New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

^don't we already know or at least we can assume that it's pretty likely not to be a sheet solution? I'm refering to this post:

 

damn you beaups, damn you........

 

I have to wonder if that external piece wouldn't mount on the underside. Unless it can only be used with the external while sitting on a desktop, there should be some sort of capability to integrate the two pieces into one unit.

 

^mouting on the underside is inconsistent with beaups statement I've quoted above though.

 

True. Perhaps there's some other config that allows for the second part to be used in a mobile setting.

 

Someone here may be interested in this: Sony Idles Japan Plants, May Shift Production | Journal of Commerce

 

^so does this affect the release of the new Z by a lot or just marginally?

 

My guess would be, a lot. Production seems to have slowed or potentially stopped on models they've already released and are not even assembling in Japan, probably due to component shortages.

 

well if that external piece holds the discrete gpu and ODD as well as maybe a few other ports, I don't know why you'd want to run the discrete gpu on the go, although i guess you would want to watch some dvd's/blu-ray's. Also, i'm thinking this external piece might just connect to the new Z through the lightpeak/thunderbolt connector. Hmm, i wonder if the external piece can even run off the battery power of the new Z... i guess we'll all have to wait and see (unless beaups can chime in ). I wonder if the people at ViDock will sue Sony for some patent infringement ><

don't forget the power rationing... even if they had the parts, Japan is in the middle of a major energy crisis...

 

"If the shortage of parts and materials supplied to these plants continues, we will consider necessary measures, including a temporary shift of production overseas," Sony said.

still?

 

approx 20000 people are dead or missing in a disaster that wiped out hundreds of square miles of land containing, among other things, nuclear power plants. So yeah, they didn't manage to get all of that rebuilt over the last week or two.

 

Gracias, Senor Drvec.

 

Seems the Engadget story has been pulled (just like their SA coverage from CES was). Well I can't find it anyway.....

S

 

Thanks n2okid! That is entirely possible. For me, however, this would quell some of my excitement. Having a very light laptop for non-graphics intensive work, which converts to a somewhat heavier powerhouse laptop, is much more exciting than the same that converts back to a desktop. I already have a desktop that I am looking to lose in favor of external hard drives. The Lightpeak's speed would allow me quickly to move the work onto the laptop and back when done. I can envision the possibility of some travel with both pieces, the heavier of which would stay at my hotel. I don't even mind terribly if the dock requires a plug, as long as it isn't awkward to work with off a desk. I use my flat screen TV as a monitor to work with photos, which is delightful. I have been considering a NAS to accomplish all of this, but have some reservations about relying to much on wireless.

Apologies to all if I have strayed too far off topic into my own green field of reverie.

 

It's still on SonyInsider though.

S

 

Yeah i agree with you, i'd rather the extra piece be more like a slap on battery as opposed to an accessory. But then again, I guess sony's considering that some people might just want to forgo desktops completely and replace them with a powerhouse of a laptop. Who knows? I for one, will miss the all-in-one builds of the current Z and the previous gen Z.

AHA! more compelling evidence that they were right! > ... Sony should just let the rumors fly... if anything it'll generate more publicity as opposed to just crushing all the rumors about it... (hell if i were Sony, i'd leak some info to the press )

 

I think this is the link you are looking for, stevod:

Sony crafting VAIOs with Chrome OS, external GPUs and Thunderbolt tech? -- Engadget

 

Weird - tried many search terms and it didn't come up. I was hoping it was a sign that the story is true.

S

 

Yes, my search on the term vaio did not find it, which I would expect to be an obvious term. I had to scroll through several screens to find it. I sometimes bookmark interesting ones but hadn't done that on this one.

 

Hopefully it might still be true though.....

S

 

eWeek has a related story found here http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-a...C-to-Feature-Intel-Thunderbolt-Report-543324/

In part it states:

 

Sounds absolutely insane. 2.5 pounds?

I would most likely get the 16 hour battery, however.

 

That's misleading. The 11.6" air weighs 2.3 lbs. The 13.3" weighs 2.9 lbs.

 

Only downside with an external discrete card is that it'll be more difficult to play your games in the bed..

 

If I recall correctly, the SA will weigh about 2.9lb. The Z may be lighter.

 

^It should be, being smaller and having no GPU or ODD.

 

Pretty much summarizes the Sony Insider article. By the way, am I the only one who cringes when someone types "Blue-Ray", especially on a tech site?

 

No. But spelling is not some folks strong point.

 

I have to wonder how well the CPU/GPU link will work. I've never heard of an external GPU before. On the other hand, Sony has probably put some pretty good tech people on getting it to work.

 

Read up on Thunderbolt - it basically just exposes an external connection to the PCIe buss, so you can implement anything on it.

External GPUs have been done using the ExpressCard slot, see the Gaming forum.

 

Thanks. I've never had much to do with gaming so I've stayed unaware of it until now.

 

2.5 lb notebook + 1.5 lb dock/slice/addition = 4 lb!!! That's very disappointing...

 

Well, extra enclosures are not weightless. The dock must be built like a tank.

 

I hope they sell the two units separately... Personally, depending on the price of the add-on unit, i might as well get a ViDock with Thunderbolt connection, then i can use an External GPU.

 

Remember, a generic solution won't allow the external gpu to drive the internal LCD (as far as I know).

 

So do they attach together a la sheet battery or is it like a separate unit a la xbox 360 HD DVD drive?


Yes, I also cringe when BD is spelled incorrectly. "It's" errors also drive me nuts in general.

 

Still, 3.5 lb, closer to VGN-Z, is what I think is achievable. Guess we'll have to see the final product. If it's 4 lb combined and SA is only at 3.2 lb (and probably cheaper, too), I may go with SA.

 

I actually prefer it this way, so extra weight and heat will not be on your laps/balls

 

Thanks for the reply Beaups.


I will certainly reserve judgement until I see an image of it but I'm not a super big fan of a separate thing like that. I do a lot of my computing on a couch and it sounds like a pain to have that separate dongle sitting next to me, if the wire is even long enough. Another annoying thing would be wanting to watch a blu ray in the car or on the plane, sounds annoying to situate/ find room for.

With that said, I have a feeling that the main unit will be really sexy. I remember seeing this Sony concept laptop a few years ago and it would be so cool if this new Z has a level of appeal near this: http://www.laptoppicker.com/archives/sony-vaio-zoom-laptop.jpg lol

 

For the Z there is so much competition out there as is. This seems to compete with the x220.
Without the external usb they are pretty much the same. Dare i say it the x220 will probably be better speced. I'm not sure if Sony is dropping the expresscard slot on this model as well. The x220 also looks like it comes with a 1600x900 IPS option. You can get external gpu options for these laptops although it doesn't work as well. I wonder though if this is enough to define the Z out there in a very competitive market.

I hope it does very well though. Part of the reason why the last gen Z's were so successful was because they were a powerhouse contained in one 13.1 3lbs unit.

I also need to see pictures but it's the SA for me

 

haha totally

man, this sounds so awesome, can't wait to see some pics!


main reasons why I (think I'll) prefer it over SA:
- FHD
- smaller dimensions (although almost same screensize)
- lighter
- less heat consumption (therefore fan noise should be lower)
(- better solution for the vent)
(- better looking (e.g. not a huge frame around the screen))

 

dont know what to think of this... the current z has a faster gpu than the 1st component of the hybrid by itself, and the hybrid has a faster gpu if you add the 2nd component.. which is speculated to be heavier than the current z, so... if everything we've heard so far is true, sony is possibly sacrificing weight and size for a faster gpu and the ability to detach the 2nd component to cut the weight by a approximately a third relative to the current z

not sure this could even be considered an upgrade

 

With the current specification Thunderbolt cables made of copper can be up to 3 meters long. The probably will be a change to an optical cable at some point in the future but since copper workes much better than Intel expacted it, it probably will take some time.

Reading the specs of the new Laptop got me thinking. Could this be also the successors of the X-series and Sony is developing a direct opponent to the MBA: Two sleek and sexy Notebooks with 11'' and 13'' which can be transformed into a power house at home?
I would love to see the specs of ports on the main unit and the GPU container because if they have enough and feature desktop ports like eSATA, I probably would drop the upgrade of my desktop next year and just use the Notebook.

 

where did you see this?

 

It's speculation but it looks like it might well be happening.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/564162-x220-will-have-1600x900-ips-panel-option.html

 

Any chance the new Z will have integrated support for LTE 4G service?

 

Then we assume that this new vaio z has a connection to "video in""hdmi-in ej" to integrate the signal with the docking?

if you finally can offer an option for i7QM, and the option to integrate with External GPUS with internal digital image signal to the LCD, the new VAIO can be a total revolution in the world of notebooks, with thunderbolt

an impressive hybrid with many possibilities, I hope that some things are confirmed soon.

beaups, knows something about i7QM option? that is the key part for me.

 

OMG YES! That's probably going to be my next lappy... in a few years . In any case, i like seeing other manufacturers bringing high res panels into the ultraportable market, hopefully, it'll cause sony to lower their premium... NAHHH

 

That sounds like a nice panel. Do they have a mild-to-fancy Nvidia or ATI graphics chipset on that x220?? Otherwise that will be a deal killer for me... but then again a Sony will be my first choice

 

Can anybody find beaups' reply concerning the launch of this notebook? I know it will be summer, but will it be late-May-early-June-just-in-time-for-Father's-day-sale-summer or presented-at-IFA-in-stores-late-september-if-you-are-lucky-summer? I have a workshop on the Pentecost weekend and would love to take my new, sexy notebook with me (If my TZ makes it so far; otherwise I would be stuck with a SA, which probably won't come out earlier ^^).