Did anyone see this Vaio TZ review?

[gator]

For all you true ultraportable aficianodos:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3780

11.1" screen at 1366*768 (which is 16:9 720p HD resolution, more than some 14.1"/15.4" wiuescreen laptops), REAL good looks , just ~1.1kg WITH optical drive make it a killer ultraportable.

[ryengineer]

Wow, very ultraportable, real good looks too.

I have never liked Sony notebooks and even though this one does not come with the best/latest hardware configuration but I don't know why I am finding it very appealing.

[RealBlackStuff]

Why do we get all these reports, links etc. to other brand laptops?
If they were so good, you would not be reading here in this forum/website!
Come on guys, stick to Thinkpads!

[Kyocera]

Why do we get all these reports, links etc. to other brand laptops?
If they were so good, you would not be reading here in this forum/website!
Come on guys, stick to Thinkpads!

This is off topic, people like to talk about different things, music, hobbies, stories, jokes, etc. There are about 14 conferences above for thinkpads only.

[tomh009]

11.1" screen at 1366*768 (which is 16:9 720p HD resolution, more than some 14.1"/15.4" wiuescreen laptops), REAL good looks , just ~1.1kg WITH optical drive make it a killer ultraportable.

The weight isn't really comparable since that's with a 32 GB SSD (which Lenovo doesn't offer out of the box, but you can get aftermarket. Add in a standard hard drive instead of an SSD, and it'll be about 2.5 lbs -- almost the same weight as an X61s. Yes, it has an optical drive, but also a smaller display panel. So in my view it's light but not stunningly light.

The dimensions are 10.9 x 7.8 x 0.89 inches; this also compares fairly closely to the X61s dimensions of 10.5 x 8.3 x 0.8-1.1 inches.

Back to that SSD ... while it's quiet, and will have great battery life, the 32 GB will be quickly gobbled up by Vista and Office 2007, leaving precious little space for anything else. And while the access times are near instant, the throughput is not yet at the 7200 rpm drive levels, let alone the new standard set by the Hitachi 7K200. But give SSDs a year or two and I think they will be a very attractive option.

[furrycute]

32GB wont hold very much.

On my 160GB hard drive, I have Vista, Office 2003, Adobe CS3 suite, and just a couple of other apps, and that is taking up almost 50GB of space. I can't imagine fitting all that stuff on a 32GB drive.

[gator]

I agree to the above points with the SSD - but the machine's size and the resolution are awesome, not to mention the two spindle design with an optical drive. I think that it is great engineering by sony to have designed a 11.1" WS laptop with ansd LED-lit LCD @1366*768 and an optical drive - afaik, no other manufacturer has it currently (and I doubt if we will see one).

This machine has only a LV CPU and an integrated GPU, but I dont see either as disadvantages - for a machine of this size, they are perfect.

I am a die-hard fan of the T series and I won't give up my T60 for anything - but if I am looking for an ultraportable, X series will not be my only choice. The X series run too hot for my liking (I had an X31 and I have seen an X60 that is even hotter) and the screen is not very good. Sony's LCDs are very bright, and sometimes I wish thinkpads came with brighter LCDs (flexview notwithstanding).

The recent Toshiba Portege R500 and this TZ are very good machines imho, and these are machines to lookout for.

[ryengineer]

Back to that SSD ... while it's quiet, and will have great battery life, the 32 GB will be quickly gobbled up by Vista and Office 2007, leaving precious little space for anything else.

Very true.

But one can use Windows XP and pre-Office 2007 suites combination to save the space.

[tomh009]

But one can use Windows XP and pre-Office 2007 suites combination to save the space.

So choose old software so you can run latest hardware, eh?

[pianowizard]

With fanTAStic ultraportable laptops like this, the Toshiba Portege R500 and the Panasonic Y7 available, I see absolutely no reason to get a Thinkpad X6* series. Hopefully Lenovo will come up with more competitive X-series models in the near future.

[gator]

The X series need a design update (esp the LCD, optical drive and the heat issue) to remain competitive with good ultraportables like this.

The X series has the potential - I hope Lenovo does something good in the future.

[pianowizard]

The X series has the potential - I hope Lenovo does something good in the future.

A simple improvement that will make the X61 much more appealing is an SXGA+ option. I don't think that would require Lenovo to drasticallyl redesign the rest of the machine.

[tomh009]

The X series need a design update (esp the LCD, optical drive and the heat issue) to remain competitive with good ultraportables like this.

Why on earth should an optical drive be a requirement in this segement?

As for the Sony ... I'm still more impressed by the work Panasonic is doing with their Y, T, W and R series. And those are better built than the Sonys, too.

[tomh009]

With fanTAStic ultraportable laptops like this, the Toshiba Portege R500 and the Panasonic Y7 available, I see absolutely no reason to get a Thinkpad X6* series.

Which ones of the Sony, Toshiba and Portege have TrackPoint equivalents? And only the Panasonic is as well built.

Hopefully Lenovo will come up with more competitive X-series models in the near future.

You will see the next generation of the X series in the spring of 2008.

[pianowizard]

The X series need a design update (esp the LCD, optical drive and the heat issue) to remain competitive with good ultraportables like this.

Why on earth should an optical drive be a requirement in this segement?

Gator isn't saying an optical drive is necessary for ultraportable laptops, he is saying it's necessary for the X series to remain competitive.

And those are better built than the Sonys, too.

I have owned only one Vaio laptop, the K23 (see my sig), and it feels more solid than any of the ~25 Thinkpads I've owned. So, there are very well built Vaio laptops out there.

[Kyocera]

Why on earth should an optical drive be a requirement in this segement?

I would have had an X series many moons ago if it had an optical drive, this tiny Lenovo V200 I have has the optical drive and it is a bonus. I have talked with quite a few people who opted out of the X series because of that very issue. Technology is at a point now where they can and should be able to make that happen.

[gator]

Gator isn't saying an optical drive is necessary for ultraportable laptops, he is saying it's necessary for the X series to remain competitive.

Exactly my point. When the competition offers an optical drive at a lighter weight, people will feel tempted. No touchpad and no optical are two make-or-break points of the X series.

Sony's LED screens are really gorgeous, I see quite a few at my workplace (I work part-time summer at the UF editorial office). They are bright and very usable even in a sunlit room with no trouble - I do agree that they are a bit saturated and the viewing angles are not too great compared to Flexview (nothing is), but people seem to love them (and their VERY thin profile).

[tomh009]

Gator isn't saying an optical drive is necessary for ultraportable laptops, he is saying it's necessary for the X series to remain competitive.

That's about the same thing. And yet I don't believe I'm the only one who doesn't feel the need for an optical drive on the road.

I have owned only one Vaio laptop, the K23 (see my sig), and it feels more solid than any of the ~25 Thinkpads I've owned. So, there are very well built Vaio laptops out there.

That was three years ago, though. The feedback I got from business users in Japan was that the Vaio quality is not on par today with Panasonic or Lenovo. Personally, I have never owned one, so I can't say.

And on the recent IDG Sweden crash test, the Toshiba scored far below Panasonic and ThinkPad.

[pianowizard]

Sony's LED screens are really gorgeous

I totally agree. That's why I like my Vaio K23 even though its 15.4" screen only has WXGA resolution. I wouldn't want to own a 15.4" Dell or Thinkpad with WXGA for more than two hours!

[Tholek]

I love this VAIO too. Did since I first saw the NBR threads about it. The power button has this weird effect on me. It has such a tactile look to it. I just want to touch it.

As for a burner, I returned an X60 for a T61 over that. IMO, ya gotta have a burner these days, and an external is a pain to keep plugging in...especially when you have to buy it separately.

[ryengineer]

But one can use Windows XP and pre-Office 2007 suites combination to save the space.

So choose old software so you can run latest hardware, eh?

There shouldn't be a problem as long as the hardware supports it. Btw this Sony does not come with Santa Rosa 96 chipset {no turbo memory question} so everything should be available via Windows XP, if not, then Sony VAIO drivers are there.

I adore thinkpads (:thumbs-UP:) but I think once in a while we should give something like this a shot.

[tomh009]

Exactly my point. When the competition offers an optical drive at a lighter weight, people will feel tempted. No touchpad and no optical are two make-or-break points of the X series.

And I would rather have lighter weight (or longer battery life) than an optical I will never use. Not to mention that I would absolutely not buy a laptop without a TrackPoint or equivalent -- and I have not since I bought a Tecra 500 CDT in 1997.

So to say that the X series is uncompetitive is unreasonable, I think. It makes compromises (as does every laptop design on the market in some regard), but it is well suited to a large number of people, which is borne out by its sales success.

[pianowizard]

And I would rather have lighter weight (or longer battery life) than an optical I will never use.

Me too, and for that reason alone I would rather buy a Toshiba R500 or a Vaio TZ, because they're both lighter than any X-series Thinkpad ever made even though they have optical drives.

[tomh009]

Me too, and for that reason alone I would rather buy a Toshiba R500 or a Vaio TZ, because they're both lighter than any X-series Thinkpad ever made even though they have optical drives.

And that's the great thing about a free market economy: I happily ordered a ThinkPad X61 which fits my needs near-perfectly, and meanwhile you can switch to a Toshiba, which will make you happy. Horses for courses, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that kind of stuff.

[furrycute]

I don't get it, why is everyone fussing over just a few ounces of weight?

You can only make a laptop so light and so thin before you start to compromise its structural integrity. The x series Thinkpads is designed the way it is because for business use, despite its thin and light weight profile (albeit not as thin and light as some other ultraportables) the x series still has the structural integrity to withstand the rigors of everyday business use.

Ever seen a Civic or Corolla in an auto accident? Yeah, they are fantastically light weight and fuel efficient cars. But you just pray you are not in one when you are in an auto accident.


And with regard to built in CD drives. Nowadays hard drives are ridiculously cheap. I keep everything on my hard drive. I think I've only used my built in CD drive TWICE since the beginning of this year.

And slot loading CD drives are not, good. If a CD gets jammed in there, it can get really messy to try to get it out. And your CD's can get scratched pretty easily with the slot loading mechanism.


As to the LCD resolution. WXGA or XGA is just the perfect resolution for a 13" or 12" display. Anything higher you would need a magnifying glass to do any real work.


As to the heat issue, the x61s uses an ultralow voltage CPU (the same class of low voltage CPU's used in this Sony). That should reduce the heat output quite a bit.

[gator]

This laptop has been announced for the US market!
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3838

[milstein]

Also here:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hands-on/gro ... 279555.php

[pianowizard]

I don't get it, why is everyone fussing over just a few ounces of weight?

For the same reason that some people want to upgrade a CPU from 1.7GHz to 2.0GHz, or the RAM from 1.5GB to 2GB. The improvement is minimal or even undetectable, but it feels good to know that one has the fastest CPU or biggest RAM supported by the machine, or the lightest possible laptop. It's mostly psychological.

[gator]

I don't get it, why is everyone fussing over just a few ounces of weight?

Not only what PW said, when you travel a lot you want your system to be really light in weight, and sometimes even a few ounces matter.

[pianowizard]

when you travel a lot you want your system to be really light in weight, and sometimes even a few ounces matter.

I agree. Whenever I go to a conference, it lasts for 5 days or more, and I have to walk around carrying my laptop for about 10 hours per day. That's why even a 0.1lb difference matters a lot to me, and I was constantly looking for the lightest laptop that I could afford. However, in around Jan 2007, I decided that the only thing light enough for me was a PDA. So I sold my X60s to Turbo Audi and bought a Dell Axim X51v instead. This PDA made my last trip to a conference in the French Alps so much easier! I had it in a pocket in my pants the whole time and it felt like a wallet!