Anyone own an AR? Returning SZ for something.

Purchased this SZ from portableone (incredible service - they've already given me an RMA code to return this thing..) and it's not all it's cracked up to be (got the Core 2 Duo T7200, 100gb, bluetooth, motioneye, etc.) First thing I noticed when I turned it on is the backlight - which has a lot of bleed, and a 2" wide vertical line about 1" from the right bezel. The space bar tilts to the right - that's bugging me a lot (the entire keyboard flexes too!) Um, right mouse button stopped clicking and now it's back to "normal" (different "click" than the left side.) The top slider switches for wireless and power mode along with the other buttons are hitting the monitor bezel when closed (rubbing off the vaio logo.. that sucks a lot too.)

So - SZ is gone. It's mostly due to the fact that this thing's first trial was a week in a pretty demanding setting (photographer for the washington international horse show, set up in the press room surrounded by some vaio FE, FS, macbook pro (video guy) and some massive HP.) Had to sort through thousands of images, rename, upload, etc. It's stunningly fast however the monitor just doesn't cut it.

So, I need something with a bigger monitor - my credit is $1799 and I'm topped out at an additional $500. From portable one that would get me;

VAIO AR: 250G
17" wxga - 1440x900 (HiColor?)
Core2Duo T7200 2.0Ghz
200gb SATA
2gig ddr2
nvidia geforce 7600 go
a/b/g wireless, bluetooth, motioneye camera, dvd rw
ntsc tv tuner (w/ remote)
hdmi HD out
$2299
OR (since the AR simply doesn't fit in ANY case I can find ANYWHERE that would also hold my camera gear)

The FE - but I'm kinda sick of the white ones, as stupid as that sounds..

VAIO FE790PL (charcoal black magnesium)
15.4" eco-brite 1280x800 (kinda pissed about that)
2gig ddr2
nvidia geforce 7400 go
160gig hard drive
a/b/g wireless, bluetooth, motioneye, dvd rw
$1750

I can't decide - the black FE looks sweet, but I wish I could go crazy with a CTO model and get the T7200 and a 200gig hard drive.

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-black FE


Really my main concern with the AR is the portability - which is kinda non-existant. It's not TOO heavy for a 17" laptop, but the size worries me. I could get the neoprene case for it and use a generic bag or whatever - but I don't even know if this thing would open up on a normal plane seat tray! Even if it did, I'd get probably an hour of battery life tops. Does anyone know if this thing is worth it?

Ugh, I'm lost.. my options are limited to the models that portableone carries.

Thanks guys!

 

The AR is a nice system, but if your goal is portability, I think i'd go with the FE. There are bags that it will fit in, but you have to seek them out. The neoprene slip case is definitely a no-go. I get about an hour and 45 minutes on the battery when websurfing. If a good screen is something you're after though, the WXGA+ on the AR is incredible...very bright. Keep in mind that the grey FE you have up there has the Xbrite ECO (one lamp) vs. the Hi-color (two lamps). I've seen both and there is definitely a difference, not huge, but it's noticable. Not sure why Sony is using the ECO screen in the FE's now, seems like a bad idea.

Sucks to hear about your SZ, that's actually the system i've been thinking about. Was yours the premium or the base model?

 

Oh that's interesting to hear about difference in xbrite backlight lamps - from what I read (and I never found any details like that) it's to save battery life - at least that's how they seem to be marketing the xbrite-eco monitors.

Go figure - the one FE I was really interested in has the eco versus the hi-color (the CTO models and some others still have the hi-color.) I wonder what the difference in battery life actually is between the two?

I think LED backlight is the way to go if they could figure out how to contain all the light! My SZ has great color, but the backlighting (especially on black backgrounds) is incredibly random.

I guess I just need to go play around with the AR a little bit, the one you're familiar with isn't the crazy HD 1900xwhatever model right? (blueray)

It's a little disturbing to think that my 13.3" SZ has 1280x800, yet the 17" AR only bumps it up to 1440x900? (there was a period of time when sony vaio laptops had wonderful native resolutions, I wonder what happened to all that? Everything's 1280x800 which doesn't cut it - 99% of websites require you to scroll all over the place.)

Of course theres one other question - what crazy models will sony come out with as soon as I get this new laptop?

 

Oh also, I heard the VAIO logo actually lights up on the AR?! True or no? How's the keyboard/mouse?

 

I can't imagine that the difference in battery time between the ECO and the HiColor is that much different. I guess the gain would be purely subjective in terms of value. I had always thought the LED backlit SZ was supposed to have the most even lighting of all the LCDs.

Yes, the model I have is not the Bluray model, and it does not have the 1920x1200 resolution screen...it's the 1440x900 version. I went to this screen from one with the previously mentioned resolution (a Dell)...and while text did indeed look a little smoother, the size ended up being far too small for me. It was great for watching HD content, but websurfing was tedious and headache inducing. The 1440x900 screen by no means looks "lo-res" and there's plenty of space to work with. Try to go to a store and see them side by side if you can, then make your comparison.

The Vaio logo does light up, yes. The keyboard I love, it has a softer feel which I personally prefer. It's another one of those subjective things. The mouse is decent, but the scrolling function is maddening, I rarely bother even trying to scroll using the side of the mouse method anymore. The mousepad is almost totally flush with the surface, and there's no texture or marking to denote the scrolling area, and unless you have your finger in just the right spot, you'll make 10 swipes to get 1 scroll.

 

Great! Thanks for the help, the AR seems to be the model to beat right now - and you don't mind lugging it around? I mean like I mentioned, it's not so much a weight thing as it is a dimensional thing. Any airplane usage? I've also seen some of the non-bluray AR's having mentioned different monitor technologies (some say hicolor, some don't.. is it actually mentioned anywhere?)

That's pretty sweet that the logo lights up - now I know why they get an hour of battery life.

Do you know if they ALL have the dual hard drives? The one I'm looking at is a 200gig model so I'd guess there's no way it's a single (to be honest I'd rather have 1 for battery life / half the risk of killing one.)

Time to go check them out, thanks again

 

This unfortunate turn of events does not dissuade you at all from getting another Sony?

 

Nah not really - besides I'm stuck with portableone as a vandor and the vaios are really the only interesting laptops that they carry.

Anyways, I went to the sonystyle store today, I'm not really impressed with the AR - granted the monitor is AMAZING (quality.. not really resolution.) The only way I could justify the rest of the build quality is if it was that glossy / chrome finish, which I thought came on ALL of the AR models (not just the bluray ones!) For what I do I think it'd be a bad idea size-wise, but the screen really is great.

The FE is a great size, a great everything really - except for the monitor. The xbrite-eco screens in the store were NASTY after looking at the HiColor on the AR.

So my only remaining question is this; does the HiColor monitor option on the FE CTO equal the same quality as the HiColor monitor on the AR? They didn't have a HiColor FE in the store (go figure.) I'm worried that the AR simply uses a different manufacturer or something and that the FE will look the same regardless.

Has anyone compared FE monitors side by side?

Thanks!

 

I definitely don't lug my AR around, it pretty much stays put. I can't imagine taking it on an airplane and opening it up.

As far as I know, I think all AR's still use Hi-color screens. I haven't seen any advertised as having the ECO's.

Not all of the AR's have dual hard drives, but they all have the ability.

I would imagine Sony uses different manufacturers for their screens, even the Hi-color screens probably come from various suppliers. Calling Sony and asking them would most likely be useless, I can't imagine any of those reps having any knowledge of what model uses what screen. They'll just aim to tell you what you want to hear. I got so much mis-information from them before getting the AR. Best thing you can do is try to find a place to compare them for yourself.

I thought the chrome finish on the "premium" trim was horribly gaudy. I can see myself constantly wiping marks off of it. The glossy lid looks very nice, but again, it seems like a fingerprint and scratch nightmare.

 

Yeah, honestly, Sony should stick to where it belongs, to where it does best, manufacturing high-quality displays.

I own two of their trinitrons, a recent, hi-def one, and another, more than twenty years old, and both are amazing in quality, let me tell you.