Goodbye, Radiance. Alternative suggestions?

For those of you who are Envy fans, I'm curious: now that the Radiance display is gone for the foreseeable future (again), what would you recommend as far as a similar laptop with a fairly high-resolution screen?

I use an MBP and am wanting to switch things up, and the Envy 14 with a Radiance display and an SSD was #1 on my list, but I personally would rather not go with the 1366x768 panel.

 

Sony Vaio Z

 

Do you need something right now, or can you wait a month to learn the details about the Sony SA and presumed refresh of the Envy 14/15?

 

Hell, he could order now anyway, I ordered yesterday and was givin an estimated build date of Feb. 17. So delivery would be around the 20th, that means he'd have 21 days to return it if he did hear something about refreshes.

 

You could check out the XPS 14 and do the $80 screen swap for a 1600x900 screen. That's what I was going to do had my radiance order been canceled.

 

I'd wait for VAIO SA. Much better graphics than XPS 14 and Envy 14 (Radeon 6630 compared to 5650 of Envy's and Geforce 425M of XPS 14) and better looks than XPS (although it's just my subjective opinion). It'd also be more portable, being 13,3' inch.


It's going to be expensive, though.

 

There is also the lenovo thinkpad edge e420s, specs:

CPU: i3, i5, i7

GPU: AMD 6630

Weight: 4.1lbs

Size: 14.1'' under 1.2'' thick

Price: 750

The problem here is the screen with the 1366*768 res, but you can change it aftermarket

 

He could, but the estimated build dates seem pretty far off. Last two notebooks I purchased from HP wound up shipping 2 weeks before their anticipated dates, so I wouldn't put too much stock in the date they give you. It seems like they intentionally set a date far away that they know they will beat, so that they can keep you happy. It's kind of like marking the price of a product up a grand and then giving you a whopping $1000 coupon. Seems like a sketchy practice but oh well.

 

The thinkpad looks like a nice alternative. You can go with an aftermarket screen of your choice that might be comparable to the Radiance.

Of the 2 scenarios, I prefer the first:
1. Ordered 1/1; estimated ship date 1/14; actual ship date 1/10;
2. Ordered 1/1; estimated ship date 1/7; actual ship date 1/10;

About every manufacturer overestimate. Everyone checks their status like at least 5 times day on the day it's scheduled to ship. Imagine how busy their call centers would be with people DEMANDING a reason why their laptop hasn't shipped yet.

 

I'm interested in this topic, too. I don't see screen upgrade availability on the XPS 14 customization page with Dell.

The Sony machines look great, but they're pretty pricey.

 

Hi SleepDoc. The screen swap they're referring to is one you'd have to do yourself. You can buy the screen and install it yourself, shouldn't be more than an hour of work and a handful of screws if you're comfortable cracking into your new computer!

Here are the instructions.

 

Oh yes, that's right. Can be docked also.

Apologies if I've missed something, but... Sony SA? And is there a rumored window for an Envy 14 refresh?

As far as need, I don't need to order it right_this_second, but I'm thinking I'd like to switch back sometime in the near future.

 

If you can wait until mid February or March we should (hopefully) know about HP's plans for Sandy Bridge in the Envy 14 or similar small form factors.

 

Sony VAIO SA and SB show up at European e-tailers with 13-inch screens, Core i5 / i7 CPUs, SSD options -- Engadget

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/545391-sa-discussion-next-generation-vaio-z.html

 

YouTube - Prototype VAIO Laptops

Gee, first laptop on the video...reminds you guys of something?#??#?# Yeap!!!! L ooks or tries to look like our Envy! LOL, (keep looking at the vid, and there is a close up somewhat and you can see they have some kind of etching on their metal too...haha) wow, close, but no cigar. HP has some influence there I see... love it. Can't wait for my Envy 17 3D SB edition.....

KJ

 

Thanks for the links -- looks sharp. Although I have to wonder why Sony seems incapable of going edge-to-edge with those display panels... that bezel seems so out of place.

 

I just wish Sony was not so overpriced, but I guess that's the price of good Quality Control.

 

Have you ever used a Sony? I don't know if QC is even a department there.

 

All I know from years ago, is hearing horror stories about how bad the Sony Vaio laptops are. I just stay away from them. If some people enjoy the Sony, God bless them.

KJ

 

I ordered a Vaio in October and it had the worst CPU whine I've ever heard. On top of that, Sony does not update their drivers and doesn't let you install drivers from the original manufacturer.

I'd stay away from Sony unless you are looking at a Z.

 

Personally, I would duke it out until the Vaio SA coming out. Sandy Bridge is another nice point.

 

Absolutely the best under-15" notebook for: 1) display; 2) performance; 3) weight [lessness!].

But soooo expensive, lousy audio and with laptops you can be too rich and too thin - ever try typing on the Z on your lap or the arm of a sofa? It's too damn light, it jumps all over if you don't use it on a flat surface. Also, IMO the screen is too small and res. too high for text. An amazing accomplishment, great if you can't deal with weight or bulk, but feels more "toy" than computer to me - carbon fiber may be a miracle material, but it feels like cheap plastic, ya know?

Oops; contradicted my mentor . Sorry Deuce; I thought it was high time someone took the Z down the few pegs it merits, which came from my 4 weeks with one (gotta love that Best Buy Silver Rewards 45 days, no restocking fee )

Oh, and, better alternative with radiance gone: choke, gasp, wheeze: MBP (I hate Apple, I hate Apple, I hate Apple! But they sure know how to make computers good ), until someone comes out with another product with the build quality, display quality and usability, as HP did with radiance, Dell could if they put the 900p or 1080p in the XPS 14. Don't these numbskulls ever listen to consumers?