Buying a Sony SZ in the USA some thoughts and questions

Hi i live in the UK and i will be going to the USA in July on holiday and i want to pick up a Sony SZ. I need an ultraportable with a dedicated graphics so this model appealed to me.
These are the two models that i am interested in. What exactly is WAN and what benefit does it give? As i live in the UK and cannot use Cingular WAN i think that the cheaper of the two models maybe be better for me?
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=11039191

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=11039233

I have read about Santa Rosa is coming out for this model. Now Santa Rosa does not really bother me to much. I also thought though that Santa Rosa only came in configurations of 2.2 and 2.4 if this is so i cannot really see Sony updating this laptop with the Santa Rosa chip. If they do i am sure that they will still offer the C2D chip. What do some of you think?

Also, i am concerned about the warranty. I am of course going to take my laptop back with me to the UK and i want to be covered in the UK. I called Sony in the US yesterday to ask them about this and i contacted them twice through chat but still i have not got an answer to this. I need international warranty and i plan to buy at least 3 years extended warranty. None of the Sony warranty for laptops on the US site specify international cover so i am unsure what to think about this. I did see one overseas warranty in the UK for Sony on the UK site but i presume that stands only if you buy a Sony laptop in the UK? I am not totally sure on that but i presume that it is for laptops bought in the UK.Has anybody done this quite recently and if so how did you get cover?
https://www.sonystyle.co.uk/SonyStyle/b2c/display/(isQuery=yes&xcm=PCM_b2ccrmstandard&citemprod=4496AA5A5D8E0072020000002BC29B71&query=*overseas+warranty*&citemarea=3E99573A304E7370E10000002BC29B8F&layout=15_108_60_58_109_113&uiarea=0&ctype=areaDetails&carea=3E99541A304E7370E10000002BC29B8F&citem=3E99573A304E7370E10000002BC29B8F4496AA5A5D8E0072020000002BC29B71)/.do

I also would like to know does anybody know the best places where i can buy this laptop in Orlando or New York, Orlando preferably though. It is not really possible for me to order it over the internet as getting it shipped to a hotel is a bit unsafe.


Also, with Vista Business does this have Windows Media Centre also installed as i really need to have Windows Media Centre installed if it does not then i will get Vista Home Premium.

Lastly this looks like a really cool laptop but it would be great i think if a DVI output was added as this is the way that a lot of monitors are going these days.
Thank you

 

I just spoke to Sony in the UK and they told me that there is no such thing as international Sony warranty anymore. If i buy a laptop in America i will only be covered in America and vice versa. The Overseas UK warranty means that i will still have to buy a laptop in the UK and then i can get service in the USA but for only one year. I cannot extend this warranty and it does not work the other way round.

What a shame. This laptop sells for about £1,700-900 in the UK but for about £1,000 -£1,100 in the USA. Maybe it seems that i will have to keep onto my iBook now a little bit longer.

 

rachuk I have this same question surrounding my head.

As I live in Brazil and want to buy my SZ in the USA I'm not sure if the SZ460 would be the right choice (we don't have Cingular here either).

Waiting for someone to help!

 

aacury, you can unlock the WWAN module on the SZ series so that it works with any provider, not just Cingular. Assuming you have cellular service providers that support EDGE in Brazil, you would be able to use this feature in Brazil (after having phoned Sony to ask them for the unlock code, and subsequently performing the unlocking procedure). There have been numerous posts on this topic recently - just search the forum.

One thing you will need to look into though, which caught me out is GSM frequencies. Have a look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_ranges

the thing is that the WWAN module in the SZ only caters for frequencies used in the US (and I'm in South Africa) - but according to the above page, Brazil seems to operate on the same GSM frequencies so I suppose you should be fine (though it's best to check with local providers on EDGE/GSM frequency!)

 

Rachik, I'm in exactly the same position. The US prices for the SZ series look so appealing. Does anyone know of a third party insurer that could provide worldwide cover?

 

Nikesh and aacury i just called CompUSA technical support in the US because i saw on their website that they offer international Comp USA warranty. I asked them how this would work in the UK as far as i know there are no CompUSA shops in the UK and they told me that i could take my laptop to any accredited laptop shop that can carry out Sony repairs and get them to fax out an invoice and CompUSA would fit the bill now this sounds like a good deal to me. .

On their website their range is a little limited but maybe they will have more in store. I didn't want to spend much more than £1,000-£1,100 really on the computer itself and the premium model that they are offering on their website is just priced above that. Maybe i will consider the cheaper silver model as well but i am not so keen on that one right now to be honest.
http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...20sz&Ntk=All&Nty=1&D=sony sz&Dx=mode matchall
The price for their 2 year international warranty is $399 and their 3 year international warranty costs $599. They said that this warranty cover was quite extensive as well. Lol i am lucky that i have got a calling card considering all these calls i have been making to America.
They would deliver to my hotel as well if i decided i wanted that.
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=335229&pfp=XSELLTAP

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=335230&pfp=XSELLTAP


I also know that Domestic and General do insurance cover in the UK but they are pretty expensive. I had forgotteon about them but i will give them a call and see what kind of quote they give me.

 

Rachuk, have you considered the HP DV2500t? It seems to have good spec and it comes with an international warranty.

 

Nikesh thanks for your help. I had a look at that model but it is a little to large for me as i am looking for a 12-13 inches laptop also with dedicated graphics. The HP one only uses integrated graphics. I will look on their website though to see if there is one there that may suit my needs.

The Sony one seems to be the best in its class. I just hope that the CompUSA international warranty will be honoured and that i will not be messed around if i should need a laptop repair.

 

Yes, we have EDGE here! The problem is that I'm not quite sure if it worths to me (or if it will worth someday), since cellular services are expensive here.

rachuk, thanks for your help. It's nice to know that CompUSA offers international warranty. Unfortunately, they don't have either the SZ450 or the SZ460

 

Skip the 3rd party warranty for your Vaio.

Buy the laptop in the states, and take it to a Sony Store in your country and purchase extended warranty for it there. I called SonyStyle USA and they said I can do this (in my case, Warranty it in Canada).

Purchasing an extended warranty in the states only provides coverage in the US. The manufacturer (1yr) warranty should be good anywhere, however.

 

CORRECTION: I called 2 other Sony sources to verify what Sonystyle USA told me - they gave me a different story! It appears the USA agent gave wrong information.

Both a local Canadian SonyStore and Sony Canada Customer Support said you CANNOT purchase an extended warranty for a US purchased laptop in another country. However, the US manufacturers warranty will still be valid, except you will need to deal with Sony USA for service (which will no doubt incur excess shipping costs etc).

 

I think that i am going to start considering getting a refurb as well.It is not something that i usually do but well it would bring the price down a bit and would mean that i had Sony warranty in the UK. Maybe i could get them to throw in free warranty cover as well you never know they could say yes.

 

I would avoid refurb.

Why dont you take your chances and deal with an online vendor in the US that has good rates (The US dollar is piss poor now so take advantage of it). EX. SZ450N/C is $2800 vs $1900 between USA and CANADA, respectively.

Makes more sense to foregoe the warranty and get the better deal!

 

I'm interested to hear that the US Warranty would be valid overseas. Does this mean that if I had a fault with my Vaio, I would have to send it back to the US rather than to my local Sony repair centre? That doesn't make much sense...

Rachuk - HP have just announced a dedicated graphics card for the DV2500t. Like you, I am still being seduced by the Vaio.

 

Thanks for your advice ss_blake. I won't be getting a refurb now the one that i wanted was sold out and they would not bring the other ones price down that they still had in stock. They did offer to give me the free warranty though. They said that those refurb's though were brand new as a customer returned it because of a change in mind.

They suggested this model to me the VGNSZ5MN/B but with extended free warranty.
https://www.sonystyle.co.uk/SonySty...2BC29B8545B73BE80E34009B000000002BC29B71)/.do
The only thing about this model is that it has got a 1.83 processor and i would have preferred to have at least a 2ghz processor. I am also considering the base model from CompUSA as well that comes with a 2ghz processor and a bigger HD and sells for about £900 plus their international warranty then i am looking at £1,100 so that would mean that there would only be £200 difference if i bought the UK model with the free warranty.

I am still deciding what exactly i should do.

Warranty is really important to me i do not buy anything of expense without it as i would not like to foot the cost of repair work myself if anything went wrong with my laptop.

 

I just bought the Sony from the UK that i linked to above. I have 3 years warranty in all and it came to £1,300. As priced without the discount on the Sony website it would have come to £1,657 with the warranty.
I have 3 years Sony warranty and this is better than international warranty as i am covered by Sony in the UK. They said that i have 14 days to return it if i change my mind and don't like it. I should have it with me buy Wednesday. I am not going to really notice a difference between a 1.83 processor and a 2ghz processor when it comes down to it.

For only £200 in it i didn't think that it was really worth it buying from CompUSA.

If CompUSA had the original model that i wanted then that would have been different. I keep on changing laptops so regularly i have had 3 in the last 17 months. I will try and stick with this one and have it last me for at least the next two years.

 

Lol talk about being indecisive i just rang through and cancelled my order. I wasn't really happy with the spec of it or the colour. I think that i will either just get the higher spec one from CompUSA when i am in America but i also hope that they will update their stock as well.
The model below when converted would cost me £1,350 in the UK with the international warranty included.
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=344679&pfp=BROWSE

 

I have purchased a US model Sony while overseas. Getting service is easy, but you have to do it through Sony US. For me that involved meshipping the computer back to Sony's San Diego repair facility. The work was done promptly and with no questions asked and I was told I would have to pay to have it shipped back. However, Sony shipped it at no cost to me, back to me. So in the end, I only ended up paying for shipment to the US.

Initially I was told that the computer had to be registered in the US when I enquired about the repairs, but after talking to a CSR, they admitted tha it only had to be a legally purchased in the US model. I would suggest that anybody purchasing in the US and planning on using exclusively overseas, keep ALL of the receipts from the seller and possible take the time to boot up the computer and register it while in the US. Remember that registration did not end up mattering in my case, I just think that it may have made things slightly easier.

 

What do you mean 2.2 and 2.4?
Do you mean cpu clock?
Where is the source of ths information?

Thanks,
HT2

 

Hi i was referring to the cpu speed i read that somewhere that SR was coming in 2.2/2.4 but that was not correct. I just checked on the Intel website and the Santa Rosa which does ultilise the 800mhz bus does come in various clock speeds.
http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2duo/specifications.htm

 

Pwaggs, thanks for the useful advice.

Do you mind if I ask how much it cost to ship the laptop to the US in order to have it reparied? Did you buy an extended warranty?

Ratchuk,

What's the best price that you've seen for the SZ450? I had heard that you could order it for $1900

 

Nikesh i think the best price that i have seen for the SZ450 was from NewEgg and Amazon.com i think that they both offer that model for $1,999 but they do not offer any international warranty. The SZ460 is not priced that much higher on either of those sites either.
At the minute on Sony.com their prices are pretty good because they are offering a discount on some models at the moment. I have not seen a SZ450 for $1,900 though maybe somebody could let us know where to get it for that price.

I was looking on google about CompUSA international warranty and i read one not very good account of it at all but that was dating back to 2003 and you do tend to read the worst possible accounts if things go wrong online. It has made me question whether to get it even more because before i was in two minds about it anyway. It would be good if i could find some positive accounts of people who have used CompUSA international warranty online.
http://www.outofthedark.com/CyberPagan/AnotherCompUSA67.html

 

Guys, a couple of days ago I saw J&R selling the SZ450 for $1900. It seems it's sold out at the moment. Anyways, here's the link:

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4152225

I'm really considering in buying it, although I want Santa Rosa as well!!! Sony is killing me.

 

The Asus W7S looks quite promising as well. I think that they are using dedicated memory in this laptop as well and they are using the Santa Rosa chip also and i think that they offer a 2 year international warranty as standard.

You can also i believe get two years of warranty if you purchase something on your VISA card. I have never tried doing that myself and i don't know if credit cards companies actually uphold this but it maybe worth a look into for those who are looking to buy abroad.

 

The SZ6 is around the corner.

Hold out all stops.