Sony set to introduce VAIO FZ2 laptops

It's not all that long ago that Sony bumped its VAIO FZ laptops into Santa Rosa territory, but it seems that the company is planning to expand the line even further, with Notebook Italia today getting word of a pair of new FZ2 series laptops. As with its current FZ offerings, these new laptops will each pack 15.4-inch WXGA displays, but they get an upgrade in the processor department to your choice of Core 2 Duo T7250 or T7500, along with NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GT graphics on the higher-end of the two, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and your choice of Blu-ray or DVD combo drives. No word on a release date just yet, it seems, but they'll apparently set you back $1,299 or $1,399 depending on the configuration.

[Thanks, Laura]

[Corey Atad @ Aug 9th 2007 2:00PM]

If the blu-ray version comes in at under $2000CND I would totally get that.

[jon @ Aug 9th 2007 2:49PM]

acutally bestbuy.ca carries the 180 model w/ blu-ray for $2200, and i'm sure u can find some discount code or certificates to redeem it to that sweet 1999.99 spot

[Derek Martin @ Aug 9th 2007 2:03PM]

Way to steal Apple's color scheme

[Froggy @ Aug 9th 2007 2:08PM]

dumbest. comment. ever!

[Nipponese @ Aug 9th 2007 2:51PM]

So true. It's the other way around. Sony was the first to have those keyboards on their laptops,. Way before the MacBooks came out.

[jon @ Aug 9th 2007 2:10PM]

should fact check, dude- the FZ series were NEWLY launched with santa rosa, not "bumped" from before this year, and are already CTO to go up to T7700 and Nvidia 8400 in the 180 editions or 190 CTO ones. RAM also go up to 4gigs so this isnt newsworthy, unless there's news of a new design or even better graphics card in HD form.

[Froggy @ Aug 9th 2007 2:10PM]

QTE: Core 2 Duo T7250 or T7500, along with NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GT graphics on the higher-end of the two, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and your choice of Blu-ray or DVD combo drives. END QTE


all that under 1400? Now that does not sounds like Sony to me. Even without the blue ray seems rather on the cheap side. With a blue ray ... well, I'm with Atad - that would be a great deal.

[AlexP @ Aug 9th 2007 2:44PM]

I agree, that's why I was interested in buying it before, but Sony is just too slow to put these out so I got an Inspiron 1520 instead... Which has yet to ship, thanks to Dell (my iMac shipped today and it's set to arrive next week)...

[Froggy @ Aug 9th 2007 3:10PM]

I stand corrected. from the CDWG site - Sony VAIO FZ190N5

http://www.cdwg.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1222406

• Core 2 Duo T7500 / 2.2 GHz
• Centrino Duo
• RAM : 2 GB
• HD : 160 GB
• BD-RE
• WLAN : Bluetooth
• 802.11 a/b/g/n (draft)
• Vista Business
• 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )

all for $2094 (with Blue Ray) - models without blue ray go for $1299-$1350.

[Sanjeev Sabharwal @ Aug 9th 2007 3:24PM]

How about a 17" screen with a co-ax TV tuner card, and a full-scale old-fashioned keyboard layout. Not all people want ultra-portability. Mostly you just want a desktop experience.
Regarding this last, why not make the keyboard and screen detachable, along with a bluetooth mouse and wireless portable Bose speakers (optional)? This would be the ultimate!
Regards,
Sanjeev

[Carl @ Aug 9th 2007 4:53PM]

[QUOTE]why not make the keyboard and screen detachable[/QUOTE]

An interesting idea. I'd worry that adding the ability to remove the keyboard would break the integrity of the case so that, especially over time, you'd have a laptop that didn't want to stay in one piece.

But I could see including a built-in wireless keyboard/mouse IR (or bluetooth) receiver for when you're using it at home.

But, then, you have to admit that MOST people buying a laptop ARE looking for portability... otherwise they'd buy a desktop.

[yelohbird @ Aug 9th 2007 3:54PM]

Do my eyes deceive me, or does that almost look like a black macbook keyboard?

[derek @ Aug 9th 2007 4:01PM]

It's black, so it looks like a MacBook keyboard???

[tone @ Aug 9th 2007 4:18PM]

For the last time, Sony originally came out with that type of keyboard back in 2004!!!!!

So in reality Apple copied Sony!

[dread @ Aug 9th 2007 4:45PM]

It's sad that in every Sony Computer post Apple fanboys need to bitch about their "design" being stolen. I'm a mac user but I'm not going to go comment on an Apple post about the many suits they're being hit with for stealing ideas.

[Carl @ Aug 9th 2007 4:57PM]

Oh, look, the screen hinges at the back... there's a optical drive drawer on the side... and the VAIO logo is right where the Apple logo is on a MacBook... my goodness, Sony must've copied EVERYTHING from a Mac!

Geez, get real. My car has black seats, doesn't mean the manufacturer copied some other car that had black seats.

[trongle @ Aug 11th 2007 5:14PM]

OMG! My typwriter has a black keyboard, it must have copied it from apple.

LMOA! In the world of products of today nothing is original as it seems even for SONY or Apple.

[Matthew @ Aug 9th 2007 4:51PM]

Apple needs to learn how to copy logos if they copy anything from Sony because the Vaio logo looks so slick compared to the stupid apple icon. Plus this computer doesn't run OSX, it runs windows which is supported by 100x more programs. The only good thing OSX has going for is it's slick interface. Other then that it just causes compatibility headaches.

[Ken @ Aug 9th 2007 5:44PM]

Lemme start by saying I don't even own a Mac, ipod, nor have I ever bought any Apple product.

You say the only thing going for OSX is its slick interface, and that's supposed to be a small deal? That's like saying the only thing good about the interface is that it has a slick interface........

Then you complain about compatibility in a system that has boot camp and parallels, that allows it to run windows, yet windows cannot do the same.

I dunno it just seems like the only folks that groan about Mac's incompatibilities are PC users wanting to point out supposed faults, as opposed to actual Mac users.

Aren't the Mac users dual booting/paralleling and just rolling their eyes? Whenever anyone says "all you mac users have such terrible incompatibility problems" they pull up their XP window and say, "we do?"

[Sahil @ Aug 9th 2007 5:21PM]

I love my FZ-190 CTO its awesome. my only gripe is that the extended battery is not flush with the rest of the bottom of the notebook, creating a stand of sorts. Besides that, it rules.

[Ken @ Aug 9th 2007 5:45PM]

And FYI, the FZ2's keyboard isn't copied from the X505, the backing on the keys are individual, so at a distance or on a grainy shot, it'll look like an X505-style keyboard.

[David Susilo @ Aug 9th 2007 5:56PM]

Does it come with non-glossy screen? I can't stand those screens.

[Trebuin @ Aug 9th 2007 6:28PM]

It will not support Vista 64 as it is Sony's policy. Honestly, I think they should take that designed for Vista tag off.

[ethana2 @ Aug 9th 2007 6:44PM]

Yeah really. I'd take Compiz fusion over Aero anyday- wait...
OOOohhh. You meant 64 bit. You mean It wouldn't support an x86-64 version of Ubuntu?

But yeah, I'm still in favor of not putting that hideous sticker on an otherwise decent machine. Blecch. Plus, there's no way I'm going to waste a penny on Windows again. That's a whole graphics card worth of $, right there. Down the drain.

[ethana2 @ Aug 9th 2007 6:50PM]

You know, if Apple got off their high horse and released OSX for regular hardware, we might see some actual, you know, competition. Instead of all this "Windows is the pc" mentality- because that's crap.

Windows was a dirty joke Microsoft pulled to drive people away from pc's so they could go into the game console business.

[lonnon 123 @ Aug 11th 2007 12:40AM]

when is the cz series from sony getting a "santa rosa" refresh. and is the santa rosa based on the 45nm chip process?