

Yeah. That's what I think every time I see how Linux users (<1%) trying to act as if they are big (by opening their mouths very wide).
Fduch

Please UPGRADE your head by installing brain before commenting.
Fduch

Yeah. That's what I think every time I see how Linux users (<1%) trying to act as if they are big (by opening their mouths very wide).

Microsoft to give out thousands of netbooks to TechEd Australia participants

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