New Sony FS Series Notebook Shows up for Sale

The Sony VAIO FS series notebook containing the latest Intel Pentium M processor is now available on the SonyStyle.ca Canadian website. This notebook has a 15.4" widescreen XBrite display with anti-glare filtering, DVD Burner, 1.60GHz Intel Pentium M 730 with 533MHz Front Side Bus and a starting price of $2,199 Canadian Dollars ($1,800 US Dollars).

Link to SonyStyle.com Canada FS Series Page: SonyStyle.ca FS Series Product Page

Sony VAIO FS Overview from the SonyStyle.ca website:

VGN-FS550 -- VAIO FS Series:

The Style and Performance of the Multimedia Notebook The new Sony VAIO VGNFS550 FS Series is the perfect choice for those who expect a full multimedia experience from their notebook. Versatile and compact, the newly designed VAIO FS is powerful enough to deliver high-quality video and audio with all the features for the busy professional on the move.
The slim and compact VAIO FS comes with an enhanced widescreen XBRITE LCD, a Dual Layer DVD burner, and VAIO Zone software, letting you manage all your media in one simple and easy to use interface. Powered by Intel Centrino Mobile Technology, the Sony VAIO FS has everything you need to let you move wirelessly in one lightweight and stylish notebook.

Enhanced Wide Display and Slim Body 15.4" Widescreen Display:
Get the whole picture with the larger LCD The 15.4" wide aspect screen WXGA 1280x800 LCD display of the VAIO FS Notebook provides an enhanced viewing experience and greater detail than the typical notebook. With a screen size 30% larger than a standard XGA, the VAIO FS is perfect for viewing DVD movies in 16:9 widescreen mode.
The extended widescreen display also allows you to do more, providing space for multiple application screens at one time. Check your email, browse the internet, or work on important documents on a full display without having to switch from one program screen to another. With the enhanced VAIO FS widescreen display, you can see and do even more!

XBRITE Technology:
Experience the difference of the LCD re-imagined The technology behind Sony's 15.4" Wide LCD XBRITE Display optimizes brightness, contrast, and viewing angle for superior picture quality while enhancing your overall viewing experience. With its redesigned multilayered glass panel, the XBRITE LCD allows more light to pass through, generating twice the light of a traditional LCD. The contrast of the XBRITE LCD was also greatly enhanced, providing more vivid colour and image detail. The redesigned glass panel distributes light to all four corners of the screen evenly, letting you enjoy superb video at any viewing angle. With the 15.4" Wide LCD XBRITE Display of the VAIO FS, discover amazing colour and sharpness for work or entertainment.
Click here to discover more about XBRITE Display Technology >>

Slim and Featherweight:
The notebook designed for power and mobility
The sleek and stylish Sony VAIO FS Series Notebook is the perfect companion when on the move. At just under 6 pounds, the VAIO FS is powerful to handle any job and light enough to take with you anywhere. Move freely with a wireless notebook that never weighs you down.

With its attractive and slim design, the VAIO FS is compact and slender enough to fit in your briefcase or carrying case. Only 25.4 mm thin, the VAIO FS is elegant as it is powerful. Whether traveling or working from the home or office, the VAIO FS Series Notebook will always get the job done without ever getting in your way.

Behind the Powerful, High-Performance Notebook Performance and Design:
The ideal multimedia and professional notebook in one Behind the smooth and stylish look of the Sony VAIO FS Series is a powerful notebook with superior performance -- perfect for your multimedia and professional needs. Equipped with an Intel Pentium M Processor 730 and 4-hour battery life, the VAIO FS is powerful enough to perform any application while delivering a superb audio and video experience. Plus with its integrated wireless LAN and 80GB Hard Drive, the Sony VAIO FS Notebook is designed to let you do more and anywhere. Discover everything this slim and powerful mobile notebook can do for you. Intel Pentium M Processor 730 Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 512 MB RAM 802.11b/g Wireless LAN 80GB Hard Drive 4-Hour Battery Life

Dual Layer DVD Burner:
Build your home video collection with Click to DVD Archive your digital video with the VAIO FS Series' Dual Layer DVD Burner. With the DVD+R Dual Layer/ DVD RW Drive, convert your home movies to DVD with just one click. Store up to 4.7GB on a standard Single Layer disc. Add even more of your memories using DVD+R Dual Layer recording, letting you store even more high quality video -- up to 8.5GB on a single disk!
With Sony's Click to DVD Software, create professional-looking DVDs with just a few simple clicks of the mouse. Edit video clips, still images and music and access them using the easy to navigate chapter menus. Click to DVD Software is the fast and simple way to convert your favourite digital videos to DVD on the VAIO FS Series Notebook.

VAIO Zone Software:
One easy-to-use interface for all your media applications The VAIO FS Series Notebook comes equipped with VAIO Zone Software, allowing you to access your CD/DVDs, music, photos and videos in one convenient interface. Enjoy your entertainment by just using the cursor with arrow keys to switch between "Music", "Pictures" and "Videos" without the need for multiple applications. Open your SonicStage music files to add a professional touch to slideshows or watch your compilation DVD videos with the simple touch of a button. With VAIO Zone Software, your complete media library is always easy to access and ready when you need it, offering a whole new style of A/V entertainment freedom.

VAIO Hardware:

512MB PC-2700 333MHz DDR (256MB x 2 - Expandable up to 1GB)
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
Processor- Intel Pentium M Processor 730 (1.60GHz1, 2MB L2 Cache)
Wireless- Integrated 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Battery - 5.5 hours with supplied battery
80GB 4200rpm Ultra ATA
DVD+R Double Layer / DVD RW Drive
Memory Stick media slot
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
VAIO Exclusive Software:
Click to DVD - DVD Creation Software - Easily create your own DVDs
PictureGear Studio - Digital Photo Software
SonicStage - Digital Music Software
DVgate Plus - Digital Video Software
VAIO Zone with WinDVD

 

I wonder what video card it uses?

And what's up with the slowest Sonoma CPU available as their base?

Weird..

inevitable

 

I think they said the GeForce 6200 Go. You can also opt for integrated. Wish they put in something a little more powerful for a $2000 computer even though it's what Sony calls a "thin and light" (at 6 pounds, it's a heavy "thin and light")...

--------------------
Compaq Presario 2800T
Pentium 4-M 1.6 GHz - 15" UXGA
512 MB RAM - 40 GB (5400 rpm)
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 64 MB

 

Weird how Sony overprices their systems. For the same amount of money you can get most of the next-gen stuff.

 

I had discounted Sony in my new laptop search, but they had one of these at Circuit City and I was comparing to Toshiba and this sony looked good.

Can anyone confirm, on the sonystile website, you can opt for a pci-express video card nvidia geforce go 6300? Did not list this on nvidias site, i guess i could call them, but the specs on Sony said it was the:

Front Side Bus Speed
533MHz
Chipset (depending on graphics)
Intel® 915PM

So, does this mean that this card could be easily upgraded in the future with regular pciexpress even though it is using some cache type turbo nvidia technology

Aside from acer, this is the only 915pm chip I could find. Toshiba, Dell are integrated 900 something. But couldn't find the new Acer in local Micro Center.

If that is the case with the Sony, I think I will order one cause it looked better than the Toshiba. Keys were a little thin, but good design and layout.

What does anyone think?

 

Does anyone know when the FS-570 will come out? The 550 is out, but the 570 is more powerful.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by kita

 

The FS series is also on Sonystyle website in the us. Very expensive compared to Acer 810o.

 

You can find the FS550 and 570 on amazon.com, although amazon says the 570 has not been released yet (but, they will take your money now for it, of course) Now, I might get the 570, because I am not a gamer, just multimedia, so this would not be a problem for me on any integrated video issues, and I have got some gift certificates to burn up on amazon. The big competitor is M45 Toshiba series, but Toshiba does not have the screen (who does compared to Vaio?) or dual layer drive, but does have a few advantages over Sony's sonomas. Mostly, S Video out, and you can go up to 2 gb RAM, however, you might squeeze some more RAM into the Vaio's, like you can with the S series, I don't know. The other advantage is $$$, the 570 is several hundred more than M45S331 - but, it's a Vaio, so, you know the price will be jacked up, especially on a new model. The other advantage for both the FS550 and 570 is they are quite possibly the best styled notebooks anyone has put out in a long time. I mean, they are sharp! A+ on style Sony, nobody can beat you. Now, the Toshiba, well..., I guess it looks like it was built for err factory work maybee. Toshiba, you need to hire the style guys over at Sony for awhile, along with probably everyone else who makes laptops!

 

Defender of the FS550.

No not really. I just bought a FS550 from best buy this sunday. This is my first personal purchase of a laptop and the first time I have ever used a sony computer. I have used a laptop since 1996 to do my job. The list includes a bunch of dells (386 on up), a magictronic, compaqs (latest is n610c), a toughbook and I now have a new HP nc6000 that I am just breaking in.

I was looking for a laptop to replace my desktop. I did not need a high end heavy duty machine. I was confident that even the slowest processor would be sufficent for my web surfing, picture editing, email and light video editing that I plan to do with this machine. I did specifically want a Pentium M vs a celeron M or a desktop P4 because I felt that it was a good balance of performance, heat output and battery management.

I compared this machine to the M45, several HPs including the new 2000.

Some requirements that I had:
Touchpad - I dont like the eraser pointer
60gb or larger HD
Min 512 Memory, the more the better
Decent keyboard layout with fill size del, ent, tab, etc keys.
Wireless Lan
USB and Firewire
DVD burner

I feel that the M45 was directly comparable to this unit, but the Dual Layer DVD burner sold me on the Sony. The only drawback that I saw when I bought was lack of S-video. I weighed the Dual Layer burner slightly greater than the S-video port. The retail cost is nearly identical between these two units.

I have had no performance issues in normal use with this machine. Everything is smooth as silk, the drive is quiet and I have never heard more than a whisper from the fan. The screen is great and the 1200x800 resolution is nicely readable. I did notice a bit of lag on the DVD playback, but I had a bunch of other applications open at the time. I havent loaded my MP3's nor PIC's on the laptop yet, but I dont expect any issues with either based on the fact that I keep an average of 8 windows open at any time.

This unit has the 915 chipset, which I understood was a compromise. I also knew that it used shared memory, but I did not realize that it varied memory usage.

The BAD: Tuesday morning about 2:00 I woke the machine to check some email. The computer responded with a rapid clicking comming from the speakers at full volume. It happened as soon as the sound card booted, in the bios, in windows, mute had no effect. I rebooted, removed the battery, everything that I could think of. Of course the machine was quiet mid way through the boot to delete my personal files. Tuesday evening I returned it to best buy and swapped it for another of the same.

I cant say this is the right laptop for everyone or every situation, but so far I am still satisfied with my purchase. As long as this one has no reliability issues, I feel that I will be content. I feel that I need to get 2-3 years use out of the laptop.

 

I just bought the FS550 from Circiut City. The comp looks fantastic. WOW is what friends told me. I love it. I did notice something though. Maybe someone can agrre or disagree, but i noticed that while surfing the "WOLRD WIDE WEB" through the wireless internet connect it was realitively slower. SLower than WHat, you may ask? I can't put a finger on it but I had a Jetta Notebook and it seemed slower that that and my desktop. Is this something that any of you have encountered? If so what was your solution, if any?

 

Hey guys,
I had purchased a M45-S331. i used it for about 1 month and a half. I had 3 exchanges on that laptop. First time I bought it, the internet kept on disconnecting every 5 minutes. My next laptop, the Trubrite screen after 5 days got darker, wasn't as shiny as when i bought it (weird), then the last one I got worked ok but with so many exchanges what could I expect next? I sold it because that wasn't what i expected from a Toshiba laptop. The Harman Kardon speakers sounded terrible, the laptop was all plasticky. Everytime I would shut the lid, I was scared of braking it (cheap Materials). Well I bought a Sony VGN-FS570. Perfect laptop, beautiful screen(other Trubrite, High definition etc do not compare to Xbrite), BMW-like materials(extremely hard case). I had to go back to Sony laptops. If you travel a lot and want a laptop that is extremely well built you either go with Sony or IBM, you pay more but you have more chances of keeping your laptop longer. I will never buy a Toshiba again, they use extremely cheap materials like HP and Compaq. In my Sony laptop I recently installed Need for Speed Underground 2 and it works just perfect, and that's a game that supposedly uses a lot of video memory. Let me know if this helped anyone in doubt between the sony and the toshiba.
PS: For the people who hate Sony laptop is because they are broke, want buy a cheap laptop and expect the world of it. ALMOST everything that costs more lasts longer (True Fact), and the FS570 is definately NOT PLASTIC.

SONY VAIO FS570