Are you sure about the people who received the free copy having to pay for the upgrade? I just went to the Pocket Informant 8 web page (Welcome to WebIS.net - Pocket Informant 8) and was advised by WebIS that I was eligible for a free upgrade.

Tim
HP iPAQ 211
2GB SanDisk SD
ThinkOutside Sierra Bluetooth Keyboard
Pharos GPS w/ Bluetooth Dock

HP 2133 Mini-Note
1.6GHz VIA, 2GB DDR2 RAM
120GB 7200RPM HDD with Drive Guard
10/100/1000 Ethernet with Bluetooth 2.0
running Windows XP Pro

Kid's Pocket PC (to make homework fun):
Axim X30 (High)
ThinkOutside IR Keyboard

PLUS the following RETIRED (but still functional) devices:
1. Sharp Mobilon 4100
2. iPAQ 3150