Sony X Series Official Owners Thread

I picked up a Vaio X. Noob question: how do I do a clean install of windows, without paying for it?

PS: I have Japanese Windows installed, could I clean install to English Windows?

 

i've owned my vaio x for about a month now and have 3 issues.

first, my major issue, is that it includes a broadband card for verizon with a 3 day pass. i keep getting error messages like "WWAN device disabled" or "cant find card" with the verizon access manager trying to connect to broadband. my wireless is always turned on, so its not referring to that, and i know the broadband is a different card. 3 occasions ive gotten it to work in the last month for brief sessions. their support was useless. the manager also disconnects you from whatever connection you had going. it seems to use the "gobi 2000" modem, although the manager usually reports it as disabled and doesnt even show a broadband icon. every once in a while, however, it does show the broadband icon, which makes the problem even harder to pin down.

second is that on 3 occasions it has turned itself off, even though i had set it on sleep and the battery still had over half its charge.

my third issue ive had with all vaios is that the curser randomly jumps to other areas of the page while im typing. this is incredibly irratating and my girlfriend refuses to use my loptop until i fix this. i believe it has to do with the touchpad that moves the curser and then registers a "click" if you accidentally touch it while typing. i had i once found a control for the touchpad to turn off click feature on my previous laptop, although it turned itself back on. i currenty can't find a control for touchpad.

by the way, the free nero software that comes with the external $100 bundled dvd drive requires you to buy a dolby sound addon if you try to play movies with it and have sound, pretty sneaky.

even with all this i love having a light laptop to carry around all day. my last sony gave me a perpetually sore back. i was hoping not to have to carry around a power cord, but ive found i only get 6 hours with the large battery, with the "balenced" setting. the fan sounds like buzzing, but maybe it's supposed to. someone reported having access to a "silent" mode with an update, but i havent found that option and the vaio update program reports no updates available. is there a way to find out what version of vaio software is on a the laptop? i think it should be 5.0.

 

Or.... download the 2020 driver from Intel, and follow the instructions here.

And Bob's your uncle.

 

Anyone knows which one of Kensington's power adapters would be suitable for the VAIO X?

 

Why don't you buy the original one from Sony, doesn't seem more expensive.

 

Oh. Just thought the Kensington one might be useful since it has a USB port for charging as well. Too bad there isn't an adapter that can act as an adapter when plugged in to the wall, but yet you could use it as an external power source if you happen to be outside and your laptop runs low on juice.

 

The igo netbook adapter seems like an even better solution than the Kensington model. I ordered it a few days ago (from the website) with the 402 tip (this is the Vaio P tip, I assume it will work with the X) as well as got another tip for my cell phone. The $40 price seems reasonable, especially because it includes two free tips as well as the USB cable for add'l igo tips. (Apparently, at retail such as Amazon, it comes only with a set number of tips, among which is NOT the 402 compatible tip.)

The igo works at the correct specs for the X (10.5v, and up to 3A) and I think it's dual voltage. It's quite thin and compact (and once I replace the thick cord wth a folding prong plug from elsewhere, it will be VERY compact.) Moreover, it includes a USB port on the charger itself as well as the igo cable that plugs into the port that can use other igo tips, which means I only need to plug one thing into the wall to charge all my stuff.

 

firebreather1:

re: the accidental trackpad swipes while typing-- in the control panel / Mouse / Tapping, there's an option to "Tap off while typing" and adjust the time sensitivity following typing a key. Maybe that will help.

 

Hi,

Has anyone installed the GMA 500 version 2020 driver from Intel's site? Have you had ANY issues? I'm putting it off until Sony posts it on their support site, for fear that the Sony version might be slightly modded in some way to be better optimized/tweaked for the X.

But I'm tempted to try installing the driver anyway, because I also want to run the Flash 10.1 beta 1 which supposedly (according to other forums) works GREAT with the new 2020 driver, i.e. REAL GRAPHICS HARDWARE ACCELERATION i.e. fullscreen HD Flash video! (Apparently beta 2 disabled GMA 500 support because Adobe was waiting precisely for the 2020 driver to come out, and GMA500 support will be reinstated in beta 3.) Curious to know if anyone also installed Flash beta 1 and confirmed it's working well.

Thanks

 

As in this? And what's this 'folding prong plug' you're referring to?

 

The link you posted is for the "anywhere" model which also has car and plane adapters, and it's $20 more expensive. I purchased the one that only comes with the wall adapter, which is good enough for my needs:
http://www.igo.com/Laptop+Netbook-Chargers/Netbook-Wall-Charger/invt/ps001270004

Now this is completely optional, but I wanted to eliminate the thick cord that goes from the charger to the wall. So I'll also be repplacing it with the folding plug. as in the fourth photo down in this review:
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2009/09/30/ohgizmo-review-igo-netbook-charger/

But even that one is a tad bulky. I'll be using something like this, where the plug folds away:
http://cgi.ebay.com/US-AC-Plug-Adap...ltDomain_0?hash=item5ad6827050#ht_2818wt_1161

Note that the igo uses the two socket outlet, which is more compact than the three socket "mickey mouse ears" outlet that Sony's adapter uses. I already use the three socket plug prong with the Sony adapter which helps. I purchased the igo because I wanted a second adapter, it used more compact two-prong plugs, and the built-in usb port.

I am getting it later this week and will try to post to confirm it works as expected.

 

What other output voltages does it support? I can't seem to find it mentioned anywhere.

 

I've been using 2020 for a while now and it seems grand. I had trouble with the previous driver where occassionally the screen would become ultra-bright / washed-out when it would return from sleep (happened 3 or 4 times in total). Hasn't happened at all with this driver. Aero seems a little better with 2020 as well; fewer graphical glitches in IE8, in windows etc

I've tried the 10.1 flash beta 1 and it wouldn't consistently work for me; many videos would never start to play. On the occasion that they did actually play, it played quite smoothly. I will wait for the next beta release before I bother with flash 10.1 again.

One thing thaat may or may not be a result of using the 2020 driver, rather than the official Vaio 2015 driver; I can't get any resolution other than 1024 x 768 when hooking up to an external monitor. I never need to do this anyway, so I haven't bothered rolling back to 2015 to check if this is just a limitation of the X, or a problem with the 2020 driver. Feedback appreciated!

 

Belkin 40W AC Universal Netbook Power Adaptor



Belkin has just released a couple of universal Netbook Power Adapters in the UK. The specification does seem to suggest it might work with the Vaio X. Prices at UK computer retailer, PC World are £54.99 and £64.99 (PC World SKU: 172918 & 142926). The more expensive one has a car power adaptor included, whilst the cheaper model doesn't.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=505244#
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=505243#

Specs: 5 intercheangeable tips for Asus, Acer, Dell, Hp, Samsung, Toshiba
(I assume the Asus (901) tip is the same tip for Sony Vaio X & Vaio P)
USB charging port
Weight 210g
Output Voltage: 10.5Vdc – 19Vdc

 

Thanks for the note about the GMA 2020 driver. Good to know the driver is solid. Since it sounds like Flash beta 1 is still quite buggy, I think I'll just wait till beta 3 comes out, and install everything at that point.

Re: the power chargers...wow the Belkin looks EXACTLY like the igo; I wonder if there was at least some shared manufacturing going on. The tip design looks slightly different from the igo, however, so as not to be interchangeable. Power specs look the same though. By the way, I'm pretty sure the igo is 10.5-19v as well.

Re the igo: I'm sure the minimum voltage is 10.5v, because I read someone complaining that it wouldn't work with certain 9.5v Asus eee's and confirmed with the company the 10.5v minimum.

For the Belkin, I'd double-check to see if the 901 tip you're referring to will indeed work with the Vaio P/X. I have experience with igo chargers in the past, and I know that the tip itself can regulate the amount of voltage. The 10.5volt minimum on the charger itself might offset it; however, I'm not sure. Moreover, c.f. I just checked igo's site and the Asus 901 uses the 401 tip, which is different from the 402 tip for the P/X.

 

I notice that my Vaio X (128 G SSD) has SuperFetch still running under Windows 7. Shouldn't this be disabled when there is a SSD installed? Perhaps the Samsung SSD is lacks adequate performance to be identified as a SSD drive?

 

They do look very similar indeed. Belkin don't list any specific Sony tips yet, so we may have to choose an iGo charger instead. But I wonder how easy it is to get hold of an iGo 402 tip here in the UK...Do you happen to know what tips are included in the retail iGo adaptor package?

 

Probably they did not disable it with preinstalled config. Or forgot it.

 

Does anyone know, which power Tip is needed?

 

alavida said it's the iGo 402 tip for the Sony Vaio X & Vaio P.

And to answer my own question as to what tips are included in the retail iGo Netbook Wall Charger package:
* Tip 401 for Asus brand netbooks (excluding models: Eee PC 1005HA, 1005HAB and 1008HA)
* Tip 206 for Acer brand netbooks
* Tip 207 for Dell netbooks
* Tip 212 for HP netbooks.
* Tip 213 for Asus brand netbooks, specifically the Eee PC 1005HA, 1005HAB and 1008HA Models.

 

Looks about the same, but price much different. I kinda prefer the shorter cable on the Belkin though.

 

The Tip 402 is only for the netbook-charger.
I have a regular Wallmax charger from igo. So which tip can I use with this?
THanks!

 

Your Wallmax charger will probably operate at a higher voltage range, typically 15 to 24V (see if there's a power rating label on the back of the charger that shows the voltage). We can only use chargers that can output 10.5V for our Vaio X or Vaio P.

 

OK, I received the igo netbook charger today. Good news and bad news. The good is that it seems to be charging the X just fine, and the USB port along with the included igo USB tip adapter is charging my phone as well. Also, the cord to the power outlet looks like a standard "Figure 8 lead" cable so presumably it can be swapped with say a Euro or UK plug if desired (as well as a retractable plug, to save space)

However, two issues, one potentially serious, one minor:
1) The power specs are as follows:
OUTPUT:
10.5-19V = 3A MAX
12-19V = /40W MAX
10.5V= /18.9W MAX
USB OUTPUT: 5V = 0.765A
10.5V + USB OUTPUT = /22.7W MAX
12-19V + USB OUTPUT = /40W MAX

So clearly at 10.5 volts (that applies to us!) the max wattage is much lower at only 19W. I didn't know that before I purchased it and that could be a problem. What I don't understand is if watts = volts * amps; if it is, then max amps here can only be 1.8A, which is too low for the X (needs to be around 2.3-2.5ish, according to an earlier post if I remember correctly). However, a quick Google search turned up this page:
http://www.power-solutions.com/watts-va.php
which suggests that, for most modern computer eqpt, there is a power correction factor, so Watts = 0.65 * volts*amps ====> which implies maximum amps supported can be 2.8A
in which case, the charger is fully adequate for the X.

I'm no engineer so I really don't know what to think. I've had the charger on for about an hour and it's quite cool which makes me think it'll be alright...although the battery was already mostly charged (which means less power draw), so I might need to do more testing.

I might call igo the company tomorrow and see if they have an answer. I purchased this based on the power specs advertised and the 402 tip advertised for the Vaio P (the Vaio X is not in their database yet)...it would be a shame if it turned out not be fully compatible.

The other quibble I have, and this is minor, is the cord from the adapter to the Vaio is both a bit too thick and rather short (about three feet or so) --- not a deal-breaker, but wish it was a bit thinner and longer, especially since I'm replacing the other power cord with the retractable plug.

Otherwise, charger works as expected, and it's nice to have something that's "universal" and can be used with other things as well as someday down the road. Sorry for the long post.

 

anyone know how to get the motion eye working. i dont see any software for it and the welcome material just says to use your "motion capture software".

 

I'm getting my X tomorrow, but it's the 128-gig model - the largest you can get in the US right now. It seems that the 256GB SSD (MMDPE56GFDXP-MVB) has been end-of-lifed by Samsung. Does anyone know of a similar part (1.8" uSATA) that's 256GB in size or larger? I would love to be able to upgrade.

 

Just use any image acquisition or video chat software?

If it shows up in Skype or MSN you're pretty much golden, no?

 

Did you contact iGo about maximum current it can handle at 10.5V? In theory, if it can manage 3A at 19volts, then it should be able to do 3 amps at a much lower 10.5 voltage.

One test you could try is, if the iGo still works okay with the Vaio X battery on low (say 40% or less) and then boot up with wireless on and high screen brightness. In my previous tests, the current draw reached a high of 2.8A in this scenario.

 

Yeah I thought it was weird that they didn't include their usual VAIO Camera Capture Utility (allows you to record videos and take snapshots).

Anyhoo a generic version is available at the FTP site here (look for "VAIO CAMERA CAPTURE UTILITY 2.7(081Q)_ 2.7.03.09250.ZIP") or try this direct link. Has been working fine on my X since I installed it a few weeks ago.

 

thanks. it works great, although i see it's 2008 software and only gives 640X480. i don't see an upgrade tab and haven't found info on what the max resolution of the motion eye hardware is.

 

Re: igo charger, I've been using it for the last few days under different battery and power scenarios and it seems to be holding up (the adapter gets warm but never hot). I also finally received a response from igo to my inquiry (which detailed my concerns about this issue) and received a positive answer that was also pretty unsatisyfing for its lack of detail:
---
Hello,

The iGo netbook wall charger with tip 402 is compatible with the Sony VAIO VPCX111KX/B. Let us know if you have further questions.

Thanks,

iGo Product support

--
I've asked them for additional color and will post here if I learn anything interesting. But there you have it. I still don't understand why it's labeled with the lower wattage limit at 10.5 volts in the first place, if it's for real, and if the Vaio works despite the limit....but it does seem to work, and the company is saying it works. At the least, I guess that would provide support if I ever have a warranty problem down the road.

 

Hi!I'm willing to buy this pc,but since it's so pricy,I'd like to know couple of things...
is it able to output to an external monitor a FULL HD film(not trailer) with the right codecs?I heard the GMA500 is 1366*768 limited,is it true?I saw a video of a vaio p using gma500 and viewing a Full Hd trailer,so i figure out that Vaio X is able to playback TRAILER,but what about real 11GB film?and what about viewing a full hd film on tv monitor?as anyone tried yet?

I do know that these are not the tasks someone should require from such an hardware,but I sometimes need them.Thank u in andvance for all your answers.

cheers from Italy

and also sorry for my terrible english

 

I just did some experimentation on my brand spanking new X with HD video, including iTunes, Flash, Media Player and XBMC. You can play 1080p content in Media Player. Here are the details:

http://angerisanenergy.tumblr.com/post/366453976/vaio-x-vpcx115kx-video-performance

I haven't tried the VGA output, but I don't see why you shouldn't get the same results.

 

It seems DVNation has a 256GB unit that's compatible but it's akin to highway robbery at $999.

Has anyone upgraded their SSD to 256GB (or larger)? Any pointers?

 

Flash 10 (the default offering on the Adobe website) is not hardware accelerated, we have to wait until the final version of 10.1 is out (current betas do not work either).

Video playback on the Vaio X (and other Atom based netbooks) can be summed up as follows: SD will play fine without any hassle in Windows Media Player, Media Player Classic, VLC etc. Flash video, even SD, is a bit hit and miss with the current version of Flash, especially at fullscreen. HD will play fine though as long as the player knows how to use Hardware Acceleration (eg MPCHC, Windows Media Player in Windows 7, Flash 10.1, Boxee).

I spent just under a week travelling recently with the X, loaded with SD TV episodes, SD movies and HD movies. Never a bit of trouble with any of them. Having said that, I distrust anything with an Apple logo so I have never used iTunes or Quicktime on my X, so I can't comment on performance there.

XBMC doesn't work at all really on the X, but you could argue that the X is not designed for the Media Centre experience. The VGA out on the X is only for connecting to a desk display or a projector. Boxee works a bit better when it comes to HD as it uses hardware acceleration.

There'll eventually be a laptop as small and light as the X with a HDMI out that will act as the perfect HTPC media centre, but that's a year or two away yet

 

VAIO Peripherals Metadata 1.0.1.12090

What is this?
This update makes sure that the Devices and Printers folder gives a quick and correct view of devices connected to your computer

What does it fix?
Addition of new device and printer data

 

Martona could you please test a bigger (11GB) file?it's normal that it plays 100MB file.but what about a bigger file?
thank you for your time

 

I have played the 8gb version of Moon (recent sci-fi flick, actually pretty damn great) and it worked like a charm. Ditto for the 8gb version of Law Abiding Citizen. (this movie is not that great). Both were 1080p.

This was in Media Player Classic with the built-in H264 decoder disabled, it was using the Win7 H264 MS codec for video. It was however using the built-in AC3 decoder. (Hence Media Player Classic... I didn't want to muck around with installing audio codecs for Windows Media Player).

Note that you may experience hiccups (dropped frames, audio jitter) when the player UI is displayed on the screen while the movie is playing, such as when you mouse around to pause, etc. I guess that's the straw that breaks the camel's back. When you're in full screen mode with nothing but the video on screen (and optionally subtitles if the mkv has them) then there's no problem whatsoever.

 

Review of X in the Wall Street Journal...apologies if this doesn't belong here in the owners' forum, but WSJ is very influential in U.S. and I thought it was a pretty accurate review...I definitely agree that the small (4 cell?) battery configured for the U.S. is a joke! When is SOny going to release the 8-cell battery which is the same size?

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGYFEBRUARY 4, 2010
Two Little Laptops With a Lot to Offer Their Core Users
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

For all the talk about new tablet computers like Apple's iPad, laptops remain the computer industry's bread and butter, and smaller laptops are especially popular with consumers.

So, I've been testing two diminutive laptops, both with 11-inch screens, that show how clever engineering can take a familiar device and customize it for particular audiences. These two machines couldn't be more different, and they are aimed at radically different customers. Neither is a bargain-priced netbook, but both were designed with compactness in mind.

In his latest Personal Technology column, Walt Mossberg says tablet computers aren't yet dooming the laptop. He tests out a Dell and a Sony being sold at opposite ends of the market and finds innovation is alive and well in the laptop market.

One of these products is from Dell's Alienware group, which specializes in potent computers for hard-core gamers. The device is called the M11x, and it came out this week at a base price of $799. It's an attempt to pack much of the power gamers typically tote around inside thicker, heavier laptops into a much more portable chassis. The M11x weighs about 4.4 pounds, which in the gaming world is svelte, and is about 1.3 inches thick.

The other machine I've been testing was released by Sony over the holiday shopping season with relatively little mass-market fanfare. It's called the Vaio X, starts at $1,299 and is easily the lightest laptop I've ever reviewed.

In fact, it's so light, at just 1.6 pounds, that at first I thought it must be a mock-up made of cardboard. The Vaio X is also just a tad over a half an inch thick. Its processor and graphics system are like a netbook's, so it can't come close to matching the Dell in performance. But it isn't meant for the performance market. It's meant for highly mobile users who do typical computing, want to show off something sleek and can tolerate a high price and weak battery life in the standard configuration.

The M11x is a chunky box that, despite its size, is immediately recognizable as an Alienware product. The power button looks like a space alien's face, and, along with the keyboard and some other features on the front edge, it can be made to light up and pulse in a variety of bright colors.

Mossberg's Mailbox

Watching YouTube on iPad; Dumping IE6
Inside, it sports dual graphics systems—one powerful discrete graphics card for heavy-duty gaming, and one lesser integrated card for other tasks or when you want to save battery life. You can switch between them quickly, without rebooting.

I am not a serious gamer, but I briefly tested the M11x on some included 3D games, and they ran smoothly and well. The machine also did great on high-definition video and on common tasks like Web browsing, email and word processing. It's also packed with ports, including an HDMI connector, the new standard for easy hookup to a TV.

On my tough battery test, the Alienware did pretty well, clocking in at just under four hours with the more potent graphics in use, and just under five hours with the lesser graphics turned on. In normal usage patterns, you could stretch these figures.

The downsides to this machine are that the keyboard is cramped, and the specs on the $799 base model might not satisfy a serious gamer or video creator. It has a relatively small 160-gigabyte hard disk and a low-end Pentium processor. The model I tested, with a 500-gigabyte hard disk, a Core 2 Duo processor and twice the base 2 gigabytes of memory, costs $1,099.

The Sony Vaio X is a world apart, a reminder that the company, which years ago pioneered small, thin, costly laptops, can keep doing so. This little computer can get lost in your briefcase.

The Vaio X comes in several colors, but has modest specs for the price. It uses the Intel Atom processor, common in netbooks, and integrated graphics. It only comes with 2 gigabytes of memory, and the base $1,299 model has a very small 64-gigabyte solid-state drive for storage. You can double the storage on the $1,499 model I tested.

The Sony is gorgeous, and its lightness amazed everyone to whom I showed it. It handled all the common tasks I threw at it, including some HD video from YouTube, which played fine. But it also has a cramped keyboard, plus a tiny touch pad.

In addition to Wi-Fi, the Sony also includes a 3G cellular modem from Verizon, which I tested and which worked well. If you opt to use it, you have to pay Verizon, with monthly contracts starting at $40 and no-contract usage at $15 a day or $30 a week. All these plans have usage caps.

The Achilles' heel of the Sony is battery life. Its petite built-in battery got a miserable one hour and 48 minutes in my test, which might mean 2.5 hours in normal use. Sony does include an expanded battery with the unit, which got an impressive eight hours and 11 minutes in my test, or perhaps as much as 10 in typical use. But this battery is huge. It covers the entire bottom of the machine and must be affixed with screws. The battery roughly triples the computer's thickness and brings its weight to nearly three pounds.

These two creative designs show that, despite the coming wave of tablets, the laptop is still a platform for innovation.

 

Hey guys, please if anybody got the extended battery and a scale, tell us the exact weight of the X with extended battery...

thanks

 

I love how none of the reviews ever point out the UTTER FAILURE of the Vaio series when it comes to battery drain when the unit is shut down.

Letting your laptop sit for 3-4 days only to turn it on and find the battery down to 10% or drained entirely, is a complete failure, no matter how Sony tries to spin it as an intentional feature. Their touted "solution" that you should always store your laptop with battery outside of the unit is completely moronic, even more so for units that are supposedly ultraportable and compact.

If this "feature" wasn't in play, I would have kept the Vaio X I had. It's one of the reasons I will be selling my TZ.

 

The [X] battery weighs approx. 550g (VGP-BPX19 8200mAh)

Combined weight with the battery attached is approx. 1080g

The weight of the machine varies slightly depending on which SSD and whether WWAN is installed.

http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Special/Computer/Vaio/Mobility_sim/X/index.html (compare the different battery weights by selecting the appropriate box in the fourth row バッテリー )

 

Well, I don't think any reviewer would have that much time to let it sit there for 3-4 days before the laptop needs to be returned. I think Andrew used to actually buy laptop to review it then sell it within a month, that will give you some time to test it out, but I don't think any reviewer/admin in this site is still doing this. Anyway, battery drain can really only be tested by someone who actually owns the laptop.

 

I don't know if this has been asked before, but I would like to know what is the difference b/w the Signature and Standard collection? Aside from a larger SSD, color options, I really don't see what's so special. I might be missing out on some specs but that is all i could gather from sonystyle.

Also, could anyone please explain to me why Sony USA does not offer the enhanced battery option? Currently, the only options available is the standard, and extended.

Thanks!

 

Signature series are just limited edition models...usually just a special colour.

 

Since the X11 does not consume that much power, I wanted to try charging it with a solar panel attached to the back of the screen. Has anyone tried something similar yet or was planning to do that? Maybe we could team up!

Regards,

Martin

martin [at] storbeck.me

 

i recently downloaded trial versions of flash 4 and cs4 web suite from adobe. the install.exe shows the swirling icon for few seconds then disappears. hours later it is still running in task manager but doesn't do anything, like installing the program. adobe tech support is joke, she told me to redownload then blamed previous download when i told her i already had. she was obviously reading from a script and quoting web support pages for generic advise like turn off firewalls. i have tried running it with older compatabilites, like vista service pack 2.

i was able to get a trial version of flash 4 to run a month ago, but it wouldnt uninstall after the 30 day trial period, which is why i tried downloading it again to see if a fresh download would uninstall. the fresh download wouldnt install in the first place.

 

Good idea but something small enough to fit on the back of the screen wont generate much power at all.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/7-portable-solar-laptop-chargers-worth-considering.php

 

Does anybody have any idea when Sony will announce their summer signature series? I hope this time they offer a matte premium carbon fiber model.

 

I think there will not be a new X model untill summer, at least for europe I dont see any new line coming up.