How's Your New Baby - the S260 that is?

I just sold my V505EC Celeron M processor notebook this week, so I now have some cash to buy a new notebook and am considering the S260, but a few things concern me from what I've read from others - since you folks actually own the S260, can you give me your honest opinion on these areas?

1. There are A LOT of complaints about the XBRITE screen being too reflective. One person was complaining that it's very hard to see in some situations. Another person explained that it's so reflective that you can see people behind you on the screen. Due to problems with the reflectiveness of the screen alone, one guy was explaining that his company is considering replacing ALL of the 260's that they purchased. Someone else mentioned that the screen can make it straining on your eyes. What do you all think of this?

2. Even in this thread, there is mention of the fan noise. When I looked at other user reviews, this was a common complaint. Since I will be using this in class as well as in business meetings, the last thing that I want is a notebook that is noisy and creates attention. What's the reality?

3. Something has been mentioned on this forum about this as well as on CNET reviews about power management not working with wireless LAN when on battery. What does this acutally mean? I'm confused by this one.

4. What kind of battery life are you experiencing?

5. Why do you like the widescreen over the more traditional size, say the V505 for example?

4. Now that you've had your S260 in your possession for a little while now (I know that there is going to be some bias here since this is something you all put a lot of cash into), but what is your honest opinion of the notebook - if you were helping a family member purchase a notebook, would you recommend the S260 or perhaps suggest that they ought to look at other options? If you might recommend that they look at other options, what notebook(s) might you suggest?

Thanks so much for any feedback you all can offer me!

 

I've had several, err many, notebooks in the past--zeniths, nec, toshibas, dells, gateway, sony, and ibm. I've been eyeing sony vaios ever since I got a vaio 505sx back in 1999--a truly groundbreaking notebook that continues to function perfectly. I've had good experiences with all of my past notebooks (save 1 of the zeniths), but the new S series is easily one of my favorites.
1) yes, the screen is reflective. Just like a lot of the HD TV screens you see. Is it bad, no...you just need to make sure that there are no bright lights behind you if it starts to bug you. If you have a big window behind you, you might want to reposition the notebook or your desk if it is difficult to see. Now the benefit of the screen is an OUTSTANDING image with crisp, rich colors and easily readable text--this easily outweighs the drawback of occasional reflections. BTW, we have a Dell 700m that has the same type of reflective coating and excellent image (check out cnet reviews on the dell).

2) Fan noise is noticable, but can be managed using your power settings. It sounds kinda like a mini-turbine when it is on full-speed, not really loud but more distinctive than your average notebook. Many of my other notebooks have been louder, but the sony has a distinctive whoosh sound--again, i think many people call it LOUD but it's probably just because it is a more noticable sound than other notebooks. You can easily set the power settings to favor a quiet fan mode (lowers the cpu speed) and then the fan is rarely noticable--and the lower cpu speed still has plenty of power to handle business apps quickly. I still wish it was whisper quiet like the dell 700m, but the S fan noise is really not too bad and most likely something you will get accustomed too. Small drawback for an outstanding notebook.

3) I believe the power management issue has been resolved. I do know that my wireless functionality is outstanding both when plugged and when on battery. The S also picks up more distant networks than my previous notebook. Probably a better design since both use the intel BG card!

4) My battery life has been about 3.5-4 hrs running business apps or web-browsing with WiFi on and MAX screen brightness, on "VAIO optimized power scheme". I hope that I could get 5+ hrs with WiFi off, screen brightness down, and a more conservative power management scheme.

5) Widescreen is nice. Fell in love with it on the Dell 700m, and decided to get it on the next notebook I bought. It's obviously great for DVD movies, but is also useful for multitasking (web sites side by side, spreadsheet and word processer both visible...). I do miss the traditional screen size occasionally since I find myself scrolling down documents much more often now (since the height of the screen is compressed).

6) The S260 is badass! It has an excellent design and is well constructed with alloy exterior (plastic interior) and build quality is first rate. The screen flat out RULES. The keyboard is very good (not as good as an ibm, but still very nice). The size is virtually a perfect balance of portability and ease of use.

There are many positives about sony notebooks, and the S lives up to the best. However, the negatives must be weighed carefully. Since you mentioned buying for a family member, I'd point out that I would only recommend a VAIO to someone who is very careful with their things and is at least moderately computer literate. As you might know, Sony support really lags in comparison to dell or ibm. However, with my last sony I NEVER needed to call for support--something I cannot say about my ibm or dells. Supposedly sony support is slowly improving, so this might be less of an issue in the future. If said family member met the above criteria, the S would be an outstanding purchase. However, it is much easier to get a great deal on a dell with similar specs to the sony. For a user who may need more tech support, I would definately advise an IBM (if you can afford it) or DELL (if you're on a tighter budget).

 

Birdie - THANKS A LOT!! I very much appreciate your insight and the time that you took to give me all of that info. I decided to go ahead and buy the S260 (got it last night) and am VERY pleased with it. The wider size of it continues to grow on me. I'm finding myself liking it more the more I use it. Now that I just ordered a case for it, the last thing that I'm hoping to be able to do (and this doesn't need to be done any time soon) is upgrade the optical drive to a DVD-R drive. I'm hoping that this is not difficult to do and not too costly either. I would imagine a lot of other S260 owners are hoping to do the same so I look forward to learning more through other's experiences. Thanks again for your insight!