Sony VAIO P Review

This year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Sony stunned the world with the introduction of the VAIO P sony vgp-bps13. This ultraportable notebook with an 8-inch screen fits inside your jacket pocket or your purse and packs an amazing amount of technology inside a tiny package. However, potential buyers and the press were also stunned when Sony announced the price would be $900 when slightly larger netbooks with similar specs cost half as much. Is the new Sony VAIO P an overpriced toy or an extraordinary travel laptop that's worth every penny? Let's take a closer look.

Build and Design

Despite the use of an Intel Atom processor, the design of the Sony VAIO Psony vgp-bps2c is quite unlike any netbook we've seen. The exterior is covered in glossy plastics with smooth lines, rounded edges, and a style that looks like it's trying to strike a balance between luxury and utility. The best way to describe the design is that the VAIO P vgp-bps8a looks like it's equal parts computer and fashion accessory. The look is pretty neat; something like a cross between a glossy smart phone and a netbook. Glossy plastic is found on the top of the screen cover as well as around the bottom of the laptop. Matte silver plastic is used around the keyboard and the internal frame uses magnesium alloy for extra support. Overall, the look is quite nice, but the glossy LCD lid is a magnet for fingerprints and makes the new netbook look a little tarnished after just a few minutes of use.

The build quality of the VAIO P is amazingly solid for a subnotebook of this size and weight.vgp-bps2b batteries The construction is mostly plastic but all of the plastics feel strong enough to handle being tossed around inside a backpack or purse. Even the glossy plastic surfaces resist minor scratches. While we certainly don't recommend it over a padded laptop bag, the VAIO P vgp-bps8 is small enough to slide into your back pocket ... something you certainly can't do with any $500 netbook currently on the market.

In terms of upgradeability, the VAIO P vgp-bps9a/b is pretty limited. The chassis isn't designed to be opened and serviced by the owner. A qualified technician can open the VAIO P and repair it, but it won't be easy for you to open the chassis yourself. Honestly, there isn't much need to. The 2GB of system RAM is soldered to the motherboard so you cannot replace or upgrade it. Many of the netbooks we've seen to date require complex disassembly in order for you to get to the storage drive, system RAM, or wireless cards ... so this isn't anything new.

While it would have been nice for Sony engineers to include socketed RAM inside the VAIO P sony vgp-bps9 so you can upgrade it yourself, the reality is that a RAM socket won't fit inside a laptop this thin along with everything else that's packed inside. Bottom line, the Sony VAIO P is a marvel of modern engineering.

Operating System and Software

Our pre-production unit came equipped with Windows Vista Basic (32-bit), but its safe to assume Sony plans to offer the VAIO P sony vgp-bps10 with Windows 7 later this year. The reason Sony decided to use Windows Vista rather than Windows XP is because Microsoft now has very specific hardware requirements for laptops using Windows XP ... and the VAIO has too much RAM and a screen with too much resolution to qualify for a Windows XP license.

Although the VAIO P runs Windows Vista, Sony recognized that many business users and travelers would want to be able to access things like email, the Firefox web browser, a photo gallery, or instant messaging applications as quickly as possible. So, if you need to use your VAIO P sony vgp-bps9/b as quickly as possible you can press a small button located next to the power button and you'll be ready to get online in roughly 20 seconds or less. Unlike most "instant on" operating systems we've seen over the last year, the Linux-based Sony XRoss interface feels genuinely snappy and might be a viable alternative to Windows Vista when you need to get online, share photos, or listen to some music quickly while on the road.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Most low-priced, full-size notebooks currently on the market feature poorly built keyboards that show significant flex/bounce when typing pressure is applied. Thankfully, most netbooks have remarkably firm keyboards due to the fact that the chassis is so small there isn't much empty space inside the notebook for the keyboard to flex or bounce.

The keyboard on the VAIO P sony vgp-bps9/s is less cramped than what we've seen on the 7-inch and 8.9-inch netbooks, but the Sony keyboard is still very compact. Most netbook keyboards are quite frustrating to use because the small footprint and tiny keys require you to use a "hunt and peck" style of typing rather than traditional touch typing methods. This means that passwords get mangled, emails look like gibberish, and playing games that require keyboard commands becomes quite aggravating.

You can still use the "hunt and peck" method of typing with the VAIO P, but since the keys have more spacing in between them it's a little easier to use standard touch typing methods. Bottom line, you can type long emails or reports without too much discomfort ... but you'll probably want to invest in an external keyboard if you plan to use this as your primary office computer.

The touchpad is, well, completely absent on the VAIO P. Rather than a typical touchpad the VAIO P uses a touchpoint or trackpoint pointing stick similar to what you find on many business-grade notebooks. The trackpoint is quite sensitive and easy to use, and even though I usually prefer to use touchpads I found the trackpoint to be very enjoyable. The left and right touchpoint buttons are located in the correct position beneath the space bar and have a shallow feedback and produce a light "click" when pressed.

Display

The glossy LED backlit display on the VAIO P is nice and vibrant with rich colors and excellent contrast. As stated, although the screen is small at just eight inches, it offers the unbelievable 1600 x 768 resolution. This does have the side effect of making small text difficult to read, but Sony was smart enough to design a very functional "magnify" tool that allows you to increase the size of what you're reading without changing the screen's resolution setting. Just press function (FN) and F10 keys and small text instantly becomes readable. The screen is a glossy XBRITE-ECO variety so expect some reflection under strong indoor lighting or direct sunlight.

Horizontal viewing angles are good, so you and a friend won't have trouble watching a movie on the 8-inch screen at the same time. Vertical viewing angles are acceptable, but colors do tend to wash out from above and become inverted when viewed from below.

Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N

No one does elegant-chic notebooks quite like Sony VGP-BPS8, and the VAIO SZ Series is no exception. This sleek 13.3-inch platform starts at a reasonable $1,499, though our premium model, the, costs $1,000 more. For that you get better-than-average performance and a host of unique features, all wrapped in a lightweight carbon-fiber casing that looks as good as it protects.

VGP-BPS8 Design

At 4 pounds and no thicker than 1.5 inches, the wedge-shaped VGN-SZ791N/X is definitely a head-turner. The carbon black-on-black design comes across as sophisticated, and Sony left the front edge uncluttered. On the left and right sides are the usual ports, plus a PC Card slot, ExpressCard/34 slot, and a Memory Stick card reader. A 5-in-1 adapter is included, but we wish Sony VGP-BPS9 would just build in a 5-in-1 reader to begin with. There’s also no HDMI port, and we’d rather the multi-format DVD burner were a Blu-ray drive for the price. (Then again, this notebook was designed before these features were mainstream.)

13-inch Display Quality

The 13.3-inch XBrite LED-backlit panel is bright and vibrant, and the 1280 x 800 resolution delivers sharp text and excellent color and motion reproduction, although some movie scenes lost detail in shadow areas. Still, it makes a fine DVD player for one or two people, as the battery as lenovo t61 battery delivered 2.5 hours of DVD playback time and viewing angles are fairly wide side to side. Unfortunately, moving even slightly above the screen causes a brightness shift that washes out the image. The stereo speakers are of good quality and offer plenty of volume.

Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N/X Ergonomics

The full-size letter keys feature nontraditional raised pads, which feel fine and give the dell inspiron e1405 battery a unique look. Oddly for Sony, it has no dedicated multimedia controls. As with some other 13-inch systems, save the latitude d630 battery , the touchpad is about 50 percent smaller than it should be. Sony has included the requisite fingerprint reader, Webcam, and Bluetooth 2.0. In the event of a tumble, the system parks the generous 250GB hard drive, protecting your data. You’ll also find TPM circuitry on-board, which adds encryption for business users.

Updated with a Penryn Processor

This Penryn update features an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 running at 2.5-GHz and 4GB of RAM. Sony’s unique Stamina/Speed switch can flip the notebook between the Mobile Intel X3100 integrated graphics (for better battery life) and the discrete Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS GPU for better performance. Speed mode delivered a whopping 207 on MobileMark 2007. Its PCMark Vanatage score of 2,691 and 3DMark03 score of 4,823 were both above average, though lower than the dell xps m1330 battery.
As a result, applications jump open, and the machine as thinkpad t60 battery has multimedia muscle to spare, completing an iTunes re-encode of 11 tracks to AAC mode in a quick 4 minutes. The Nvidia GPU also delivered a more-than-respectable 58 fps on F.E.A.R. (at 800 x 600 resolution with autodetect settings). Throughput from the Intel 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi radio was on a par with other systems: 17.7 Mbps at 15 feet and 13.6 Mbps at 50 feet. The VGN-SZ791N/X also includes EV-DO Rev. A with service through Sprint, a welcome upgrade from the formerly pokey AT&T Edge radio.

VAIO VGN-SZ791N/X Battery Life

The standard battery as lenovo t60 battery delivered 4.5 hours of typical use in Speed mode (which uses the discrete graphics to offer the best performance) and 5.5 hours in Stamina mode (which uses the integrated graphics to extend battery life). The average for thin-and-lights is about 4.5 hours, so the extra hour is a good deal, and you don’t have to sacrifice performance when you’re plugged in. A9-cell extended battery is availablefor $249, too.

Bundled Multimedia Apps

Useful multimedia software such as the easy-to-use Click to Disc DVD creator and VAIO Movie Story are preinstalled, but for $2,499, Sony should offer more than a 60-day trial and provide dell inspiron 1525 battery instead of Vista Business.

Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N/X Verdict

The VAIO VGN-SZ791N/X has a lot going for it. It delivers a top-of-the-line processor and plenty of RAM, a wealth of features, and great looks. The nearly $700 premium it costs over the similarly sized, similar-performing XPS M1330 makes the Dell system a better buy, but for the extra money, you get a more business oriented machine with hard drive protection and TPM circuitry

Sony VAIO SR Series Review

Deftly balancing work and play, the 13.3-inch Sony vgp-bps8 offers enough style and power for everyone from home users to students to road warriors. And with a price tag of $1,359 (starting at $1,049), this notebook offers a good combination of graphics power and battery as sony vgp-bps9 life, making it a value-priced alternative to the 13-inch VAIO Z Series (starting at $1,739) for executives. We especially appreciate the versatile Switch mode feature, which lets you customize shortcut buttons based on how you use the notebook. The webcam could be better, and we wish there was less preloaded software, but, overall, the VAIO SR is a great value.

Design

Compared with the pricier VAIO Z series as sony vgp-bps9a/b  —a 3.4-pound notebook that sports an all-aluminum keyboard and carbon fiber housing for its LCD panel—the VAIO SR seems fairly basic, but we generally like this machine’s design given its price point. The SR features a magnesium alloy chassis that weighs a relatively light 4.2 pounds and measures 12.4 x 9.2 x 1.3 inches, making it a good travel companion. In fact, this system is one of the lighter 13-inch notebooks in its price range. Certainly, the SR felt lighter in our hands than the 4.5-pound 13-inch Apple MacBook, although that aluminum unibody machine has a slimmer 1-inch profile. The similarly priced Dell as inspiron 1525 battery has a more luxurious wedge-shape design, complete with leather accents, but is even heavier at 4.8 pounds.

While the lid is smooth, the sides and bottom have a rough, sandpapery feel. The version we tested comes in standard black, but you can opt for Glossy Pink, Platinum Silver, and Titanium Gray in the configure-to-order model.

Multiple Personalities

The seven buttons on the circular hinge area above the keyboard are unique to the SR’s design. The switch mode button (furthest to the left), lets you switch among three desktop environments (Home, Office, or On The Go). Depending on which environment is selected, the five buttons in the center activate various applications, which as sony vgp-bps9/s battery appear as icons in the lower center of the screen.

In Office mode, for example, the icons are Mute, Lock Computer, Computer as sony vgp-bps9/b, Presentation Support, and Windows Meeting Space. Home mode has icons for VAIO MusicBox, Movie Story, ArcSoft Webcam Companion, Burn Disc, and Internet Explorer. All of these buttons can be mapped for different applications using the Setting button on the right.

Keyboard and Touchpad

While other notebook makers have just begun to adopt the island-style keyboard, Sony has been doing it for years—and at this point, the company has it down pat. The keyboard, in a recessed area of the deck, provided good feedback and no flex, and was comfortable to type on for extended periods.

The large touchpad as latitude d630 battery has a gray-and-white spotted pattern that distinguished it from the rest of the deck. Although the pattern looks textured, it’s actually as smooth as the rest of the chassis. It, too, was very comfortable and had low friction. The two mouse buttons, separated by a fingerprint reader, provide strong tactile feedback, but are a bit noisy.

Ports and Webcam

On the left side are VGA, HDMI, and FireWire ports, along with an ExpressCard/34 slot. On the front are an SD Card slot and a Memory Stick Pro slot, which features lenovo/IBM’s(lenovo t61 battery) proprietary MagicGate encryption technology.

The right side houses the 8X DVD+/-RW drive, two USB ports, and Ethernet and modem jacks behind a removable flap. The power button, built into the right side of the hinge, glows green when the system as lenovo r61 battery is powered on.

Although the colors were pleasant, the 1.3-megapixel webcam took dim, not-very-sharp still photos. Our VGA video, too, was dim and soft, but at least all of the movement looked fluid  fujitsu lifebook t4220 battery , and the picture stayed in focus as we moved closer to the lens.

The ArcSoft WebCam Companion software’s white-and-blue interface isn’t the sleekest, but its task-oriented main screen makes it easy to navigate. When you finish snapping or recording a capture, you’ll see a thumbnail as xps m1330 battery in a pane to the left. A separate dashboard allows you to adjust the lighting, contrast, and saturation settings (among others) on a sliding scale, as well as apply fun filters, begin face tracking, and insert 2D frames.

All-Purpose Notebooks

All-purpose notebooks represent the sweet spot for the industry. This category comprises thin-and-light models with 13.3- or 14-inch screens, as well as heavier and sony vgp-bps8 battery systems up to 15.6 inches in size. All-purpose systems generally cost $600 and up, with more expensive models going as high as $2,000.

This category are intended for a broad swath of consumers, ranging from families using them as shared PCs to students, young professionals as sony vgp-bps9, or even seniors. Business notebooks, tablet PCs, gaming systems, and any notebook with 16-inch screens or above fall into other categories.

What Can You Expect From An All-Purpose Notebook?

• Processor: 1.8- to 2.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs are common, as sony vgp-bps9a/b are dual-core 2.1- to 2.4-GHz AMD Turion X2 CPUs.
  
  
  
  


• RAM: All-purpose notebooks as sony vgp-bps9/s battery generally offer 3 or 4GB of RAM, and many systems feature faster DDR3 RAM (rather than the older DDR2 standard).
  
  
  
  


• Display: Expect sharp, bright displays in sizes ranging from 13.3 to 15.6 inches , most of sony vgp-bps9/b have a glossy treatment. Resolutions are are usually 1280 x 800, 1366 x 768, or 1440 x 900. An LED backlight is often an efficient and environmentally friendly option.
  
  
  
  


• Hard Drive: These systems as latitude d630 battery typically come with 250 to 500GB, 5,400-rpm hard drives. Faster 7,200-rpm hard drives are available as options, as are solid state drives, which are smaller in capacity but increase system performance dramatically.
  
  
  
  


• Optical Drive: Most systems come standard with DVD burners as lenovo t61 battery, but Blu-ray drives are also available.
  
  
  
  


• Wireless: 802.11n wireless cards and Bluetooth should be standard, with additional mobile broadband options inspiron 1525 battery.
  
  
  
  


• Battery as lenovo r60 battery : Expect six-cell batteries that offer anywhere from three to five hours of endurance. Extended batteries or battery slices may also be available.
  
  
  
  

Buying Tips for All-Purpose Notebooks

• Pick the right screen size: If your all-purpose system is going to spend most of its time sitting on your kitchen table, opt for a 15-inch screen, since increased screen real estate will make working on your laptop battery as lenovo r61 battery more enjoyable. These systems tend to weigh around 6 pounds. If you plan to carry the notebook around the house or around the world, go for a 13.3- or 14-inch system, which will generally weigh 5 pounds or less.
  
  
  
  


• Get a powerful processor: Since rock-bottom prices aren’t paramount, insist on a model with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and at least 2.0-GHz of clock speed. This will give you plenty of power (especially when multitasking), while keeping a leash on battery as lenovo t60 battery life.
  
  
  
  


• Shoot for speedy storage: If possible, get a 7,200-rpm hard drive over a 5,400-rpm model, as it will greatly improve your overall system performance. If you can afford an inspiron e1505 battery instead, you can really supercharge your system.
  
  
  
  


• Consider discrete graphics: All-purpose notebooks may have discrete graphics chip options from Nvidia or ATI. If you plan to play games or edit video, you’ll benefit from the increased performance. If not, you’ll save money and improve battery as inspiron 1501 battery life by sticking with integrated graphics.
  
  
  
  


• Blu-ray is not important: A 13- to 15-inch screen is too small to take advantage of full HD content. So unless you plan to attach your notebook to a TV, a Blu-ray drive is not something as xps m1330 battery you need.

Shopping Sony VAIO VGN-FW198U/H

The Sony VAIO VGN-FW198U/H as sony vgp-bps8 strikes a near-perfect balance of portability, multimedia power, and screen real estate. How? One of the big reasons is the display. This notebook is the first to boast a 16.4-inch widescreen (with 16:9 aspect ratio) making this FW model ideal for watching Blu-ray movies or having two applications open side by side. At the same time, it’s considerably lighter than most 17-inch notebooks and only marginally heavier than notebooks with smaller 15.4-inch displays. And with Intel’s new Centrino 2 technology for fast productivity performance, better-than-average battery life, and a strikingly sleek design, there’s no reason why sony vgp-bps9 shouldn’t be at the top of your short list.

Design

Measuring 1.46 inches at its thickest point, the VAIO FW isn’t as svelte as an Apple MacBook Pro; still, the silver-and-black chassis looks sharp, blending angles and curves in a pleasing way. Open the latchless lid and you’ll find an uncluttered keyboard deck, with the comfortable Sony flat-top keyboard set into a plain silver deck. Unlike other “luxury” portables, however, sony vgp-bps9a/b has a decidedly plastic feel, but we are happy to see an oversize touchpad to match the large screen. Alas, the mouse buttons on our early production model were a bit loud and likely to annoy others if you’re in a quiet room.

Above sony vgp-bps9/s battery are Sony’s handy multimedia-control and volume buttons (but oddly, no mute button). We really appreciate the programmable AV Mode button, which lets you register utilities (Windows Media Center, iTunes, the Webcam applet, and so on) whose icons then appear in a quick-launch ribbon menu when you press the button.

All the requisite ports are here, including HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, USB (three of them), and FireWire. Sony has also included a memory card reader supporting Memory Stick and SD/MMC formats, as well as an ExpressCard/34 slot (yes, PC Cards have gone the way of the serial port, at least on consumer portables).

Sound quality from the up-firing stereo speakers was very good, with decent bass. But their top volume, while fine for personal use, might be inadequate for watching a movie from the couch. Considering the latitude d630 battery, some media mavens will find the lack of an integrated TV tuner and a remote disappointing in a desktop replacement model.

Novel Screen

The highlight of this all-new design as lenovo/IBM t61 battery is the unique-to-Sony 16.4-inch LCD. If a 15.4-inch desktop replacement has you wishing for more screen real estate but a 17-inch (or larger) luggable sacrifices too much in the way of portability, the VAIO FW Series is the answer to your prayers. The 16.4-inch screen, which has an aspect ratio of 16:9 instead of 16:10 (as seen on most widescreens) makes it seem squatter compared to other notebooks of its ilk, but in daily use, you’ll hardly notice the difference.Sony vgp-bps9/b gives you an uncramped view while still allowing the system to weigh a reasonably portable 6.7 pounds.

Image quality from the 1600 x 900 panel is stunning. It employs Sony’s Xbrite-HiColor technology, which claims a higher brightness and wider color gamut than run-of-the-mill LCDs, and it shows. Watching the Blu-ray edition of Live Free or Die Hard (via the preloaded InterVideo WinDVD BD player) was a pleasure on this screen, which exhibited natural colors, good details in shadow areas, and very good motion reproduction.

In Windows apps, colors pop, and we found ourselves turning down the screen brightness to work comfortably. So if your viewing environment has a lot of windows or overhead fluorescents, this panel as inspiron e1505 battery has the candle power to overcome it. The screen also boasts wide viewing angles, which makes the VAIO FW a good machine for multiple viewers to gather around.

Centrino 2 and Other Features

The xps m1330 battery combines a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 processor, which has a faster front-side bus (FSB) than previous Intel CPUs, with 4GB of 800-MHz DDR2 SDRAM. We’d prefer DDR3 RAM, which is faster and uses less power, but that’s far from a dealbreaker. Rounding out the circuitry are a new chipset (the Mobile Intel 45 Express) and Intel’s next-gen 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi chip (dubbed WiFi Link 5100), and onboard Gigabit Ethernet.This inspiron 1525 battery trades integrated graphics for an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 graphics card. A big but not blazing 5,400-rpm 320GB hard drive rounds out the features.

Sony VAIO NW Series Review

Entertainment seekers in search of a notebook that offers Blu-ray playback, solid performance, and plenty of style will find a lot to like in the Sony VGP-BPS8 Battery. Priced at a reasonable $879 (as low as $799 online), this machine comes packed with a wealth of features, as well as a sharp 15.5-inch display—although you’ll need to use the HDMI port and an external monitor or TV to get the full 1080p experience. Those looking for more graphics oomph will want to opt for a different configuration of this system, but overall sony vgp-bps9 is a satisfying multimedia laptop.

Design

The first thing you’ll notice about the 14.6 x 9.8 x 1.2-inch, Walnut Brown sony vgp-bps9a/b is the cool faux-wood design on the lid, which extends to the base of the system. If you’re not keen on this look, Sony also offers the system in in Birch White and Silver Rattan. Owing to the NW’s “waved body” design, the keyboard resides in a slight depression, but it didn’t negatively impact our typing.

Above and to the right of the keyboard are a row of buttons that let us launch the Splashtop instant-on browser (which allows users access to the Web while avoiding Vista’s lengthy boot times), mute the speakers, and turn the display off (for when you’re using the notebook only to listen to music, for example). We would have liked to see dedicated volume controls, but it’s easy enough to adjust with function keys. At 5.6 pounds, sony vgp-bps9/s battery isn’t a system you’ll want to constantly keep in tow, but it’s certainly light enough to easily move from room to room.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The island-style keyboard on the VAIO NW is roomy and comfortable, which as Sony VGP-BPS9A.htmmade for a pleasurable typing experience. The keys are flat and springy; the layout lacks a full number pad, but that’s far from a dealbreaker on a multimedia notebook.

A 3.3 x 2.5-inch textured touchpad below the keyboard offered just the right amount of resistance; it was neither too slippery nor too friction-heavy. That let us zip the cursor across the screen with ease. We also liked the two raised touchpad buttons, which had a firm feel Sony VGP-BPS2C.

Display and Audio

The glossy, 15.5-inch (1366 x 768-pixel resolution) display uses Sony’s X-Brite Eco technology, which lengthens battery as sony vgp-bps8 life by using one backlight instead of the two in the regular X-Brite displays. The 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio offered plenty of real estate for crafting documents and reading Web pages. The viewing angles were fairly decent; two people can watch a video simultaneously, but as you move farther from the center, you’ll encounter more reflections.

Overall, the sound that emanated from the speakers was quite crisp; we loved the crackle of the gunfire exchanges latitude d630 battery, and the sounds of helicopter blades were nice and chunky. The maximum volume and bass may not be enough for those who like to rattle rooms, but we found the audio sufficiently loud and clear when watching movies or streaming ‘90s alternative music from Slacker.

Blu-ray Playback

The VAIO NW is one of the least expensive notebooks yet that offers an integrated Blu-ray drive. The notebook itself supports only 720p playback, but we like what we saw when we popped in our We Were Soldiers Blu-ray. Night scenes, for example, showed the appropriate amount of black without losing detail.

When we output the video via HDMI to a 32-inch Samsung monitor, lenovo t61 battery was able to deftly handle our flick’s fast-moving action scenes at 1080p resolution. The appeal of Blu-ray on this (or any notebook) will come down to how convenient it is for you to hook the system up to a large TV or monitor that can take full advantage of the format’s capabilities.

Ports and Webcam

Inspiron e1505 battery is packed with a fair number of connectivity options for hooking up accessories and peripherals. Built into the right side of the system is the aforementioned 2X Blu-ray drive (with an 8X DVD+/-RW burner), two USB 2.0 ports, and headphone and microphone jacks; its front features two memory card readers (Memory Stick Pro and SD), and a Wi-Fi switch; the left side contains an additional USB port, VGA, HDMI, FireWire 400, Ethernet, and an ExpressCard/34 slot.

Diving face-first into video chats with friends was simple, thanks to the embedded 0.3 MP Motion Eye camera. While chatting with friends using Skype, we enjoyed smooth frame rates that suffered from very little blur. However, we found the colors as lifebook t5010 battery—be it clothing or skin tones—to be a bit muted.

Report Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series

It’s the ultimate status symbol—with a price to match. Once again Sony as sony vgp-bps8 is shaking up the very clichéd netbook category, this time with a design that is not only half as light and half as thin other machines in its class, but also includes a battery as sony vgp-bps9 that lasts twice as long as many models. Sony didn’t stop there, adding integrated 3G and GPS for those mobile tycoons who are able to afford its sticker price ($1,299 to start, $1,499 as configured). Yes, this ultraportable is not for everyone, but for those who want to travel really, really light, the VAIO VGN-FZ Series may be worth the splurge.

Design

Sony touts the VAIO X as the world’s lightest notebook, and at 1.4 pounds (with the four-cell battery), it is; even the, which sony vgp-bps9a/b has a similar processor but a smaller 7.0-inch screen, weighs 1.8 pounds. When you put the extended battery of sony vgp-bps9/s battery on the VAIO VGN-FZ, the weight—2.2 pounds—is still more than half a pound lighter than most 10-inch netbooks.



Measuring 11.0 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches (without the extended battery), the VAIO VGN-FZ rivals the latitude d630 battery in terms of thickness; however, its footprint is similar to other netbooks with the same screen size. When the extended battery is attached (by means of two screws that give the underside a quasi-steampunk feel), the back of the system is raised up by about 0.3 inches, and slants towards the user. The battery sony vgp-bps9/b also doesn’t lie flush with the underside of the system; it’s designed with gaps in it to aid in the cooling of the netbook.



So how was Sony able to achieve such a thin and light netbook? VGP-BPS2C Battery is made of a magnesium alloy, and the lid is built from carbon fiber. This material allows the screen to flex, which can be a bit unnerving, but Sony said that it’s designed to bend somewhat. Also, by using an Intel Atom Z-series processor, which uses less power (and creates less heat) than the N-series Atom chips in most netbooks, the company was able to make the netbook incredibly slim without requiring a fan.



The lid of our review unit was matte black, as was the inside, with a bronze underside that felt slightly rough to the touch. sony vgp-bps8 also offers the netbook with a Champagne Gold lid, but only for the model with a 128GB SSD (more on that later).

Keyboard and Touchpad

Like other Sony VGP-BPS9 Battery, the keyboard on the VAIO VGN-FZ Series is island-style, but at 88 percent of full size, it’s a bit smaller than most netbooks with 10- to 12-inch screens. Measuring 9.5 x 3.5 inches, the keyboard is about half an inch smaller in both directions than the lenovo t61 battery, even though the VAIO X has a larger keyboard deck. This is because there’s about half an inch of space on either side of the keyboard.



With the exception of an undersized right Shift key, the keys were decently spaced and sized, but overall, it felt as lenovo t60 battery slightly cramped. Also, as a result of the netbook’s thinness, there’s less travel to the keys than on other systems, so we ended up hitting them harder than we’re accustomed to.



The inspiron e1505 battery touchpad was a decently sized 2.1 x 1.6 inches, and offered little friction. However, like the keyboard, it could have been a smidgen larger, especially considering it’s capable of recognizing multitouch gestures, such as pinch and zoom. Two mouse buttons below are also small but responsive.

Display and Audio

As befitting a netbook that costs $1,500, the VAIO X’s 11.1-inch screen has a higher-than-usual resolution of 1366 x 768; we’ve only seen this standard on the inspiron 1501 battery. This is becoming a more common option, however, such as on the xps m1330 battery . While this resolution tends to make icons too small on 10-inch netbooks, we didn’t mind it as much on an 11-inch screen.



When watching content streamed over the Web or played off inspiron 1525 battery, we were impressed with the crispness and wide viewing angles of the display; we could turn it nearly 90 degrees to either side without seeing image reversal or egregious reflections.



Being as thin as it is, we’re not surprised at the lack of audio quality in the lenovo r61 battery. Songs were thin and tinny; the bass line in Aerosmith’s “Dream On” streamed over Pandora was nonexistent, and the speakers could barely fill a small office with sound.

Ports and Webcam

Despite its small stature, Sony battery manages to cram in most of the connectivity options seen on almost every other netbook. On the left side of the VAIO X are two USB ports and a headphone jack. On the right is a VGA port and Ethernet. Just underneath the front lip is an SD Card reader and a Sony Memory Stick slot. On a system this expensive, we were surprised at the omission of an HDMI port, although since this netbook isn’t designed to output HD content, it’s not a huge loss.



While not overly detailed, video from the lenovo r60 battery webcam was well balanced, and showed accurate skin tones in a call over Skype.