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    VAIO CR Owners' Thread

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony Owners' Lounge Forum' started by NinjaNoodles, Aug 9, 2007.

  1. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    Who here owns a CR? What do you think of it?

    Also, to potential buyers: post any questions about the CR here.

    NOTES:
    • The LEDs on the front can be disabled.
    • The battery issue is not nearly as bad as people say.
    • See my signature if you want to rid your CR of bloatware.
    • Some CR models DO have Bluetooth.
    • The CR could be thinner, but it's not huge.
     
  2. teckid

    teckid Notebook Enthusiast

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    i owned the vaio cr. i thought it was a pretty good laptop. nice looking, relatively light, and not as thick as it sounds. however, mine had a problem with the hard drive so i returned the laptop. sorry, but no more sonys for me (i bought 2 vaios and bought had problems out of the box)
     
  3. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    My hard drive has actually gotten quieter as I've used it. It used to be rather audible, but now I have to listen for the "ticking" to notice it.
     
  4. QueenOfSpades

    QueenOfSpades Notebook Consultant

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    I have a Red CR. I love it. No problems whatsoever (unless you count the annoyance that is Vista), and I got it for a great price. I've been having a lot of fun with the integrated camera.

    I love the design of the laptop - not only the beautiful shiny red lid and silver accents, but I've found I'm a lover of the different keyboard style. Great to type on.

    I thought I might lament not having a dedicated graphics card on the go, but I've been pleasantly surprised. The X3100 runs Sims 2 perfectly fine, as well as City of Heroes/Villains at an acceptable level. More than enough for me.

    So far, I'm totally pleased with my purchase.

    Paid $1089+ tax.
     
  5. vik4

    vik4 Newbie

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    I have the indigo CR and I really love the design.Keyboard is great to type on.Got it from circuitcity when it was on sale.Paid 1099+tax.

    Now im planning to add 2GB of memory for a total of 3GB.Any suggestions on what brand to get?..How hard is it to change the ram in this computer?
     
  6. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    vik4, I got two 1GB sticks and I regret it, because I'll have to sell one of them and buy a 2GB stick.

    I know that doesn't help you - I just thought I'd share my tale of woe.
     
  7. mdpham05

    mdpham05 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is it possible to have a black CR customized?
     
  8. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    Customized how?
     
  9. mdpham05

    mdpham05 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I was wondering if you can customize the specs of the CR like you can with the other colors but with black. I was hoping to get one with a 160gb hard drive instead.
     
  10. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    Apparently not via SonyStyle.com.

    Have you tried calling?
     
  11. Kosmonoko

    Kosmonoko Notebook Enthusiast

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    I was looking at the several vaio CR series because i wanted to have the bluetooth built in. I went to the vaio uk and found one that has blue tooth but not 802.11a/b/g/n here is the site:
    http://vaio.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProductCategory.action?site=voe_en_GB_cons&category=VN+CR+Series
    just 802.11a/b/g

    Do you know where i can find a bluetooth version here in the US?
    also what is the difference between VGN-CR150, VGN-CR140, CR120 and CR190 besides the colors.
    I checked in bestbuy.com which has $150 off for the CR120 and CR140 and the difference between them is color and CR140 has finger scanner

    Thanks
     
  12. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    I know that the CR120 doesn't have Bluetooth. I couldn't tell you on the others.
     
  13. abangbejad

    abangbejad Notebook Enthusiast

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    I plan to buy one, but I need help to decide which color to choose beetwen red and white.
    Is the white really white or like the color of milk?
    I have sony ericsson W800 and don't really like the color because the white is not as white as the picture. Is CR's white looks like W800?
    I also read that the red one is very beautifull.
    Any recommendation?

    I want to ask my uncle to buy it in US since it is cheaper there. I checked the stores to see the actual model so I can choose which color to buy. Unfortunately, most of the stores in my town doesn't have anymore stock or display models. Stocks will come on 27 which is too late for me because my uncle won't be in US for long.

    Thank you very much for your help.
     
  14. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    I have the red and it looks great. It does require a little work to keep fingerprints down, but its no big deal.
     
  15. searedtail

    searedtail Newbie

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    I have 3 questions about the CR as im planning to buy one

    1. I have read about battery wobble problem with the CR when it is unlocked, is it that bad?? (the battery can actually fall out? Or is it just that one machine?)

    2. How big is the power brick? Any photos?

    3. Does the notebook heat up badly? Would it be uncomfortable to use on lap?

    Thx in advance!
     
  16. searedtail

    searedtail Newbie

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    and whats the CR's Windows Experience Index?? no one seemed to have mentioned it...
     
  17. QueenOfSpades

    QueenOfSpades Notebook Consultant

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    I don't think the battery wobble is really that bad. I think if the battery is totally unlocked, yeah, it may fall out. But I keep mine locked and I have no problems.

    The power brick is fairly small probably 2"x4".

    In my experience, this laptop stays very cool.
     
  18. zerok

    zerok Notebook Enthusiast

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    i have the white model... and its white white. i also thought, from the pics, that it was more like an ivory color.. but, it's really white once you see the real thing. And, the battery, well, at first, it did seem like it moved around, even locked.. but now, i don't know why, its way less. When it's locked, of course. but, who would leave it unlocked? it's not that hard to remember.
     
  19. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    I posted a picture of the battery charger not too long ago. For that matter, I posted an illustration of the battery itself as well.
     
  20. emmzee

    emmzee Notebook Guru NBR Reviewer

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    Hey, can you guys who have the CR (I know NinjaNoodles has already replied to my other thread about this, thanks for that!) post about fan noise? The fan on my brother's new CR120E (same as US CR190E) cycles on/off every 12-15sec even when its just sitting idle at the desktop. I just got off the phone with Sony support and they claim that this is "normal" and the guy there claimed he had an identical laptop beside him that was doing the same thing ... if the fan just stayed on or stayed off it'd be fine but the constant cycling is really annoying, IMHO it must be a hardware issue because while not particularly *loud* it doesn't seem right that the fan would act like this ... thanks for any opinions ...
     
  21. zerok

    zerok Notebook Enthusiast

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    my CR's fan doesn't do that... i don't remember even hearing the fan, because its not on very often.
     
  22. Cacoon

    Cacoon Newbie

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    I noticed the exact same problem with my indigo cr the first day I turned it on. Ive since installed Ultimate and it still does it. Annoying as heck. I suspect, for us, its a non-uniform distribution of arc silver (or whatever they use) over the cpu. That might explain why some cr's have it and others dont...
     
  23. Cacoon

    Cacoon Newbie

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    BTW, do any of you guys have a case you might recommend for the cr? Any review of the official sony case?
     
  24. QueenOfSpades

    QueenOfSpades Notebook Consultant

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    I bought the neoprene sleeve from the Sony Style store for this model. It was only $22, and I like it very much. Protects pretty well and now I have the option of using a variety of bags. I thought the $69 sleeve looked pretty good too, but it was a tad bulky.

    Link to the sleeve I got.

    Here's the other one. It offered more impact protection, but would be hard to cram into most bags.

    I am still in the market for a good laptop bag, mostly because I haven't decided between backpack or messenger. I kind of want a Northface bag.
     
  25. Jun85

    Jun85 Notebook Evangelist

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    Can someone describe the feel of the keyboard?
     
  26. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    The keyboard is incredible.

    But I encountered my first CR setback today. :( The DVD burner doesn't burn. Apparently the issue is rather unique, so there really isn't cause for concern. I'm just not thrilled about sending my shiny friend back to the factory for a week or two.

    Regarding the case, I got the matching red one from Sony. I can't say it was worth 80 bucks, but it's a good case.
     
  27. vaio2k7

    vaio2k7 Notebook Evangelist

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    I have that exact case, the black neoprene case for laptop and AC adapter. I like it a lot. Fits right over my FZ and keeps everything together in style.
     
  28. Hartman

    Hartman Notebook Consultant

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    I have it too....I just wish it fit a little tighter.
     
  29. vaio2k7

    vaio2k7 Notebook Evangelist

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    Well you have the CR model right? I have an FZ160 which is a perfect snug fit into the 15.4 inch designed case. I am just a little cautionary if it would still be good enough for an FZ model with extended battery, if I choose to purchase it in the future.
     
  30. Hartman

    Hartman Notebook Consultant

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    No I have an FZ too.
     
  31. scadsfkasfddsk

    scadsfkasfddsk Notebook Evangelist

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    I want to get a CR (just a matter of whether or not I can get the money together), this version of the CR will set me back $2,500, what do you guys think?

     
  32. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    What version of the CR is that? I'm guessing it's not for sale in the US due to the fingerprint reader and the graphics card.

    By the way, don't even consider running Vista on 1GB of RAM. Also worth mentioning is the fact that I got a CR with a 2.0GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a 120GB HD for $1,365.00. Are you talking about $2,500.00 USD?
     
  33. scadsfkasfddsk

    scadsfkasfddsk Notebook Evangelist

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    Woops, forgot to mention this is in New Zealand (exchange rate at the moment is NZ$1 equals US$0.70)
     
  34. QwertyytrewQ

    QwertyytrewQ Notebook Enthusiast

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    count me in this CR thing from now onwards :)
     
  35. Kosmonoko

    Kosmonoko Notebook Enthusiast

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    hmmm. I'm liking the non-us version of CR more than the US.
    I know that the black CR models come with the fingerprint reader CR150 and CR140.
    I wonder why the US don't get the graphics card and bluetooth however we do get the 802.11n.
     
  36. QwertyytrewQ

    QwertyytrewQ Notebook Enthusiast

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    yes and that too when there is no need to get impatient over 802.11n as yet
     
  37. scadsfkasfddsk

    scadsfkasfddsk Notebook Evangelist

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    Its not a particularly good graphics card, but its certainly better than nothing. Unlike you Americans we can not customize our laptops much...its cases, mice and extra batteries/adapters (thats pretty much it). If for example we want more ram we have to do it ourselves.
     
  38. Kosmonoko

    Kosmonoko Notebook Enthusiast

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    Btw i was looking at the CR model non-us it says the max ram is 2GB instead of the 4GB like in the US or are they saying that each slot has a maximum of 2 GB.

    I'm kinda curious about that any idea?
     
  39. scadsfkasfddsk

    scadsfkasfddsk Notebook Evangelist

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    Not a clue, but it is certainly strange.
     
  40. mdpham05

    mdpham05 Notebook Enthusiast

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  41. e_gladiator

    e_gladiator Newbie

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    I've just got my CR123E/B for $999 from BestBuy. T7300 4MB L2 Cache 2GB RAM 802.11a/b/g/n Biometric Fingerprint Sensor. A much better spec then CR120/140.

    One question, how to downgrade Vista to XP on VAIO CR?
    I got the following link from UK for downgrading CR1 to XP, has anyone tried it yet? does it works? The UK models only have MAX 2GB RAM, US models have MAX 4GB RAM...
    ftp://ftp.vaio-link.com/PUB/OS/XPDOWNGRADE/CR1/

    THX
     
  42. Kaze

    Kaze Notebook Consultant

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    does the CR have bluetooth?
     
  43. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    Are you sure it's not the DVD drive?

    EDIT: This was in response to a post that was apparently deleted.
     
  44. NeoDavinci

    NeoDavinci Notebook Enthusiast

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    The battery is exactly the same as my old S150. As long as you keep the lock engaged, it will be fine.
    Am I the only one that doesn't like having the LED pulsate when the machine is hibernating?
     
  45. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    You can disable that from VAIO Central.
     
  46. NeoDavinci

    NeoDavinci Notebook Enthusiast

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    Unbelievable. Two different levels of Sony tech support told me it wasn't possible to exert any sort of control over that LED at all. You're right though; it's right there in Vaio Central. Any similar insider knowledge about increasing the volume level?
     
  47. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    The volume is controlled hierarchically:

    • The buttons on your notebook control the physical speakers
    • -The taskbar volume mixer controls the overall volume
    • --Applications like iTunes can control volume specific to them
     
  48. EricHu

    EricHu Newbie

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    Dear folks,
    I lost my recover disk for CR 120e/p by accident,can someone kindly let me know where to download the instanton application for av mode key?I can not make it works any more.all other drivers/apps can be download from sony official website except this.

    Appreciate if you guys can help.thx
     
  49. e_gladiator

    e_gladiator Newbie

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    WOW, finally, i downgrade my CR123E/B to Windows XP with EVERYTHING working (all controls and webcam) except the AV Mode.

    Does anyone know how to make the AV Mode working in Windows XP??
     
  50. netbramha

    netbramha Notebook Enthusiast

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