Sony X Series Official Owners Thread

Well, just picked it up today here in Tokyo. I was surprised it was already in stock at Bic Camera. I wasn't planning to purchase it, but once I saw how incredible the engineering is and how nice the screen looked, I just couldn't resist! I'll post the unboxing photos later today...

 

Thanks! Hope you will like it!!

Could you please also try to play a 720p HD movie in Windows media player classic or BSplayer? Is it fluent?
How warm does the vaio really get?
How is the fan running? Just sometimes?

 

i'm expecting it to be fanless.

 

I'm about to purchase an X series from the UK Sony Style online store but am unsure about the colour choices offered. They list black/carbon/gold. I want the matte black one mentioned in reviews as being more resistant to smudges and scratches. Does anybody know if this is the black one listed? Or carbon? Or maybe the UK doesn't get matte black?

 

Please post photos in all angles and gives a review. Thanks.

Carbon smudges, but looks very cool.
So Black is what you want - its more matted.

 

My TT has carbon and I haven't noticed any smudges.

 

Agreed, Sony's upper-end Notebooks are top notch quality, build and engineering-wise, but the prices are "stratospheric"... particularly in the EU. Forget the X, I can't even get a TT for under €1,700... :-/

But hey, if you're liquid, go for it! Nothing like owning the best, is there... (not that I would know, lol )

 

I haven't gotten around to getting the media player installed yet, but seeing as I got 1080p video working perfectly on the 1.33Ghz VAIO P Series (using the Cyberlink codecs), it should be fine on this machine. I don't watch flash video, so that's not a problem for me. The bottom of the machine gets a bit warm, but not hot (unlike the P, which can get burning hot due to lack of a fan). There is a vent on the bottom of the machine that seems to be the intake for cool air, so be careful about covering this if you want a cool laptop. So far, the fan has almost always been running, but I've been pushing the machine hard installing everything.

There's a fan here, and I'd say that's a good thing considering how hot the P gets. It can get loud sometimes, but dies way down when the machine isn't being taxed. There was a BIOS update that "adjusts the fan control settings", according to the description in Japanese, and that seems to have made the fan a bit less aggressive.

The regular black one I got is very nice. It still shows smudges to some extent, but is better than my VAIO Z "premium" carbon lid.

I'll post the pictures as soon as possible.

The retail price here in Tokyo is 109,000yen, including tax (and I received 8% back through Bic's point system). I think this price is quite reasonable, considering the competition. The machine I got has the following specs:

• 1.86Ghz Z540
• Windows 7 Home Premium (I entered my Ultimate key for the Anytime Upgrade)
• 2GB RAM
• 64GB SanDisk SSD (benchmarks to follow)
• Wireless WAN with GPS (Gobi 2000, if I remember correctly)
• "L" Battery, good for "up to 8 hours"

The battery is definitely removable, and can probably be replaced with the "S" battery if needed. I'm not sure why anyone would get the "S" battery, since the "L" battery is flush with the bottom of the notebook. I bet Sony sells an "S" battery so they could say how lightweight this thing is.

One other thing I noticed is the fact that this seems to have an International Warranty, which is definitely a first from Sony Japan. When i get around to it, I'll read the details to see exactly what the conditions are.

 

Can someone clear up some confusion I have on the batteries - I have ordered a customised UK model with the 4 hours battery life


Battery life up to 4 hours [Surcharge: - £ 30.0 ]

I assume this is the 'flush fitting'


There is an 8 hour one which I assume is the extended one that sticks out of the bottom like a laptop stand ... which defeats the purpose of the whole laptop in my mind ....

Does anyone have a definitive answer on the batters (with pics if possible?)

 

Thanks dimension6 for all your observation. Looking forward to the ssd benchmarks. The warranty is interesting for us - foreign buyers. If it is international, I would get one from Japan

Thanks

 

Here in Japan there are three batteries: the S, L, and X (which is not available yet). Mine has the L battery, which is completely flush fitting. I assume the S battery has some sort of filler or something, and I think Sony only produces this battery so they can enter the X in a weight competition. A comparison between the weight and life of the three batteries is found here (in Japanese; the number of hours is listed with the characters 時間 .

Here's a very informal benchmark of the SanDisk 64GB drive. I didn't do anything special to prepare for it, so take the results lightly. The performance is not bad for a netbook.

 

Yeah, its not bad for a netbook... but not really a fast SSD

 

It's bottlenecked at US15W's PATA, so even if you put an Intel X18E you are not going to get anything spetacular...

 

Here you go!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X6YT61SN

 

Well, if the L battery can really produce close to 10 hours, I'm fine with it.

 

Thank you!!!

 

It looks like the L battery provides around 5 hours or so with all wireless (Bluetooth, WLAN, WWAN) on. I haven't tested it yet, but I'd say you could get 8 or so with lower brightness and wireless off. 10 might be stretching it, but it's amazing such a tiny battery can provide this kind of battery life. I'm looking forward to seeing the X battery in person as soon as it's available.

 

Is the WWAN locked (not sure if that's the correct word) to the Japanese service provider? As in you can't use it with service providers in other countries?

 

I'm not sure. You'd have to check with someone who's tried activating it outside Japan. I'll see if I can find anything out about that.

I'm typing on the X right now. The keyboard is excellent. It feels just like a MacBook Pro keyboard, only smaller. It's definitely closer to the MacBook than the VAIO Z, since the keys are very flush to the keyboard. There's no flex whatsoever. The touchpad is quite good, without any dead spots (as often mentioned about the TT series). It has multitouch gestures (though, as far as I know, no two-finger scrolling; the two-finger gestures are limited to forward and backward) and circular scrolling.

This was also the first VAIO I didn't do a clean install on. There wasn't too much junkware installed from the start, and it was easy to uninstall what I didn't need. After burning the recovery disks, the first thing I did was to delete the recovery partition (using DISKPART and EASEUS Partition Manager). With a 64GB SSD, I really need all the space I can get. The X came preloaded with Japan GPS mapping software too, which is taking up a few gigs in case I need space later.

 

Was hoping to use this new Vaio X as a replacement desktop.

So, after hooking this laptop to a 22" widescreen monitor, do you think full screen HD video (Like on YouTube / Hulu) will lag?

Would love it if anyone could test this out for me.

Thanks

 

HD flash video will be a problem with any Atom/GMA 500 combination. YouTube HD is barely watchable, and drops frames on my 1.86Ghz X. However, as I mentioned before, H.264 720p and 1080p files work flawlessly because they take advantage of hardware decoding. If I were you, I'd build a cheap desktop for a few hundred bucks and keep the X for traveling. I'm not sure about Hulu, as we don't have that here in Japan.

 

Just FYI hardware acceleration for flash video is due in the next major update from Adobe. that will make a huge difference for web browsing but also fullscreen and hd video. supposed to be here before christmas.

 

Yeah, for any pc with an Nvidia gpu.

 

If only Sony put a more powerful processor (c2d?) in this laptop/netbook, then I would be more enticed to buy this beauty (1.2k for a paperweight is quite ludicrous)! An Atom is simply too weak. I can already assume it won't be able to fully take advantage of Windows 7's perks (virtualization, gui ectect).

I just hope Sony upgrades the specs before July-August 2010 (going away for college), otherwise I just might stick with my original decision of buying a Sony FW.

 

I had a quick play with the X over the weekend and I can tell you it is definitely not made to play YouTube or HD videos. Sure it can play HD videos but seriously hogs the system and the audio goes out of sync with the video. Remember guys, the X is for simple everyday tasks only.

I must also say, sorry to all X fans, but is it me or does it feel / look cheap? Don't get me wrong I love Sony Vaios... however that was my first impression on the X. Anyway, sure is thin though!

 

The Asian version is unlocked... same version thats on sale in Sing and Dxb.... whats it gona cost there ?

The top version is on sale here in Dubai for ~6500 AED = $1777 !

Thats 2GHz 2G 128SSD 3G but only the Simple batt ....

I had a look at it last week at Gitex.. should be in all the stores now, i'll have another look when I am back on Wed..

 

Top version ain't out here yet. The 2 lower versions are S$1999 and S$2199. Definitely more expensive than Japan and Hong Kong.

 

To add, not only does the Sony X need a new processor, but ffs Sony needs to add an HDMI port!

Why VGA? The year is 2009 (nearing 2010) technology is supposed to be moving forward, not backwards~

I hope Sony has a list of things to improve on for future models of the X, or it will meet the same fate as the TT series:

1) FASTER PROCESSOR
2) ADD HDMI (VGA = old,bad)
3) ???
4) PROFIT!!

EDIT~

I had a dream of owning a Sony X (or similiar "road warrior" laptop) with a 6.66+ GHz Quad/Octo-core processor, desktop grade graphics, 8-16 gigabytes of memory on 2-3 sticks, 11.1 inch (or greater) screen with backlit keyboard, integrated blu-ray drive, multi-touch screen capabilities, 1+ Exabyte SSD, 2x HDMI 7.0 outputs, a 72.0 MP Integrated camera, and 100/100 mobile broadband internet.

I was editing sixty-nine 72.0 MP photos in Photoshop CS9, editing a raw 2160p video in Adobe Premiere CS9, playing Crysis 1, 2 & 3 at INSANE GRAPHICS (w/ Direct X69) @ 100 fps, watching a bluray disc at 1080p outputted to my 120" Sony Bravia via HDMI, creating a commercial webpage in Adobe Flash CS9 and listening to my all-Rush mix in ".flac" via Windows Media Center. . .SIMULTANEOUSLY!

All while I was receiving a ZJ from blonde twins in my 2020 Ferrari Jilzujki (electric vehicle)

 

Actually, I'm impressed with the quality of this machine, as compared to the VAIO Z. It doesn't creak at all when I pick it up from the side, unlike the Z, which creaks like crazy. I also prefer the keyboard (though perhaps I'm biased, since my Z's keyboard, a ￥30,000 part, is currently destroyed from spilling syrup on it!).

 

I just had a time to play with X today at Sony Style store.
I really like its appearance and design, feeling of a luxury notebook and amazing battery life.
However, I tried playing youtube HD and normal video, the result is unacceptable.
Note that, it has Atom 2.0GHz, 64GB SSD and Windows 7 Home Premium, but both HD and normal youtube video CANNOT play smoothly at full screen even at windowed. Frames drop a lot with HD at full screen.

 

I think all netbooks should have the ability to at least play YouTube videos in the year 2009. Yeah, the X is not designed for multi-media purposes but YouTube is huge in people's everyday tasks online.

 

Simple when your on the road 800% of the place you go to only have VGA projectors, same issue as with the new HP 5310m only has Display Port, you need an adapter !!... and anyways HDMI is a consumer interface DisplayPort is the "Professional" one, even if no one uses it !

 

What kind of Batt times are you now getting as your actually using it ?

Does it really support all the "Aero" interface enhancements in 7 smoothly ?

Lag between app SWITCHING not initial start?

Basically usability in a normal context..

Outlook in the background (syncing) switching from Powerpoint to firefox (to stop flash from eating battery) ...

thanks

 

If you have the brightness all the way up and all the wireless functions switched on, you would get 4-5 hours maximum with the L battery. You could turn on the Aero functions, but it won't be anywhere near usable. There is also a lag between app switching of around a second or two. I always run Outlook connected to Exchange and despite the typical GMA 500 lagginess, it's actually quite usable. You won't like the X if you're constantly flipping between applications, but it works quite well for web browsing, Office, and for typing.

 

Think as mentioned it plays normal YouTube videos smoothly, right? As the same as other netbooks. YouTube HD not all netbooks can play smoothly anyway.

 

dimension6, when are you going to post photos?

 

Sony X not able to play YouTube videos smoothly?

I guess flash videos / DVDs are out of the question then ...

ugh - so much for hooking this laptop up to my widescreen monitor :-(

Still looking for the ultraportable, light, thin and capable of playing videos while I'm on a transcontinental / overseas flight and able to be hooked up to my 22" widescreen monitor at home.

I'll wait another year. hopefully something better comes out.

 

I have tried youtube normal and HD video, both still have lag at normal or full screen. The one I tried on having Aero Glass on.

 

Thanks for the speedy reply.. the only aero functions i am interested in are
Areo peek and aero snap... i find these the most useful functions, wish I had aero snap on my MAC (Did I just say that....)

Seeing as Sony and a few others have committed themselves to the GMA500 and the new chips coming from Intel near the start of next year are based on the GMA500 (Embedded), I am sure that the drivers will improve, I have a AcerOne 751 which also uses the GMA5 and with a little tweaking all of the Aero Stuff works well (it's only clocked at 1.3 ghz). Issue with the chipset is though that it does not naturally support SATA... but thats another issue..

 

Um...in case you haven't noticed, other than the thickness and weight and the lack of a Blu-ray, what you outlined is exactly a TT, which, BTW, have just been refreshed in every part of the world except North America.

Now that TT is confirmed to have lived on, I think Sony will not put anything above Atom in future X -- they will just release a replacement for TT next year.

 

Unboxing photos are finally up, and you can see them here. I hope it doesn't pound my home server!

 

Sony WILL put something more powerful than an Atom. If the Sony X can't even play low-def youtube videos without stuttering, then what's the point in buying it? Sony has a lot of balls to sell a 1.2k+ paperweight, especially in this current economy.

Don't get me wrong, the Sony X is a brilliant and beautiful piece of equipment, but the laptop (imo) currently appeals to people with money to waste or the elderly demographic.


@dimension6

the 12th picture is all distorted or proportioned wrong lol, btw nice photos~

 

thanks for the photos. looks nice. but will the screen have the same problem with Z, i mean, will it leave some keyboard mark if tight close? nevertheless, cool machine.

 

marks will be left on any machine that is not handled propertly...

btw, i dont understand why people about some lame youtube videos, since when did that become priority to people?

 

I know, I was really hyped about X, too, but with an Atom it does lose a lot of appeal. On the other hand, users in Asia have reported in X' thermo performance and coupled with the fact that TT and G are still going, I think the best Sony will put in X will be a next gen Atom, which is still nothing to shout about.

As for Youtube, you know, there is a reason a lot of companies banned it from company's network. I enjoyed it, but I don't use it for work -- at least, if I am watching it, I am not working, wherever I am. So for business, X still has a strong appeal because the functionality that it doesn't have is the function that most companies don't want their employee to have anyway -- and really, with that price tag, Sony is not targeting consumers in general.

So, I think X will sell decently, just like P did, but it would be a very niche market that most of us here are not in.

 

The X is definitely not as bad as the Z in that regard. That was one of the first things I checked. Although there is a slight ridge around the keyboard, it's not as pronounced as the one on the Z. The X comes with both a thin cloth sleeve and a dark brown cloth for putting between the lid.

 

thanks, but my acer and vaio c doesnt have the problem of this mark. maybe its flex on sony.

youtube? maybe because you have less possibility to run video files smoothly on atom, youtube would be another alternative. *not just youtube, theres tons of streaming video*.

its not become priority, but it has become part of the internet. people do vlog, stuff review, camwh0ring, game preview, *add more*
cheers.

i see, thanks for the clarifications

 

Guys,

me thinks if the video file is on the HD localy then no issue , it only stutters with downloading and playing at the same time, as currently FLASH is decoded on the CPU even a SU3500 C2S has problems. This is what I found on my AcerAspire 751 which uses the same GM chip HD not an issue as long as I down load it before..

 

Thanks for the pics. My X should be shipped later this week...

 

i went to sonystyle shop in mi city, installed the CCCP and tryd to play a 720p... Gossip Girl last episode...

Totally unable to do it at the correct speed.

ATOM 2ghz, 2gb RAM, 256gb SSD.


WHAT THE HELL IS THIS???