New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

This is going to be a very interesting refresh. I will be waiting for the second revision to work out the bugs before purchasing. Revision 1/A products are not by cup of tea.

 

i wonder... if sony is releasing the z in june/july because they want to sit back and see what other manufacturers release first

i heard that this is their usual strategy

 

I have a huge dilemma right now. Buy a fully loaded refurb Z1290X w/512gb SSD, and blu-ray or wait for the next gen Z.

The biggest issue is I have so many accessories:
ext battery (BPL20)
A/C adapter (AC19V32)
privacy screen (FL14)
leather sleeve (CKZ2)

The biggest question mark is the BPL20 ext battery. I'm betting Sony will change to a new battery w/the new 2011 Z.

 

The AC adapter and sleeve will probably work for gen 2. Although I've never seen the new Z, I'm willing to bet money that Sony changes up the battery for the new gen, they have a track record of doing this with every new gen computer in the past. The privacy screen may fit if the new Z is 13.1" which I'm thinking it will be if they're using the same 1080 screen from Toshiba.

The biggest question is, does the external GPU solution work for you on the new Z? If you don't mind (since that seems like the biggest change from the previous gen(s)) then I'd say go for the new one. The new one will have a sheet battery as an option that will last longer than the Z now, it will come with an AC adapter anyway (almost all Sonys use 19.5V adapters anyway)....

But if you have a VPC Z1 now, why do you want another VPC Z1, mainly for the 512GB?

 

I sent my Z1290x in for warranty. Sony couldn't fix it so they gave me a gift card equal to my purchase price.

I kept my a/c adapter and battery since they didn't need those for warranty. Mainly, i'd hate to see the new Z come out cheaper w/a quad core than $3150 minus discount for a Z12 refurb.

 

In typical Sony fashion, they will definitely change the battery. Furthermore, the upcoming VAIO Z series is going to have the sheet battery, kinda like the current VAIO SB series. Therefore, I doubt the new battery is going to use a similar form factor to the one found in the current VPC-Z series.

 

you know.. i examined that photo a little more closely today.. from what i perceived, the size of the laptop seems to decreased 1cm from the height of the current Z

the back portion of the laptop seems to be slightly slanted inward, and that 2 rubber feets are slanted type as well... it seems to suggest that when the screen is opened up, it can go ~ 120 to 140 angle as max.

 

the new z does not have a quad core option

and the picture seems to be stretched horizontally

 

Where did you see it (Z1290X) ? Is this model still available?

 

he is probably talking about a CTO refirb

 

Could you clarify on the quad core comment?

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I tried searching in this thread w/no results. Will the 3g VAIO-Z feature an nVidia GPU w/Optimus technology?

I hated the hybrid graphics switching on my 2g VAIO-Z since it oftentimes would lead to lots of screen flicker w/reboot the only option to rid it.

 

according to a very knowledgeable member, who has provided us with a lot of accurate info, the new z does not have a quad core option, only dual core

 

Hmm, so faster underpinnings. I hope they ditch the VGA port in the next round. I found it out of place and outdated.

My biggest question is which nVidia or ATI GPU they will spec. Obviously the 330GTM is very outdated by now.

 

the gpu will be one of these two:
Whistler-XT (GDDR5)-AMD Radeon HD 6770M
Whistler-XT (DDR3)-AMD Radeon HD 6730M

 

I hope they do not. Many of us use the laptop for more than just gaming. When you arrive somewhere with your laptop to do a presentation, the last thing you want to worry about is whether there will be an hdmi connection to he projector in the conference room (which I guarantee it will not have).

 

This would be great! Is this also hybrid graphic?

 

there is no point in putting a qua-core in it consider the duo core 2nd gen i7 is already super fast

 

I want to see this thing with the piggyback device that is required to have the dedicated GPU.

 

well for some user that use the added power, yes. I would want one, I imagine putting dedicated cores to each VM that I run.

And if the CPU is not soldered and reports some good temps, I might think of swapping one, depending on the socket that they use, off course

 

I am still worried about over heating with qua core

maybe I am over concerned?

 

no you are not, its 10w of heat right there, it can cripple the system since its not designed for it.

 

Sorry but that's a dumb comment. There's no reason to put twin turbos in an S65 since it will already have enough power. Yeah... but some people want/need it.

 

for me, i want the cpu to be as fast as possible while the fan remains inaudible

 

It cannot be a dumb comment, because it depends on the application, which isn't stated. It is just... A comment.

 

Ok fine, it's a dumb statement. hehe

I'm just being harsh. Some people always want more than others are content with. I just didn't like how it was said that, "there's no point for xyz" it should've been, "there's no point for me to have xyz" since everyone is different.

 

I think we should all be happy that Sony decided to put a regular wattage processor in the Z as opposed to some ULV/LV... But i guess there are those that want the best.

 

Happy? I would go for the X1, if there werent standard voltage processors

 

I dont think X1 is even on par with Z in any way
bottom line. Z has the best screen in the world for a 13'

 

What's the screen in the X1?

 

1366x768 @11.1"

 

^ don't confuse it with the real 13.3"

 

I don't get it. What exactly do you consider to be a "real 13.3"?

 

^ I mean X1 has 13.3" 1366x768

 

Oh, I must be confusing the IBM X1 and the Sony X1 lol.

 

In any case, the Z is 13.1" (so it's not a "real" 13.3 either)

 

ibm X1 is no good

 

Uhh could you at least try to contribute to the conversation? ie. why it's bad? (low res, etc.)

But yeah, if only the X1 had a higher res screen. I'd rather get that... I dunno, something about thinkpad ruggedness

 

they've got the corniest commercial, and that is always a good reason for someone to buy it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjE2hN--LBc

While the above ad is one of the most stupid things that I saw, this one isnt:

 

did I make myself clear?
Dont want to say stuff multiple times, it has glossy screen low reso, no upgrade in drive, everything built in, what is the good about it? it is not that light either


how can it be on par with a Z or MBA?

 

well it may not be on par in terms of expansions or screen.

However it packs an incredible construction quality, and it features the first backlit keyboard from lenovo (not that I care)

features:

*roll cage (yes this is the first X series that uses one)
*mag alloy case
*gorilla glass
*spill proof keyboard (one of the best videos for this was of some guy pouring a glass of water in a X220, and all of it coming out from 2 holes in the bottom of the laptop)

This is a business laptop, not a high end entertainment. All the features should provide good durability and resist drops, coffees along a good life of work. And like the Z a full blown processor

 

Wow, I can't believe that geek still wants to marry the woman who mistreated his laptop

 

*roll cage (yes this is the first X series that uses one): Wrong, I believe X300, X301, X201s have roll cage
*mag alloy case - who cares about this???
*gorilla glass - this is perhaps a shortcoming because the screen is becoming glossy
*spill proof keyboard (one of the best videos for this was of some guy pouring a glass of water in a X220, and all of it coming out from 2 holes in the bottom of the laptop) OK, might be good but every thinkpad has it

what is promising for this system??

 

That commercial is awful

 

hi Cowboy, how much did your Z cost you?

 

the size and concept, its something new for lenovo, for other users its not. And no this is really the first X to have it. All the other X had chassis that were a combination of plastics and metal alloys.

and btw I actually care about the material used, since I got this laptop that I type right now, this is one major concern, and not only the type the build quality too. And of course any enterprise class notebook has to withstand punishment and that is not something plastic is going to take well

if I remember correctly erik said that it would still be matte.

All I said that this is a true enterprise class pc, with the added bells and whistles of durability and design. Also this is one of the thinnest lenovos ever produced, as you might now, thin is not something that they are overly concerned with.

 

I believe it is glossy for sure, and if you care about build quality and chassis, the X61 and X61s is perfect, at least for me. also with 4:3 and high reso (1440*1050)

 

Also the X1 does not come with IPS or AFFS, that is a big put down

 

never cared about the 4:3 screens, I actually thought it was a good thing to move to widescreen, since I can put 2 lines of code side by side. And no there wasnt any sufficient space to put 2 docs one above the other it felt too uncomfortable to do that

also never cared about how the panels are made.

btw I used the X61 for a while, I do prefer the X200 ( that I got as a replacement)

 

RIGHT, PEOPLE DO VARY IN OPINIONS IN REQUIREMENTS AND NEEDS

 

$2,739.03 USD
I upgraded the RAM myself about a month ago. I also purchased the VGP-PRZ10 Dock separately