Dear all,
I am new to this forum, so forgive me if I posted wrongly. I am really looking for opinions from people using Sony T-series as I am in a dilemma…
I already went to notebookreview.com and there they informed me of this forum so I want to hear some opinions here as well.
The post is long and uses FAQ for buying laptops, but towards the end you will see what I ask about the T-series 370 model (the 12 points).
Thank you for your patience while reading this.
I would like to ask you for several advices regarding buying my new laptop.
I have been browsing and looking so much that I am not completely sure whether or not I made the right decision, bearing in mind my specific situation, which you will read about at the end…. I am sorry for the length, but it was needed to give you as good as possible view on my situation.
So first on the general part:
->General Usage
What will you be using the notebook mainly for? Will you be using it to play games? Will you be using it for word processing / general productivity? etc.
->->I am not a gamer and will not be using it at all for gaming. I will have requirements regarding reliability, portability, durability, doing word processing, powerpoint, light to medium graphic editing (also webdesign - mainly maintaining websites), internet browsing, CD/DVD burning, possibly some video editing - advanced user work mostly… Lots of emailing (mobile), through wireless LAN, Wire LAN and GPRS (EDGE).
Are you looking more at a very small notebook, a standard notebook, or a large desktop replacement?
->->Preferrably very small, maybe I could consider smaller standard but only if absolutely necessary. I used a PII Celeron at 800 Mhz (13,3 screen, 60 GB disk, 256 MB RAM, CD-ROM), which weighs approx. 3,25-3,50 kgs (multiply by 2 to get pounds), with the bag with all the cards, etc add up 2 more kgs - so alltogether more than 5 kgs whenever I move around. I want something very, very light now. Easy to carry around. Definitely 2kgs or less, ideally under 1,5 kgs.
Will you be carrying the notebook around a lot or be keeping it stationary most of the time?
->->I will be carrying it a lot. I need to feel carrying this as little as possible.
How important is battery life to you?
->->important to very important, definitely more than 3 hours of work
How long do you intend on using this laptop?
->->4 years, as this one I have been using up to now.
->Features
Do you need lots of hard drive space?
->->Seeing notebooks having discs up to 100 GB, and being with a 60 GB on my last one, 60 GB is the minimum.More would be great, but I could live with 60 GB.
Will you be burning DVD’s or just CD’s?
->->Both, dual-layer DVD is a must.
Do you tend to work with a lot of applications at once?
->->Usually 3-6 apps at once.
->Graphics & Display
How big would you like your screen to be? Do you care if it’s widescreen or not?
->->I have been living with a 13,3 screen up until now, with a 1024*768 resolution on it. I would like larger workfield, NOT meaning bigger screen as this means more weight and more power consumption. I would be satisfied with any screen offering resolution more than the one i’ve been using (combinations of 1280*whatever), widescreen format is also desirable, as it offers greater workfield, especially with apps that require lots of menus and toolbars.
Screens definitely smaller than 13,3 are ideal.
Are you willing to pay more for premium screens enhanced by XBRITE, Crystal View, or Bright View? (Go to the bottom of this post for an explanation)
->->Yes.
(If applicable) Will you be playing casual games or the latest games?
->->Never.
(If applicable) Will you be doing work in a 3D modeling program like 3D Studio Max or Maya?
->->No.
->Miscellaneous
Do you care if your notebook looks good or not?
->->It is a plus, but not crucial.
Are there particular brands you prefer or won’t buy from?
->->I have been considering Sony, but read below for additional explanations.
How much are you willing to pay for this notebook?
->->1500-2500 USD
Are there particular models you have already looked at?
->->Yes. A lot. all are listed below.
Ok, so here is the deal. I checked all these models, and really, of course I found no perfect one, a compromise has to be made in every case. But it’s the size of this compromise that bugs me…
The following models are not an option because:
Dell X1 - no integrated optical drive and no PCMCIA slot.
IBM X41 - no integrated optical drive, no windows key
Asus - V6v, W3v - too big…
Fujitsu P7010 - no dvd burner
Fujitsu 6231 - low resolution
Toshiba Portege R200 - no integrated optical drive
Dell 700m - bad battery time, no dvd burner
Macs - I have too many apps for PC, no way I will be changing all those and re-learning using a different OS. I am satisfied with PC and don’t feel the need to change OS.
The only one not having anything crucially missing is, as much as I was able to find, the Sony Vaio T-series (the new one T-370).
I will elaborate.
It is very small (10,6” screen), has a great resolution (1280*768), great ultraportability (1,38 kg, battery time 3-4h+), disk of 60 GB, 1 Gb of RAM, double layer DVD burner integrated, Wireless, Bluetooth (I can live without infrared), XP Pro SP2, USB/Firewire, etc….. and despite high price, it is ideal for me, but there are several BUTs and I would like people that have had experience to tell me how serious the following matters are. I would like to stress that I am from Central Europe, and i am not satisfied with the European model T2XP which is Sony’s equivalent for Europe for USA T370 (as it comes with only 512 MB RAM and doesn’t support dual layer DVD burning), plus it costs little over 3600 USD all over Europe (more or less). The T370 P in USA costs around USD 2400-2700 and offers much more. The real problem is also that Sony, in my country has no service - the only service you get is with the company that sells them here for 3600 USD, they don’t want to take care of anything else, not even for money. I called up the Sony representative here and they say that they don’t know if and when will they be providing the Global support in my country. So I explored what about sending it to USA for repairs. With Fedex, shipping it to USA and back (if repair needed) would cost me around 250 USD, so I would still be saving money even if sending it to USA if I need repairs.
I have seen one of them here, I haven’t worked on it for more than a few minutes, so I will be having some usability questions as well.
My questions are:
1. 10,6 Xbrite Screen - how comfortable is it to work, especially for longer periods? I saw how crystal clear it is, but it’s a high resolution on a small surface. Do your eyes suffer despite all this? Anyone using it every day to share his/her experiences? Your eye condition - does it make things worse/better if you’re shortsighted - provided you do wear glasses?
2. Is it better to buy it from Sony.com in USa, or from one of the retailers that sometimes offer prices 100-200-300 USD less thant sony.com does? I checked pricegrabber.com or the vendors listed at notebookreview.com; I was thinking of taking only those with 4/5 stars or more, even if a bit more expensive than cheapest ones, but still a lot cheaper than sony.com. Also, in terms of warranty, and getting extended warranty packs, is that possible with other vendors? How is Sony support, I read a lot of bad opinions about them? Any crucial advantage of buying this at sony.com and paying those few hundred bucks more?Whata re your recommendations considering my situation?
3. Does Sony have any discounts, sales, coupons, and when & where - like those posted for Dells at notebookreview.com all the time?
4. Educational discounts - at Sony, you cannot see them anywhere, does anyone have any idea how big those are?
5. Disk is 60 GB 1,8” at 4200 rpm, how much will I feel this (as I cannot put a faster 5400 RPM disk) considering 1 GB of RAM and the tasks I will be doing?
6. Shared Intel VGA - I see a lot of people giving really bad opinions on this, I will not be doing gaming nor serious graphics, will I feel this “bad” VGA? Being shared, how mouch does it decrease overall performance on the computer? And I hear videos tend to run non-real time, meaning no smooth film running, but annoying delays in movie viewing…. And I read this also happens when viewing DVDs?Is that true?
7. I can live without LAN 1000 (like the one on Macs), and without IRda, but what about the modem - it says it’s V.90? Why not V.92? What’s the difference?
8. The processor is not 64 Bit, in light of announcing Longhorn and me wanting to have this laptop for 4 years, should I refrain from buying a laptop (ultraportable powerful one) if not with a 64 bit processor?
9. The powercord will be for USA electricity sockets, but that will not bother me as I have a converter for that. so that will not be a problem.
10. The integrated Cingular EDGE…normally, this would not bother me, as I would just not use it. I have my own Vodafone Mobile Connect PCMCIA Card for GRPS/EDGE with a data plan for my operator here in Europe which I plan to use. But that antenna on the right side of the screen, is there any way to remove it, as I will not need it at all (it is used only for Cingular EDGE from what I understood, if it’s used for Intel Wireless 802.11b/g as well, then I understand it cannot go, but who can tell me what is that antenna exactly for?)? I understand I cannot take the Cingular SIM out, I don’t need that, but the antenna, I will not need it if it’s onyl for Cingular…. anyone have any idea?
11. Battery - people say that when viewing DVDs, the whole Vaio gets very very warm/hot? True?
12. in general, I would like to ask Sony Vaio T with as recent models as possible (preferrably T370) to give me some experiences, recommendations; or to summarize: any crucial reason why NOT to buy this lovely T370?
ok, so this is all, thank you for the patience while reading this, I know I’m very demanding and picky, but I want to make the best decision (for myself).
Thanks everyone in advance for helping!
Best,
H
