Europe models vs. US models

Hello everyone, this is my first post, i've searched but was unsuccesful in finding an answer;

I'm planning on buying a sz450, the only problem is that I live in the Netherlands and prices for vaio's are more expensive here compared to the US. So I'm going for the cheaper option and will buy my sz450 in the US, but my question; is there's a difference between a US purchased sony vaio sz450 and a euro version?

And I might not have a warrenty in the Netherlands if I buy it in the US, but I'm willing to take that risk (can i purchase some kind of worldwide warrenty expansion?)

thank you and any help would be appreciated

 

probably the keyboard will be different

 

I did exactly that.

There is no difference at all between US SZ450N and euro SZ4XWN, and the price difference is high.

Of course, you'll have US keyboard but that's no problem.

 

The keyboard will be different, for instance, I'm sure the enter/return key is different on Euro models am I right?

Also, U.S models have the option for Cingular's WWAN EDGE but Euro models have no such option at all.

 

The name is different, too.
Also the cable to the charger is different, but thank god changeable.

DOn't hesitate.
Even with the extended oversea warranty, the VAIO is cheaper than in gool olde Europe.

 

Somehow it seems notebooks always cost more in Europe, AND have lower specifications .. At least, that's true with Asus notebooks.

 

I got mine Vaio here i Sweden, it's SZ4XN, he price is pretty high if you compare to the US. But there is only Premium SZ4 in Sweden. which SZ4XN is. The Premium cost little bit more than unpremium. And mine is Made in Japan .
Where is you guys US model made from??

Other different is keyboard layout, and charger. ELSE?
Couse you can always buy oversea warranty..

 

I live in Sweden too like Qualia which have their own character set (like the Dutch) and travel frequently to US and UK to pretty much buy it AND get it serviced whenever neeeded if it broke down.

Still I'm opting for the localized Swedish version for the keyboard (the OS is not a problem) since I feel that I need to SEE the keyboard and its corresponding character. I simply don't want to memorise where the backward slash, ampersand or larger-than sign is placed!

Then I should add that I switch keyboards regulary, ie I'm using a stationary computer at the London offices, travelling with an Apple Powerbook and occasionally use another PC in Stockholm as well - why it is impossible for me to remember a key setup.

If you're able to deduct the VAT in your local country, then the prices are virtually same, if not cheaper in Europe (at least when I checked against prices in Sweden and UK).

 

The highest price is only one difference Im living in Bulgaria and order Sony notebooks by www.bhphotovideo.com. Even the charger support 110-230V. You must change only the cable.
Order from US because the price difference between US and Bulgaria is 70%

 

Anyone got a workaround for the keyboard problem?

Stickers on key not accepted

 

Besides purchasing it from US, for the folks at European countries, you might be beneficial to buy from other places like Hong Kong.

I was there last month and check on the SZ there, of course, made in Japan, and the best thing of it, the charger comes with 3-4 different cords which you can use it in most countries, such as, US plug, UK/HKG plug, etc.

I cannot tell if the keyboard layout is different than US or not. But the price is similar to US, well, may be around US$150-200 more than US, but then, you get different power cords which is very convenient for the guys in europe.

I think SONY HK offers an international warranty standard too. I bought mine in US, coz it is still cheaper if you comparing the same specs model. US SZ450 comes with 2GB while in HK standard premium model is 1GB only and the premium version of the premium model is 2GB, but the price is around US$200 more.

http://www.sonystyle.com.hk/ss/product/vaio/index_e.jsp

 

With a US laptop is it possible to have a Euro (swedish) external keyboard i.e. through the usb port? anyone tried this

 

I also had this promising thought of shipping my notebook of choice from the usa to the Netherlands, but then I looked up the extra costs:

-shipping costs
-import duties (around 13%
-VAT (19 %)

Imo it's not worth the risc.

 

It shall work with out any problem, only you have to do is change the keyboard layout in controlpanel to SE.. If I'm not wrong the US version got other sign replaced by ÖÅÄ.

 

Perhaps you guys didn't read my post --- if you're working on three different key setups already it gets completely impossible to memorize where backslash, hash, paragraph sign, ampersand etc is located without looking at your keys. And these letters/signs are different on every language setup.

So it's NOT just a matter of changing the control panel to whatever language you're working on at the moment.