I May Get A Japanese SZ90

Hi FenderP!

Thanks for all the info that you're giving us on SZ90. I am also considering on getting this laptop and very anxious to see your review. Also please let us know how the RAM and hard drive upgrades go. I am also considering upgrading the memory to 667 MHz and hardrive to 7400 RPM once I get it.

=TK

 

The RAM and hard drive are in. The memory is the same - just unscrew the bottom hatch and away you go.

The hard drive took some time, mainly around all of the imaging I had to do and things I needed to jury rig it to get it to work since the SZ is SATA, and most drives are PATA.

So it's not *too* bad, but expect it to take some time.

 

FenderP thanks for all your posts.

I'm thinking about getting one and putting in the Seagate Momentus 7200.1. Is that what you used? I'm guessing you hooked your replacement drive to a PC to image it? If so, what equipment did you need? Does the SZ90 use a 1.8" or a 2.5" drive?

Thanks again

 

Is the chassis any different to the US/European premium models.

I read post somewhere that said the sz90 had different top.

 

THis is the drive: http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=B82895

It's a 2.5" SATA. No 1.8" 7200 exists.

No, I didn't hook the replacement drive to a PC. That's the pain part. I'll go into it in my review, but long story short, I couldn't find an external case for the SATA, so I backed up the image to a USB disk and restored using that.

 

Yes, the Japanese top looks a tad different, but not a big deal to me. The only real difference in the Japanese besides that is you can customize it technically so you can get what you want, and you can get the higher processors. I got the T2600 processor, no bluetooth, no biometric.

 

Could guys tell me where can i find the drivers of a japanese version, i got a SZ70B/B, i did a clean xp install and cant get it works properly.

plz

 

FenderP,

Nice hard drive! That is the one I was thinking about myself. Which memory did you end up getting - can you put the high speed stuff in?

Thanks

 

I was thinking about ordering the SZ from dynamism aswell. But i'm in the UK, and they dont cover shipping to them for warranty.

So i got the SZ1VP/C which is the same but with the T2500 processor, and only 1 year warranty as standard. Price wise it works out about the same. But obviously its better then risking having to pay shipping to the US and back if something went wrong.

The other thing I noticed was the specs on dynamism suggest the SZ90 is thicker then the SZ1VP/C. Surely that must be a mistake.

 

5to1 - I was just checking out the SZ1VP/C - does that have the same standard battery use life as the SZ90?

Thanks

 

It comes with the standard battery. I think the SZ90 does aswell by default. However, in Japan your able to drop the standard battery and get the enhanced battery. Whereas, in the uk you have to get the enhanced battery as an extra option.

I've got abt 3 to 3.5 hrs on max battery setting on mine. But thats a rough estimate as it wasn't constant use, I tend to wonder off and it will hibernate. So i've estimated the amount of actual use I got. (I haven't applied the USB fix).

The only differences I noted between the dynamism spec of the SZ90 and the spec of the SZ1VP/C are:

- T2600 processor versus T2500
- 3 Year Warranty versus 1 Year (Although if your in the UK, you have to pay to ship back to dynamism).
- According to the specs, the SZ90 is a bit thicker. But I think this must be a mistake.

Price wise, the two machines work out about the same. Unless you add the 3 year warranty to the UK machine, in which case it an extra £189. But thats not really a fair comparrison since you have to pay for shipping for the SZ90.

 

Just received my SZ90 from Japan (via Chicago Dynamism.com). I am returning my current SZ140 due to keyboard and bluescreen issues. The first thing I'll say is the the keyboard (black) feels MUCH better. I can type normal and the space bar feels and responds normal. Hurray!!

 

Congrats, Larry. The SZ90 is a good machine

 

Hmm. I've had a few Blue Screens aswell.

Figured it was a SW problem on my install.

Have Sony acknowledged this to be a problem? Has anyone else had similar problems?

 

FenderP, I installed my previous 100gig 7200 rpm seagate with my previous stuff. This send it found a new network adapter. It seemed to install new drive just fine. Then it said that it found a USB device. Seems like the SZ90 has a different USB device as well. Since I have removed the original drive, I can't locate the driver. Could you possibly email me what ever USB drive you have on your machine? Perhaps you can attach it to a reply. Thanks!

 

Larry:

Does the SZ90's carbon case have a different texture then their US cousins?

 

My first SZ was a 160 premium. My SZ90 seems very similar to that model except that the keyboard feels MUCH better.

 

LarryEitel, was it easy to install the new HD on yours ? I am considering that as well, but I am affraid of the HD Shock Protection as well. But I believe this is _software_ related, isn't ?

 

What you need to do is set up your computer, image the drive, install the new drive, and put the image on the new drive. That way you don't have to worry about reinstalling anything. Why reinvent the wheel?

Installing the HD is a snap.

 

Mine has the thatched, but I think it was limited edition and the newer ones are just black carbon but still the same thin screen.

 

Not on a SZ unfortunately...

 

Guess you didn't image it ... that would have saved you pain. I'm also not sure how you got a PATA drive into the SATA slot, either ... unless your drive was also SATA. Dynamism put all of the drivers on the hard drive as well under C:\Sony Setup. It's 140MB, so I have no idea what you need and 140MB is a bit much to put in an attachment ...

 

Took me 10 minutes. Unscrew the four scres at the bottom, lift out the keyboard (and no, you don't have to unattach it), move the bottom panel aside (unscrewing it), and unhook the SATA drive. The only thing to watch out for is it's a tad tight around the drive, so after refitting the drive into the space, make sure the connectors for the HD are back in their slot in the motherboard.

It would have been nice if Sony gave it easier access, but this was a piece of cake.

 

FenderP:
I did image my drive. It was in my previous SZ. This time I merely pulled out the drive from the previous SZ and popped it into the new one. This is why I don't currently have access to the Sony provided drivers for the SZ90. Even though my sys wants a driver for a USB device, everything seems to work.

 

Not for everyone apparently .

True that its easier on other laptops such as my older HP. I guess Sony didnt have a choice seeing how small this laptop is.

 

Regarding the installing of a new faster drive, I discovered that the drive protection whachamajig still works. I was working while listening to some music and as I tapped on the right edge (to the beat), a task balloon popped up saying it kicked in and whether i wanted to adjust the sensitivity.

 

It could be the Felicia stuff ... dunno. My SZ90 is a tad different as well as I have less stuff - I got no bluetooth, no biometric, etc., so I couldn't say what USB device it's detecting.

YOu may want to pop Dynamism's drive back in, do a screen shot, and see what devices it has vs. what yours is.

 

Sharp did it in the MW-70J/M4000. Accessible via a hatch on the bottom just like memory. It wouldn't have been a big deal to put a hatch where the HD is, and it would have made it a tad easier. Granted, they would have had to change the position of the screws.

Try changing the HD in a JVC 741 and then tell me the Sony is hard

 

Well im sure Sharp's MW-701 isnt as sleek as the SZ

 

I still like the Sharp believe it or not, even though the SZ will become my main machine. It's a nice, stylish computer but again, like with the SZ, not the reason I went for it.

Clearly Sony made a design choice not to expose it, just as they do with the T/TX series. All other current Sony models as far as I know have the hatch for the HD. If Sony was smart, they'd just offer 7200rpm drives as an option.

 

Agreed, they should offer it like Dell and some HP models do. I dont see a reason why, I suppose they find them more of a professional product rather then gaming and suppose that 5400rpm is enough?

 

That's the irony - if you're doing things like VMWare or pro audio, you need a faster drive. If you're just doing Word and Excel, 5400 is just fine. I am in the power user category, so slower is bad.

Sony will get it eventually. Until then, folks like us will modify the standard build.

 

To those people who bought the SZ90 from dynamism, did you have the space bar key problem (key sometimes does not register) on your system?

Thanks!

 

I have used and seen various SZ's. My SZ90 feels very solid including the space bar. Not sure what this approx 2" square 'pad' to the right of the mouse pad is. When I popped in the 7200 rpm drive, i saw that it has wires coming from it. Wonder if it is an anti-static pad.?.

 

can one of you guys make a picture tutorial to changing out the hdd on the sz? also within the tutorial can you include links to compatible 7200rpm hdd's for the sz.

Thanks, and im sure every sz owner here will appreciate it.

 

Only the extreme corners for me, and that's not an issue. I'm not an edge space typer. So I get 90 - 95% coverage, and the edges work if you press a tad harder. The keyboard is excellent IMHO.

 

No time to do it here right now - maybe mid-May.

 

Search is your best friend here. Someone posted this link sometime ago...

http://www.wretch.cc/album/album.php?id=UNIGO&book=2

 

My Japanese S560 also has that. It's used to read Edy cards with Sony's FeliCa technology. Edy (and Suica) cards are contactless IC cards used mostly for electronic money cards that are in all sorts of electronic devices here in Japan, especially cell phones. My cell phone has an Edy card, though I never use it. If I have my Vaio on in the Japanese XP OS (I've got it to boot either in Japanese or English) and I put my cell phone on top of that little square, a program comes up that will let you manage your Edy electronic money account via the internet.

Here in Japan a lot of stores are accepting Edy cards, and you could theoretically pay for stuff all the time with your cell phone or other Edy/Suica card device. I think they are used a lot for road tolls here, too.

I never bothered trying to get it to work with the English version of XP, and Windows doesn't even recognize an extra device there or anything. So don't worry about it, I don't think you'll be needing it. It just makes your Vaio a little more unique than a North American model.

Cheers.

 

Anyone order one lately? How long did it take to get?

 

The vender Dynamism is pretty straight forward regarding delivery times.

 

I ordered two SZ 90s on Tuesday. Because I added the large battery and high end warranty (slips, spills & spouse protection) the guys @ Dynamism said it would take two weeks. They had others in stock - they would have taken two days. One was even the special wave top everyone has been talking about.