Sony Vaio CB Official Owners' Thread

Sony customer care said that the Bloggie will be shipped earlier than the Vaio.

 

Ok that was fast! i received the Fedex tracking number few minutes ago. This is for the Bloggie Camera.

 

Grrrr... ok, I've put it off long enough. Time to put on my game face and call Sony to beg for a Bloggie.

 

Good luck sir. Let us know what happend

 

Bloggie touch supposed to be shipped to me tomorrow. I love SONY!!!

The phone rep people I dealt with today were top notch, very professional. Hope the laptop lives up to my experience so far.

 

Great!!!! You got it!!!!
Lets just wait for the Vaio. i think we'll receive it on the same date hopuflly no delay

 

Yeah my bloggie touch is shipping and says it'll arrive tomorrow so im guessing the laptop went through

 

That's fast! Mine will be on the 22nd or 23rd of april. the bloggie came from illinois, to florida.

 

Glad you had success. I ordered my C series on Saturday (4/16/11) and just called now like you did. 3 different reps, all gave me the same answer: "The promotion started on Monday, unfortunately we cannot add that to your order since you ordered before it started." Oh well. Apparently a $1100 laptop and sleeve purchase isn't worth making a customer happy for being 2 days early. Not a good start, Sony...

 

Now I'm arguing with Live Chat. The bloggie promo started Sunday. I ordered Saturday. Where is the loyalty to my $1100 purchase? The rep is telling me that since I got the Education discount, they can't stack discounts. The camera isn't a discount, it's a promo item. Any C series gets a camera. Since I'm also a student, I get a discount on the laptop as a result. Denied again

 

Right before I ordered I also noticed the bloggie was removed from my cart so I initiated a chat session. The rep told me the same thing -- I could not receive the 10% warranty discount and the bloggie promotion at the same time. I felt it was BS but didn't argue.

If you read the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of the page it mentions no such restriction. There is a promotion code restriction of 1 per order, but since these two promotions are automatic I do not feel either fall under that. And the education discount I wouldn't even consider a promotion at all. In the T&C the Sony "Campus" program has its own section and makes no mention of losing available promotions. Furthermore, the bloggie promo is plastered all over place, including after you have signed into the Education store.

So yesterday I called and played dumb. Just said that I ordered the Vaio C on Tuesday and did not get the Bloggie free like it said I would. At first, the rep said I would only get the Bloggie after receiving my laptop and registering it. Yeah right! But I just said that disagrees with what other people who ordered are seeing (already have tracking numbers) and that if you add a Vaio C to your cart you automatically see the Bloggie in your cart as well -- and that I did not have the bloggie in my cart. She put me on hold for a few minutes, and then came back and apologized and said they would be sending me the Bloggie.


I know that refusing or returning shipment is a big hassle and slight risk, but if I were in your shoes I probably would have tried to cancel the order on Tuesday considering the huge price difference that one day (glitch) plus the Bloggie promo. I agree that Sony should at least let you get the Bloggie.

 

All that said, now I just found out this morning that Dell has a 35% off coupon for the Latitude laptops I was looking at. Pretty similar pricing to what I got, but with a better build quality I'm assuming and an anti-glare/matte screen which I would have much prefered. If I had known then, I might have opted for the Dell instead...

 

I will say, the build of my Vaio feels better than any laptop I've ever used. Very solid and well-formed. Haven't tried the Latitude, but I didn't want a Dell based on a bad experience. I do understand the screen issue, though. It doesn't bother me much.

 

i have anti-glare accessory for a reflective screen, i havent used it yet. im waiting for the vaio i ordered.

 

Here is a video of my new Sony Vaio CB in BOLT Black. Very very nice machine. Video on YouTube I filmed in HD.

Enjoy!







YouTube - Sony Vaio CB Laptop VPCCB17FX intel Core i5

 

I hope I will be pleased with the build quality as well. I've only owned one HP consumer laptop and it didn't last a full 3 years (LCD went out). So I'm just hoping and assuming I would be better off with a "business" class laptop from any of the major manufacturers. The metal construction touted by the Latitude line sounds really impressive.

There were definitely some trade-offs though. The Latitudes did not offer blu-ray drives, or as good of video card options. Although I don't really see myself gaming or playing movies very much. Also, the Office Pro was a nice perk, however, I can get that for really cheap from work (HUP) so not really a big deal. The Bloggie is a nice bonus, but I seriously doubt I would have bought one in the first place so I can't place too much emphasis on that either.

I'm guessing I will be happy with the Sony, but its hard to fight human nature and always wonder about the grass being greener on the other side.

 

what accessory do you have? Is it specific for the vaio?

 

That's the worst part about buying a major product. You do your research and find as many haters as lovers of everything! And no matter when you buy, you'll always wish you bought it before or after (for instance, I didn't get the camera). And you always figure for a little more you can have ____, and then a little more... It's frustrating.

I'm happy with my computer, and I guess that's all that matters.

 

Persistence pays off. I sent an email about it, and got the typical automated "We cannot assess your question via email, please call customer support." I replied to it out of frustration anyway. To my surprise, I got an actual personal email back asking me to wait while they check with their supervisor. This morning, my cell rang and it was Sony. Approved for the Bloggie Touch and confirmation was in my email. Sony with the redemption!

 

it's like a LCD screen protector which eliminates reflection. not intended for vaio hehe, it needs to be measured based on the screen of the vaio, then cut the excess.

 

Congrats! So I guess the important question for people like us who had to jump through hoops to get this "Bloggie" thing... is it any good???

 

anyone know if the Vaio CB keyboard is "full-sized"? XPS owner (without a numpad!) claimed you couldn't have both a "full-sized" keyboard and numpad in a 15.5" laptop.

 

Just received my bloggie touch !

 

Not sure what constitutes full-size, but it does not feel cramped. My biggest complaint is: why do I want the number pad? Would rather have the normal keys and track pad centered than off to the left because of the num pad, which I'll never use. *grumbles*

 

Congrats! How is it??

 

Full size meaning the same size as a standard PC keyboard. Many of the 12" and smaller laptops today come with keyboards that are actually smaller than "standard" with smaller keys and spaces between them. Some people have a hard time getting used to the size difference.

I'm actually glad it has the number pad. I'm much quicker inputting numbers on a number pad than without. Since my current laptop is 17" and has the number pad as well I'm already used to being "off-centered".

Does anyone with the Vaio CB know if the trackpad has a physical on/off button?

 

Yeah, I get the sense it's smaller, but it does not feel closer together and doesn't seem to have smaller keys. The keyboard goes right up to the sides, pretty much. It's a nice fit.

A physical button on the device to turn off the trackpad? No. The only buttons are power and VAIO assist buttons (web, etc.) and the wireless button on the front.

 

It's pretty awesome the quality of the video's taken are in HD and when i upload them to the desktop they look even more amazing. Can't go wrong with a free high quality video camera and it takes decent pictures only thing is that it doesn't have flash.

 

So I assume there is a way to disable the trackpad via software? I almost exclusively use a bluetooth mouse, and hate typing with the trackpad on since I usually end up hitting it with my palms and registering false movement/clicks.

Sorry for asking so many mundane questions... just trying to pass the time until my Vaio gets here!

 

No worries! Yep, you can go to the mouse through the Control Panel or Vaio Care program. You can disable it and also increase the sensitivity to prevent your palm from being registered as a finger touch. I have to do that, because my palm hits it and when I scroll, I end up pinching-and-zooming, which is a nice feature except for when you don't want to do it!

Do you have a Bluetooth mouse you like? I need to get a wireless or BT mouse. My old one was a piece of junk.

 

I have the Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse 5000

Its a little on the small side but I've gotten use to it. Nice that it is transceiver free. It eats batteries a little faster than I'd prefer as well. When I bought it a few years ago it was the only transceiver free one I could find, but perhaps by now there are more/better choices available though.

This looks nice, kinda pricey though:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...=8198552921666005663&tab=featuresTab#features

 

I looked at the Sony mice when I was buying the laptop, but they're very pricey (like most of their stuff). Figure I can get a cheaper wireless or BT one...just not sure which yet. They have some for $20. Thanks!

 

I also like the fact that there is a number pad. It helps when, as a teacher, I have to enter the results of my students. Much faster than having them aligned on top of the keyboard. More about keyboards...

What is a Chiclet keyboard, and why is it better?
What is a Chiclet keyboard, and why is it better? | Blogs - Techinstyle.tv

 

I like that mouse (10$ cheaper at amazon Amazon.com: Sony VAIO VGP-BMS10/B - Mouse - laser - 2 button(s) - wireless - Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz - black, aluminum: Electronics ). Kinda stylish to match the laptop and it's not that expensive when you compare with some Logitech mice like this one at $129.95 AUD Anywhere Mouse M905

BTW: Don't forget that a BT mouse has the advantage of leaving a free usb port if you compare with a usb mouse.

 

Hi all,
I am having my eyes on the Vaio CB (15.5" display) series (VPCCB190X CTO to be precise) .Here are a few things I want to know
1. Since it is a newly released series there are no problems(heating, fan noise etc) in the google search results, but should I take this or the tried and tested EB series.

2.Is the 4 GB RAM good enough for my tasks which would be Email, Browsing(a lot of tabs though), watch some Blue Ray and HD movies(when they become more easily available in the near future) . If am adding 2 more GB and buy a 6GB one, will there be a slot left to add another 2GB in future or should I remove the 2 GB and replace it with 4 GB?

3.Next is the HD display, should I opt for the normal Display with LED backlight (1366 x 768) or the Full HD VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) ?
One thing I know is with more resolution we can put more Icons in the desktop, but does it make a difference if I watch a AVI format movie?

For these two questions I am expecting answers from the owners :

4.The one issue I read from the threads here is there a keyboard flux, is that a serious issue or is it a individuals preference?

5. What color looks best, black looks solid but I feel I could go for orange since the whole purpose of this series is color. My question is will the Orange / Green affect the contrast of the screen and degrade the picture quality

6. One silly question, does the trackpad support vertical scrolling, I tested one in best buy which was not scrolling vertically. The sales person searched a lot but coudn't enable it. I know this feature can be controlled in control panel, but just want to make sure that they still support vertical scroll for people like me who hate a mouse.

Sorry about the long thread but I want to be sure before I make up my mind and spend a grand on this.

BTW this is my first personal laptop in my 25 years, so really excited about it.

 

1. The laptop runs pretty quiet. My old roommate's HP was on full blast constantly. This thing is a dream compared to that. Fan noise is minimal and I haven't noticed much heat.

2. 4GB is minimum to fly with W7 in my opinion. I went with 8GB because I didn't want to be putting anymore in at a later date and figured I'd pay the premium for convenience. If you're comfortable with putting your own memory in, go with the 4GB and buy some cheaper than you would from Sony.

3. The better screen will make everything look better. From what I've read, this is a no brainer (get the premium display).

4. I'm not sure what keyboard flux is, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with mine.

5. I can only speak for myself, but I love my white laptop. Check out all of the pictures posted and decide for yourself.

6. Vertical scrolling? Like using the right side of the track pad to scroll web pages? If so, yes. It isn't labeled, but it works just fine.

 

I do kind of regret not going for 6GB of ram on my CB series. Does anyone know good laptop ram for this? I just want to replace one of the 2gb chips with a 4gb and keep the other slot with the 2 that came with it.

I have an i7 laptop (non sandy bridge) from last year with 8gb of ram (DDR3-SDRAM-1333). Does it also use the same DDR3 as these new sandy bridge processors?

 

Haven't checked that but apparently only Blu-ray drives can read a Blu-ray disc. This means that if you burn a Blu-ray data disc and give it to your friend who hasn't got a Blu-ray drive, he won't be able to read it on his DVD drive. Can anyone confirm?

 

That's true. The normal blu-ray upgrade will play CD, DVD, blu-ray and burn CD and DVD. The upgrade to blu-ray burner will also burn blu-ray discs, which won't play without a blu-ray drive.

 

All laptops will have some machines that have problems. So far, no problems with mine.

I got 4 GB. The upgrade on Sony is $200 to go to 8 GB, but you can find 8 GB (2 4GB DIMMs) for under $100 and upgrade yourself later. 4GB is probably plenty for what you're doing. It's very fast for mine!

It's one of the big selling points for this laptop. Definitely go for the HD. Looks fantastic.

Keyboard flex? I don't feel any. The chicklet keyboard is awesome.

That's up to you. I got the black and like it quite a bit. Very slick.

Yep, it supports vertical scrolling up and down the right side. It also supports pinching for zoom.

 

hello everybody. Im a newcomer in here. well... I just buying sony vaio vpccb17fg from one of computer shops in hong kong few weeks ago. i have some problems with my laptop:

1. Why my gpu is always using intel hd3000 instead of amd hd6630? It can't switch automatically to hd6630 even i already added the application into catalyst control centre n set it to high performance.
2. how to disable onboard gpu if there's no such of option to disable IGP from bios? I have also already tried to disable the onboard gpu from device manager but it's still not working
3. i was test benchmarking some games on my laptop. Totally there r 4 games that i've already test it on my laptop.Css, l4d 2, mafia ii, n gta 4.l4d 2 n css could reach until 60 - 100 fps when i test it with console next-gen native resolution.I can also play mafia ii with native effect and 1080p resolution with fps around 30. But, when i was trying to play gta4 with all very low setting the fps could not even reach until 10? what's wrong with this?
4. I have already uninstall the previous driver using swap driver n i want to use hd6630m amd driver directly from the amd website instead driver from sony. But, when i was trying to install the driver from the amd they said the driver is not compitable with my laptop? how could it be?
5. I already contacting the sony centre to tell them about this problem. They said the gpu name is always displaying mobile intel instead amd hd6630. They said, Actually when i already added the application into catalyst control centre and set it to high performance it will switch automatically to hd6630 even though the results are still displaying under the name of mobile intel. Is it true? Or, they just telling the lies about this?
6. is there any risk if i want to make partition on sandy bridge laptop? I want to make partition(xp n 7). Is it possible to do that?
7. My friend on the internet has also same problem like me. Do anyone in here habe the same problem like me(could not switch automatically to amd hd6630m)?
He's laptop is vpccb15fg.

My laptop now is under checking on the sony centre. I already come to their place for the fifth times n until now the problems are still not fixed yet. could u give me some suggestion what should i do if the problem still cannot be fixed? Wait for the update driver from sony? Complaint until the problem is finished? Or, just sell it? Dont tell me to exchange, refund, or some kind like that because it's already over the limit days since the first day i buying the laptop. what's wrong with my laptop? I got really frustrated with this. I need ur help, mate. Thx before, pals

* please reply my post because i want to showing to them all ur reply to the sony centre for proving that i'm not wrong in this case. Thank you very much for your answer, friends *

 

anybody considering installing an SSD into the Vaio C in the future? I wonder who difficult it would be, both the physical installation and the O/S and drivers installation. I'm hoping the price drop on SSD's in a year or so will warrant the upgrade.

 

Me! the DD on my order is just 320@5400rpm because i will upgrade to SSD in the future. im hoping too, that SSD prices will slide down i saw an online instruction (even in youtube) on how to replace hdd with ssd.

WWScoobyD, you have your bloggie already?

 

Just got the laptop sleeve. Looks pretty slick. Now just need the Bloggie and Vaio...

 

Hey ScoobyDo, did u also receive the Sony Order Delay email? Too bad i received it. however my estimated ship date did not changed. Still 4/28/2011.
Please let me know about yours sir. thanks.

 

Yep got a delay email even though the estimated date for shipping is still the same 4/28. Bloggie is supposed to be delivered tomorrow oddly enough, considering its Saturday. I was hoping the laptop would come sooner than estimated, not looking good now. I will be traveling to China in early May, I really need the laptop before then...

 

me either. i really need that for my job. phew! I will be out of the US on May 4 and will not come back for long. i have no one to pick it up for me. you have any suggestions for me? im thinking to ship it to the country im goin. do you think it's possible? here in US, my shipping address is my office address, i dont think they will ship it for me. sad.... i definitely need that computer.

 

I just got the email saying that my laptop was delayed as well. I ordered it when they had the mis priced with the 8 gig and w7 pro and office pro for free. I also looked into my bank account i cant seem to find where they have previously charged me for the laptop when i ordered it so i got my money with no records of sony charging me on my account but it says it's been delayed in the email. So I'm wondering what is gonna happen

 

Someone please reply my questions. I need ur help, mate. ASAP. Thank you

 

i called them, they still gave me my initial estimated ship date of 4/28. still good for me.