This seems to imply that some betas last longer than others. Almost like these gamestop and amazon betas are "fake" betas or temporary betas, not "real" betas? What did you mean by this? What's the story?
Dear Amazon.com Customer,
The Amazon Video Games team thanks you for your pre-order of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Now it's time to get you your pre-order bonus code to participate in the Starcraft II beta.
Here is your bonus code: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
This code will give you access to the StarCraft II beta. This beta will be available through May 17th. In order to participate in the beta test, you must have an active Battle.net account. If you don't have a Battle.net account, visit
www.battle.net to create one.
How to Use Your Code:
Step 1: Log in to your Battle.net account. Under "Manage My Games" click "Add or Upgrade a Game". Enter your beta key in the "Enter Game Key" field and select "Add Game".
Step 2: Get the Installer - In your list of games, click the Manage Game button under the StarCraft II beta image to download the installer.
Step 3: Install the StarCraft II beta - Once you've downloaded the installer, run it and follow the directions to install the beta client on your machine. Note that your participation in the StarCraft II beta test is governed by a Beta Test Agreement that you are required to accept before you can install the beta client.
Step 4: Run the Game & Log in to Battle.net - After the game installs, the launcher interface should automatically appear on your screen. Log in with your Battle.net account and you'll be able to begin playing. You can launch the client at any time by clicking the desktop shortcut or by going to the Windows Start Menu.
Thank you for your continued support of Amazon.com/games.
~Amazon.com Video Games Editors
Also, each claim code is unique and can't be shared.
The email you get from gamestop if you pre-order starcraft II does not have an end date listed, but individuals have reported that if you get the beta in store, the receipt that prints (that includes the beta code) indicates that the beta runs until May 31st.
So, if that is to be believed, you get access to the beta for longer going through gamestop. It could be everyone loses beta access on the same date, though.