Just ordered VAIO SZ....

Actually, portability is what I want but theres that other side of me that's always tempted by "the beast" and the blazing performance, 17" screen, etc. But I've already got a pretty good desktop.
I had an E1705 configured and my finger on the trigger several times today. Can't do it though. It is not what I need. The dv1000t doesn't have a dedicated GPU and the MSI 1022's dedicated GPU isn't good enough. Who knows when the W3J will be available, etc., etc., etc.

My head is just ringing with all the different types of lappys out there. Its like a weird obsession or something. If I spent this much time researching stocks, etc., I might be a rich man.

So, for now, I'll hang with the Sony SZ. I just wish they'd ship the d*mn thing already.

 

lol, maybe if you stop playing games you will have more choices

 

Not all that big on games but I like to have the option if I really get into one. I try to stay away from the "if I buy that $2,000.00 PC, I can play this $50 game for 10 hours" mindset. That could empty my bank account in a real hurry!

 

Regarding the Power brick, etc:
Is anyone else bothered by the large power brick, or does anyone know of an alternative brick to use? I posted this in another thread, but got no reply. The specs of the SZ brick are: Dimensions (W x H x D): 2.5” x 1.2” x 5.5” (main unit only) and Weight: 0.92 lbs. Compared to a Thinkpad brick, for example, does anyone consider this excessive for a 4 pound laptop? I am in NO WAY trolling or bashing. I am seriously considering an SZ, and am just looking for opinions on this factor. I can live with the other SONY negatives, such as all the installed bloatware, not sure about the keyboard, which seems more like the TX keyboard. Can anyone who has received an SZ comment on keyboard quality compared to Thinkpad X series, for example?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

I just used the keyboard for about 20 minutes at Best Buy.

It is horrendous.

It's a 'sea of keys' almost like they are floating on something. They move all over the place, signifigant flex. The F and J keys have little dots insteat of grooves, makes it difficult to just put your hands on the keyboard and type.

I wouldn't recommend it for the crap keyboard alone.

 

I wouldn't call it a "crap keyboard", but I pretty much agree with you.
I tried it for 15 minutes or so at FRY's today. I went into the mini-evaluation of it thinking that the power brick size was the big negative, but it is the keyboard that is the big minus sign on this model for me. They are flat keys, chicklet style, and I would have a hard time getting used to typing with this keyboard. Like other SONY's I have typed on, the keys seem almost oversized, or at least spaced too wide. That is the perception I got, even if it is not actually true. Just typing the normal sentences I type to try any keyboard I have ever tried was very hard to do, and caused a lot of mistakes. I don't know exactly what SONY did with the keyboard, but it doesn't seem good to me, and, apparently I am not alone with these feelings.

Andrew

 

Cancelled the order today. Can't get a straight answer on when the thing is supposed to ship, too many quirks noted here and elsewhere.
Ah well, the SZ is a great concept and I hope it turns out well for those who are sticking with it.

 

Unfortunately there is nothing else out there that offers the same thing as Sony does... Even Asus W3J will not be the same. It's will be bigger, probably will run hotter and will not have as good screen and battery life as Sony... I am still willing to try Sony despite what I know and what everyone says.

 

I'm in the same boat. Sure, the SZ isn't perfect... but there's nothing else on the market that's the same size, the same weight, with the same level of power. All of the "alternatives" are generally bigger and/or don't have accellerated graphics.

Probably placing a preorder for a SZ160 tonight or tomorrow... at least I have 20 days afterwards to decide whether I like it or not.

 

I'd say you are right in my opinion Andrew.

I always like to make sure I take the time to see a notebook in person, keyboard is a make it or break it for a lot of people, including me.

 

'Tis true. Probably why the SZ caught my eye and I rushed to make an order. But the attitude of the CS rep. I spoke with on the phone today really rubbed me the wrong way. If they are that bad when I am actually buying the thing, how are they going to be after I actually own it and they already have my money?
I hope it turns out to be a great machine though. I've never seen a lappy draw the kind of interest this thing has.

 

Yeah, I hear nightmares about Sony customer support all the time... however, oddly, up here in Canada it doesn't seem to be the same case. I've never had any trouble with Sony or getting anything serviced (both A/V and computer products).

 

is this still noisy as S??

 

I just got the sz120 the other day and I love it. The machine is quiet, except the CD Drive tends to be a little noisy at times, especially when first starting up. There's no overheating problems which I have noticed thus far. The picture quality of the screen is absolutely amazing, the best I've ever seen. But I do have to agree that the keyboard is slighlty different from what I'm used to (not exactly sure how it's different, but it is), but over the past two or three days, I have gotten used to it and it isn't that bad. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I just hope I won't have to deal with the crappy customer service everyone is complaining about.

Jess

 

Chung: All reports I've seen say the machine is very quiet and runs cool.

 

hey all,

I've received my SZ110 from Amazon yesterday.The SZ110 is the same as the SZ120 but with WinXP Home instead of Pro.

I've been using the laptop since yesterday night and I'm very happy so far. Everything works great, the lappy looks very sleek. It's very light, although not as light as my old Sony Z505 (it was a 12"). I haven't had a chance to test the battery life yet but I will soon. The fingerprint sensor is a funny gadget.
As far as the keyboard goes, I don't find it horrible at all. It's different, that's all. I think the keys are a bit larger than what we are used to, and you have to press them a little further. It feels a little more like a desktop keyboard, and I think it's a good thing. I'm already getting used to it and I'm sure that I'll be very comfortable with it in a couple of days.
The touchpad and buttons feel very nice.

The screen is awesome, nothing to say about it.

The lappy is VERY quiet and runs cool. The left handrest gets a little warm, but nothing to be worried about.

I've tried the CD burner and it works perfectly. Haven't tried to burn a DVD yet but I will keep you updated if something goes wrong.

One thing I found interesting is that there is not latch on the lid. You just close it and the lappy goes into suspend mode. It'svery well designed and the lid doesn't move when closed, even without a latch. I appreciate this as I broke the latch of my Z505 very quickly.

For those who are interested, I've started installing Linux on it (Ubuntu). Unfortunately, there's a lot of new stuff inside this lappy that are not yet supported under linux, namely the wireless chipset and the nvidia card. Both Intel and Nvidia are working on the drivers and they should be available in the next couple of weeks. Beside this, it seems completely usable if you don't mind not having 3D acceleration for a while and have a wired internet connection (or an older wifi pcmcia card).

Overall, I'm VERY happy with the SZ110 and I'm glad I cancelled my order from SonyStyle, and got it from Amazon. Sonystyle told me 1 week, after 3 weeks I didn't have anything. Amazon said 2 days, and I got it in 2 days.

If you have any question, feel free to ask on the forum, I'll do my best to answer

 

I went to Bestbuy other day and played with sz120 for a while, it felt slower than M760. It took long time to start up. don't know is slow or too much junk software. but even after finish loading it still kind slow

 

Yeah, I wouldn't judge performance from the floor models. If anything, just judge the build, screen, keyboard, etc there.