Official NEW SVZ Z series Owners Lounge

I opted for the 1600x900 display and I think its plenty bright. I don't have much hands on experience with the Z2 or Z1 but my Z3 seems at least as bright as the Z2 I fooled around with in the store a while ago. Take that for what its worth: I have no complaints with the screen brightness.

 

thanks for the link. i ran the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant but the upgrade is $39.99? i thought z3 owners get free Windows 8 upgrade? how do i go about getting that?

 

got a problem. a few months ago i downloaded a copy of Windows 7 and installed it using the code from the bottom of my z3. for some reason, Windows kept telling me that i need to "activate" it. not sure how to do this, i kept ignoring it and now it tells me my copy of Windows is not genuine. what can i do?

 

If you registered your purchase through the offer website, it comes out to be ~$16 for the upgrade after you input a promo code near the end of purchase for the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.

 

So I noticed the big reduction on the Z's at SonyStyle, is there word of a new Z coming up. I'm so tempted to now grab one.

 

There's a lot about this in various Sony Z threads. Sony uses an OEM license code, which is different from the one on the bottom of your computer. If you want to use the one on the bottom, you have to validate it using Microsoft's telephone validation service.

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I installed W8 ( clean install) and:

* Fn Shortcuts + ASSIST,WEB, VAIO do not work

* There is a yellow question mark ( device manager) on Security Devices ( TPM)

* Even though there is a finger print reader driver available, it does not work since there is no software available for w8 yet....

I contacted Sony and they said they are working on releasing the drivers.

I wonder if you are experiencing the same.

Thanks

 

1) Install netbook utilties and/or hotkeys utilities. If no W8 version, install W7 version

2) Try to install the driver from W7

3) Install the driver from W7

 

The problem is that there is no Shortcut 's driver even for W7.......

And the Hotkeys driver has nothing to do with this, it is related to the Battery Checker, Control Center and Power Management)

 

the big reduction just came out last night...man, i wish they have the same promotion here in Canada....been waiting for the promotion on the z series for ages....

i am interested in buying the z series 15th anniversary model...sony canada doesn't even carry it: SVZ1311BGXXI...

sigh.........here in canada, we pay more on the same sony products and we have less selections...

 

Thanks for all the feedback on the brightness of the screen. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with my question above?

Thanks!

 

Hi guys,

Here's another video (much better this time in a matter of "sound quality") according to the new Vaio Z Speakers problem. Not everyone has it, BUT if you watch it, you might find you have it too (happened on another forum!)

link : Speakers problem - Brand new Vaio Z

If you do experience this problem, you can follow on the seperated http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/693152-vaio-z3-svz-critical-sound-problems.html#post8899176 thread

Thanks

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I wanted to purchase this laptop over a month ago when it had a $150 off coupon, now it doesn't even have that!! I'm sort of getting fed up waiting, and am considering purchasing it within the week. Do you think there will be a promo in the near future on this laptop in Canada? And by near future I mean within the month of November?

 

What exactly is different about the 15th anniversary Z?

 

i was so tempted to get z series in the states but i don't think they will have it in the store, might have to wait for a week before they ship it to store..

i think for sure there will be a promo in the month of november... not sure what days though...i called sony Canada, i went to sony stores in vancouver and they said promotions are coming....quite hopeless but then we can only wait...

currently the non anniversary edition is selling for 1799 (200 off) in the states and 1849 (300 off) for the 15th anniversary edition...

the regular z is selling for 1999

 

from the description on sonystyle.com...below is what you get from the 15th anniversary edition and also the Glossy Premium Carbon.i don't think there are any hardware differences other than the ones stated below...you might get something else for it...but not sure what...all i know for sure that all 15th anniversary edition were all MADE IN JAPAN....some ppl don't care where it was made from, but personally i care...

Limited Edition VAIO 15th Anniversary Model
We took our thinnest, lightest, and most powerful PC, The Sony VAIO Z Series, and made a limited production run to commemorate the first VAIO laptop to hit stores 15 years ago. Make a sophisticated statement with this exclusive model in sexy Glossy Premium Carbon, and a subtle “VAIO 15th Anniversary” etched into the hinge says even more.

 

Oh yeah, I recall seeing this. It's the etching on hinge that made it different. Other than that it was the same. My local SonyStyle Store has 3 left of the $1799 plus who knows how many online has in inventory.

 

i can't order it anyways as i don't live in the states....

 

Anyone have some suggestions on what is the best and safest way to clean the Z3's display? I'm starting to see smudges appear on the display (most noticeable when a dark image is being displayed).

 

The cloth it ships with, without any cleaning fluids or anything, seems to work well, if you apply a little force.

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Black trim that says "15th Anniversary Collector's Edition Made in Azumino, Japan," glossy carbon fiber lid and underside. If you get the optional PMD with the CTO it will also have the matching black stripe at the back.

I went to shaggymac.com and had a microfiber cloth custom cut to fit between my screen and keyboard when I'm transporting it. This protects the screen from hitting the keyboard and the lid from making the area around the keyboard from getting shiny from rubbing. My cloth is cut to fit the whole area of the screen + border.

 

I've got my new Vaio Z (SVZ1311C5E) yesterday. I tried to order a Windows 8 upgrade kit from Sony Europe.
However, their website still tells me that my notebook product number is not valid for the Vaio upgrade kit. I contacted the hotline which has no idea why I cannot order the upgrade kit.

Any ideas/suggestions? Does register the product solve the problem?

Edit: Has anyone found the drivers for the WWAN module? I've found probably all the drivers on the US webpage but not the ones for the WWAN module. Are they included in some other package?

 

Hi, Heard from Sony shop that this Z is probably the last they will do and come out with a new concept and model instead.

 

Funny, I was told the opposite. I was told by them that their flagship Z was the best selling notebook and there would be no way for Sony to jump ship. I do think this may be it as well. The S Series, I suspect, will now be their high-end flagship model. I still like the traditional concept of a travel-friendly notebook computer over an iPad/Tablet/Duo 11. The Z is as portable as the aforementioned.

 

So I just got back from SonyStyle and they still have the same amount of inventory since I last visited 3-4 weeks ago, however, this time around the price has dropped significantly. They have 3 preconfigured i7 256ssd 8GB ram, and two with 128 ssd's. They're also going to give me 10% off with a student I.D. I hope my student ID card from a few years back still works. This would make the cost of an SVZ13114GXX ( i7 256ssd 8gb ram) $1619.10 plus tax. And if I put it on my Sony Card, I get an additional $48 as credit on my card when I submit my point redemption. The guy is holding it for me 'till Saturday. I think I'm going for it.

He did say that the DUO 11 is the Z replacement. I can see where this may be true with an S Series next to it on display priced at $2399.99 - way more pricey than the Z Series.

 

Anyone have a external battery they would like to sell? Preferably lightly used. They are going for around $100 now on Amazon so I might get one unless someone here has a better priced one, I am in the US.

Any advice on improving battery life in windows 8?

 

Thanks for the reply!

I discovered that the problem with high fan speed was mainly when the screen is turned off. It turned out to be the Logitech SetPoint software that caused it. But I still have problems with some stuff in W8.

As many others I also have the white noise problem, but luckily it's gone when the computer is muted. I have gotten some new problems with the Sony NC earplugs in W8 though. There's an annoying hissing sound when no audio is playing, and I no longer have the option of adjusting the NC settings, I don't even know if NC is activated. Anyone who knows more about this?

Another frustration/problem is the sleep mode. I can't find the Vaio Rapid Wake + Eco i W8. Not sure if that matters though, because it worked horrible in W7, very rapid battery drop when in sleep. Sony claims it will last for 170 days, I say HAHA NO WAY.

The SSD appears to be a little bit slower in W8 compared to W7 (tested with AS SSD), although better after installing new drivers.

edit: there's also jittering/hissing noice in the NC earplugs when music is playing, it's just more difficult to notice.

 

Since I've had this computer for about three weeks now I would like to write a little about what I hate and what I love about it. This can be interesting to read for people who are considering buying a Vaio Z.

The bad

• First of all I have to say that the imprints from the keyboard on the screen and the imprints from the screen frame on the hand rest are disappointing. For a 2000 $ computer I expect more. I was really tired of my flimsy old Dell laptop that always got marks on the screen from the keyboard, and the Vaio Z is even worse. Really disappointing.
  
• The carbon fiber on the lid scratches very, very easily. I have kept in a sleeve all the time when I'm transporting it, but I have several scratches anyway. Not sure how that happened.
  
• The key travel is very short, but you get kind of used to it after a while. Anyway it is not as good as the keyboards of most competitors, the Zenbook Prime for instance.
  
• The touchpad is at times a bit frustrating. It doesn't always register left clicks and when you right click you have to be very careful not to click all the way to the right since it will be registered as a left click.
  
• The battery time is pretty far from the 6 hours and 45 min advertised.
  
• The screen is flimsy.
  
• Very slippery on most surfaces when sheet battery is not attached.
  
• The screen is of course good, but not very bright. Next to the Zenbook Prime it looks a bit dull. It's not as bright and not as "lively" colors. I don't really care about that though, since the colors on the Vaio are far more accurate and it is bright enough (just had to mention the brightness since it actually is less bright).
  

I have mentioned a lot of bad things, and some people are probably wondering why I decided to buy this computer. I actually bought a Zenbook Prime first. Then I found out that the Zenbook had the really slow Sandisk SSD and I wasn't sure if 4 GB ram was enough. I traded it in hoping to get a Zenbook with the faster ADATA SSD. When I came home i discovered that I once again got the slow Sandisk. I decided to bike back to the shopping center and buy a Vaio Z so I could test the two computers side by side (thanks to the wonderful 14 days no questions asked return policy).

Immediately after unboxing the Vaio I tought "this is in a different class". It's so light, looks so good, in a "so not Apple way".

The good

And then it's time for the positive things with this computer. The thing I like most is the speed and the portability (no surprise there). I quickly realised that this computer has no competitors, NONE. Nothing even comes close to the combination of size, weight and power. Quad core non-ulv CPU, amazing. And the SSDs, so insanely fast. This computer scored 1400 points on the AS SSD test, that's more than the 480 GB RevoDrive! The Zenbook Prime scored 165 points!

• It is very silent under light and moderate load, but it's pretty noisy under full load (which I think is acceptable), but no matter how hard you push it, it will stay nice and cool all over the keyboard and trackpad. Well done engineers!
  
• The sheet battery. Brilliant accessory which makes it fantastic for traveling for longer periods of time. Also very nice when using the computer in bed (or having it in your lap) since there's no fan outlets underneath it.
  
• Connections are also really good on the Vaio, not many small computers have full size HDMI, ethernet and VGA. So nice to not have to use any adapters.
  

 

I think I mentioned that here as well - you really have to use the supplied dustcloth, and leave it between the screen and the keyboard when closed. I don't like that extra step, and do wonder what the engineers were thinking if not "oops, we didn't think about that, oh well at least it's thin!" :-/

But ya gotta do that.

Yeah, the keypad acts kind of funny - I wish they had made it in separate pieces (touchpad and left/right mouse buttons below), as that would have solved this problem.

That is supposed to be a "feature" - rather than make the whole computer rigid to resist breakage, they made it bendable to resist breakage. At least, that's what folks have said.


- Tim

 

Anyone have a problem when using earphones on the Sony Z3 and the sound comes out through the laptop speakers and the earphones also?
Not really a big problem but I would love to find a fix since I might want to watch vids/listen to music in public.

The earphones I am using is apple's earphones.

Edit: If I use external speakers, the sound would only come out at the external speakers and not the laptop also. So I am thinking this is not a hardware problem.

 

Had the same problem initially but found out that the jack was not all the way in..

 

Hehe, yes, I am aware of that I have to keep the cloth there (found out after a week), it's also convenient for the outside of the computer. I have bought protection skins for the Vaio but I haven't received them yet. That will protect the hand rest at least, and hopefully the screen cover. I might also get a screen protector so I don't have to worry about damages to the screen. A different option might be to put an edge around the frame of the screen, so that it will have some distance from the keyboard.

I know it's "designed to flex" but I don't buy that It is that way due to material choices and because they want to make it as thin as possible.

Useful stuff to get:

Full body protection: Phone Skins, Covers + Screen Protectors | Clear-Coat
Keyboard skin: T Keyboard Cover Skin Protector for Sony Vaio 13 13 1" Z SVZ13 SVZ131190X | eBay
Sleeve that fits the computer with sheet battery, earplugs, external mouse and a Kindle Paperwhite! : Amazon.com: Case Logic PLS-13 Neoprene 13.3-Inch Neoprene Laptop MacBook Air / Pro Retina Display Sleeve (Black): Computers & Accessories

 

Buy this: Sony Vaio Z2 Series Skin + Screen Protector | Clear-Coat.com
Serves great to protect against scratches on the outside of the computer and also covers the battery back. I love it so far.

I also bought a screen protector, I don't have a link to that but they are easy to find online and help since I was a little worried about the keys scratching the screen as well. I think officially you are supposed to use the provided cloth to protect them if the computer is going to be under pressure.

 

Jepp, I bought this one though Sony Vaio Z3 Series Skin + Screen Protector | Clear-Coat.com since it's for Vaio Z3.

I also bought this screen protector Amazon.com: eForCity 2 Pack Invisible LCD Screen protector Shield for Sony VAIO Z Series 13.1" Widescreen (16:9) Laptops: Computers & Accessories Don't know if it's good or not, but it's so cheap that I don't care

 

Installed W8 upgrade, everything works perfect, only one BIG issue: autodim. I set the brightness to maximum, in a few seconds goes back to minimum. Whatever I do it goes back. It is activated auto dim but no way to disable it.
HELP!

 

Do you have Vaio Control Center installed? Auto brightness toggle will be found in there.

 

Same experience here...

 

I have that same screen protector. Looks very good except be careful putting it on to get all the dust specs off the screen. I have two in one corner, but you don't notice unless the screen is off.

 

Installed the latest bluetooth drivers, now bluetooth no longer works...

Sick and tired of horrible driver support for the Vaio, my speakers/jack output it's still making the bad hissing sound. On the bright side the new touchpad drivers seem to be working really well.

 

Sony Canada is a joke. Now SVZ13114GXX (Sony Vaio SVZ 3) is OUT OF STOCK now! I bet all the remaining stocks have been re-allocated to Sony USA...

they said they are going to work on some promos on the Z line and the promo will come in a few weeks...

 

Hi

Does the VGP-BPSC27 slice battery work with the SVZ?

thanks

 

it sure does.

 

Excuse my ignorance but what do you call "NC" ?

I'm sorry to tell you that, but Sony has a really big issue with this speaker problem.
Now I'm in contact with a Sony customer/repair services manager in my country. After 5 weeks I'm totally unable to use my Z (headaches coming from this white noise), so I started to be less polite to make them undersand it's a serious issue. You should do the same, the more people complain about it, the more chances we will have to see it fixed.

Because muting the speakers is NOT an option for me.
Did not install W8, but I'm pretty sure the speakers have this issue too. Worse, on W8, muting might give you another noise (if it's the same as in Win7 with generic drivers: when muting the left speaker is whisteling)


So I had to send them printscreen, Dxdiag report etc.. they are kind of working on it.
You can follow this threat about this and if you want to participate also : http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/693152-vaio-z3-svz-critical-sound-problems-3.html

 

What has everyone found to maximize PMD performance.

I just ran skyrim and it set me at low settings instead of the normal medium. In the catalyst control center I have 4 intel HD 4000s listed and 2 PMD graphics cards listed. The PMD graphics is working I think because the fan is on during gaming. I have installed the windows 7 graphics drivers.

SVZ131190X drivers.

 

With NC i mean Noice Cancelling. With the earplugs that came with the Vaio. I don't think the sound cancellation is activated in Windows 8, that's my question/problem.

I know that the white sound is a big issue. It doesn't bother me THAT much since the speakers are totally crappy anyway so I always use external speaker or earplugs.

My problem was a irritating sound when I used the earplugs, it actually turned out to be my #2, not original charger that caused the sound. So can't blame Sony there.

 

Looking for a gold PMD is anyone is looking to sell.

Wife has been driving me crazy about getting a second one.

Thanks!

 

got it today. 173gb from 213gb disk space is free. which vaio programmes are necessary to keep, and which aren't necessary?

 

Ok thanks.
Noise cancelling service does not change anything on mine.
For win8, maybe you can check with msconfig (under "startup" i believe) if it's launched.

You're lucky to get earphones, I didnt get anything but the problem :/

 

Hmm, doesn't seem to be the case for me. It is definitely all the way plug in.
In the sound options, does the earphones/headphone show up as playback? Mine only mentions Speaker/HP even with earphones plug in.
And it continues to use both the speakers and the earphones as speaker.

 

I'm seriously going crazy after installing the latest bluetooth drivers. It seems impossible to make the bluetooth work again. I'm not able to uninstall the driver, i have tried re-installing both the new driver, the old driver and the driver from intel.com with no success. Anyone who have experienced something similar?