Sony really bumped out
a whole lot of laptop today, but we got a chance to handle each and every one, and came away impressed -- perhaps not blown away, but Sony certainly doesn't seem to be planning on letting the likes of Lenovo run away with the PC laptop design crown. None of the laptops felt astounding light, but they did all feel rather solid to handle, as if crafted out of a single element, instead of cobbled together -- particularly the magnesium alloy-built BZ. We'll have to get some more time with the keyboard to get a real read on them, but we like the shape of the keys and the depth of the action. Something that sort of flew under the radar in Sony's announcement is a new sort of OS X-esque dock at the bottom of the screen, with a row of icons that can be clicked on, or activated by a row of hard buttons above the SR's keyboard. The worst thing we can say about the whole lineup is how particularly chunky the Z looks in profile, despite its 1-inch thickness, but that's just because we've been spoiled by the likes of Lenovo, Apple and Voodoo, and all those ultralights aren't packing near what the Z is. Oh, and let it be known: the glowing power button thing is pretty sexy.
posted Jul 14th 2008 9:25PM
Sony is doing a Dell dock now too? Cool. At least Microsoft will have a Microsoft dock in Windows 7.
NO!!... bad boy get back in your crate!
wrong person that ^^^^ was meant for that \/ \/ \/ \/
I anxiously wait for the Vaio BJ.
Wait, how much is the upgrade from the HJ models?
I must say, VAIO's are the shiznit.
Did the demos come pre-loaded with the worst onslaught of crapware ever seen on a Windows laptop? That is probably the #1 reason I no longer buy Sony laptops at work. Lenovo lower-end laptops come in a close second.
You can always do a good old stand wipe before using the computer.
Yeah, but you shouldn't have to. And the whole agrument about it making the laptop cheaper is BS here, as Sony laptops generally cost a bit more than an equivalently specced laptop from someone else.
No, they don't:
http://www.pocketables.net/2008/03/sony-giving-fre.html
New Sony policy.
I cant wait to pick up the BZ
Prices for the Z:
The standard VAIO Z notebook will start at about $1,800 while the SSD model will go for around $2,300
Why no tablet, Sony?
And why no Linux support? Don't tell me you feel sexy with Windows. It's not true.
I work with ordinary people, and they get excited running Mac. They think Linux is some fantasy land, where things are more difficult, but there might be fantastic secrets. Only Sony can bring out the fantastic secrets.
Sure the Z is a little fat but the weight / feature-set combo is incredible.
I love it. Very expensive but I still like the style. Very slick and attractivie. The keyboard looks just like my MacBook. Love it!
Wrong way round, your MacBook keyboard looks like a Vaio. Sony did it first (in 2003).
1st advice for you Sony, get rid of your out-of-box bloatware.
they did that already
All you guys complaining about the software that comes with these laptops should really stop. Sony is primarily a hardware company and they are showing these great laptops (hardware) and all you guys can complain about is the software, which by the way you can remove if it bothers you that much.
Actually, I am complaining about Sony's version of the Windows operating system and if you do anything to change it, Sony will void your warranty immediately over the telephone. Additionally, since I paid top dollar for my Sony products, I should be able to do anything I want to my computer that is not destructive and Sony should honor the warranty. On a worst case scenario, I can always reformat my hard drive. Finally, has Sony increased their warranties to over one year? Up until recently they have not stood behind their products the way their competition has. When I purchase a notebook computer, I want a three or four year warranty, especially if over $2,500 is extracted from my bank account for one.
Sony has been a late comer to the computer industry and as their products are athestically pleasing, once you look under the hood, you discover there are many better options out there for the price you are paying.
Out of all these releases, the FW is definitely the best laptop! Its design is amazing, its sports the new 16:9 technology (new for laptops), the resolution is really good, the price is more justifiable, etc. I don't know much about the specs at the moment but I highly doubt they will disappoint. Too bad I'm not looking to buy a laptop, I gotta make my current one (also a Vaio) last a few more years.
I work in a Sony Centre, these machines are fantastic! You may pay a little extra for the Brand, but it's well worth it. If your thinking of buying one, make sure you buy a warranty extension pack e.g. PCGEVP2W (UK) These machines as with all notebooks will fail usually within 2-3 years, if your X-Black LCD Screen, Motherboard, or power supply go you'll be sorry. It's very expensive to get them repaired. Sony only tend to make the LCD screens and the chassis, everything else tends to from 3rd party manufacturers made exclusively for Sony Vaio's, and only Sony Vaio authorized engineers can source the software drivers, and certain hardware components. It's not like you can get it yourself.
If your going to change the OS thats all very well and good, but if you do technically, Sony only provide compatible drivers for hardware if you have the latest business models BZ,TX,SZ,Z... for upgrading to windows XP Professional SP2 which is currently provided with all business models in the UK. If you go and stick Linux on a Vaio machine you had better know exactly what your doing, because as i said a lot of hardware is designed specifically for Sony and they do not pay manufacturers to make compatible drivers for any other OS other than the OS they are released with (Except in the case of business models) If you have tried to install another OS and it's all gone terribly
wrong, as long as your recovery partition is intact press f10 on boot and that should boot the recovery tool and restore the machine back to factory settings with the original OS. If your unlucky enough to install another OS, and at the same time you HDD becomes corrupted and you can't recover from the recovery partition or recovery disks. You'd better get a tissue to wipe the tears from your eyes because if you call Vaio technical support they will charge because the warranty would be void. Gutted.
I post this for one reason. I'm fed up of idiots coming to me crying because they
have voided their warranty, or their machines mother board has cracked two days outside of the warranty, and it will cost £470 to have repaired.
For god sake people, register your machines as soon as you get them, i'm sick of registering Vaio's for people who have purchased Sony products from cheap wholesale websites, who offer zero customer support. If your not prepared to pay a little extra from a high street store, then you do not deserve our help. Sony stores are in the majority not owned by Sony so with have no obligation to help you.
I hope some of you will find this informative. Sorry about the rant at the end xD
Peace
I agree, Sony makes excellent machines worth every penny.
I owned a Vaio TR3A for close to 4 years and it worked perfectly (May '04 to April '08). It was the perfect college companion; small, innovative, and very stylish. The combo drive stopped reading DVDs in winter '07 and the camera failed about a year earlier, but otherwise, the computer worked great. I never did a clean install until the day before I sold it.
I'm on a TZ150N/B right now. love it. and i'm in love with Sony's XBrite screens, especially the new models with LED-backlit LCDs
-C
there's not much you can do with a laptop photographically, i'm noticing.
Some specs
http://www.small-laptops.com/sony-vaio-vgn-z-series/
I am in love. I hate the chiclet keys, but even that can't keep me from lusting after these things. They've even got the CTRL key in the correct place! Must have, must have, must have...
I just can't decide on whether I want to stick with a portable 14" or under machine or go for that very interesting 16.4" multimedia model.
I love Sony Vaios as much as the next guy, but I wish Sony was looking at:
1. Simplifying their laptop line-ups - Too many models, and it starts getting confusing to remember how they all differentiate. It's good to have different configurations for different users, but I think some of them could merge together, or the few features that makes it stand out ported to another model.
2. New tablets - I'd love a new Vaio tablet. Since Sony is great with design and function, I'd love to see a great touchscreen, swivel tablet.
3. Stop with the stickers! - I don't know if it's a law or anything, but those stickers annoy me. If I wanted to know about my computer, I would have already done the research, or could just look in the manual. Peeling stickers off of your laptop isn't fun, and sometime it doesn't come off smooth.
4. Cut the bloatware - I know Sony has taken steps to minimize this, but seeing the AOL toolbar in one of those pictures doesn't convince me. As long as there isn't too much bloatware, and that it's super simple to uninstall, I don't care.
5. Cheaper - Make them cheaper. What more can I say?
I still love the Vaios though. These look sweet.