http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=kKv9pRxCwiX9pVxhWKT3rlNPAu9x6QUKlUo=?CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_TRSeries&Dept=cpu&TemplateName=item/sy_item_d&ProductSKU=PCGTR3AP3

$2999 - ouch.

Also, the stated battery life went down…what happened to 7 hours? It’s now 5.5 hours.

Of course, my own tests showed that 7 hours was pretty optimistic. I did however manage to squeeze out 6 hours of MP3 playing. I wonder why it’s lowered to 5.5 hours now. Ok….just checked. On the regular page it still claims 7 hours but when you click on the specification page it shows 5.5. Uh, can somebody call the QA and Content teams?

So, it seems that there are 4 models. TR3A, TR3AP1, TR3AP2, and TR3AP3. At least the price points are essentially the same.

The TR2AP3 and TR3AP2 are essentially identical except for the wireless chipset used. The TR3AP3 now gets the pretty Centrino sticker instead of the Pentium M sticker. So, if you already have a TR2AP3 then you have nothing to worry about with this new upgrade. I don’t think they new wireless chip is any better than the old one.

It seems like the new DVD drive is only DVD-RW/R. This sucks. For the $500 premium you’re paying, you’d expect at least a dual format drive. You can buy Sony’s own dual format desktop drives for around $100. Yes, it’s not portable. Even Sony’s external portable DVD-RW/+RW drive is a better deal for $599…at least you get two formats…

Ok…TR4….I await you…and you’d better have some good new stuff…and not just 802.11a/b/g (Intel’s next stated wireless chipset).

Don’t hold your breath mate. The ultra low voltage chips aren’t going to move forward that quickly. I imagine the HD size might go up by 10/20GB’s in the not too distant future.

Not much else I think Sony can or will change. It’s a solid laptop as it is, they are only keeping it current but not changing that much as there isn’t much to change and nothing really it’s missing (Other than BT in the US models).

I think you said before Groovy that the only DVD writer that’s 9.5mm is a - writer so you shouldn’t be surprised. The Japan model was on - as well.

I don’t see that as a huge loss, I have a dual format on my desktop but only ever write to -‘s.

Cannot wait for iCube to get me my TR3SP. It’s gonna have a US English keyboard instead of the Jap one as that looks too cluttered if you ask me.

Yeah, I was being a bit optimistic about it. I think I keep hoping that the dual format drive phenomenon will trickle into notebooks now that it has reached mass market availability on the desktop end of the market. You can blame my optimism on the fact that I see $79 dual format drives every weekend in the paper.

I know manufacturers are working on it so it’s only a matter of time. At any rate, I don’t use my DVD burner that often anyways so it’s not a big deal yet. My external drive is decent enough for carrying around when I need it.

ahhhhhhh, this is a sad part. I should wait and get TR3AP instead of TR2AP. i got it for a month…...........  :(  :(  :(

Maybe I missed something in the specs, but the new ones dont have bluetooth yet.  What the hell?  I mean the first TR in Japan had it and everyone since then.  Why is this such a forgien concept for the american versions.  I really cant image burning DVDs on the TR, so I really dont see how that was the focus of the “new” TR…such a big step, causing a huge price jump.  To me a portable device such as the TR makes more sense to have greater connectivity with other portable devices, not to burn DVDs.

....and thats my soapbox.

What is the main differences between TR’s around the world, I have a UK TR1MP, is it called something different in the USA or other parts of the world?

[quote author=“Phil”]What is the main differences between TR’s around the world, I have a UK TR1MP, is it called something different in the USA or other parts of the world?

I need to update the FAQ but here’s a chart that shows the differences…there basically isn’t much…

http://www.siliconpopculture.com/sonytr/viewtopic.php?t=4#4_diffmodels

I wonder why they left the TR2 models up, as the TR3 models are obviously the better buy. In any case, this upgrade was even more incremental than the TR1>TR2 upgrade, but I guess the technologies haven’t come along far enough to allow for a HDD/processor bump, which is what would make me upgrade. Maybe Sony is being more realistic with their battery life estimates, as nothing was added that would make the battery life drop.

It’s hard to improve on perfection.  :D

i just got the tr2ap3…the wireless chipset in the tr3ap3 is different. thats about it….is the chipset any better then what comes with the tr2ap3….technology changes so fast…..i thought i had the latest and greatest…

well, the tr2ap3’s wireless chipset allows it to communicate at 11Mbps whereas the tr3ap3’s allows it to communicate at 54Mbps.  I doubt you’d see any difference at all, unless you are doing a lot of *large* file transfers between computers of your home network.

just an afterthought - it’s impossible to have the latest and the greatest when it coms to buying tech.  Especially when it comes to Sony who refreshes their product line every two months or so….maybe even less in some cases.

[quote author=“kuyars”]well, the tr2ap3’s wireless chipset allows it to communicate at 11Mbps whereas the tr3ap3’s allows it to communicate at 54Mbps.  I doubt you’d see any difference at all, unless you are doing a lot of *large* file transfers between computers of your home network.

Both the TR2AP3 and the TR3AP3 have 802.11b/g dual band wireless, which can go up to 54mbps if you have the right equipment. It’s the lesser TR2 models that have 11mbps 802.11b only. The only difference is that the TR3’s wireless card is made by Intel, but both the TR2AP3 and TR3AP3 have the same wireless capabilities.

Oh right, sorry, my bad.  So I guess the only thing is that since it’s an intel chipset, they can call it centrino now eh?