Official Sony VAIO TT Series Owners Thread

The connection in the TT is definitely a typical uSATA connector (good photo here: http://news.thomasnet.com/images/large/818/818339.jpg). Finding these disks on the consumer market is nearly impossible. I spent a good deal of time looking for one, and finally found a new system pull, as I stated earlier on this thread (it's a Samsung 128Gb SLC drive). Most 1.8" disks for sale to end users use a ZIF connector. Why Samsung doesn't sell their more desirable disks directly to power users is beyond me. I assume they have a agreement with the big manufacturers (obviously Apple, Sony, and Lenovo) not to sell their high end disks to home consumers.

 

dimension6, it looks like the Intel X-18m uses a micro SATA connector. That's what you mean by uSATA, right? Do you know the X-18m would work?

& on a related note, once you get all the screws off the TT and open the case, is the rest of it (as far as installing an SSD) pretty easy? (I did see the disassembly pictures on that japanese website, though the google translation obviously leaves something to be desired!).

 

If you want to know how long your ssd will last (years) go ask in the ssd thread here.

 

Yes, the X-18M will fit, but I felt it was too expensive for an MLC drive (though it's probably your best MLC bet!).

As for the disassembly, actually replacing the disks is the easy part. The difficult part is prying apart the case without breaking anything or cutting yourself. Both of those things happened to me. Take special care not to tear the cable connecting the keyboard. I didn't even realize it was torn until some of the function and volume keys stopped working and the automatic brightness stopped working. Thankfully, reordering the little ribbon cable was only $20 instead of having to purchase the whole keyboard assembly again! Obviously, warranty doesn't cover parts broken on our own geeky accord.

 

Thank You, I put my calculation in this threat

 

Hello, I have a problem with a Sony Vaio VGN-TT150 FN, which I downgraded from Vista to Windows XP with Service Pack 3.

The problem is, Fn+f7 key doesn´t switch between Vaio screen and the external monitor connected to the docking station.

I´m trying to find a driver from XP withoout success.

Any help is welcome....

 

There's a new intel wireless driver on the Vaio update site (circa March 9), in case you guys haven't noticed it.

 

For those interested I stole the code from Luxferro who had the great idea to use devcon.exe from MS used among other things to enable/disable hardware devices. Luxferro created a very small GUI app using free from MS C# express to enable/disable hardware at will on his SR, original thread here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=330378&highlight=devcon . I just modified his code to change the design to suit my taste and replace hardware IDs in the code to match my TT. Please use it if you find it useful, it permits to selectively enable/disable devices and should save power (I don't know by how much though, never cared to run any benchmark). Green means enable, orange disable, gray not present. It's built for an European TT so the WWAN in particular may be different whether TT is from other part of the world. If you need the modified code please ask and I'll post it. Trick is to enable everything WLAN, BT and WWAN from Sony Wireless utility and only use Devcon TT to switch on or off otherwise component will show as not present unless you enable them first in wireless utility, have fun.

Note: just put all 3 files from the zip located here http://philch.free.fr/files/DevconTT.zip in C:\ you can put Devcon TT in your launch bar and associate devcon.ico to it (didn't find how to embed the icon in C# nor to build the app to sit in the taskbar, future development may be...). Btw DevconTT is only 18k in size and works on XP or Vista and certainly other MS OSes I didn't check, 64 bit Vista will require different version of the MS devcon.exe which is available on MS site

 

hmm.. phil, is it possible to modify the program to work with the TZ? I would love to replace the sony progs with an all in one solution thats lean and mean!

 

This is the TX version tell me which devices do not work as I do not have a TZ http://philch.free.fr/files/DevconTX.zip tell me as well what device if any worked with devcon TT which does not work any longer with devcon TX give me hardware IDs of anything that does not work with any of devcon versions so I can modify the code

 

DVD & Memstick worked with the TT file
DVD worked with the TX file
Modem & firewire worked with the original GUI

the following is the list of hardware ids from my tz, I wasnt sure with ID to post so I just pasted in everything from the field:

Code:

dvd
USBSTOR\CdRomMATADVD-RAM_UJ862PS_1.20
USBSTOR\CdRomMATADVD-RAM_UJ862PS_
USBSTOR\CdRomMATA
USBSTOR\MATADVD-RAM_UJ862PS_1
Webcam
USB\VID_05CA&PID_183A&REV_0100&MI_00
USB\VID_05CA&PID_183A&MI_00
SD card
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0843&SUBSYS_900E104D&REV_11
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0843&SUBSYS_900E104D
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0843&CC_088000
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0843&CC_0880
Biometric
USB\VID_147E&PID_2016&REV_0001
USB\VID_147E&PID_2016
firewire
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0832&SUBSYS_900E104D&REV_04
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0832&SUBSYS_900E104D
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0832&CC_0C0010
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0832&CC_0C00
modem
HDAUDIO\FUNC_02&VEN_14F1&DEV_2C06&SUBSYS_104D1700&REV_1000
HDAUDIO\FUNC_02&VEN_14F1&DEV_2C06&SUBSYS_104D1700
bluetooth
USB\VID_044E&PID_3017&REV_0143
USB\VID_044E&PID_3017
lan
PCI\VEN_11AB&DEV_4363&SUBSYS_900E104D&REV_13
PCI\VEN_11AB&DEV_4363&SUBSYS_900E104D
PCI\VEN_11AB&DEV_4363&CC_020000
PCI\VEN_11AB&DEV_4363&CC_0200
wifi
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_4229&SUBSYS_11008086&REV_61
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_4229&SUBSYS_11008086
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_4229&CC_028000
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_4229&CC_0280
memory stick
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0592&SUBSYS_900E104D&REV_11
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0592&SUBSYS_900E104D
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0592&CC_088000
PCI\VEN_1180&DEV_0592&CC_0880

I dont have a WWLAN card in my tz

Thanks!

 

Try it now if you need different labels or different button arrangement please ask
http://philch.free.fr/files/DevconTZ.zip I suppose I could also change some colors if needed...

 

Thanks for this, it's an awesome little program.
Do I understand you correctly in that all I have to do to get this to work is download the 64-bit version of devcon.exe and put it in the directory?

 

Yes it should, let me know if it really works, just put the 64bit version of devcon.exe from the MS package below in C:\
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272

 

Thanks Phil. Everything works apart from bluetooth. strangely enough, the stock GUI shows bluetooth if I enable it with the smartwii utility, but if I disable it with smartwii, the button greys out. Your GUI have BT greyed out either way. I think its the different way sony apps work. even if i disable BT via the stock GUI, the BT light on the TZ still stays on. Same thing with DVD, if I disable it via devon, it drive shows disabled. If I use the viao power management tool, the drive disappears from device manager.

BT doesnt really bother me that much, everything else is good so I am happy!

 

Strange, I have the same hardware ID in my TT and it works fine but smartwii may be working differently from wireless switch uility that I use can you check that the USB hub on which the BT device attach to was not disabled in device manager before you ran devcon

 

hmm it is strange. I've just checked, all my usb hubs are enabled. I actually use the Network Utility to switch BT on and off. The exe name is LANUtil.exe. Not sure if thats smartwii or wireless switch utility. the BT radio dont appear until i turn it on with LANUtil. But the button in devcon is still greyed out. However, the Wireless LAN icon in devcon works perfectly. When i switch WLAN off in devcon, i see an automatic status change in WLAN in LANUtil. The light on the TZ also turns off.

The BT radio's name is ALPS-UGZ9-BCM2046, a broadcom unit. The location is Port_#0002.Hub_#0006. Is that even usb? When it is switched on, another BT icon appears in device manager - microsoft bluetooth enumerator - not sure if that does anything. If I disable BT via device manager, the BT light still stays on. But if I do the same to WLAN, the light responds to the switch. Very strange.

Could be a Win7 issue too. I'll check it out in vista when I boot into it.

 

Here's a couple of sweet deals on VAIO cases for 11.1" notebooks:

VAIO 11.1" Notebook Neoprene Case - $.99
http://www.zones.com/site/product/index.html?id=001500983

VAIO 11.1" TZ SERIES LEATHER CARRYING CASE CHAMPAGNE - $9.99
http://www.zones.com/site/product/index.html?id=002145145

I posted them on the deals board, but I knew some of you might appreciate them here as well.

 

Looks like the price bumped up to 19.99, but still pretty nice deal (would have loved it for less than $1, though.)

 

Ah, fixed the links. They were screwed up. But yea the price is still at $9.99 for the leather one and 99 cents for the neoprene one.

 

Nice find Nixon!

Talking of cases for the TT, I wonder what is going on with the supply of the VGP-CKTT1?

The Black one is still not available outside of Sonystyle Japan, nearly 6 months after launch. Grrr...

 

Hey great find. I ordered the Champagne case. $25 with shipping to Canada. I have been looking at the black one here in our store for $200. I can live with the color for that price!!!!!!!!!!THANK YOU!!!!

 

ive read all the post in this thread. i love this thread. been thinking to either get SR at first or TT.. but unfortunately, after test drive these two notebooks at the store, TT has better build quality over the SR; while similar built quality with Z.

its either TT or Z, but i'll settle with TT if im short of cash, since its cheaper than Z and have better mobility.

im still surveying around anyway.

 

The Z recently increased in price significantly (well, if you live outside of the US) making the TT a better deal overall. I was planning to get a Z but now looking at the TT.

 

I was considering maybe going for a TT or a x302 in the summer but i see now that the price of TT in the UK has gone up and the Z is now cheaper.
The TT model that i configured an placed an order for late last year was £1,6XX(and £1,5xx with discounts) but the same model today is £1,8XX.
The Z is about £100 cheaper.
Sony have adjusted some models due to the weakened pound. I kind of missed the boat on that one.

 

Negociate, negociate, negociate... When I bought my configurable TT, Sony was offering no surcharge for SSD, they're now offering Blue-Ray free, also 4GB memory is £70 surcharge and only £45 on the french site. This does show that there's room for discounts...When I ordered I just discussed a bit with the sales rep during ordering but as I cancelled my order 2 times outside of the allowed window I was not too agressive on the discount I wanted but just a mild discussion with the rep and I got 6% off total. Warranty is also 2 years everywhere in Europe but UK and IE I think, you might want to get that for free as well. Advise is to call, not use online ordering. of course this applies to Vaio Z as well...

 

For me it was between a MacBook Air or a Sony TT. I like OSX better than Vista but I like the TT better than the Air. The size and awsome battery life is what sold me.

 

For those who did not read my new thread on spilled milk on my keyboard, I cleaned the keyboard immediately, turned off at the same time, took out the battery and waited for it to dry. I was going to open and disassemble the keyboard, but changed my mind at the last minute. Turned it on, and it is ok. A couple of keys were sticky, so I plied out the key and cleaned the springs with a wet cue tip. All working well now. What a scare.

 

This is actually what I like about the new TT. Every time I'm sitting in a plane or at an airport, somebody asks me how I get full screen video with iTunes stuff without stuttering. You should see the look on those faces when I tell them what a punch the TT carries, their jaws already drop instantly when I mention the dualcore CPU and the impressive battery life.

 

TT memory is listed as DDR3 PC3-6400. I have 3 GB now, but want to make it 4 GB. If I buy OCZ (OCZ3M10662G) DDR3 PC3-8500 1066 MHz SODIMM 2GB (1x2024MB) Module, will it work? Thanks.

 

It will work! I just bought a 2gb stick and tried it. I am not sure whats the difference but i have 4gb now.

 

Has anyone compared the TT with the Fujitsu P8020? Comments? pro/cons? Thanks, Fernando

 

Sorry but I am going to have the proverbial whinge....as maybe there are others with the same thoughts just never voiced them.

Well I have had my little TT for over 4 months now and am beginning to have doubts about my relationship with it. I feel like I was taken in by its good looks and gimmickry only to find out it was rather cheap and shallow beneath the surface a few months down the track..I am facing the harsh fact that there might not be a future in this relationship..

Trouble I have with this thing is depsite having moved from an Asus EeePC 1000H to the TT, I am finding the build quality absolutely atrocious. For a > $3000 AUD notebook I was honestly expecting a little better (It has been bugging me more and more as time has progressed.... )

Recently I made inquiries on the Accessories forum here about a hard cased sleeve type of arrangement for this thing to no avail as most people tended to confuse 'sleeve' with a notebook bag or something else entirely. The main reason behind this is I am scared wit-less that the screen on this thing is going to get crushed and damaged whenever I take it somewhere - anywhere, let alone to a lecture at Uni with some text books...

I have flown a few places over the recent months with work as well and have found myself travelling very carefully with this device - something I have not had to bother about in the past with both the EeePC and earlier notebooks like my old Dell 700M, or my Asus A8JS....heck, even my Vostro 1310 feels more solid and secure when travelling with that!! I have had a gutfull pretty much, as anyone else who travels a fair bit for work would agree that you don't want to have to be constantly treating your carry-on or carry on overnight bag like eggshells because you are worried about the build quality of a notebook and that the screen might be getting damaged as we speak.....

I guess I was taken in my the hype and the prettiness of the TT initially, the lure of the in-built optical drive (I will be honest, so far its only use has been to burn backup copies of iTunes purchases and a few OS installs....), the power of the dual core over the Atom cannot be denied, but at what cost?!

The 'seams' if you will around the external edge of the LCD where it meets the screen bezel do not seem to have been affixed together very well with any sort of attempt to open and close the lid with one hand causing some nasty nasty flex and you can see where this lip wants to almost prize free from the bezel. Not to mention the fact that the screen can almost be crushed flat against the keyboard is also disturbing. (Has been for a while - I was just in denial thinking something like a Shinza sleeve would save me...)

I work for a company that produces helicopters for the government and I can tell you if I ever came across that sort of shoddy workmanship on ANYTHING we produced it would be dealt with and rejected on a very high level of concern to the OEM. Maybe my standards are higher after many many years in aviation when it comes to build quality - but the TT I can now say (I have tried to give it a chance but its really bugging me now!! ) is the crappiest notebook I have ever owned on a build quality front. (and yet its so cute, and powerful, and...oooh stop it, don't go flashing your eyelids at me...you bad Vaio you...:wub: )

Personally I feel my TT is doomed to Ebay and I am going to get the EeePC 1000HE (same keyboard style which is a huge plus in favour of the Vaio), unfortunately I will lose the power of the dual core CPU, although the HE does have the newer 1.66GHz Atom, and the sexiness of the Vaio cannot be denied - but who wants a sexy toy that feels like/fear that it might break every time I want to take it anywhere, like the office. (Sort of like a good looking bloke really?! lol)

I don't think I am going to bother with Sony support here in Aus - by a few reports from some friends of mine its rather terrible....besides what would they do? Give me another crappy TT?!...nope..not interested...:cry:

(Oh I carry it in either a Shinza Zeroshock sleeve, a Knomo Vichy Leather notebook bag, or a Pelican 1080 case in a backpack - which is a right pain in the glutes - but I miss the days when notebook portage was not so worrying)

If anyone has a TT which does feel solid I am all ears, but so far from looking around the intarwebs it seems to be a common concern from a few people after a few months of ownership...

 

I'm close to purchasing a Vaio TT. Does anyone have experience buying these in Canada? The Canadian Sonystyle site has very limited selection compared to the US site. Has anyone tried buying in the US and shipping to Canada? Or are there other retailers I should be considering?

Another question - I have very little use for a built-in optical drive. The Air solves this problem by allowing you to slave the Air to a desktop and use its drive for installations, etc. Is there an equivalent function on the TT, or do I need the optical drive after all?

Thanks!

 

its your choice. but most of time, when you are on mobility, chances to use those optical are less. people nowadays just use usb storage if say, playing movies, viewing documents etc.

@geekygirl: sad to hear that. maybe its aint sturdy like those asus HE and feel fragile to you, thus explain the thinness of the lcd right. anyway, hope you can find better notebook that survive such harsh working place environment.

 

Thanks, Miyabi. I agree, I virtually never use my DVD ROM while travelling with my current laptop. But what I'm really wondering is what I need to do for the rare occasions when I do need one (e.g., installing software.) For example, is there something similar to the Air's ability to connect to the DVD on a desktop?

I know that of course I can just get an external optical drive. I'm just wondering if there's an alternative.

 

Well, I am not trying to change geekygirl's feel anout TT. But, I did see a picture (from a review of the Z) the guy was holding one corner of the lcd with it opened. There was quite some flex on the screen, but he was trying to show that the lcd is flexible and will not break. Bt, I would not test it on mine.

So far, I have gone on 2 weeks of travel with my TT, and all went well. I kept it in the laptop compartment of my backpack, which I used to keep my dslr camera and lenses. I did not have to be particularly careful carrying my backpack with all these delicate things in there. So far, it has survived milk spilled over the keyboard, and a drop of 1.5 ft with lid open and running. A message came up to say shock mechanism or whatever it is called was activated. I picked it up, and it was still running. So, I am quite confident about its construction.

 

yes, the photo was post somewhere in nbr. i can see the flex. thanks for sharing your experience.

oh i see. afaik, sony does not support that kind of technology. what you can do is make an image of the cd/dvd, store it in usb storage and mount using daemon/alcohol 120% etc. and yes of course like you said, just using external optical drive...

 

Thanks, Miyabi. Yes, of course copying the iso to USB is not a bad idea.

TZ300, I see you're from Toronto. Perhaps you can help with my question about where to buy TT's in Canada? As I was saying above, Sonystyle.ca has lousy selection, and we Canadian's aren't allowed to buy from Sonystyle.com. Where did you get yours?

 

TZ300 - yeah thanks, have seen the picture (I think ) that you are referring to, trouble is I don't think I would like to try it with mine!

I think in my case its just poor QA on this particular unit itself - one side of the bezel is rather solid with the other side flexing open when pushed - sort of like they didn't use enough adhesive on that side when they put it together!

I have tried to get some images, but its hard to show so this has been the best I can come up with:

This is the RH side of the screen and shows the gap that occurs should the slightest amount of force be applied. Sorry I don't think it should actually separate like that at all somehow!



This is the LH side of the bezel with no gaps with approx. the same amount of force application (sorry do not have a gauge to measure with only a calibrated elbow... )



And lets not mention the loosening of the plastic cover where the ethernet port is near the power port!

Maybe I just got a TT built on a Friday when they just wanted to get out of the factory ASAP instead of midweek when the manager was hanging around the shop floor!!...*sigh*

But I am still torn between perseverance (it is a sweet machine), and cutting my losses and getting something more robust...

 

I'm in Toronto as well. I just went into the Sony Store to buy mine.. you can typically get a tiny bit of a discount vs. the web price if you negotiate. Yes, the selection sucks, since there's only one configuration... but the default config was good enough for me. Note that they just raised the price -- the TT250D or whatever the current model number is seems to be identical to the TT180C, which I have, and it's $300 more (I guess reflecting the exchange rate.. maybe they changed the model # to make it less obvious that it's just a price increase).

If you buy in the U.S., I'm 99% sure you can only get it serviced in the U.S., so you're taking a chance. I think the real issue is that they can only ship to U.S. mailing addresses. Even if you get someone sympathetic on the phone and can persuade them to let you return your unit from Canada, you would need a U.S. address for them to return it to.

Another option is to order from conics or portableone, as they'll handle your warranty, but your laptop will cost you significantly more.

 

geekygirl, I have no issue with the build quality on my TT -- don't know if it means that my TT is perfect, or that I'm just less picky. My screen bezel doesnt seem to have the issue that yours does, and my ethernet plastic cover isn't loose. The only thing I can really complain about is that my screen makes a slight creaking noise when I open and close it. Actually, I'll also complain about the silver plastic on the sides, as I used a kensington lock & that scuffed up the plastic around the lock insertion point. The build quality is maybe not 100% perfect, but it's close enough for my purposes.

All in all I've been extremely happy with my TT. It's super light, the battery lasts forever, the graphics are good enough to drive my 24" external monitor, the processing power is good enough for almost everything I do, and the screen's great. Everyone I've shown it to has been very impressed with it. It might not be bulletproof-solid, but it doesnt give me the impression that it's not... maybe the screen touches the keyboard if pressure is applied, but I don't plan to sit on it! ;-) Ruggedization adds weight, & I'd personally rather have a lighter machine... that's why I bought a Sony rather than a Toughbook.

 

I bought mine at Sonystyle store in Yorkdale. I dealt with the Assistant Manager, Bimal. He is very nice. He let me returned a TZ which became very hot for me, and it was 30 days old, way past the 20 day return period (I did not know it was 20 days). He gave me a store credit which I used to buy the TT. I did not get any discount, but he discounted the leather sleeve by almost $100, and gave me a $90 8 GB USB (Sony's own 007 series). In this store, there is an on site technician. May be you can negotiate with Bimal to have custom items installed for you.

@geekygirl: sorry you got a lemon unit. I am just as picky as you when it comes to build quality. That is why I always buy locally, although price is higher, but I can inspect it before I walk out of the store. Maybe it is just an assembly thing. Have you tried to take it apart and re-assemble it properly, since you are so handy? Maybe you can do a better job to correct it.

 

Thanks T-Man and TZ300. I have to say, this is one of the most friendly and helpful forums I've encountered. Between your and Geekygirl's comments, you've convinced me that I should buy locally where service will be less hassle. So it sounds like I will have to wait until the unit I want is available in Canada (which shouldn't be too long, I hope).

I have two more questions, I'm afraid.

(1) I'm vacillating between the large capacity and the standard capacity battery. The large is 0.3 lbs heavier, and 0.5" higher. I'm trying to understand the consequences of that extra 0.5". I think the battery attaches to the back of the laptop. Does this mean that it has a 0.5" bump sticking down at the back? Does this affect how the laptop sits when it's in use (i.e., will the keyboard be pitched higher due to this "bump"? I just love the idea of 12 hrs battery life, and can live with the extra weight, but am concerned what it does to the form factor.

(2) My current laptop is a bit of a tank, and I'm able to stuff it into my backpack or other bag with little worry that anything bad will happen. Geekygirl has gotten me concerned. Should I be looking at some kind of a case to put the TT in (which I then stuff into my regular bag?) Part of the whole purpose of getting the TT is the flexibility of tossing it into whatever bag I'm using. I have a big Targus laptop backpack, but really would rather not have to go that route. Anyone have any advice here?

Thanks again, folks.

 

Baldrake, what's missing from the Canadian TT config? is it the SSD you're looking for?

Re the large battery, the bump is underneath, not at the back. If you google around you should be able to find pictures of this. So yes, the keyboard will be angled higher. One concern I would have is that, because of the odd shape, it might be tricker to get the TT with the extended battery into a protective sleeve.

Also keep in mind that if you're buying it in Canada, you can't choose -- it comes with the regular battery (though you're obviously free to buy a spare extended one).

As far as bags, I'd definitely recommend putting the TT into a sleeve & then putting that into your bag. Sony sells a good neoprene sleeve for $30 or so. It'll provide extra protection & also keep it from getting scuffed up. When it's in your bag, you want to make sure that nothing could end up putting pressure on it, so... I dunno if it's essential that you have a laptop bag or backpack per se, but you'll for sure be safer if you've got a bag with a seperate space that you can put the laptop & other things won't end up crushing it.

 

I bought the $200 leather sleeve (discounted to $100), but in my last trip, I just put it into the laptop compartment of my backpack, without the sleeve. It is a bookpack from MEC. TT goes in very well and is surrounded by padding and well protected. Tons of space for other stuff. I put in a dslr potective sleeve in and put my dslr and 2 lenses. Works great.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...T<>prd_id=845524442545281&bmUID=1239306688498

 

Yes, exactly, I was hoping for the 1.6 GHz processor and the 128 GB SSD. The Canadian model is 1.2 GHz.

Thanks for the thoughts on bags. I'll put some thought into that too!

 

I have a Shinza Zeroshock sleeve to carry mine around in for most things. Probably offers a lot more protection than a neoprene sleeve - although more expensive.

Glad you have found the forum useful (I am glad my experience hasn't put you off - I think its like MrT-Man has said that I am a little fussy lol )

 

Have I said this before?

Is anyone else being put off by the apparent build quality of the TT? I have multiple issues with the assembly quality of the lid, side panels and stuff - and I'm wondering whether it's worth trying to stick with Sony for a 1.3Kg'er. Apart from the fact that it was definitely on the slow side, I had a positive 'premium' experience with the TZ until last year... and things seem to have gone downhill since.

Functionally no problems (well, apart from the odd panel coming slightly apart) but darn it, I feel like I'm carrying a netbook with me.

 

Hi there. If you go back in this thread to post 975 ..there is a case for 10.00 USD. It is the same leather case for 180.00 but in a gold color. I have both cases (blk one I piad 180 cnd and this gold one). Lots of protection and fits both batteries. The color is not the best but for TEN bucks it's a steal. I ordered it with no problems to Canada shipped by Fed Ex the total was 25.00 to my door.