Is the FZ140E/B for me?

This model from BestBuy seems a good deal (price match from Circuit City?): http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ategoryId=pcmcat103700050030&id=1177113305036

I've filled out the common form in this topic, and I'll highlight some of the features the FZ fills imo:

Mainstream but still protable: 15.4" widescreen, 5.75 lbs
Processor and Memory: Powerful dual-core, 1.8ghz with 2gb memory
Seen in person: good style, sturdy, excellent screen (fair resolution)

I haven't found very many reviews for the FZ, I guess because it's such a new product, and most reviews available are for the FZ180, which is out of my price range.

I see that the owners of FZ thread is growing strong, but no one has reviewed theirs yet. I've heard rumors of a high-pitched noise, but maybe only the 180 models? Also, I've heard the battery life isn't that great, but there have been mixed reviews, ranging from 1hr to over 4.

Please, if you own an FZ, will you help me?
Thanks!

 

Well, depends what you want to do. The FZ140 is the slowest of the offered FZ models. If you want a slightly faster machine with the stronger 2GHz processor, you may consider the FZ160. If you want better graphics, you could customize a FZ 190 with the Nvidia 8400M GT. As long as you stay away from Blueray and the T7700 processor they should be still affordable. I may know things a little better next week, when my FZ190 is delivered. Good luck.

 

I haven't ever seen the FZ160.
Where is that available?

 

I've seen it on amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-FZ16...7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1182656957&sr=8-1
newegg.com seems to have it too, but at a higher price.
If you customize you could also get a faster harddrive, unless you really need 200GB. I ordered mine last Tuesday and even though it was a custom order, it shipped out on Thursday. So it should get here from the Westcoast early next week.

 

Sorry for posting about a different brand now, but this offer from HP is very comparable:
http://gem.compaq.com/gemstore/conf...Type=&BuyIt=&CSource=IDC%20 &OMIFlg=False

The price is a little higher, but it comes with a 3year limited warrenty. The screen is 14.1, but everything else matches up.

The Amazon deal is interesting, but I'm hesitant. I would rather purchase from in store, if possible.

 

Hm, that link didn't open properly. I don't know much about Compaq laptops. Years back they didn't have a good reputation but that may have changed. 3 years warranty definitely is an argument. Are you sure that machine is available in stores though?
For buying in store, it looks like only the FZ is around is the 140 model. I looked at it and it made a good impression on display and convinced me to order a 190. Considering that a laptop should survive transport (otherwise there wouldn't be a point in using it as a portable computer). I don't know about Sony, but I had experience with Dell's Latitude Xpi, Inspiron 7000 and Inspiron 5150 and their function seemed not hampered by shipping.