Thinkpads Forum

Looks like another company is joining the fight for business markets. The spec. looks pretty good.

http://smb.us.sony.biz/is-bin/INTERSHOP ... =vanityURL

There is nothing this Sony notebook has that is really different from the ThinkPads. When you add Sony's questionable service reputation and ridiculously priced accessories (the dock, extra batteries, and the memory stick) I'll take the TP anyday; or even DELL for that matter.

Sony should be concentrating on the SERVICE; that will set them apart and will ultimately determine how successful they're going to be in the very competitive business-class notebook category.

My two cents...

I was also impressed with the new Sony BX series, and I've actually been pouring over the details of the new VAIO BX series over the past few days.

First, XBRITE-ECO is not as bright as the XBRITE found on the original FS550/FS570 models and current FS675 and FS680 models, but it is still very bright and very sharp (though the glare on these screens is terrible if you work in an office).

Otherwise, I really like the faster FSB (533 rather than 400 on FS series), DDR2 memory (FS series only had DDR), Bluetooth, SATA hard drives, built-in camera, SD Card slot (finally!), the 128mb X700, and my favorite: the trackpoint (a la ThinkPad).

I also really like the multi-bay, which can be used to swap the DVD-RW drive with the HDD adapter bay unit for adding additional storage (which I use frequently on my T43 thinkpad).

Overall, if the keyboard is decent on this machine, then sony has a winner on their hands. This will give Lenovo a serious run for its money, though Sony will have to improve their support offerings in order to win any contracts from larger companies.

The only drawback I can think of is the thickness of the BX series, though the depth is quite impressive (couldn't find any info on the weight). Just for comparison's sake, here are the dimensions of some comparable units:

Sony BX-560B 15.4"
14.3 x 10 x 1.5-1.6
?lbs

Toshiba M45 15.4"
14.17 x 10.55 x 1.14-1.70
6.20 lbs

Sony FS550 15.4"
14.33 x 10.41 x 1.00-1.41
6.28 lbs

HP NC8230 15.4"
14.02 x 10.24 x 1.10-1.34
6.25 lbs

Apple Powerbook 15.2”
13.7 x 9.5 x 1.1
5.6 lbs

Acer 8103 15.4"
14.3 x 10.5 x 1.20-1.40
6.3 lb.

HP DV4040 15.4"
14.11 x 10.16 x 1.32-1.67
6.5 lb.

IBM T43 15” (not widescreen)
13 x 10.6 x 1.2-1.4
5.9 lbs