Bad News: New FW2xx Series Coming Soon but ...

Bad news. Sony will release new FW200 series very soon.

What's new:
16.4" Full 1080p support (1920x1080) Xbrite Hi-Color Screen for Blu-ray model or 1600x900 XBrite Eco Screen for non Blu-ray model
320GB 7200RPM Hard drive
Blu-ray drive: Twice as fast as FW190. Sony will use their own Blu-ray drives this time (Sony Optiarc) instead of relying on Matsh1ta drives.
ATI Radeon 3650 with 512MB VRAM

http://www.sonystyle.com/wcsstore/SonyStyleStorefrontAssetStore/pdf/VGN-FW290_CTO_spec.pdf

Now you may wonder why I said that it is bad news?
Look at the screen spec: if you want Hi-Color screen, you must live with tiny font size that you would get when they cramp 1920x1080 pixels in a 16.4" screen. If you want more readable font size at 1600x900, you must live with ECO screen and you won't get Blu-ray.

This is the same strategy that Sony use with their current Sony Z series. If you want Blu-Ray, you have to live with 1600x900 with a 13.1" screen. If you want more readable font at 1365x768, you won't get Blu-ray.

Now I am not sure that I would want to wait for FW200. The reason I have been holding for FW200 is because of its faster GPU. But FW200 cramps too many pixels. I can get less pixels but I would have to live with ECO screen. And I won't get Blu-ray drive. Blu-ray is a must as it is the main reason that I would upgrade my SZ. I probably would just order FW190 CTO now before Sony phase it out.

For a preview of FW200 series, search for VAIO FW at amazon.com

Edit: Some people have suggested to change the DPI to get around with small font problem. But changing the DPI could present a problem as I said in the following message:

Here's an example that I have problem with Vista DPI. The following is a screenshot of Firefox 3.01 Pulldown Menu. The one on the left is default DPI at 96. The one on the right is larger DPI at 120. Pay attention at the checkmark icon.


You notice that the checkmark icon at 120 DPI is blurry and jaggy while the one at 96 DPI is perfect. I have tried enable and disable Windows XP Style DPI Scaling to no avail.

Now, for this example it might not be a big deal but what if you have software which GUI is largely depends on icons? The icons will look ugly and jaggy which is very annoying.

 

That's an awesome configuration.

I've worked on Acer 6920 with 16" and 1920*1080 and it was fine. Similar to Z 1600*900.

It makes a lot of sense to supply a Full HD screen with a bluray player.

 

Do you have 20/20 vision? Because I don't. And I have to squint my eyes when reading text with AR which pixels density is very close to FW200 at 1920.

 

Virtually every application will let you zoom. At least the ones I use, e.g. mozilla, internet explorer, MS office, etc. So, I zoom when I need to read text. When I don't, I can enjoy the higher resolution for what it is.

 

I tried zooming before but for some sites, zooming makes the layout look awkward.

 

My vision is pretty good yeah. And you could use Vista DPI scaling.

 

I dont understand why anyone would ever buy a lower res screen than the highest that is offered. You can turn the resolution down with about 3 mouse clicks.
Have the best of both worlds and use a lower a lower res for surfing and switch it back up for dvds? What is everyones problem with doing this?

 

What browser are you using? I ask because IE makes some sites look awkward for me, but Mozilla has no problem at all on any site I visit.

 

Finally Sony is doing it right and releases more and more highrez notebooks! I hate all those 15.4" notebooks with lousy WXGA screens.

 

Turning down the resolution, ie 1920 to 1600, would make the text and picture look blurry. You want it sharp, you have to keep it at its native resolution.

 

Vista DPI scaling comes a long way.

 

What is the different between Vista DPI Scaling and XP DPI Scaling? Are you absolutely sure it would work with all software, including older software designed for Windows 95? Because I heard several people said that not all software is DPI friendly.

 

Vista SP1 DPI scaling is a lot better than XP, but it's not perfect.

So not all applications will scale perfect.

 

Here's an example that I have problem with Vista DPI. The following is a screenshot of Firefox 3.01 Pulldown Menu. The one on the left is default DPI at 96. The one on the right is larger DPI at 120. Pay attention at the checkmark icon.


You notice that the checkmark icon at 120 DPI is blurry and jaggy while the one at 96 DPI is perfect. I have tried enable and disable Windows XP Style DPI Scaling to no avail.

Now, for this example it might not be a big deal but what if you have software which GUI is largely depends on icons? The icons will look ugly and jaggy which is very annoying.

 

I am taking my FW11ZU back. First the AW series with 1920x1080 and than now the FW series with 1920x1080. Will this FW be available in Europe?

What else is Sony planning on releasing? I don't think i will buy another one for at least 3 months. As soon as they release it they than update it.

 

hmm,I still need to see HP HDX "in action" 16 before deciding

 

Well, typically Sony does refreshes by the quarters, so every 3 months you get something new. Due to Intel's delay, Sony's summer release, which should have been out in June/July got pushed all the way to mid-August, that's why you get the fall release so close to summer release.

On the other hand, most of the time, the 3-month refresh is very minor and doesn't really hurt the people who have bought it earlier.

 

Keep your FW11ZU. Its spec is perfect. You have Radeon 3650 which is the same with FW200 series. Higher resolution than 1600 for 16.4" is not a good thing. See post #14 at this thread.

 

I'm with you all the way on the resolution Hendra ...

I'm in Canada and I had to order via the States to get the resolution I wanted in the Z....

Resolution is a matter of personal opinion obviously, but its an important enough matter that Sony should good give the OPTION to the end user.

Sony decided to err on the entertainment side of things, the FW is advertised as a potable theater - great, but they've ignored a lot of people who (sensibly) don't like to stare at small text all day and that is a LOT of people.

Resizing fonts ... the hell with that ... 3 mouse clicks or whatever, you're spending $2000 on a notebook, it should be available in a resolution that suits your needs.

It doesn't make a lot of sense imo ... Sony is marketing the Z notebook as a business machine yet in Canada you can only order a 1600 x 900 resolution for that 13" screen ... anyway while high res and tiny fonts seem to be preferred by so many on this forum ... our local Sony store's employee's tell me they're getting so many comments about the tiny font that they're getting sick of hearing it .... so we're not alone expecting 'normal' size print when we do business with our notebooks.

Personally, I'll never need to buy a product with a 13 or 16" screen to watch movies, I have TV's for that, and that's a realistic option for anyone nowadays with the low low price of TV's and monitors. I would think most people would do the same.

 

^

Except it's a little difficult to carry around my 50A3000 (50" SXRD lcos tv)...

 

Who is going to watch blue ray movies in a 16.4" screen anyway?

 

I am. I don't have TV and I don't have the space to place a big screen TV. My private space is limited to 160 sq ft

 

Well i suppose the FW series provides a bigger screen without going overboard on the footprint, like the AR series or AW series.

I assume the AW series is the replacement for the AR series, which is two years old now? Or is Sony going to introduce another replacement for the AR series?

 

Does the AW have the 16:9 ratio? The FW lists it, but the AW doesn't. I assume as the AW is 1080 it wouldn't need this.

In the end i took back the FW11ZU. So now i have to decide whether to replace it with the FW200 or the AW11B/Z, i am thinking the AW as i would prefer the larger screen and the nivida 9600m gt is better than the ati radeon 3650, even with 512 mb.

 

Yes, AW has 16:9 ratio. If portability is not important, get the AW. Its 1920x1080 at 18.4" is definitely more readable than 1920x1080 at 16.4".

 

Does the AW11Z/B come with the 64-bit version of windows? The sony page says it comes with home premium, but doesn't say whether it's 32 or 64 bit.

I had Vista ultimate on the FW11ZU, not that i know the difference between ulimate and premium, other than ultimate being mixed with business.

 

How does the AW compare with this, http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4607.

 

From what I've seen, of at least the US versions of the AW, all of them are having the 64-bit version of either Ultimate or Home Premium. No 32-bit SKU's are being made for their quick ship models.

 

should be interesting whether sony canada decides to sell this model.

 

I don't see why not. This is a new refresh not an add-on of existing series. I am sure FW200 series would be sold in Canada. But they may not have the same config as US version. IE: Z Canada version only offer 1600x900 while US version offer 1600x900 and 1365x768.

 

Then what is this:
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...Id=1005577&navigationPath=32009n100299n100509

 

How do we know that the Xbrite-FullHD is a hi-color screen. In the specs pdf for the FW 190 it states that the xbrite-hicolor has 100% color saturation. In the FW 290 pdf it just says FullHD (no mention of color saturation) which could just mean higher resolution but not necessarily hi-color/double lamp. I looked around sony's website and couldn't find any description of xbrite-fullHD as having either a double lamp or 100% color saturation. Maybe some sony insiders can chime in and clear this up.

 

That's a very good question. A Sony Customer Service that I talked to today actually brought it up and he has a doubt about it. But, if you read the pdf file carefully, you will see the following statement:

Read the PDF of any FW that has ECO screen. It says:
Fall in love with your favorite movies all over again with an extra-wide, theater inspired 16.4” display (1600x900 resolution) using the energyefficient XBRITE-ECO™ LCD technology.


Now read the PDF of FW290. It says:
Fall in love with your favorite movies all over again. With an extra-wide, theater inspired 16.4” display, see stunning , true-to-life images with flaming reds, fresh greens and vibrant blues on an available XBRITE-FullHD™ LCD.

Now read the PDF of any FW that has built in HiColor screen. It says:
Fall in love with your favorite movies all over again. With an extra-wide, theater inspired 16.4” display, boasting 100% color purity for the first time ever, see stunning , true-to-life images with flaming reds, fresh greens and vibrant blues.

Based on these quotations, I am sure that XBrite Full HD is actually XBrite Hi Color. But we would have to wait until Sony actually put it on the site or better check it yourself when it is on display in the store.

 

I would be shocked if the FullHD isn't a hicolor screen.

 

When is the FW290 coming out? The only model with the HD3650 graphics card available right now is the VGN-FW292 Graphic Splash and it only comes with an Eco-screen...

 

At least, now with 3670 and Vista 64bit, FW is becoming the best 16.4 laptop out there.

Too bad it is still a 16.4 laptop, though.

 

Actually, FW is the only 16.4" with 16/9 aspect ratio out there. Asus has 16" so it is not quite 16.4"

 

Any idea of a possible release date for this series?

I just ordered an FW190, and am a bit flustered at the moment. Should I be canceling my order (currently in the processing phase) and wait to pick up this series? Or send the laptop back and get a refund to get the new series when it does become available?

I only ask because I would definitely be more satisfied with the improved hardware specs, but if it means waiting until next year to get it, I wouldn't wait.

(I also noticed in the .pdf that it's going to be available in the color black? )

 

The only questions is, when are these newer models going to be released?

 

My comments to the various posts:

1) Although it does not make sense for me, may be XBrite-FullHD is only pertinent to resolution? What do you think? IMHO, it is better to wait and personally see a model with XBrite-FullHD because Sony confused people's minds. Even for the same series laptop, namely Z series, it advertises the very same laptop's screen with different specs in different markets. In North America it says Duraview and in Europe it says X-black. At least do not buy FW2xx series laptops if you cannot return for a full refund.

2) US cnet.com's FW review criticizes the "Full HD 1080p" label/sticker on their review unit and states that it is theoretically impossible to accommodate 1080p resolution in a 16.4 screen. (I don't have the technical knowledge to support this. I am just referring to their review)

3) As to whether I would prefer 1080p resolution in a 16.4 screen, I find it unnecessary and even bad, because;

a) I find it unnecessary because I have read tens of thousands of articles regarding the difference between 1080i and 1080p, all of which state that in order to discern the difference you would need a big size TV, say over 50 inches. Here we are talking about 16.4 inch screen.

b) I find it even bad because I saw Sony Z in 1600x900 resolution and all desktop items were very small. I assume 1080p resolution in a 16.4 screen would have similar pixel per inch ration with that Z.

4) As an owner of a Hicolor FW, here is my recommendation: If you are considering buying an FW series laptop, if I were you I would buy something with Hicolor screen before 1600x900 resolution models are phased out.

 

Because I shouldn't have to ... it's annoying to have to change between one res and another depending on the program. DPI scaling doesn't work right in all cases. Some programs scaled better than others. Others failed horribly.

I have good eyesight, and I felt 1600x900 at 13.1" was too small on the Z to be comfortable.

 

Specs look good but for me, the extra $ isn't worth it, I love my FW!

 

The main reason is because screen resolution is subjective to each person's preference.

 

Z at 1600x900 has 140.13 PPI (Pixels per Inch), FW at 1920x1080 has 134.32 PPI and FW at 1600x900 has 111.94 PPI. I am still pounding whether or not I should buy FW290 CTO or buy FW190 CTO when it is still available.

 

As far as i am concerned, i prefer the 110-120 DPI range.I think that anything on this range is a good balance between work space and dimension of the letters.

Of course, there will always people who prefer or need higher or less DPI but in my opinion, this range is what people find more comfortable.

 

There now appears to be a model FW290JRB that comes with XBrite Hi-Color at 1600x900 with Blu-ray drive.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665507468

But there is a discrepancy. The top of the page said: XBrite Eco but the bottom spec said XBrite Hi-Color. I called Sony and they said that they need to talk to a product specialist and call me back.

 

For that price, it should be the Hi-Color version (hopefully)....

 

It is more expensive because it has Blu-ray Burner and bigger hard drive.

If you buy FW 290 Configure To Order version, you can not get Hi-Color at 1600x900. So, there is a discrepancy there. I have a feeling that it is an ECO screen. Otherwise, how come the pre-configured model has it but not the Configure To Order model?

 

I see what you are saying.

Is the Hi-color only an option for WUXGA then?

 

Yes, for FW200 series. Unless you want FW100 series but that one has much slower video card.