Sony Vaio FW and SR series show up on Circuit City

We'd already heard the Vaio FW and SR series were due in short order, but they've since apparently shown up on Circuit City's site. The pages are down now, but the shots of the 16-inch FW (which looks pretty reminiscent of the old school Vaio Z-series) and 13.3-inch SR are still live, indicating model designations VGN-FW140EH and VGN-SR140EB. We'll keep you in the know.

[Via Notebook Review]

Gallery: Sony Vaio FW and SR series show up on Circuit City

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

[Sly @ Jun 29th 2008 3:39PM]

ooh purrrrty :)

[cured @ Jun 30th 2008 1:35AM]

They're CRAZY beautiful

[holycow @ Jun 29th 2008 3:39PM]

The SR looks pretty decent!


Also ¡Viva España!

[frauhottelmann @ Jun 29th 2008 4:21PM]

Hm it doesn't look like Germany is winning. Too bad...


I actually never thought they would, but one can hope...

[w @ Jun 29th 2008 5:27PM]

OLÉ!

and yes, i want one SR.

[frauhottelmann @ Jun 30th 2008 9:00AM]

Congratulations to all Spanish here!

[Ace b @ Jun 29th 2008 3:40PM]

Man,these things look great.

I don't know why,but I've always been attracted to the VAIO line.

[Seminole @ Jun 29th 2008 5:07PM]

Yes they are.

I have a VGN-FZ140e and its a great little computer.

[Ace b @ Jun 29th 2008 3:41PM]

Man these are nice.

[dodo @ Jun 29th 2008 4:12PM]

hey they copied the keyboard from apple...the 16" screen is a special idea..whats the point of getting that size?? 15.4 and 17 is okey but 16"??

[perfectionist @ Jun 29th 2008 4:31PM]

The Sony VAIO X505 used that keyboard style in 2004.
The MacBook was first released in 2006.

The 16.4" screen is a new standard using a 16:9 aspect ratio and movie watching.

[Kimleng @ Jun 29th 2008 4:45PM]

More like Apple copied the keyboard from Sony. Look up the Sony X505 from circa 2003-2004. You'll see that Sony has had this keyboard long before Apple.

[Ronald @ Jun 29th 2008 4:45PM]

That apple comment is a joke right?

[Jamma @ Jun 29th 2008 5:10PM]

So you (wrongly) complain when Sony copy apple, but you criticise Sony for having a different sized screen to a macbook.......

[Totesen @ Jun 30th 2008 12:04AM]

only 16 and 18 inch can have 16:9 the new macbook pro is expected to come in a 18inch model so get some facts before you publish.

[Mobius_1 @ Jun 30th 2008 10:14PM]

This is what's wrong with the world of technology, pretty much everything these days are the result of copying Apple. Get your facts right, and just FYI, Apple haven't actually really invented much, rather just honed and improved and popularised existing ideas (such as the mp3 player, the touchscreen phone)

[Awais @ Jun 29th 2008 5:05PM]

Hey dodo:

Sony came out with a gaped keyboard way before Apple. Just search for Sony Vaio X505. 2003 vs 2007 I believe.

[dodo @ Jun 29th 2008 4:52PM]

I didnt know...I'm located in switzerland and notebooks where not really popular until the macbook appeared especially the sony notebooks.. well sorry for that :)

[N30 G30 @ Jun 30th 2008 8:35AM]

you didn't know yet you still said something.

also Sony has the record for the thinnest laptop ever. Just incase you happen to post in a MacBook Air post.

[Joe Eckhout @ Jun 29th 2008 5:31PM]

These are awesome!

[Sonny @ Jun 29th 2008 5:00PM]

Wow...the name dodo fits pretty well...as my good friend Will Ferrell would say, "that just happened!" (by good friend, I mean I've seen all his movies)
back to the subject at hand...
MMmmmmmmmm Sony Vaio Z-Series...MMMMmmmmmmmmm.....

[Sonny @ Jun 29th 2008 5:02PM]

Wow...the name dodo fits pretty well...as my good friend Will Ferrell
would say, "that just happened!" (by good friend, I mean I've seen all
his movies)
back to the subject at hand...
MMmmmmmmmm Sony Vaio Z-Series...MMMMmmmmmmmmm.....

[Sonny @ Jun 29th 2008 5:03PM]

oops, double post...my B

[Tony @ Jun 29th 2008 5:38PM]

When you make the same exact comment twice, most people would figure you mistakenly double posted and forgive you.

But now you have made another post to point out the obvious, and have a total of three posts. Good job.

[Roger @ Jun 29th 2008 5:06PM]

Nice sleek looking VAIO's If only I got the cash to upgrade my FZ :(

[wilcoholic @ Jun 29th 2008 5:29PM]

Sony just makes the best notebooks in the business (with lenovo). Its funny that Steve Jobs always says that apple make the best notebooks or that the macbooks are the standard to wich competitors compare their notebooks with. Its funny because

1) they based the entire macbook air on old sony models like the TZ and the X505. He even compared the Air with the TZ and he said in his speech that they based this model on the TZ yet they wanted to improve on it.

2) they used the X505 keyboard

3) They copied the X505 idea of thinness

4) isight camera is just a webcam nothing amazing. Yet they are making you believe as if they set the whole industry on fire. Its just a basic webcam!

well there are tons more stuff.

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jun 29th 2008 5:58PM]

Sony was also the first to use glossy screens in the Vaio TR series in 2003 and the first to use LED backlit screens in the Vaio TX in 2005. I also think they were the first to use hybrid graphics in the SZ series in 2006.

Silly Steve Jobs compared his MBA to the Vaio TZ to discredit it, saying the Air had a better processor and larger screen. Those two are due to it having a larger footprint than the TZ, the MBA is not an ultraportable, its thin but its so big its not an ultraportable. I don't mind the TZ being slightly thicker to have 2 USB drives, a DVD drive, ethernet, firewire, etc.



Go Sony!

[wilcoholic @ Jun 29th 2008 6:29PM]

I agree completely. The TZ has a much smaller footprint. Its so easy to slide it in a sleeve and throw it in your bag. Its like a book. Small, light and compact. And it isnt thick by any means.

I dont like how Steve discredit the TZ since its one of the best ultraportables on the market. The screen is just brilliant. Its 1366x768 and its in 16:9 format. Its perfect for widescreen movies.

[Quikboy @ Jun 29th 2008 7:15PM]

I agree. The Sony Vaio TZ is an awesome ultra-portable. It works very well, is small, light enough, and has an awesome design with it. I especially dig the keyboard. They're way better than the MBA.

If only Sony could make them cheaper...

[Inugami @ Jun 29th 2008 6:05PM]

SR series? I've never seen this a SR series.

Anyone know if this is a new series cause i don't see it on the Sony website.

[holycow @ Jun 29th 2008 6:57PM]

it is a new series..as is the FW series i believe... I would guess SR would be a blend between the existing CR series and the SZ series. Expect it to be expensive.

[efua @ Jun 29th 2008 7:11PM]

sweet! I have been waiting forever for these new vaios.. i def buying the fw as long as it doesnt retail over $2k

[albtms @ Jun 29th 2008 7:38PM]

On sonystyle.com, it says they have four new VAIOs: the TZ, CR, AR, NR.

Huh?

I guess it's a good time to grab what seems to be an identical older model AR for $250 less than the new one.

[Adrian @ Jun 29th 2008 7:40PM]

If it isn't an Apple computer...I DONT WANT IT!! VISTA SUCKS!!!

[holycow @ Jun 29th 2008 8:01PM]

Why did you even bother ?

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jun 29th 2008 8:10PM]

And people wonder why I hate Mac fanboys.....thinking Sony stole the "Macbook" style keyboard from them, always bashing on any OS that is not OSX.....

[cj @ Jun 29th 2008 8:56PM]

Ya so true. I love how Mac is not compatible with 99% of PC users who are Windows user. I also love the fact I have to reboot to windows to play games and there is a less software for Mac. Just gotta love Mac.

[cured @ Jun 30th 2008 1:38AM]

A P P L E copies S O N Y. period.

[DUCK @ Jun 29th 2008 7:46PM]

Wow
How refreshing it is to have people know what they are talking about.
Well done wilicoholic and ninjakmaster.
BTW,
if you don't remember, back in early 1994- 1995 it was Bill Gates who bailed out Steve and his failing Apple computers. Apple was in financial trouble an close to being non existent until Bill stepped up and lent a hand to get Apple back on it's feet.

[mapin @ Jun 29th 2008 8:12PM]

i LOVED my SR-17K Vaio back in the day !

anyone?

[shenzhov @ Jun 29th 2008 8:23PM]

@wilcoholic
The thing that makes isight great is the ichat software. Yes, it's a web cam, but the ichat software is amazing and works unlike most of the video software under windows.

@Duck
Bill lending a hand as you say was an agreement between microsoft and apple for apple to drop a long time lawsuit against microsoft. The amount of money was a token stock investment by Microsoft.

As for these Sony laptops, they look nice. I just don't want all the crap ware on my computer that sony sticks on their systems.
Sony put linux on these without the crap ware and windows and I'd consider one. Until then, go figure out what your next root kit fiasco is going to be.

[Drew @ Jun 29th 2008 8:29PM]

i would appreciate one of these when i'm on the road

[Ethan Allison @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:59AM]

For crap's sake, put a damn number pad on the FW. Otherwise it's just wasted space.

[Haro! @ Jun 29th 2008 9:50PM]

These look hot. I'm assuming (since the Circuit City site wasn't working) that the silver one is the FW. I'm really digging the thinness, though the screen is a little big for my tastes. I'd totally get one if I didn't have two laptops already.

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jun 29th 2008 9:52PM]

I do have to complain about the enormous amount of bloatware Sony puts on their computers, especially my TZ, a clean install of XP was just what it needed. : )

I'm also upset they disable Intel VT, hardware virtualization on their Vaios as well and gimp the SD card reader, make it not support fast SD card speeds.

[Jonny @ Jun 30th 2008 2:28AM]

I work at CC.

We're expecting to get these within the week. As soon as we get them, we're supposed to display em.

Can't wait to be able to fiddle and unpack em. :D

[Sergey @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:06AM]

Yea. the FZ was great. sucks its bein replaced. but if the new ones are as good or better then i say bring them on. =) I cant wait to get my hands on the FW.

[Robert @ Jul 21st 2008 12:56PM]

anyone know if the FW is going to have magnesium casing?