In an effort to put up or shut up, Sony is offering $500 toward the purchase of a new Sony notebook to anyone who currently has a Dell notebook. So if you have a worn-out and clunked-out Dell laptop, and I know you do, drop by any Sony Store or Sony Solutions provider and claim this rebate. Here's the catch, though: The Dell has to be working. Better pray it boots up by the time you're ready to trade it in. Sony is clearly attempting to send Dell a strong message; either that or it really loves Dell notebooks. I think it's the former.

[Thanks to PC Magazine Labs' Cisco Cheng for this story.]