Amazon Product Description

The Basics
It was just a few years ago that true micro-notebooks were little more than glorified calculators. But times change and Sony's innovative VAIO VGN-T150/L proves that a three lb. notebook no larger than a traditional pad of paper can indeed deliver adequate power for the majority of typical mobile tasks. Granted, this is not an ideal unit for demanding business and power users or sophisticated 3D gamers. It is, however, perfect for anyone who frequently hauls their notebook with them to remote un-plugged environments and engages in comparatively basic tasks such as word processing, data gathering, finances, contact management and email/Internet sessions. Stunningly portable, extremely battery efficient and more potent than the vast majority of past or present micro-notebooks, the not inexpensive VAIO VGN-T150/L is a miniature dynamo.

Hard Disk
The system features a 40 GB hard disk. In a time when some notebooks offer hard drives of 100 GB and more, 40 GB may not seem overly generous. However, in the rarified, miniscule world of ultra-compact notebooks, 40 GB of storage space is indeed a sizable amount. Though you likely won't have enough room for a library of space-gobbling video files, the unit will store a typical number of mobile apps and user-created files and a few tunes too.

Optical Drive
An optical drive is essential in today's computing environment. A "CD-ROM" drive allows you to install CD-based applications and play music CDs. A "CD-RW" drive adds CD "burning", so you can also backup your important files to long-lasting discs and create personalized music CDs. With a DVD-ROM drive you can watch DVD movies. And with a DVD-RW drive, you can "write" home movies to durable discs and archive files to DVD (DVDs boast more than seven times the storage capacity of a CD). Some drives allow you to do a combination of all of these tasks. This system features a DVD+RW/-RW drive through which you can do all of the above.

Audio
The unit is equipped with two miniature stereo speakers, a mini microphone jack and a stereo mini headphone jack.

Keyboard and Controls
You'll control your notebook via an 83-key keyboard and standard electro-static touch pad.

Connectivity and Expansion
The VAIO VGN-T150/L offers an assortment of ways to keep in touch, including a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email access, a 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet port for high-speed wired network and Internet, and an integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (802.11b/g) for cord-free e-communication at home, at the office or on the road via a local public hotspot. Other key amenities include two high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play devices such as external drives and digital cameras, an IEEE 1394 FireWire port (commonly used for quick data uploads from digital camcorders), and a PC Card Slot for one type I or type II card with CardBus support..

Operating System and Software
Sony will preinstall today's most accepted operating system, Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition. Other applications include productivity and word processing software and Sony's typically ample array of music, video and digital photo utilities and editing packages.

Dimensions and Weight Many of today's most powerful notebooks are also the largest, weighing ten or twelve lbs or more and therefore too big and cumbersome for extensive, continuous traveling. These are often referred to as "desktop replacements". On the other extreme are "thin and lights" or "ultra-portables", super-miniaturized units that typically aren't as powerful as their larger brethren but weigh as little as two or three lbs. and will often fit comfortably inside a large purse. The VAIO VGN-T150/L is exceptionally small and comfortable at a mere 3.1 lbs and just 10.1 by 8.1 by 1.0 - 1.3 inches (depending on configuration).

Power
The unit is equipped with a Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that delivers up to 5.5 hours (with standard battery) and 6.0 to 11.0 hours (with a large capacity battery). These are exceptional figures in today's notebook world. ... Read more

Product Description

The VAIO S270 Notebook is packed with unique and powerful features designed to enrich your experience, whether working at home or on the road. A generous screen and keyboard improves usability and functions as a powerful tool in business presentations. Integrated multimedia features let you unwind after a hard day - enjoy movies or music while traveling, working or relaxing at home. Slim, light and just the right size for frequent travelers who won't sacrifice function for performance or convenience. ... Read more

Product Description

The power of a desktop, the portability of a notebook, the style of Sony. Create the notebook that suits you, with a 17" display with XBRITE, Ergo Bright Technology, and the optional AV dock that allows you to watch and record TV. Your stylish, portable A series will have you prepared for anything. ... Read more

Product Description

Sony VAIO (PCGAPRGT1) Sony VAIO port replicator ... Read more

Product Description

The VAIO B Series notebook is designed with the business professional in mind. Mobility, connectivity and productivity features help you get the most out of your workday. Smart Display Sensor lets you connect and display presentations with ease. Intel Centrino Mobile Technology lets you connect wirelessly so you can stay connected wherever you go. Generous keyboard and display mean you don't have to sacrifice comfort for mobility and performance. Built-in ports and optical drive keep the profile portable. The VAIO B Series notebook is slim, light and just the right size for frequent travelers who won't sacrifice function for convenience. Sophisticated design lets the world know that you mean business. ... Read more

Product Description

The Sony VGN-A140 Series, is a professional full sized business notebook with Pentium-M 1.8, DVD+/-RW Drive, 15.4" Wide XGA LCD, 1GB memory, 80GB HDD, XP PRO, AV Dock, MCA10 Multicard Adapter, integrated WLAN & Wi Mouse and M9+X 64MB Graphics.MODEL- VGN-A140P22 VENDOR- SONY VAIO ... Read more

Features

• FEATURES- VAIO A-series Notebook Computer
• Intel Pentium M 745 (1.8GHz), 1024MB RAM, 80GB HDD, DVD+/-RW Drive
• 15.4" WXGA Display, Wireless LAN 802.11b/g, A/V Dock and Microsoft
• Windows XP Professional Edition

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony's Vaio S Series notebooks unite desktop PC power and functionality with performance rivaling any desktop. The Centrino Mobile technology runs cool and quiet, while helping to keep the profile light and slim with enhanced battery performance. The VGN-S150 features fast 802.11g wireless connectivity, a decent-sized 60 GB hard drive, 1.6 GHz Pentium M processor, 512 MB of installed RAM, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive, 13.3-inch screen, and a bevy of Sony multimedia software.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The ample 60 GB hard drive offers more than enough storage for both your work and home files.
• Processor: The 1.6 GHz Pentium M processor is near the top of the Centrino speed range. Because of its design, the Intel Pentium M gets more done per clock tick than a Mobile Intel Pentium 4, thus providing the discrepancy in GHz measurement (i.e., 1.7 versus 3.2). The Pentium M processor is designed specifically for low-power mobile usage, and it features the latest in power-saving technologies--ensuring you push your battery and productivity to the max. It also has an L2 cache of 2 MB and a front-side bus (FSB) speed of 400 MHz.
• Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory is a good start for power users. It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion up to 2 GB (2 x 1 GB).
• CD/DVD Drive: It is equipped with a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. For DVDs it reads at 8x. For CDs, it has a 10x write/24x rewrite/24x read speed.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has an 82-key QWERY keyboard and electro-static touch pad.

S Series notebooks pack blazing power into a sleek, lightweight body.

Dimensions and Weight
The S150 measures 12.3" x 1.16" inches (in the closed position) and weighs 4.2 pounds (with battery).

Sound and Graphics
With the 32 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics card, the S150 delivers an adequate visual experience optimized to support most 3D gaming environments of today. Sony's exclusive XBRITE LCD technology delivers ultra crisp and super bright graphics, and the Smart Display Sensor automatically adjusts to any projector or display resolution. It also has two built-in stereo speakers.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The S150 has an integrated 802.11g wireless LAN (which is compatible with the more widespread 802.11b and offers faster data transmission rates). You get a decent--but not overpowering--offering of connectivity options, including both high-speed USB 2.0 and FireWire:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 A/V mini jack
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• 1 Memory Stick slot (Memory Stick Pro compatible)

Preloaded System and Software
This S150 comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it features Microsoft Works 7.0 (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). It's also loaded with Sony's Vaio Creative suite of multimedia applications, which includes PictureGear Studio (digital photo), SonicStage (digital music), Sony MovieShaker, DVGate Plus (digital video), and VAIO Media (network file sharing). Other preloaded titles include a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, Quicken 2004, Norton Internet Security (with 90-day trial subscription), and a 90-day trial of AOL.

Power
The S150 comes with the PCGA-BPS2 rechargeable lithium ion battery; it has an estimated battery life of 2.0 to 5.0 hours.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony Vaio VGN-S150 notebook, rechargeable battery, AC adapter, and printed instruction manual. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Built to take full advantage of Intel's just released Centrino notebook technology, Sony's stylish VAIO PCG-Z1VA Notebook PC is an efficient and extremely compact mobile computer designed for maximum portability and workhorse versatility.

Don't let the seemingly average clock speed of the unit's 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium M Centrino-based processor fool you. Centrino technology offers several advantages over traditional notebooks, including embedded wireless support, integrated Bluetooth, reduced power consumption and an astonishing 1 MB of integrated Level 2 cache for improved multitasking and performance over similar speed non-Centrino units. Sony has paired added a generous 512 MB RAM memory and a 16 MB ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chip. Although this setup is not ideal for complex animation or high-end 3-D games, it's more than enough for standard mobile computing tasks and multitasking.

The VAIO PCG-Z1VA Notebook offers lots of options and plenty of room for program and file management, including a large 60 GB hard drive and a convenient internal removable DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive data and enjoy movies on the unit's 14.1-inch XGA TFT display (1024 x 768 maximum resolution). DVD burning is not supported in this stock configuration.

Both elegant and rugged, the VAIO PCG-Z1VA Notebook is also remarkably compact at just 12.4 by 9.7 by 1.5 inches and a scant 4.7 pounds. Connectivity options include two ultra-fast USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals, a high-speed IEEE 1394 FireWire port for quick data transfer from devices such as digital camcorders, an RJ-45 Ethernet LAN connection, an integrated V.90 modem and embedded 802.11b wireless networking.

The system also features an 83-key keyboard with two programmable buttons and electrostatic touchpad, one PC card slot and one Memory Stick slot. Battery life is estimated at an admirable 2.5 to 6.5 hours with a single cell. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Great Laptop one step away from perfect
I just purchased the Sony PCG-Z1WA (the 1.70 GHz model). I replaces a three year old Dell that is a brick in comparison. The screen on the Sony is truly impressive although you have to adjust the resolution down unless you can read in micro print or have 20/15 eagle eyed vision. The key board works well (not to small for a mid-weight laptop). It would be nice if the page up and page down buttons were primary keys and not accessed through the function button.

The WA model has upgraded wireless 802.11b and g, it works great, if you've never gone wireless before you simply don't know what you are missing.

The battery life is awesome, I went from east to west coast, watched a DVD and still had plenty of juice to get some work done. All batteries should be this good.

My only issue with the laptop relates to the touch pad, sometimes it seems to lock up for a second and you have to take your finger off the touch pad and set it back down to get it to work. Everything else I've been able to adapt in Windows XP, the touch pad I haven't.

One last comment, this is simply the best looking laptop going. I can't beleive how many people have commented on it. Style, performance, battery life and relatively few quirks - Almost the perfect laptop. I highly recommend it.

Terrific State Of The Art Sony VAIO Notebook PC
When I surrendered my other Sony VAIO notebook to my daughter over the holidays, I mused awhile about my options for a replacement. But since I decided I wanted something both powerful and durable, something that I could use with the battery for an extended period of time without worry, I finally settled on this superb and cost-effective choice offered by Sony, one that is quite compatible to my home computer system, which is also a Sony VAIO system. This laptop is small enough to be light and extremely portable and yet has a relatively large and quite bright screen with terrific color and resolution. It is a rugged and hefty package at nearly 8 pounds, and it delivers a lot of capability with features such as a 1.60 GHz Intel Pentium-M Centrino processor, a 533 MHz system bus, 512 MB DDR SDRAM upgradeable memory, and a 64 MB ATI Radeon IGP 345M graphics chipset. With all this built-in capability, this laptop will more than adequately meet or exceed all of your needs.

Sony outfitted the laptop system with a 60 GB EIDE hard disk, and features an internal CD-RW/DVD drive for burning and listening to audio CDs, one that will backup important files and allow you to view a DVD movie. One of the best features is its large 15-inch active-matrix display, which is capable of 1024x768 resolution. It also has an internal V.90 modem for low-speed e-communications and an Ethernet interface to facilitate high-speed connectivity. It also serves your needs by providing both headphone and microphone ports as well as an 86-key keyboard that has an electro-static touch pad, and a built-in pair of stereo speakers with surround-sound imaging. It comes preloaded with an interesting and useful selection of resident software, including Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Money 2003, Microsoft Works 7.0, as well as a number of audio, video and photo utilities. This is a terrific unit at a very reasonable, and one I have already had a lot of fun with in the several months I have owned it. Enjoy!

Horrid waste of cash.
Would not suggest this laptop, oblivious to the tech specs the laptop has no support for any non-xp OS. Sony plays the role of a Compaq-like scum bag and makes the drivers .exe-install only with the .ini's associated compressed and encrypted. For 2000USD+ I won't play that game. This laptop gets the worst rating because it forces you to use the worse modern day OS (XP-series.) Sony needs to halt their continuing progression towards complete and utter crap. The new 04' laptops, don't even come with recovery CDs, that's right they cut that as well, making the laptop 15cents more profitable for Sony. Instead now because all 04's come with CD burners installed, they require you to make your own Sony-proprietary recovery CDs (9 of them) with CDs you have to buy!!! (I can't think of anything I would rather do right after I finish charging my dead new-from-factory battery then burning CDs for 90minutes) Other complaints are the crappy hinges connecting the lcd to base, and the crappy archaic and obsolete speaker system (Sony makes better sounding headphones from 5ft away.)

This is a real pitiful purchase; excluding Trinitron monitors, headphones, and smart-shoot cameras I feel Sony's future is extremely bleak, there other products fail to compete in price, they fail to offer even minimal product support, and they just barley run par to the competition's specs. (03's entry model has wireless lan, 04's doesn't - the only manufacture that hasn't made wlan a barebones requirement)

The real kick in the ass is the gizmos no one will ever use on the laptop. Like a phone modem, the memory gate port, or even a smart card slot on an all inclusive 2000USD laptop...
All that waste and all I want to do is run Windows2k OR Linux.

As one more side note Intel's flagship chipset - Centrino, fails to support Linux natively as well. The only free solution is using ndiswrapper around the Centrino xp drivers. Hooray for two companies which I'm quickly loosing respect for.

Sony Sucks
NOTE: SONY does not recommend or support an upgrade path to Microsoft's
Windows XP Professional operating system for VAIO PCs originally
shipped with the Windows 95/98/98SE or ME environment. Currently
Windows XP Professional upgrades are only supported for systems
pre-installed with Windows 2000 Professional or XP Home Editions.
Both Microsoft and SONY do not support an upgrade from Windows
2000 Professional to Windows XP Home Edition.

Outstanding Laptop
I've had my Z1VA for about a month and am VERY pleased. I use it at least 6-7 hours a day, and have already taken it on an extended international trip. In many respects it is a dream machine. It has a few drawbacks, but overall it is fantastic.
Here are the plusses++++
Weight - with the regular battery it's under 5 pounds.
Screen - the clearest, brightest screen I've had on a laptop.
Battery Life - I sprang for the double cell battery. I think it's overpriced, but it really increases the functionality of the machine. (If you buy it when you register you get a 20% discount.) With the double cell battery, I can work solidly for 8 hours with no need to find a plug. I usually plug in at night, then go all day. It is the first laptop I've had that fulfilled the promise of a laptop... true portability!
Style - It's a beautiful machine, solidly built, and generally well designed.
Wireless - with both WIFI and bluetooth, it makes connecting a breeze. I had a plug-in WIFI card on my old laptop, but the Z1VA has at least twice the range. I'm impressed.

Here are the negatives---
1. No backup disks come included. You can buy a set from Sony, or make your own... it takes nine CDs, so it takes a while to do this. When you pay $2000 for a computer I don't think it's too much to ask for a free set of backup disks to be included!
2. No dedicated "page down" key. This is my biggest gripe. It's a hastle when reading documents, web pages, etc. To page down you hold down function AND the down arrow key. That means you need to keep two fingers on the computer while reading.
3. The USB port plug-ins are poorly placed, There is a ledge right beneath them that prevented one device from being inserted. I had to buy a USB extension cable to plug in that device. The headphone jack has the same problem... my headphone jack just barely fits.
4. The right shift key is TINY. Very hard to find. I'm finally getting used to it, but the machine is wide enough to have included a full size right shift key.
Those are the only drawbacks I've found with my Z1VA, and I consider them minor frustrations compared to the overall quality of the machine.
If you are looking for a powereful laptop with true portability, I would highly recommend the Sony PCG-Z1VA. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony's new K series of VAIO portable computers is a fine middle ground for those who can't afford the absolute fastest or smallest super-notebooks but don't want to be saddled with a bulky, sluggish bargain-basement offering either. This model, the VAIO PCG-K13, is the most attractively priced unit in the K series. Though very cost effective, it nevertheless retains many of the perks of its slightly more expensive brethren and is thusly a smart choice for school, home or light office duties.

Tastefully clad a two-tone paint scheme and reasonably diminutive at 7.3 pounds and slopes from 1.6 inches to 2.7 inches high when closed by 13 by 10.9 inches, the VAIO PCG-K13 is a stylish and comfortably portable unit. Surprisingly, this affordable system is driven by a high-end 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 processor and a capable alloent of 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory. The video card, an ATI Radeon IGP 345M, is certainly not the pinnacle of 3-D gaming or 3-D animation performance, though it does support dual displays for those times when two monitors are necessary. Furthermore, the unit's 15-inch XGA TFT display (1024 by 768 maximum resolution) features Sony's new Xbrite technology for superior brightness, contrast and viewing angles than many other notebook displays.

For your data storage needs, the VAIO PCG-K13 offers an adequate 40 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive your data and watch your favorite DVD movies. DVD writing is not supported in this stock configuration.

The unit is equipped with a number of standard amenities, including an 86-key keyboard with electro-static touch pad, a Memory Stick PRO media slot for data transfers from external devices, one Type III or two Type I or Type II PC Card capability, and a pair of internal stereo speakers. Connectivity options include an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for fast interaction with external devices such as digital camcorders, three high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripheral connections, a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email, a high-speed RJ-45 LAN network connector, and integrated wireless LAN for cord-free network and e-communication access.

The impressive software bundle includes the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft's Works 7.0 productivity suite, Intuit's Quicken New User Edition financial center, and a wide range of Sony's own multimedia utilities. Estimated battery life is somewhat less than stellar at 1.0 to 2.5 hours per charge. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great Buy! Sleek..Powerful and light
This machine is as good as it gets! From an aesthetics point-of-view, it is plain flat awesome. The XBRITE Screen gives you excellent contrast and clarity, making it a winner in the movie/picture viewing category. The Silver-Grey tinge to the laptop is also something to be cherished. The layout of the keyboard and ports is very ergonomic.

Also the Laptop is light for a P-4. It has about 2 hours of backup on the battery.

The laptop comes with 512 MB RAM (Mind you it is shared with the video memory..so you get a little less), and combined with a 2.8 GHz P-4 it gives you the speed you need for most heavy applications. I have been able to use it for regular internet and word-processing tasks, as well as programming. The complement of software on the laptop is pretty good too.

The only drawback to me is that the adapter is big and heavy. Maybe SONY could work on that a little bit.

Over-all a highly recommended purchase for any professional or student.

Excellent low-end budget notebook
I bought Sony Vaio PCG-K13 a few weeks ago. I have been impressed and throughly satisfied for the following reasons:

1) It has a fast processor, P4 2.8 GHz which completely satisfies serious computational needs.
2) Attractive display. The screen has a coating which seems to enchance the color quality thus the webpages look rich. Also, when the screen is viewed from an angle and not right from front, it does not turn negative unlike most of LCD displays.
3) Comes with a 512 MB RAM. This makes the applications fast to open and run.
4) For a Sony quality, a price tag of $1400 is worth it.
5) Has an inbuilt LAN wireless card for wireless connectivity.
6) Sturdy body, can sustain some banging and rough handling.
7) Comes with a Sony memory stick slot. So if you are using a Sony PDA or a digital camera, it's very handy.
8) Comes with many Sony registered softwares and a partitioned hard drive.
9) Has a cool feature, "Sony recovery wizard". If something goes wrong, data can be backed up and the computer can be set to "factory setting".

And.....what's not good...

1) The battery is ENORMOUS!! It's more like a BRICK than something sleek. But a small one can be bought at a Sony store.
2) 7.5 lbs is too heavy to carry especially at the airport.
3) Battery typically lasts only 2Hrs (under normal use) and takes quite a long time to charge.

So, at the end, the pros dominate the cons. It's worth it, IT'S A SONY!!

The pros just barely outweigh the cons...
It looks like Sony is really stretching for cash on this one. While it does boast a nice 2.8Ghz P4 Soket 478 FCPGA2 Northwood Processor at 533mhz FSB. No real extra code functions included, like Hyper threading. Just the standard MMX, SSE, SEE2.

512MB (256MB X 2) of (SODIM) DDR PC2100 RAM. SODIM is generally what you expect on a modern mid range notebook, however SODIM os very slow and really drags down the performance, it doesn't help that the ram is also made by one of the most low branded memory company's in business, infenion. Now theoretically because the processor has 533Mhz FSB you should be able to handle SODIM PC2700 and you can, however Sony only ships with 2100. My recommendation is go to Kingston and buy some high quality SODIM modules at PC2700. It helps quite a bit. It can be expanded up to 1GB

Battery life is utterly pathetic. One hour at best using low brow applications... The desktop based P4 sucks power like no tomorrow. The AC Adapter is horrendously bulky and the battery adds quite the load to an already heavy notebook.

The screen is absolutely beautiful and boasts some of the brightest, sharpest and most clear cut colorful images on a notebook screen in this price range. However after one week after purchase, I already have a dead pixel!

The software sweep included is nice, however, sony likes to squeeze every penny and doesn't include a recovery dvd or cd set. However sony does include some spyware /adware chocked apps as well like Real Player. My suggestion is to completely wipe the stock home and do a fresh install of Home or Pro, considering all the drivers are now available on the web. I should mention that when I first purchased this notebook they went and I was forced to order a recovery dvd from sony.

The RADEON IGP345M is a decent card, however ATI's catalyst drivers doesn't support it, so other than the shipped drivers, your only other choice is the omega series, witch out perform the shipped ones anyway. What I find extremely irritating is the 64MB that makes up your video card is hared by your physicals ram, so stock wise you really only have 408MB of physical RAM. The BIOS isn't associable rather, so you can't configure how much ram is actually shared. It does support dual displays, but with the shipped drivers the alternative display can only achieve a max resolution of 1024x768. Other than web browsing and some small Photoshop projects the card is utterly useless.

Enough of the bad, on the flipside, the processor is fast despite HT, the keyboard is big and comfortable, the electronic touch pad is nice and responsive. A plethora of IO really delivers in external devices, usb 2.0, Firewire. The speakers are loud and adequate for notebook speakers, the speaker output sounds decent as well. A PCMCIA slot, Sony memory card slot and a surprisingly powerful intergraded wireless antenna. Lets not forget the built in 10/100 and every useful Printer Port.

The rest of this notebook is pretty much standard issue, the 40GB is about what you expect to pay and is quite speedy for 4200 RPM and the CD/DVD burner is pretty high quality from QSI. I also really like the idea that the RAM, Hard Drive and Video Controller and completely user upgradeable. Very smart!

Did I mention is looks VERY SEXY. A nice silver paint job gives a strait forward futuristic look. The final verdict is if you're a skilled computer user this would be a decent buy for a midrange desktop replacement.

The pros just barely outweigh the cons.

take my word for it
well, i would like to say that i brought this laptop after ~4 ms of continuous survey for a product that ranges from 1200-1400$.

+ve:
1. system is very stable.
2. sound quality is amazing.
3. the screen is very bright.
4. the laptop looks stylish.

Cons:
1. the power supply is really big and heavy.
2. the startup is slow.
3. you have to perform system recovery to gain the 5gb space on the hard disk (before you install anything, you'll lose it).
4. mine has one dead pixel, but it is very peripheral.

Good Value Solid Performer
After looking over several models of laptops and owning about 1 new one each year, I drifted away from the super small, lightweights and back to a work horse, this thing seems rugged enough, has enough memory and I just replaced a hard drive in an older Sony Vaio that I had running non-stop for a couple years at the office.
So I'm giving Sony another shot. I did upgrade to XP-Pro right after I unboxed it. A couple minor problems, I would recommend at the very least getting copy of all the drivers for it before doing that again!!.
Sony support was what I expected, I called to ask them if it would support XP-Pro and she said yes, but the warranty is void as far as support, no big loss there. I had to re-install the wireless driver and the thing hung up bad on the first go, but so far it's working fine on XP-Pro.

Time will tell. The screen is great, the price was right and it looks like a work horse that won't break the bank.

Oh yeah, whoever said the power supply was big, you're right, I think it's heavier than the laptop.

I'm still happy with the purchase... no problems!!

After a month, I'll add a few more positive notes.. did I mention it had a great screen, though a higher resolution would be great, it's fine.

A wireless on/off switch on the front makes turning off the power consuming wifi easy. I've added a few extras. An LCD monitor makes the DualView feature extend the desktop to twice the normal size. A decent set of speakers, external keyboard by IBM and external mouse and this thing Rocks. Nice Desktop replacement. !! ... Read more

Product Description

The VAIO PCG-K45 notebook is beautifully designed and equipped with a 15.4" wide screen, XBRITE technology, integrated wireless capabilities and CD burning features. It's a totally versatile notebook that combines the technology you need for workday survival, plus the essential features to keep you entertained wherever you go.The VAIO PCG-K45 is a full-sized, portable notebook that comes loaded with features essential for everyday computing. Featuring Sony exclusive entertainment software like PictureGear Studio for your digital photos and SonicStage for your digital music. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Good for home computing
I bought this computer as a desktop replacement. The major factor for choosing this computer is the extremely beautiful LCD display with it's XBrite Technology. Movies look great and pictures too. Major drawbacks for this notebook are it's bulkiness and very (and I mean very!) noisy fan. You need to play music while working so you could minimize the distraction that the fan could cause. This notebook is not meant for those seeking portable computing solution, you'll only be disappointed with the size, weight and the battery life. Otherwise, this notebook is great if you let it stay indoors and just keep it there plugged on your wall.

Sony Vaio Laptops, loud but good.
I'm very pleased with my Sony VAIO laptop.However, the fan noise is very loud.It sounds like a vacuum cleaner as many others have pointed out.On the other hand, it has been my experience (especially with HP) that Pentium 4 based laptops are normally loud, as the Pentium 4 chip heats up far more than Intel's other chip brands.If you want a quieter laptop, then I suggest a Centrino.They're lighter, quieter, cooler, and... slower.
If the fan noise bothers you while working at home, try this: put the laptop inside a duffle bag, leaving plenty of room inside for ventilation.Leave the top open slightly for heat to escape.Then, with the help of a cordless keyboard, mouse, and monitor extension cable, you can locate the laptop several feet away from you and still enjoy Pentium 4 speed on your desk top.This is obviously NOT a portable solution and defeats the point of a laptop, but it's for those who can't afford to buy 2 computers and still want peace & quiet away from the workplace.

laptop out of fashion
The laptop indeed has a good LCD monitor compared with HP laptop I owned before. But for sure it has several very obviously shortcomings:
1. too big battery, however, with a very short lifetime. That is really ridiculous. It looks like time past by at least twice faster as the one indicated on your screen.
2. A little bit noisy. You can not easily fall asleep with the laptop on overnight.
3. Too heavy laptop with very big size. I highly recommend ladies never use it.
4. my speaker was damaged by a little shock and never worked well after that. Possibly it has a poor protection on that connection.

Went back today!
Firstly, let me say this laptop has a great bright display and very fast processor. But it's VERY LOUD - sounded like a vacuum cleaner.Battery power was barely over 1 hour, it's very heavy and the AC adapter was way too short...

Too bad i had to pay a 15% restocking fee to find all this out.

Excellent Notebook
Reinstall original configuration, I don't know why it does not work well the first time, next erase all garbage software and you have and excellent, fast and incredible notebook.

I'm and developer and my wife is architect and we love it.

Cons:
-You need to burn the recovery Cds.
-A little noisy.
-Could be a nightmare if you try to change the OS.
... Read more

Product Description

With integrated wireless LAN, Intel Pentium M processor, enhanced battery life and Sony's original multimedia software, you have the robust tools you need when you're on the road. And, with its slim, lightweight design, it's your ideal mobile companion.The VAIO FS Notebook comes loaded with the tools you need to create, manage and share your digital photos, home videos, movies and music. Powerful performance, extended battery life and integrated wireless LAN make it easy to enjoy your multimedia entertainment while you're away from home.With Click to DVD software and the DVD+R Double Layer/DVD±RW drive, creating high-quality DVDs is just one click away. Create or record up to 8.5GB of home videos, movies, TV shows, music or digital photos - or up to 4 hours of MPEG2 video - on one Double Layer DVD disc.The VAIO FS Notebook comes with a 15.4" wide screen LCD with Sony XBRITE display technology. It delivers brilliant colors, sharp contrasts and crisp images. With glare filter and anti-reflective coating to minimize reflection, you're assured a beautifully clear image from any viewing angle. Your movies and home videos will come alive. The VAIO FS Notebook delivers powerful performance for your everyday essential computing needs and growing multimedia entertainment demands. Easily manage, and enjoy your digital photos, home videos, and music on the go. Slim and lightweight, it's your ideal mobile companion. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Garbage
Want a sony? Please, please for your own good take the time to read these following links. Thank you. My goal is to protect consumers from the problems that I and others have faced.


http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/?o=0
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?sonymem1

Not a computer nerd
I know nothing about mhz, ram or balh balh burning time. When I was looking for a lap top I told the sales person I just want a computer I can use to get online and check my emails and not get knock off.

The 1st lap top I owned a 2001 Hp pavilion (paid $2,200) when I put it on my lap to type it would burn my leg (it always had to be on table). I constantly got knock off line & if I ran more then one application the HP would lock up and the battier would die after 2hours of use, I really hated using it.

With the Sony VAIO FS570 (which cost less) I am very happy with this notebook, when I put it on my lap to type it's Cold, and using the wireless Internet (I can use my lap top in any room in my house and I don't have to plug into a phone jack) is SO neat. And I had my notebook on for 6 (using power save mode) before needing to recharge and the screen is huge very eye pleasing when viewing 8x10 of family photos. And it hasn't lock up yet and being able to turn down the brightness on the screen in dark room with one touch is Easy!! I have no complaints about this computer at all. If your not a computer junky, and don't care about ram, burning time etc... and you just want a thin, cool looking, fun notebook you'll love this computer the power and speed is unbelievable!!

Dell support, it aint
Great piece of hardware and the best screen of its class on the market.What sucks is Sony support.They were useless in help with upgrading to XP Pro. Don't even bother with their online chat and first line of support, they just want to know if laptop is plugged in.They don't know anything about drivers, install files, configuration, etc.Finally I had to do this myself without any help from Sony.Boy, do I miss the Dell support.I purchased this laptop to develop code. The resolution and clarity of the screen makes it ideal programming tool.I wish Dell had a laptop with a quality screen like this.

Work of art
This is a great Centrino notebook and Amazon has a pretty good breakdown of the features.There are few things worth adding:

The wide XBRITE screen is great to look at but it is also highly reflective.If you expect to use this in areas with strong direct light (sunlight, direct halogen, etc...) you may find the glare bothers you.It is great in the diffuse light found in most offices and homes (much better than standard LCDs).If you are curious go check out this notebook or Sony's desktop LCD monitors in your local electronics store.Tilt the screen around and check the affects of the lighting.Compare that to the matte screens used by other companies (such as the HP4900 series or most View sonic monitors) and think about where you will be using it.Toshiba and HP have similar screens on some of their models (such as the Toshiba Qosmio).

The battery on this laptop is good, but not the longest life battery you will find (you are looking at 2-3 hours of regular use, maybe 4-5 if you aren't hitting the wireless too hard).If battery life is critical to you, this may not be your model (for that your best bet from Amazon would be a high-end Toshiba or HP with a 14" screen and a 8-12 cell battery).If you are looking for a powerful notebook with an eye pleasing display, good aesthetics and decent battery life this model would be hard to beat.

Great Notebook 4 A Great Price!
I own a Sony VAIO laptop that I purchased in March of 2002 and as always keep true to form, Sony has created another great product.

I must say that I truly adore my Sony VAIO VGN-FS570.It is very lightweight and very sleek. The screen is wide and bright.

I am not a computer geek, but originally I was going to spend up to a $1000 more for an Alienware laptop because I wanted a notebook that could handle PC games.And although I don't get the top flight graphics card as an ATI/GEFORCE, I am still pretty happy at how the FS570 handles my Sims2 game.

What was most important for me was getting the 100 GB HD and 1GB of RAM.Most of the notebooks I checked that had those specs were more than up to $500 to $750 more than the FS570. I was also fortunate to luck up on great mail in rebates, which dropped the notebook's price down considerably.

Having a considerable amount of prepackaged software is unimportant to me, because the majority I probably will not use.

Although, I just recently purchased this notebook (2 days ago), I feel this is a great notebook at a great price.
... Read more

Product Description

Sony VAIO (VGN-S360P) PentiumM 735 1.7Ghz 512MB 80G ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Delivering powerful performance for your everyday computing needs, the Sony Vaio VGN-FS550 notebook PC is also ready to grow with your multimedia demands. You'll be able to easily create high-quality DVDs in one click and display it on the 15.4-inch crisp, XBRITE LCD. Slim and lightweight (at just over 6 pounds), the VGN-FS550 also offers a battery life of up to 5.5 hours thanks to the battery-sipping Intel Centrino processor. It also features an 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, multiformat, dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive, 54g wireless connectivity, a Memory Stick slot for easy transfer of your photos from your Sony digital camera, and Windows XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2). For a step up in price, the Vaio VGN-FS570 offers a larger hard drive and 1 GB of RAM.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM) is a bit above average in size for notebook PCs, and it's befitting of such an entertainment-centric PC. It offers more than enough capacity for storing documents and productivity software for road warriors. You'll also be able to store a good-sized digital audio library.
• Processor: The Intel Centrino M processor is designed specifically for mobile computing, offering a balanced level of mobile-optimized processor technology, good mobile performance, and exceptional value. It features a Deep Sleep state, which helps enable longer battery life by minimizing the power consumption of the processor during brief periods of inactivity. The 1.6 GHz speed is in the middle of the speed spectrum for this processor (as of winter, 2004), and it also offers a fast 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB) speed and a large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.)
• Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory (2 x 256 MB, DDR SDRAM) is a good start for power users, and it offers a faster than average RAM speed (333 MHz). It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion only 1 GB (2 x 512 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer DVD+R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. For DVD-RW discs, it has a 8x write/4x rewrite speed, while for DVD+RW discs it has a 8x write/4x rewrite speed (DVDs are read at 8x). For double-layer DVD+R, it has a 2.4x write speed. For CDs, it has a 24x write/10x rewrite/24x read speed.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The VGN-FS550 has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks. You get a basic offering of connectivity options, including both USB 2.0 and i.Link (Firewire):

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, 32-bit)
• 1 headphone jack
• 1 microphone jack
• Memory Stick media slot, compatible with Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 operating system with Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: Vaio Zone with WinDVD (for watching DVD movies), Click to DVD (DVD creation), PictureGear Studio (digital photo), SonicStage (digital music), Vaio Media (network file sharing), and DVgate Plus (digital video). Other preloaded software includes Quicken 2005 New User Edition, Microsoft Works 8.0 (with word processing, spreadsheet, and calendar), Norton Internet Security (with 90-day subscription), and SpySubtract.

Dimensions and Weight
Easily portable, the VGN-FS550 weighs 6.28 pounds with standard battery and measures 14.33 x 1.41 x 10.41 inches (WxHxD).

Power
It is powered by the VGP-BPS2A standard lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which produces a battery life of between 2.5 and 5.5 hours.

What's in the Box
This package contains the VGN-FS550 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Sony FS550 Very Sexyyy!!!!
(...)

About the product...

Pros:
-excellent screen
-Nice keyboard
-Nice touchpad (configurable)
-Good performance but not for gaming
-sery slim, lightweight, sexy notebook

Cons
-battery life is exactly 100 with full brightness
-slight humming noise when brightness is not set to full otherwise runs very cool
-shared RAM ... not for heavy graphics uses
-hard disk is slower but I don't care
-Short keys S1, S2 are not well designed

conclusion:
A must buy notebook

no way
Want a sony? Please, please for your own good take the time to read these following links. Thank you. My goal is to protect consumers from the problems that I and others have faced.


http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/?o=0
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?sonymem1

Sony = the Bose of PCs!
By which I mean that their products are very attractive-looking but also very overpriced, overhyped, and totally dependent saleswise on the huge (and expensively maintained) brand-name recognition.

However to be fair, Sony unlike Bose does at least publish full specs on all of its computers, where Bose doesn't even tell you how many watts per channel its audio stuff is!And Sony isn't quite THAT bad for computers, just notoriously unreliable.

My wife was given one of these computers at work and it has been constantly in the shop!

I have worked in IT for over 20 years and the machines that we spend the most time repairing are Sony VAIOs and Compaqs/HPs.

My advice is, if you're on a budget go with Dell and if you have more money to spend buy a Toshiba or IBM.Sony needs to concentrate on making TVs which it's still very good at!

great deal
Before i get this, i was using Hp zv5000, compaq r3000 CTO.

i feel like it is way better than those.
keyboard is OK(except small right ctrl key) and screen is very bright.

only complaint is memory.
amazon.com said it will be one 512MB but mine, it's 2*256MB combination.

most of the time, i do 2D drawing, artworks for engraving using corelDraw, so 1G momory is MUST. If you take a look product description, it says

***Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory (1 x 512 MB, DDR SDRAM) is a good start for power users, and it offers a faster than average RAM speed (333 MHz). It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion only 1 GB (2 x 512 MB)****

However, it is not true. it will be two 256MB and no empty slot for upgrade. I'm in trouble caz i'd already bought 512MB memmory.
beware that i comes with 2*256MB.

not perfect
I really liked the look of this computer in the store so I bought one right away.The screen gets a 6 out of 5 stars.Its the best I have ever seen.The construction is above average also.Seems to have some hard plastic.The bad part is that the hard drive makes a clicking noise every min or so.Gets really annoying.I got rid of a sony notebook in the past becasue of that.Plus its a slow harddrive.New CPU Sonoma or something but its pretty slow if you ask me and the ram is not the new DDR2 ram.The computer gave me some other minor problems and the clicking was killing me.I sent it back to Amazon.And let me take a min to tell you how much I love Amazon.Never a problem.I am a Prime member and I highly recommend yo become one.Free 2 day shipping.I buy everything here.Sadly they don't have the laptop I traded the sony fs for which is the HP nc8230.So far the best laptop I have ever had. 5 stars.Made out of magnisum alloy and has the DDR2 ram.mmmm.Back to the FS

Pros:
Screen (by far the best I have seen)
Design (its almost as nice looking as a mac g4)
Keyboard( nice size and the keys were cut lower and gave more surface room on top.)
Power cord( becasue it wasn't as long as a hose and was easy to manage.)
Cons:
Power cord (becasue the transformer was huge
Battery life (was below average.I got like 2 hours off the thing with the screen turned down.)
Hard drive was the typical slow loud sony hard drive.
intagrated video card.(come on)
Ram (come on)

Over all for home use this is great.For business use forget it.Get a business notebook built for the road with qualtity parts that won't crap out on you.Sony is great at design.But as bad or worse then dell for parts.I think this will be my last Sony.


... Read more

Amazon Product Description

Sleekly styled and comfortably ergonomic, Sony's K Series notebooks offer affordable, all-purpose portability for home computing, home office needs, and students. The PCG-K33P balances your productivity and entertainment needs, with an integrated 54G wireless LAN to keep you connected inside and outside your home and a suite of preloaded Sony multimedia applications for managing your digital audio and photo collections. It also comes with a double layer DVD+/- RW drive that can burn both DVDs and CDs. Other features include a 15.4-inch screen, 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, and a Memory Stick slot.

The PCG-K35 features a 15.4-inch WXGA widescreen display that is perfectly tailored to the aspect ratio favored by DVD movies.

The Basics Hard Drive: The 80 GB hard drive is larger than the average notebook's, enabling road warriors more than enough capacity for storing documents, digital media files, and productivity software. Processor: The 3.06 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 is a powerful processor that was designed to be used with notebooks used as a desktop replacement PC. It includes Intel's Enhanced SpeedStep technology, which helps cut the power used by the chip and conserves battery power. It has a front-side bus (FSB) of 533 MHz and a 1 MB L2 cache. Memory: The 512 MB of installed RAM (2 x 256 MB, PC2100, 266 MHz DDR SDRAM) has become standard with notebooks, and it's a good start. But you'll want to take advantage of the 1 GB expandability to get the most out of this computer. CD/DVD Drive: The PCG-K35 offers the latest in DVD writing technology with a that's compatible with DVD+R dual-layer discs. Double-layered DVD+R discs can store up to 8.5 GB of data and can be written at 2.4x speed. It's also compatible with standard DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW discs (which can be written at 8x and rewritten at 4x). You can write and rewrite CDs at 24x. Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard with electrostatic touchpad.

Sound and Graphics The included ATI Radeon IGP 345M video/graphics card provides competent, but not overpowering, 3D graphics. It features 64 MB of shared video memory. This is taken from the main system memory, so you'll want to increase your RAM from the installed 512 MB if you plan on doing much gaming or video work. The enhanced widescreen format function (1280 x 800 pixels) lets you watch DVDs in full cinema mode as well as easily view spreadsheets and Web browsers side-by-side. It also offers an integrated audio card, built-in speakers, A/V connection out, and the ability to drive an external monitor.	 
	Sony VAIO PCG-K37 3.20 GHz Pentium 4 1 GB RAM 80 GB HD	Sony VAIO PCG-K35 3.067 GHz Pentium 4 512 MB RAM 80 GB HD	Sony VAIO PCG-K33 3.20 GHz Pentium 4 512 MB RAM 60 GB HD

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
This PCG-K35 model has an integrated 802.11g wireless LAN (which is compatible with the more widespread 802.11b and offers faster data transmission rates). You get a standard offering of connectivity options, including both high-speed USB 2.0 and FireWire:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• 1 Memory Stick slot (Memory Stick Pro compatible)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems). It also has a hot-swappable bay for adding an optional optical drive or second battery."

What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony Vaio PCG-K35 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It's backed by a 1-year warranty for parts and labor, and 1 year of toll-free phone support. ... Read more

Amazon Product Description

The Basics
A capable portable computer best suited to power users, businesspeople, and anyone who appreciates potent 2D performance and a widescreen display, the Sony VAIO PCG-K33 crunches numbers and data faster than the majority of desktops yet won't drain your pocketbook. Its 3D graphics speed is not exceptional, nor is it recommended for those who require maximum portability or extremely long battery life. Yet at this price point, the VAIO PCG-K33 is a good bet for cost-conscious consumers who need PC-level speed in a mobile format.

Video
CPU's are usually so busy doing basic calculations that they need help translating visual output to the viewing screen. This is the duty of the graphics card (or graphics controller), the best of which include their own "dedicated" built-in video memory rather than "sharing" portions of the system's valuable main memory. Sony has equipped the VAIO PCG-K33 with an ATI Radeon IGP 345M graphics controller that shares 64 MB of main memory. Though this unit's CPU is so powerful that the lack of a high-end video controller isn't as essential as it otherwise might be, users who deal primarily with taxing visuals such as those found in 3D games and 3D animation may want to explore another Sony notebook.

Display
The VAIO PCG-K33's 15.4-inch WXGA display may be smaller than the 17-inch monsters found in today's notebook heavyweights, yet it's larger than that of most notebooks and even some desktops. Furthermore, its widescreen format is perfectly tailored to the aspect ratio favored by DVD movies. It's highly sophisticated too -- sporting Sony's new XBRITE Technology for better contrast and a brighter picture, and a crisp 1280 by 800 maximum resolution.

Hard Disk
At 60 GB, the integrated hard drive will easily store a broad range of applications and user data files, and a sizable library of space-gobbling music and/or multimedia files too.

Optical Drive
An optical drive is essential in today's computing environment. A "CD-ROM" drive allows you to install CD-based applications and play music CDs. A "CD-RW" drive adds CD "burning", so you can also backup your important files to long-lasting discs and create personalized music CDs. With a DVD-ROM drive you can watch DVD movies. And with a DVD-RW drive, you can "write" home movies to durable discs and archive files to DVD (DVDs boast more than seven times the storage capacity of a CD). Some drives allow you to do a combination of all of these tasks. This system features a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, through which you can do everything above but burn DVDs.

Audio
The unit is equipped with high-grade speakers and a powerful audio amplifier.

Keyboard and Controls
You'll control your notebook via an 86-key keyboard and a standard electro-static touch pad.

Dimensions and Weight
Many of today's most powerful notebooks are also the largest, weighing ten or twelve lbs or more and definitely too big and cumbersome for extensive, continuous traveling. These are often referred to as "desktop replacements". On the other extreme are "thin and lights" or "ultra-portables", super-miniaturized units that are typically less powerful than their larger brethren but weigh as little as two lbs and will often fit comfortably inside a large purse. The VAIO PCG-K33 is of medium size at 8.2 lbs. and 14.1 by 8.2 by 1.6 - 2.2 inches.

Power
Battery life is not the system's strong suit. You can expect 1 - 2 hours continuous use with the enclosed lithium-ion cell. ... Read more

Amazon Product Description

Sony's Vaio A Series notebooks unite desktop PC power and functionality with performance rivaling any desktop. The Centrino Mobile technology runs cool and quiet, while helping to keep the profile light and slim with enhanced battery performance. The VGN-A190 features fast 802.11g wireless connectivity, a 17-inch screen, large 80 GB hard drive, 1.5 GHz Pentium M processor, 512 MB of installed RAM, a DVD+/-RW drive, and a bevy of Sony multimedia software. It also comes preloaded with Sony's GigaPocket software, which enables you to watch and record TV programs right on your PC.

Sony Series A Display Sizes The VGN-A190 features a 17" screen.

The Basics Hard Drive: The spacious 80 GB hard drive offers more than enough storage for your work and home files, a well-stocked multimedia library, and hours of recorded TV programs. Processor: The 1.7 GHz Pentium M processor is at the top of the Centrino speed range. Because of its design, the Intel Pentium M gets more done per clock tick than a Mobile Intel Pentium 4, thus providing the discrepancy in GHz measurement (i.e., 1.7 versus 3.2). The Pentium M processor is designed specifically for low-power mobile usage, and it features the latest in power-saving technologies--ensuring you push your battery and productivity to the max. It also has an L2 cache of 1 MB and a front-side bus (FSB) speed of 400 MHz. Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory is a good start for power users. It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion up to 2 GB (2 x 1 GB). CD/DVD Drive: It is equipped with a combo DVD+/-RW and CD-RW drive. For DVD+R discs, it has a 2.4x write and 4x read speeds. For DVD-R discs, it has a 4x read/write speed. For CDs, it has a 16x write/8x rewrite/24x read speed. Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has an 86-key keyboard and electro-static touch pad.

Both the VGN-A150 and the VGN-A160 feature a 15.4" screen.

Sound and Graphics
With the 64 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics card, the A190 delivers a dazzling visual experience optimized to support the most compelling next-generation 3D gaming environments of today and tomorrow. Sony's exclusive XBRITE LCD technology delivers ultra crisp and super bright graphics, and the Smart Display Sensor automatically adjusts to any projector or display resolution. It also has an AC'97 sound card that's integrated into the main board, and comes with two built-in stereo speakers.

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
This A190 comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it features Microsoft Works 7.0 (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Sony's Giga Pocket built-in software converts TV signals to digital MPEG2 format and lets you watch and record TV programs right on the PCV-620G, watch while you record with the Slip Playback feature, and burn shows directly to DVD. It's also loaded with Sony's Vaio Creative suite of multimedia applications, which includes PictureGear Studio (digital photo), SonicStage (digital music), Sony MovieShaker, DVGate Plus (digital video), VAIO Media (network file sharing), and Click to DVD (for burning DVD discs). Other preloaded titles include a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, Quicken 2004, Norton Internet Security (with 90-day trial subscription), InterVideo WinDVD, and a 90-day trial of AOL.

Dimensions and Weight
Measuring 16 x 1.7-1.8 x 11 inches and weighing 7.9 pounds (without battery), the A190 is best served as a desktop replacement.

Power
The A190 comes with the PCGA-BP2EA rechargeable lithium ion battery; it has an estimated battery life of 1.5 to 3.5 hours.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony Vaio VGN-A190 notebook, rechargeable battery, AC adapter, and printed instruction manual. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the HDTV screen laptop... wow
I purchased a thinkpad last year for work (programming), but when I saw this Vaio I lost it and whipped out the credit card. Was a true impulse buy. The screen is breathtaking: bright and 19xx pixels across. That is a lot of pixels. Watching DVDs on this system is like watching a high end TV. The wide screen gives you a movie image size that's about what you'd get on a 25" conventional TV.

The thinkpad (T30) screen was just barely bright enough, but this screen is so bright I actually turned it down a few notches. You can use it in bright sunlight, which would be impossible with a lot of laptops out there. I now no longer need an external display. The keyboard is comfortably large.

Cool tip: go to display settings control panel. Set your desktop resolution to 120DPI to make the font size comfortably large. Change your icon size to 48 pixels. Tweak font and window sizes to your preference and you'll have the crispest looking desktop out there. Even your friends with powerbooks will do a doubletake.

The ONLY reason I gave the laptop 4 stars is because this thing weighs almost 10 pounds! Get a good case and don't drop it! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Delivering all the power and most of the capabilities of a bulky desktop replacement notebook but in a less cumbersome package, Sony's freshly unveiled VAIO PCG-FRV37 Notebook is a smart choice for those who need a fast, cost-effective mobile computer.

By today's ever-decreasing standards, the VAIO PCG-FRV37 Notebook is slightly larger than average at 13 by 10.8 by 2.26 inches and 7.7 pounds It is, however, more powerful than many fixed PCs. Featuring a brawny 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512 KB Level 2 cache, a 533 MHz system bus, 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory (upgradeable to 1024 MB) and a 64 MB ATI Radeon IGP 345M graphics chipset (with 64 MB shared video memory), the unit will quickly carve through most any task it is given, including many 3-D games and applications.

The new VAIO PCG-FRV37 Notebook sports several advantages over older models in Sony's FRV series, including a larger 60 GB hard disk and both CD and DVD recording. You'll monitor your activities on a large 15-inch XGA TFT display capable of 1024x768 resolution.

Other amenities include an internal V.90 modem for low-speed e-communications, an Ethernet interface for high-speed connectivity, headphone and microphone ports, an 86-key QWERTY keyboard with electro-static touchpad, and a pair of stereo speakers with surround-sound imaging. Wireless connectivity is supported with an add-on wireless card. Home movie and digital picture buffs will appreciate the unit's trio of high-speed USB 2.0 ports and single IEEE 1394 interface, through which they can quickly transfer large amounts of data from external devices such as camcorders, digital cameras, scanners and external drives.

Sony has pre-installed an impressive variety of software, including Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Money 2004, Microsoft Works 7.0, and a broad array of audio, video and photo utilities. Potential users should note that the system is not particularly battery efficient -- maximum battery life expectancy is estimated at just 1.5 -- 2.0 hours. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Awesome Perfomance, Heavy, A Desktop Replacement
If you are looking for a portable computer this SONY is simply awesome. A notebook or laptop it is not; its big and heavy by todays standards but the performance is fantastic!

The Gateway desktop died (will never buy from them again) and couldn't be brought back to life so I decided to pick up a "notebook". The FRV37 is blazing fast, the screen is large, bright and clear & its got plenty of HD space (if you need more consider getting an external USB hard drive). With a CD and a DVD burner you really don't need a desktop machine anymore. It comes with a nice software bundle. Its got firewire built in and is great for capturing video from digital video cameras. If you go on vacation, take this computer, a Sony or Canon Digitial video cam and an Olympus digital camera and everyone on the trip can go home with CDs or DVDs of the trip.

Buy this machine if you want to replace your desktop, you don't need long bettery life (it gets about 2 hours max), and you want something portable but not light weight. The only thing missing is built in wireless but for about $50.00 you can get a wireless card that will do the trick. This computer has NEVER crashed unlike all previous computers (desktops from Gateway) that crashed frequently.

Only 4 stars because its heavy, has short battery life and missing built in wireless.

Good value notebook
I've had this machine just over a week now. So far I like it. I took off one star because it doesn't have built in wireless. I chose this machine because it had the best display of the machines I looked at under $1500.00 (I paid $ 1350.00) at Circuit City. The keyboard and display are both very nice. The sound is not great but it was better than two Toshiba machines I was looking at. It has USB 2.0 and Firewire. It also has an ATI Radeon chip with 64mb of shared RAM. I was able to make restore disks using two DVD-R and one CD-R with no trouble and free up the restore partition on the hard drive. I benchmarked my machine using SiSoft Sandra 2003 and came up with performance expected of a 2.8 Ghz Pentium 4. I should point out that I am technically experienced. I had my own business repairing and upgrading computers. Maybe the process of creating the restore disks is more challenging for others. All in all I think I got good value for my money and would recommend someone looking for a laptop in the $ 1500.00 at least take a look at the Vaio FRV37.

excellent!
Great computer!

Great product
I bought this computer recently after I got my old one stolen. As a college student, this computer has proved to be fast and reliable, though the main two reasons why I didn't give it a 5/5 is because:
a)It is pretty bulky by today's standards
b)No S-Video port (a must on most of today's computers, but it does have a VGA port so you can still manage to connect it to other audio/video devices).
The speakers that the computer include are not that great, but I already had Z-680's so it wasn't a big deal.
The graphics on this computer are pretty good, and it has a decent amount of memory. The DVD burner is also a huge +.

Best Gift
I received my VAIO for Valentine's Day and I LOVE IT!!!! I didn't have a problem with making my own recovery discs. Only drawbacks are battery life, short power cord, and no integrated wireless. All of which I can deal with. Just having a product built by a reputable manufacturer is good enough for me. It has proven to be reliable so far and I would recommend purchasing a VAIO to anyone interested in purchasing a notebook. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazingly small and light, the Sony Vaio PCG-Z1WA notebook PC is ready to hit the road with its bright 14.1-inch screen, 1.7 GHz battery-saving Centrino processor (for a battery life of up to 6.5 hours), and built-in 54g wireless LAN for connecting to your e-mail and the Web as you roam the hotspots. This elegantly designed laptop also features a 60 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, integrated Bluetooth connectivity, and a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: Though not world-beating in size, the 60 GB enhanced-IDE hard drive offers more than enough storage capacity for road warriors.
• Processor: The 1.7 GHz Pentium M processor is at the top of the Centrino speed range. Because of its design, the Intel Pentium M gets more done per clock tick than a Mobile Intel Pentium 4, thus providing the discrepancy in GHz measurement (i.e., 1.7 versus 3.2). The Pentium M processor is designed specifically for low-power mobile usage, and it features the latest in power-saving technologies--ensuring you push your battery and productivity to the max.
• Memory: The PCG-Z1WA comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (1 x 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 266 MHz)--a good start for power users. It has a maximum memory expansion up to 1 GB (2 x 512 MB), which is a bit smaller than other notebooks, but understandable due to the PCG-Z1WA's size. It also has an L2 cache of 1 MB and a front-side bus (FSB) speed of 400 MHz.
• CD/DVD Drive: It comes equipped with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, which enables you to play DVD-ROM discs and DVD movies as well as burn data and record music to CD discs. You can read and burn CDs at 24x speed, rewrite at 10x, and read; it has an 8x DVD read speed.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has an 83-key QWERTY keyboard (with 2mm stroke and 18.5mm pitch) and electro-static touchpad. It features two programmable buttons (one pre-set as maximum brightness and the other as sound mute).

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The PCG-Z1WA has an Intel Pro-Wireless 2200BG integrated wireless LAN that connects using the 802.11g wireless standard. It also offers Bluetooth wireless connectivity, for communicating with peripherals like keyboards, mice, printers, and more. You get a smaller offering of connectivity options (due to the notebook's size):

• 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 RGB monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• Memory Stick memory card reader (compatible with Memory Stick Pro)

Preloaded System and Software
The PCG-TR3A comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). It also is loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: PictureGear Studio and Network Smart Capture (digital photo), DVgate Plus (digital video), and SonicStage (digital music). Other preloaded software includes InterVideo WinDVD, Screenblast ACITD and SoundForge, and RealPlayer One.

Dimensions and Weight
At 12.4 x 9.7 x 1.5 inches (L x W x H), this is a seriously thin notebook. And it weighs just 4.7 pounds with the battery.

Power
The included rechargeable lithium-ion battery offers between 3 and 5.5 hours of life with typical usage. An optional larger-capacity battery will provide double that (between 6 and 11 hours of battery life).

What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony Vaio PCG-Z1WA notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Austin not quite right
While it's true that the Z1WA does not come with a recovery CD, and that Sony will supply you one for $25, it comes with a utility to create your own set of (9) recovery CDs. Unfortunately, the utility to make them is a little brain-damaged. It's supposed to keep a taskbar icon available until you create a set, but looking at it and cancelling makes it go away. Looking and cancelling is also enough to make it force you to reboot with no way to avoid it (beyond letting the "OK to Reboot" dialog languish in the background). It'd be more convenient, for sure, if Sony just spent the $2 to include a set of recovery CDs, but you don't have to spend $25 if you don't want to.

One of my main complaints so far is that the filesystem as shipped is horribly fragmented, making the computer quite slow. Make sure you defrag as soon as possible. It speeds up the computer tremendously. Again, I'm surprised Sony didn't fix this in the factory.

Another complaint is the keyboard. The keys are quite flat and a little hard to touch-type on. Also, the right shift key is the same size as a regular letter key, making it hard to use. Sony should have made the arrow keys smaller and extended the shift to be a double-wide key as it should be, but that's moot now.

Also, it comes with C: (14GB) and D: (37GB) drives from the factory, which seems silly. I suppose it might make it easier to recover, but I haven't tried that yet. But it'd make more sense to me to have the one hard drive have only one letter so that you had only one chance to run out of drive space, not two.

Also, it does come with a lot of utilities that aren't the most helpful. Norton Internet Security seems like too much of a mother hen. Norton Anti-Virus is a 3-month trial, as is Office. I'm sure there are more of these utilities that are doing nothing more than wasting drive space, but I've only had it for about 12 hours now.

The lid can be a little hard to open, too, especially with one hand. There's no latch, just a spring holding it closed and it's a litte tight. It might loosen up with use, though.

Having ClearType font smoothing on as default would probably have made sense, too, but it wasn't.

Other than these quibbles, though, I'm quite happy with the computer. It's quite light, has a nice high-resolution screen (which others with worse sight might find a detriment), looks sexy (especially after you take off the at least six stickers), and performs well. I'm happy.

Good, but not good enough
The laptop looks cool, and it is light enough to carry around for a long time. But I am very disappointed after I bought one and tried it. It generates too much heat too quickly compared to similar models from other vendors (e.g., IBM T41). In addition, I am not sure that SONY tested the port replicators thoroughly. The port replicators do not support fast Ethernet connection well. When you connect the replicator to a LCD monitor, you do not get video on the monitor when you play video files using real-player.

I won't not buy any VAIO laptop computers in the future. It sucks!

great body, poor saul
Great hardware but daddy sony pushes you around with its choices. It starts with a disk formatted only like they want, overflowing with sony useless utilities. It seems impossible to reconfigure it and if you ask them they tell you to keep quiet that they know better than you what you want. Don't even bother to ask to install win2000 you are so used to and know already, it's impossible, the needed drivers are not available.
The best is that it doesn't come with a recovery CD, if you want it you have to purchase it from sony at 25$

Great Price For The Technology
This Sony VAIO PCG-Z1WA Notebook PC with Intel Centrino 1.7 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW & DVD-ROM Combo Drive is a great price. Most Centrino laptops come with a 1.3-1.5 GHz but this is top of the line with 1.7 GHz. Even so most laptops that even come with 1.7 GHz is probably $2,500.00 and up. I looked at a lot of manufactures for notebooks, such as Dell, HP, Toshiba, and more. All of them didn't come with the technology I needed for a good price. But this one stood out. For this price you can even buy some accessories to make it even better. I upgraded the Hard Drive to 80 GB. Now I can really enjoy this laptop and know that this technology will not become old. Also I saw another laptop from Sony which was a 1.5 GHz Centrino processor. It was $1,899.00. It is mostly the same but the processor is lower and the video card is 32 MB. And this one comes with a big 64 MB. If you purchase this laptop I would also recomend a new desktop for the home by Sony. They have the most powerful computers for the best price.

Fantastic, Elegant, and Mobile
What an incredible looking and feeling laptop! The screen is bright and the controls are very responsive. This is a very fast and efficient machine. I am setting it up for a client, and so far I am very impressed.

Like most name brand PC's the first thing you need to do is format the hard drive and install an operating system. The OS that is shipped with the laptop is a crippled version of Windows (Home edition). Formatting the hard drive also removes all the spyware and other junk that is pre-installed, such as trial versions of software that will expire and become useless. If you are a power-user who is capable of this kind of set-up, this Sony VAIO is the sweetest thing you can buy. If you are a basic user who is unfamiliar with formatting hard drives and OS installations be careful of all name brand PC's. The only way to have a reliable and solid PC is to build it yourself.

Nice job Sony! Next time hold back the marketing materials and just give us a usable machine out of the box. ... Read more