Before you buy an FZ

I would recommend seeing the FZ in person prior to ordering one online. I had picked one up last week at Costco but didn't really look at the display model very closely. Before opening the box, I happened to stop at the SonyStyle store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. They had the FE and FZ next to each other on display. Several things I would note for anyone interested in either computer.

1) The FZ does seem smaller and lighter, however, the build quality doesn't appear to be the same as the FE. The FE seems more solid with a latch that locks and the although slightly larger than the FZ, the FE has a more interesting and I would say more attractive design.

2) Sony shorten the palm rests on the FZ so much so that my hand rested on the front edge of the computer. I have a fairly large hand, but I don't recall having this problem with other computers. This is very uncomfortable and was a deal killer for me. I would guess the FZ is about an inch shorter in depth than the FE.

3) Neither keyboard impressed me much, I wouldn't put them in the same league with a Thinkpad or Macbook Pro keyboard.

Too bad that they didn't carry forward the FE design with the Santa Rosa chip. I'm returning my FZ today and probably getting a MacBook Pro.

 

I played with one a little bit at a Sonystyle store and I wasn't happy with the design of the touchpad and its buttons at all. Other than that, it looked and felt like a quality laptop. Most of the time I just use a regular mouse with my laptop anyways. I've been using an iBook G4 for a long time though, and I love the quality of design that Apple has, so I wish I could spend the extra $$ to get a Macbook Pro, but it's not really an option for me.

 

I thought the design was great. I previously owned a vaio fs series (almost identical to the sx) and thought the fz had a very solid build and great modern look to it. The only setback is the low res screen.

 

Whaaat??!? I had the exact opposite impression. I think the FZ seems much more solid and better-built than the FE. Apparently metal casing material, or at least something much sturdier than what's on the FE. The FE casing flexes. The FE's keyboard isn't quite flat on every unit I've seen (there's kind of a little wave if you look closely), but the FZ's is flat. The FZ just seemed sturdier and better-built all around. I didn't check the latches though. As far as looks are concerned, I think the two are comparable in attractiveness but they are quite a bit different so I can certainly see some people liking one but not the other.

Maybe they did, I didn't notice. I certainly didn't find the FZ uncomfortable to type on at all.

I consider both keyboards above average but not great. I don't think they're comparable to a Thinkpad keyboard, but I do think they're comparable to MacBook Pro, which also has a decent but not great keyboard in my opinion. The MBP's keyboard has a more soft and mushy feel, while the FE's and FZ's is more light and clickety. However, it is personal preference to some extent.

I hope you like the MBP... I think that's a really nice machine too.

 

Yeah, the FE is a tad bulky for my taste, and doesn't have the integrity to justify it. The FZ was sleeker and at least appeared sturdier, however I wouldn't suggest throwing either of them down the stairs if you know what I mean.

I do wish the FZ came in pure black, but that didn't stop me from ordering one.

 

I am really interested in the FZ190, but I am concerned about the 8400GT, as well as the nine day wait

Can someone post some benchmarks?

 

I just got the FZ180e with blu-ray and this unit is an absolute beauty. I have never seen a more vibrant screen than I have on this. I'll have a full review up soon.

 

I looked at a lot of notebooks before deciding on the FZ-190, here's how I came to that decision; I wanted a 15” format to be big enough but not huge like the 17s. I wanted a fast dual core CPU with more on die cache (4Mb) than the bottom end without paying a significant premium for the top chips. I wanted something slim, light with good battery life. I need Firewire, USB and video out ports. I also need the capability to add an Express34 Sprint Wireless card.

The FZ fits all that plus I get in addition to a CD/DVD burner a Blu-ray reader/burner, media reading slots and a very nice display. I had a 10% off coupon through a survey company and got the whole thing for under $1800 shipped! An amazing deal especially compared to a Mac Book Pro. An additional 1Gb memory stick was $45 from Crucial. I might buy a bigger battery after a while, also from a third party vendor ($140 vs.$299 from Sony).

--En route;
VGN-FZ190 CTO with Blu-ray
802.11a\b\g\n with BT
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
DVD+-R Double Layer / DVD+-RW Drive with Blu-ray Disc support
160 GB Hard Drive
1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-533, 1 GBx1)
Core 2 Duo T7300 / 2.0 GHz
8400M GT
Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery

plus 1additional 1 GB DDR-SDRAM total 2GB
Sprint Mobile Broadband Express Card Novatel Merlin EX720

total cost under $2000 shipped with tax.

full review to follow

 

Regarding the metal case, do all FZ models have metal cases. The unit I saw at SonyStyle appeared metal. The units I've seen at Bestbuy and Circuit City definitely appeared to be plastic. The FE at SonyStyle also appears metal top cover, but I don't recall that on other FE's that I've seen.