Sony VAIO G1 laptop reviewed

Sony's sleek little VAIO G1 laptop may still only officially be available in Japan, but that didn't stop the folks at LAPTOP Magazine from getting their hands on one for a full review. As you'd no doubt expect, the laptop immediately impresses, tipping the scales at a featherweight 2.1 pounds and lighting things up with the familiar 12.1-inch display that some of us still find to be the best balance of size and portability, although it unfortunately doesn't get Sony's trademark XBRITE treatment. They found that the rest of the laptop's specs mostly delivered the goods as well, with the low-power Core Solo processor providing a reasonable trade-off between performance and battery life, the 80GB hard drive providing adequate storage, and the integrated DVD burner making a welcome appearance in a laptop this size. All but the least demanding users will probably want to opt for a memory upgrade though, with the standard 512MB unlikely to cut it for most, especially those planning on upgrading to Vista. Also coming up a bit short was the laptop's keyboard, which is about 90 percent smaller than the average laptop's and could take some getting used to. Of course, the price of all that portability comes at quite a premium, and you'll have to decide if $2,599 is too much to ask to lighten your load a bit.

[Marko @ Jan 26th 2007 4:06PM]

90% smaller - thats tiny!

[RyS @ Jan 26th 2007 4:13PM]

I highly doubt it's really 90 percent smaller.
I'm looking at my laptop keyboard right now, and imagining it 90 percent smaller. It doesn't work.
It wouldn't even be possible to type on a keyboard 90 percent smaller than a normal keyboard (on a laptop).

Hopefully (probably) they were over exagerating.

[blahblah @ Jan 26th 2007 4:09PM]

Holy shit that lid is TEH THIN! Like, look at that shit. 8D

[J @ Jan 26th 2007 4:23PM]

90% smaller =/= 90% the size of...

[John @ Jan 26th 2007 4:37PM]

90% smaller!!! Keyboard's only 1.5 inches wide!?!? Whooooo-haw.

[Ellianth @ Jan 26th 2007 5:43PM]

I was gonna ask about the 90% smaller business too.. but you guys bet me to it :(. So instead I'll say: that laptop is ugly. it's so.. thinkpaddy

[kevin rummelhart @ Jan 26th 2007 5:43PM]

This thing is so ugly... Why would I give up my cool little TX at 2.76 pounds for this thing that looks like a Chinese knockoff... I am very disappointed in Sony...

[Brian @ Jan 26th 2007 7:01PM]

Don't ever buy a Vaio. Sony only offers 'recovery cd' media with their systems and never ships REAL Windows installation media. So, if Windows goes up in flames, as it likely will, you will have to use the Sony produced recovery media to recover the PC, then after recovery, reinstall all of your applications again. Since Sony doesn't ship real Windows media, you will not be able to use that media for the MS repair or ASR (automated system recovery). Granted, the recovery cd may not format the hard drive so you don't lose your data, but all of the apps you have previously installed will have to be reinstalled again. Using MS repair options doesn't require this. So, unless you relish the thought of having to reinstall your apps (i.e., locating all the media and typing in tons of installation codes) about every 6 months to 1 year, don't buy Sony PCs. Instead, choose a PC/Notebook that actually ships REAL Microsoft Windows media so you can actually use the Microsoft repair options that, if successful, won't require application reinstallation.

[Tad @ Jan 26th 2007 9:09PM]

90% smaller is 900% wrong.

[Islandgeek @ Jan 26th 2007 9:26PM]

My Sony T laptop died at 10months - they wouldn't honor the warranty. My TX (bought before the T died) had a motherboard replacement at 4 months, then fried at 14 months. Buyer beware!

[kev @ Jan 26th 2007 11:05PM]

I love how all the complaints come from SONY's markets outside Japan. USE A JAPANESE SONY LAPTOP. Those things last forever. There's a reason why universities and other institutions buy them. They're not stupid.

[Za @ Jan 27th 2007 2:00AM]

kev, you are straight up wrong. My VGN-T250L and my best friend's VGN-T250L both died. His went after 14 or so months and mine died after 9. They were both manufactured in Japan. I don't know what you mean with "Japanese" Sony...

[kev @ Jan 27th 2007 12:09PM]

Well, I even don't know if you're treating them like crap. At the lab I worked at, virtually all the laptop computers bought by the university were VAIOs, and they were all at least 3 years old in still excellent condition. What I mean by Japanese VAIO is one bought there, one for that market.

Oh, and I'm wrong? Try convincing every single satisfied Japanese Sony customer and then get back to me. I'm merely making an observation here. Besides, the only people that do complain are the ones who have their stuff broken. Nothing new.

[s4057102 @ Jan 27th 2007 2:09AM]

I've got a TR5 which is a 3 year old model... in my opinion one of the best laptops Sony has produced. they make great laptops!

[Russell @ Jan 27th 2007 2:53AM]

I'm glad to see a good subnotebook without XBRITE crap coating on it. I have a similar coating on my dell XPS M1210 and it's just awful when there are any bright lights around. You know, like in an office with overhead lighting, or outside, or .... you get the picture

[Jacob Magnusson @ Jan 27th 2007 8:53AM]

This must be the coolest laptop ever.

Can you explain this to me though; in your original article on G1 you wrote that it weights in at 1.98 pounds - now it's 2.1 pounds. That means that X505 still beats its weight :(

[Jacob Magnusson @ Jan 27th 2007 9:16AM]

Wait a sec, it has a built in DVD-drive? That SUCKS!
They just take up precious weight and power. Also they are a thing of the past and hopefully they'll be fased out in a few years. Though realistically I'm guessing it'll take ten years before optical drives will be a thing for the history books.

[Simon @ Jan 27th 2007 12:32PM]

90% smaller!! are u sure about that??

Also, sony have a terrible reputation in Japan! Go to Softmap's used notebook shop in Akihabara and they will also confirm that Sony=Broken (or at least something broken on it)

Saying that, I have a Vaio VGN-A197XP and love it, even though it's 3 years old, it runs Vista beautifully with full Aero joy!

[kev @ Jan 27th 2007 1:08PM]

Let's sum this up a little better:

1. You're comparing USED laptops on sale to ones people still have and aren't for sale--meaning that these are the people who did break their laptops and are now selling them for parts or are looking to buy a new one.
2. You're talking about Akihabara, where the average consumer may not be looking for a business laptop
3. Akihabara does not represent all of Japan. It may to you, but it doesn't. In that logic, Nipponbashi represents Osaka, and that's just a big WTF.
4. "Terrible reputation" implies far fewer sales and generally unhappy campers. That's simply not the case.

[kev @ Jan 27th 2007 1:04PM]

LoL? Akihabara? You do realize that's nerd central right? Ask the rest of the population of Japan, the ones that aren't ostracized and confined to their rooms and work because they're afraid of society.

[kev @ Jan 27th 2007 1:10PM]

I'm not at all trying to defend Sony as a fanboy, I'm trying to defend it from the myriad of stupid people on the Internet who might still have a few brain cells to think about why they're a little bit misled (such as their equipment is broken and refuse to recognize the satisfied people that do exist)

[Sabeer Kibria @ Jan 28th 2007 2:18AM]

Simon, what your saying means the exact opposite of what your trying to prove. THis basically means that no one is willing to give up their vaio unless it has a broken part at least in Japan. In general Japanese Vaios are of excellent build quality. Can't say the same for HP, Dell, Alienware, or Toshiba here. All of these brand names have given me major problems with bad tech support over the last 8 years. I'm thinking of switching over to either Sony or Apple now because of the horrible build quality of other computers.

[Simon @ Jan 28th 2007 3:55AM]

I posted a reply but it didn't seem to work!

Oh well, do it again!

Akihabara is indeed popular with Manga and computer Otaku, but it by no means is not popular for electronics shopping! Many normal people live/work and shop there and it is very popular because of the wide range of shops all close together allowing customers to walk around and get the best price.

Also most of the Japanese people I talk to about Sony tell me that they have not very high quality standards and that their products tend to break/stop working easily. It surprised me because I really thought Sony was the top manufacturer for quality! I mentioned the shop Softmap, they have a whole 4 storey shop dealing soley in Used notebooks, the advice they also gave me was to avoid Sony because they tend to break. Luckily they do 3 years extended warranty for just 5000 yen extra so it's not such a big deal. (hummm not meaning to sound like i'm advertising them)

I'm just saying it like it is. If you don't like it then find out for yourself.