Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

Hi, Folks!

I decided I'd try to run my first battery life test, and for that test I'd browse the web continuously until the battery went dead. Well, I've been doing just that for 3 hours and 20 minutes now, and I've had a surprising mental response to this process. There really is something quite unusual about the Z!

Somewhere after about 2-1/2 hours, I realized that I was seeing content in a very unusual, and completely new way. The speed at which content is delivered (fortunately, I do have a fast broadband link), the speed at which it's rendered, and the speed at which it's cached and retrieved, changes my perception of the way content exists on the web. With virtually instant access to anything, pages just appear, as though they were all statically stored on the machine. Suddenly, the web is there in a way I'd never before experienced.

That may sound like exaggeration, but I assure you it's not. What really makes this spooky is that it's all completely silent. No hard drive spinning up and down, no whoosh of loud fans, no backlight flashing off (I left this on continuously for this test), and no nagging flashing (I avoided sites which use annoying ads).

Suddenly, this SSD seems infinitely large!

All a little too transcendental for many folks here, I'm sure. But I tell you, this is one hell of a machine, like I've never before encountered. If you're in any way considering a Vaio Z, just buy one!

Cheers!
Mark

 

^ Almost sounds like a quote someone will put in a book about computer history in 200 years.

 

Best Buys Base Z just went up in price. No longer 1699.99.
What gives?

Could someone post a few more photos of the Plain Silver Z? I'm beginning to like the Silver more so than the Prem. Carb. Blk. From a design aspect, you can really see all the details that go into it and the keys really stand out against the Silver. Besides, Silver is a new color for the Z Series Lineup and I've already experience the old Z in matte Black. I've been reading too many comments on fingerprints, greasy keyboards, and how easily the prem. carb. shows scratches. It's like owning a Black Car. Thanks.

I just wished BB, Frys, or MicroC had it with 192SSD (128 may be too limiting), as their prices are very competitive to Sony, even with a 7% Student Discount.

 

Maybe Sony stopped giving them the 20% discount

 

Interesting: it still shows $1699.99 if you do a search on the site but becomes $1729.99 the minute you put it into the cart... Mmh...

 

I really ought to be working, but here's quick thoughts after finally receiving my Z late last night.

It's quiet! Yes, the fan noise is audible in a quiet room, and it's not a pleasant "swooshing" sound, more like a "whirr", but it's quiet enough for me not be annoyed by it at any point.

The FullHD screen is definitely TN-panel, and most probably 8-bit. The vertical viewing angles aren't any better than what the panel tech allows, but I guess it's decent. There's absolutely NO banding at all on the Lagom LCD-test B&W gradients, gamma seems to be almost spot on (yes, there is a D65 ICC profile included!), and the while viewing angle test does show that the vertical viewing angle isn't anything to brag about (compared to better panel tech's like IPS), full screen pure colors do seem reasonably accurate when viewed from straight ahead.

The resolution (1080P) at 125% DPI isn't too much at all! It's all around crisp, text is nice and crisp and big enough most of the time. I like it!

It does seem quite fast also but I've really not had enough time to put it to test.

Windows estimated up to 7 hours battery run time on idle (really, doing nothing), brigthness set to minimum, stamina mode and power saver settings applied. If I can squeeze 5 hours out of it in real world light usage scenarios, I'm more than happy!

BTW. the aluminium slab that the front of the Z is mostly made of seems quite warm to the touch, so I think it's actually used as a quite effective passive heatsink (it's not uncomfortably warm, though!). Quite brilliant, me thinks!

Oh, and coming from Asus U6Sg, it seems I'll have to get accustomed to the Sony keyboard for a bit. The keys are so far apart! Oh well, I'm sure I'll get used to it fast.

And as a last observation for now, I would've perhaps preferred slightly more prominent edge between the palm rest and the touch pad. I've found myself a couple of time stroking at the palm rest and wondering why the mouse doesn't move

EDIT: Oh yeah, the specs: i7 620M, 6GB, Quad 256GB SSD, FullHD, WWAN... and the kitchen sink

 

Bet they're selling well and supply is running low. Might as well earn some extra money when demand outstrips supply, right?

 

For those with the Base Z (Silver) i5 520, do any of you have the same experience as MJFlash experienced with your Base Z - first post on this page - quite a compelling post. I don't expect a difference between 520 and 540 at the least. Just wondering.

What's a kid to do?

 

MJFlash
Your words is History in the making.

 

I ordered my laptop yesterday via live chat:, 03/25/2010 (Estimated Ship Date: 04/02/2010):

VPCZ1190X Configure-to-Order, Model Number: US-VPCZ1190X-LBOM
1600x900*
Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
384GB (256GBx1 + 128GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In
Fresh Start
CD/DVD Burner
Standard Capacity Battery
Premium Carbon Fiber
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit

Also:
VGP-PRZ10 Docking statioin
VGP-CKC4/B Carrying case
2 year express ship service plan
Backstage™ VIP Protection™ Suite

*I actually thought the US CTO-option was full HD screen - pretty shure it was earlier on, perhaps it is another model number now??
I would prefer HD, as long as I wouldn't be dissapointed about text reading or other readability/layout issues whan scaling text. But it is not a big deal, I will probably use an external montior for photo editing anyway.

As far as discount, I got some. And I don't recommend jus saying that "everyone gets it, I've read it on a forum". Be a little smart. Clues:
Extended service plan, and perhaps some accessories = 10%
plus Backstage VIP = 15%

It is also possible to obtain free express shipping, if you ask the right way. Perhaps instead of the last 5% discount if you don't add all accessories/service plan/security. Once again, don't just order the cheapest model with no accessories, and quote a forum and expect full discount!

I live in Norway by the way, and ordered from the US site, and will use an external shipping serviceto ship it overseas (they provide an US address to ship to, and then ship it to me).
It was not easy to order - first time I tried, I was told the billing address should be an US address and match the credit card address. I don't have an US credit card, but on the second attempt to order, I just said the billing address was the same as US shipping addresss - and the order went through. Just hope it goes throgh when the amount is charged the card when it is shipping.

 

A quick request: could someone with the 1080p screen possibly post up the .icc profile that was included with the notebook? I lost it during my fresh install, and would like to reload it.

Thanks!

 

Anyone here has a Magic Mouse working with the new Z?

Because i do and have this kind of Problem: When using the normal Windows Driver, ist works perfectly, fast, responsive, no lag at all!
Unfortunately the scrool doesn`t work with this drivers.

So i installed the "hacked" one from the net. Installation was easy and fast. Drivers do update and suddenly everything works including vertical, horizontal, and 360° scroll. Zoom with ctrl-button works too.
BUT!!!!!.....The Mouse suddenly became completely unusable because of lag. sometimes it runs nice for 5 minutes and then it lags. sometimes it lags fpr just a few seconds and sometimes for minutes. its just unusable.

So i googled the whole web but there is no solution for it.
I found some points but for me they seem unlogical. Here we go, let me explain:

1. The WLAN is 2,4ghz and interrupts the bluetooth. people say to switch it to 5ghz.
--> unlogical because i have 2,4ghz wlan and with the normal windows driver(hid) it works perfectly via bluetooth. if the frequency is the problem then it would lag all the time no matter what driver, right?

2.internal Bluetooth to weak
--> unlogical because again it works with the windows driver. same hardware here so this is not possible.
I also deletetd the foxconn drivers and let windows install the normal drivers. but same thing happens. the hacked driver lags.

how is this possible? seems to be a driver-issue?!
but then why do so many paople say the hacked driver works perfectly!!

any ideas?
hopefully someone has the new z and the magic mouse to provide a solution!

Thx
Dave

 

More notes.

Linuxes:

Ubuntu 9.1 LiveCD: I get the same result as agoma. It boots but there's no trackpad support and I have no idea how to use X without a pointer. Sound works, the VGA was Nvidia.

Ubuntu 10 beta: Pretty much the same, except the VGA garbles and I cannot drop to a command prompt.

Other:

I love this screen (the 1080). I set my DPI to 150%, which is probably slightly too large, but the text is just so crisp and clear.

My main disappointment so far is that it fails Linpack after only 5 iterations over 1GB. That's my usual "synthetic" stability test for machines, so I'm a bit concerned that it's going to be unstable in the future... I guess time will tell. The other disappointment is that I'm still not used to the odd keyboard layout (home, etc), and the insert key keeps sticking down at the top.

Flex-wise it flexes more than my other/old machine (Toshiba M200 tablet), but that's no real surprise as it's a magnesium alloy shell. My wrist rest doesn't creak, and my battery is "loose". Heat-wise it's the same as everybody else: the air coming out is hot, the bottom of the laptop simply isn't.

The only thing that I'm really missing is the hardware volume control that's on the front of the M200 (and the tablet stuff, but that's a given).

And yeah, the speakers are the worst I've heard for many years, shockingly bad for a laptop that cost this much.

 

Here you go.

 

Me like!

I know what you mean. It's the complete opposite from the way a web based support system at work, work. It's so slow, you actually contemplate for a few seconds before you do anything, because you know that it will take so long to complete the task. You think both twice and three times before you click to try to think out another way of doing whatever you want to do.

When you're in a position that you don't have to do that, like you are with the Z, you can concentrate on what you really want to do, and that must be a relief.

 

Guys, after approx. 20 min. of inactivity bluetooth and fingerprint reader just dissapear! It can be healed by goind to standby mode (or hibernate) and coming back.
Does anyone have the same problem?

 

Thanks! I already reapplied it.

 

Does anyone know how turn on 5 Ghz on without Vaio Smart Network? I'd like to make the laptop a bit "sony software free" but some programs are required to run.

 

Anyone know the specs of the memory card readers? Is it compatible with the new SDXC format? Transfer rates of the SD reader and MS reader?

 

My pre-configured model (256 GB) says 'Made in USA'

 

Go here:
Control Panel\Network and Internet\Manage Wireless Networks

Right-click the connection, go to properties, check the "Enable Intel connection settings" and then hot "Configure...". That should let you choose the band(s).

(Note that I'm doing that on a machine with the VAIO software, so YMMV. Let me know if it work ).

 

Can we get this model in US

 

Didn't you replace the HD with an Intel SSD? Anyway, my real question is: do you think two of the bare Intel SSDs can fit stacked within the HDD space? Or perhaps two bare 1.8" SSDs?

I think version 1 of Bluetooth stack uses a fixed part of the frequency spectrum, so if that space is used by some other wireless device we're hosed. Bluetooth ver 2 has adaptive frequency hopping, which does what it says, but the trouble is that if all the channels are relatively full anyway, then it still won't work. It could be that the hacked driver doesn't implement ver 2 (or does it improperly).

Have you tried running Linux in a VM using Win7 as the host? Would this solve the graphics issue?

 

Nope. They'll maybe do it in the future.

 

Yes, I installed Ubuntu 9.1 x64 in Virtualbox but have yet to get it to convince it to let me use a resolution greater than 1280x720 even at full screen... it's my first time with Virtualbox and it's not going well. (I installed the extras into the virtual guest and that took it up from 800x600 but I cannot see why it's not letting me have the full res). Also it hates my DPI setting. I'll maybe try VMWare Player (or similar).

 

I also have similar problem with Microsoft bluetoothe mouse. I think this is becuase of bluetooth drivers

 

You must have tried this, hacking the X-server config file adding modelines:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=719126

Though the "modern" way seems to be via xrandr:

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-adjust-screen-resolution-on-ubuntu.html

It's so lame of me to be asking, I wish my Z has been delivered so I can try it out myself

 

So, how do I prevent this from further happening again? It happens ALMOST whenever I switch the Z on, is it something with my router? or its the Z. because my SZ doesn't encounter the same problem

 

Xorg.conf doesn't exist on Ubuntu 9.10. I'll look at adding one later if I have time. Virtualbox just crashed out my opengl driver so I'm even less happy with it now than I was earlier though.

 

Is the aluminum jet black or gray? Thought it looked gray in the photos. Also, how does it look along with the gray palm rest. Thanks!

 

Ouch!

Yeah xorg.conf is old, try xrandr:
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-adjust-screen-resolution-on-ubuntu.html

 

Crossing my fingers....

I received a status change...it now reads Shipment Ready, estimated ship date is now 3/29/10. Good luck other Z owner wannabees...hope this is real.

 

By the by,

I returned the VPCZ112GX/S last night. I asked the Sony Style rep to call and see if she could get me a VPCZ11FHX/XQ (cash on the spot).

The rep called a warehouse and the person there said that there were 50 of them back ordered and couldn't say when the stocks would be replenished. I overheard the conversation, so I tend to believe it.

Just some more info.

In other news, the Sony Style site how shows them in stock with a 3/29 shipment date...

... and looks like my order got an update:


Insert guarded excitement HERE

 

When I first received mine I loaded ubuntu into VirtualBox and turned on VT-x. At that time I played with it a little bit, it seemed very fast and very responsive just running apps, doing compiles, surfing the web...
I did not have issues with the gui or trackpad. Although so far I have just run it at the default resolution (800x600). I guess I'll try getting to the full resolution next.

What do I need to do to duplicate your Linpack stability test?

 

I found out that the SonyStyle stores get precedent over regular internet orders. So, while I'll have to drive to White Plains to make my order (it looks like, at least), I'd end up getting it sooner than if I order over the net.

 

Just got my black carbon CTO 10 minutes ago, i think i'm about to shed a tear of happiness, it's so beautiful!

 

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=197835

I used standard to start, then high, then maximum, 4 threads, and 5 iterations. Standard is OK, very high is OK, and maximum fails, thereafter standard also fails. :/

Standard warning: Note that this is designed to stress your CPU in all sorts of ghastly ways and is pretty much designed to heat things up. People use it for stability tests with good reason. There is the potential that things will break/die/fail, etc. As long as you're OK with that then I'd be really interested to see what anybody else gets...

 

I'm new here and I can't find the PM option, so I'll just post here. So basically just register for a bing cashback account, then log in and search for 'laptop' on http://www.bing.com/shopping/ At the top right, you'll see a tigerdirect ad that says something like "X% cashback on all laptops" Click through, find the Z and order, and you'll see how much cashback you're getting at the checkout screen. So basically you pay the full price now and Microsoft will give you a percentage (the cashback amount) 60 days after your purchase. It looks like the tigerdirect cashback is no longer 15% though. Now it's down to like 8.3%...

 

I just checked mine and it says the same thing.

 

229 Pages read... today they got the 1st units on display in austria. so i went to a shop to see if it has any design problems

my short history:
srx51 - loose display holder that could be repaired every 3 months
tx3 - the only sony i had with no miss-design issues
tz2 - the one with the thin screen, i am still using. been putting a sheet between keyboard and screen everytime to avoid the keys scratching the screen after a while, the fingerprintsensor sratches the motion eye,
so i guess i can say that i know what to look for.

so after 5 minutes my resume: i guess i will NOT be buying it.
2500€ for another partly decent unit, but another sony with basic design issues.

there is still no ruber near the motion eye. close the lid and simulate a tight
bag - motion eye and fingerprintsensor are very close again.
the bar left and right of the motion eye / upper display frame - is made of quite hard plastic.
that 'sits' on the palm rest when closed which is also hard plastic.
so after some daily usage, either the bar on the frame or the palm-rest will be scratched.
so we pay 2500€ and then need to put some rubber pads in place ourselves so the unit stays fresh? or stick some tape there?

the usb-port placement is very stupid - one on the left and one on the right front - plug in anything there - that's the place were you usually will be having your hands when using a mouse.
there is not 2 usb ports close to each other. so a external disc with those Y-Type USB-Cables is bad to attach either. should work though. usb-port next to CTRL-Key is too close to the hdmi port!
The guy at the shop told me, they had a customer return the unit, because the usb-ports seem to be "different" on this units, the customer has devices he can not plug in there!

Sony: remove the crappy vga port, put the hdmi there and place the usb ports like everytime beside each other. and use common usb-ports that fit's all devices. not the crappy cheap ones. looks like the corners inside the usb-port have way less round edges.

and for me - the design below the keyboard - palm rest and below - looks plastic and cheap!

2 things have been learned since the TZ21 though: the power switch is not sticking outside of the housing - no accidental power-off.
and there's rubber-pads left and right of the keyboard - one thing to save seeing the keys scratched into the screen after some months.

but there is still no rubber pads around the motion eye and there's no rubber but hard plastic on top of screen/palmrest.

in my eyes: nice device, nice ideas.
1600x900 and 1900x1080 screens compared side by side - both decent - unless you have to read the icon-text 100% setting is fine, very crisp and clear. if you want to read icon texts -> move closer or to 125% setting.
after 2,5 year with the tz i felt like the display is not as bright but still good.

but for 2500€ i would not expect such design woos. though that could have been my 5th small vaio - this time i am not stupid again giving my money to Sony!
and for that price i'd expect the usual battere runtimes without the huge extended batterie. tz got me to 7/8 hours, even after 2 years (unless using 3G!). 4 hours on standard batterie? man, even the 600€ netbooks manage 8 hours nowadays. Yes, there is much power needed by this hardware, but come on sony, the guy on the next table with the cheap netbook lasts 2 times longer on batteries?

Do not get me wrong though - Thanks for this forum, for this thread, and all the best for the new Z owners!

But i also want to give this information to those that think about this device.
i was nearly going to order it until i saw and put my hands on it. now i am desperate to find something else that's nice in design, has a good battery runtime and a decent screen.

if you think about getting the Z: go to a shop, play around with a unit and think closely about such details - those are the things that will nag you each day - like having to put a sheet between display and keyboard each time you close it to keep the screen fresh though the Z looks good on this TZ2 design problem.

So... sorry for ranting - Thanks for this great and informative thread!

i hope to find something else and i am out of Sony-Customer world - not this way!

 

I just Pulled the trigger!!!!

I chat a few times with the sales rep online, and finally I took the decision. I GOT 15% OFF AND EXPRESS SHIPPING FREE!!

Product: US-VPCZ1190X-LBOM
Component: No additional Video Editing Software
Component: No Engraving
Component: Microsoft® Works
Component: Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial)
Component: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
Component: No additional Photo Editing Software
Component: Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In
Component: No Fresh Start
Component: Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
Component: Blu-ray Disc™ Player/Burner
Component: Large Capacity Battery
Component: Premium Carbon Fiber
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Component: 512GB (256GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
Per Unit Price: $3,484.99
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $3,484.99
Description: VPCZ1190X Configure-to-Order
Ship Method: Express
Estimated Ship Date: 04/05/2010
Extended Service Plan: 3 Year Express Ship Service Plan with Accidental Damage from Handling Protection [Sony recommends]
Price: $399.99
Product: VGPCKZ2
Per Unit Price: $149.99
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $149.99
Description: VAIO® Z Series Leather Carrying Case
Ship Method: Express
Estimated Ship Date: 03/29/2010
Product: VGPBMS10/B
Per Unit Price: $69.99
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $69.99
Description: Bluetooth® Laser Mouse
Ship Method: Express
Estimated Ship Date: 03/29/2010

Subtotal: $4,104.96
Tax:$332.20
Shipping Charges:$0.00

Order Total:$4,437.16

I Had to buy two accesories and the 3 years warranty (actually because I needed it).

 

GOOD NEWS!!!!

Hey Zoinks....my Sig Series Z has shipped!!!! Go check your SonyStyle status and see if yours has shipped also.
It was supposed to ship on 3/29/10 as of this morning....but now it says Completed and it shipped today.
I was given a FED EX # also....so this time it's the real thing.


Christmas in March!!!

 

I live in Norway too and is thinking about buying the Vaio Z.. but what are you going to do if the computer gets broken? How is the guarantee when you live in Norway and order it from USA? Thanks

 

I just noticed a while ago that I've got some flex in the (right side of the)plastic palmrest. Am I the only one or is this a flaw?

 

Mine also shipped.. It will be with me on Monday.

 

Talk about being on a high and then a killer low today....

Get a call from the CCC to authorize a transaction from "SonyStyle"!!

I and super excited...

12 PM get an email from stating my order was canceled..

Call customer care and they say it is not canceled and the status is ready to ship!

1 PM get an email stating again my order was canceled...

Call customer care and they say yes it was canceled because the card was declined. The card was not "declined" I say... They called me to verify that the transaction was legitimate before processing it. Pretty normal for >$4000 purchases? I travel worldwide and have a few incidents of people trying to use my CC number not only in the USA but in other countries. (My wallet was "lifted" at a Taco Bell in FL one time).

Then I come to find out that the "temporary authorization" for the amount of the laptop are on my account and are "counting" against my credit limit. Call Sony again to get them removed with the CC agent on the phone and they can't do anything. CC agent informs me it can take up to 30 days for it to get removed.

Placed another order for the same configuration effectively putting me out not only the price of the laptop but also my available credit. Cost? Sony Z signature laptop x2. Ridiculous...

There is a lot more to the story (3 pages worth) about my 4 hour ordeal trying to "give" Sony my money.

Extremely frustrating because it seems no one (sales people, customer care, "research teams" and even the SonyStyle sales people) are "empowered" to do anything. It is like they are just drones.

BTW... When you call to place an order the agents use the exact same website you would use to place the order yourself. They can enter in their own "coupon codes" to apply the discounts people are getting just like anyone else would do.

So the "moral" of this story... When ordering anything from Sony everything has to be dead on accurate with no "hold ups" (authorizations) in order to make it go through.

Letters (20) are in the mail as well as emails (14) to Sony detailing my "experience" that is "make believe".

I love the products but I mean come on...

My status is now: Ordered 3/26 with an estimated ship date of 3/29.. Status says processing.

.dj

UPDATE: Status still says "processing" although in the next screen it says "Ready for Shipment 3/29/10."

It's hard being a super geek. GF is amazed that I am so worked up over a "computer".

 

Mine shipped as well. Fedex says it will come on 3/29.

Too bad it didn't happen yesterday. Now the laptop will sit around until Monday.

Regardless, I'm pretty psyched.

 

yeah, sucks it will be just sitting on sunday, makes getting expedited shipping a waste... kinda.

 

I just got an email that mined shiped 7:40 pm. That was fast because I just ordered on 3/24. Im looking forward to getting my machine. I just wanted to thank everyone for their posts here on this forum. Your posts are really what ended up helping to make my mind up after I initially was interested. I got tired of waiting for a new macbook pro. I look forward to checking here and getting more info on what u all are up to with your Z.

I ordered a VPCZ11FHX/XQ.