The Nano is so Small Nobody gets a Sample - Or will they?

As a hardware reviewer I have had my fair share of passovers and to be honest many of them were my fault usually because I didn't keep in touch.  I will also admit that in the past I had some folks on the staff that followed the rumors very closely and that helped immensely in knowing what to chase down and what to ignore.

The AMD Nano is a product I would have 100% ignored.  I mean, seriously its a small video card big deal!  Of course, given a chance I'd do a review and it would get a chance to be dissected and even put thru the standardized tests.  I fully believe that the card would likely not set any speed records and might eventually overheat but the review would get done and with results anyone could reproduce.

Currently the Internet is on fire with news indicating that some Tier 1 review sites aren't getting a Nano sample.  My first reaction is "big deal" however the reasons for why they didn't get a sample is a little more interesting.

There are two articles so far talking about this.

First one at HardOCP
- AMD, Roy Taylor, the Nano, and the Press
Keep in mind that Kyle likes to flex his muscles and call people out, I respect that as it really is how things "should" be done but rarely happens cause: politics.

The Second is at TechReport
- AMD VP explains Nano exclusion: TR reviews aren't fair
At first I read this as "omg Scott is butthurt again" but, like Kyle, he brings up some interesting points however pawning them off as "I don't care" isn't really working.

Anyhow, at least now we know that AMD is actively seeking to punish those in the press who are less than compliant. I personally am sadded by this development—although I am always proud to be singled out as an example of a reviewer who is perhaps a little bit too "independent." We will continue to make corporate types uncomfortable with empirical testing and honest assessements going forward. -TechReport

As was quoted in Pulp Fiction "Marsellus: The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That's pride fucking with you. Fuck pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps."

Overall I get it, Hardware Review Sites are only relevant so long as the public respects their opinions and if manufacturers stop trusting a site then why would their community? 

Bottom line: This is a good fight to bring to light however, will it go anywhere?  Prolly not.