New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

Probably the new macbook air, probably it will have the same hw with similar w and dimension... if the prices will be the same as now.. sony will have problems.
( I think that de model at 1299€ (1399€ with ddr 4GB) will have i5 2,3 ghz ) that'll be compared to a 1768€ of new z in germany... the difference is wide )

 

Current low screen resolution of the MBA is not an issue for you ? For me, it is. Clearly. Definitively... Not the only issue...

 

1440x900 against 1600x900 it's different but not so much.. for sure 370€ of difference would be still ok if the new macbook air will be deeper and heavier.. but we're talking about really small laptop, so thin that the difference wouldn't be remarkable enough (talking about market appeal in correspondance to prices)

 

Exactly. For business and many business users, the crispness is critical for a luxury notebook. As for gaming, the last video game I played was pac-man. I can't imagine they've gotten much more interesting since then.

 

The reports on the new MBA indicate that it won't even have a full-power processor let alone FHD. Apple isn't about to cannibalize sales from the MBP.

 

Is it really that bad? If so i might go with the 900p then...

 

not quite

MBAs use ULV processors and don't have FHD screens.

1440x900 vs 1920x1080 is 60% more screen area on Z. this is an exceptional advantage for programmers.

 

Sure about FHD (even if.. on a 13", for not so few users can be difficult to run certain programs..it's not ALWAYS simple ti "read" such a resolution with so small pixels) but I'm not so sure about still using ULV processors. We'll see on 4 July..

 

The dock does not look like it has active cooling for the GPU. Anybody know if it has a fan?

Bronsky

 

It has vents so i supposed it has a fan....

 

Are you sure the dock can't be used on battery power? If so the ODD would be rendered rather useless in my opinion... If I'll be teaching at school and want to show a DVD/Bluray to the students I would have to bring another external ODD instead of the dock if there's no power source available in the class room??? They can't be serious can they? Where's the sense in that?

 

Beaups confirmed that the pmd cant be powered through battery. The sense in that is that the pmd is not meant to be carried around. I wish ppl would get this through their head.

If you need an ODD, buy an external, or buy an SA.

 

Based on the comments posted here, I'd say it has very few fans.

 

is memory propertiary?

 

I would usually scoff a people bringing up other laptops but that actually looks pretty good. to bad I know nothing about the quality of LG laptops
the screen is a deal braker though

 

Anybody can comment on perceived contrast and brightness differences between 900 and 1080 screens on Z21? Notebookcheck reports that Z1 900 screen has significantly better brightness and contrast ratio in comparison to 1080 screen. I assume that Z21 uses same Toshiba screens and would like to get 1080p screen but wonder if increased pixel density will be negated by lower contrast with actually worse text crispiness as a result.

 

It looks like ram is 100% proprietary

I remember people saying the 1080p screen is significantly dimmer, but still bright enough. Not sure about contrast tho.

I think i've decided to get the 900p. I looked at some 1080p screenshots resized to 13" on my monitor and it looks much too small for me. So i'll take the brightness, better game performance, and easier workability and sacrifice the bragging rights

 

About the SSD:

The old Z the SSD's were NOT replaceable with a standard 2.5" Newegg drive (thinking cheap upgrades), but the RAM was.

Looks like the new Z the Ram is proprietary BUT the SSD looks allot closer to a bare 2.5" form factor. Any ideas on the likely hood of replacing the SSD with a Newegg model (even if a special interconnect is needed)?

 

Sorry I didn't read that or I wouldn't have asked.
But anyways: If I get you right and if you are not supposed to carry the dock with you doesn't that also mean that everybody with a decent desktop pc won't have any reason to buy the dock at all? Just from a economical point of view I'd say that this is not very wise.
Also why is the dock build in a slim and easy transportable way if it's not meant to be carried arround with you or am I missing the point here?
Just from a technical perspective: All the articles about thunderbolt that I've read so far stated that Intel designed it in such a way that transferring power and data through the cable at the same time was possible as well so why didn't Sony use that feature of the technology for their dock?

You know I don't have anything against the concept of Z + External ODD and GPU, I really like it, but to me the whole idea of that concept is that you can just take your Z if you do regular stuff but you can also expand your laptop if necessary on the go through the dock. -> That's why I thought it would be usable on battery power as well otherwise it's not usable on travel.

Sorry again if I talk about something which has already been discussed before.

 

haha sorry for b-tching at your before.

1. People with a decent desktop may still want to get this to completely replace their desktop. That way all their files are consolidated to 1 machine. If not, they can always buy without dock.

2. Honestly, its probably slim just to look not ugly on a desk. If it was some huge thing, it might turn people away.

3. Im guessing charging through thunderbolt was too slow, especially for charging a sheet battery as well. I think wherever you read that its meant to mean that the thunderbolt port can power devices connected to it if small enough, similar to how usb ports can power hard drives/mice etc.

 

because there isnt enough power passing through it, and maybe because the sony solution hints at it being optical, which thunderbolt aint

 

Slim and small looks much better in the publicity photos. I don't mean to be totally flip but the inability to operate the external unit on battery power for at least long enough to watch a movie is a significant disappointment. Given the optical connection, it makes sense but still it's disappointing. The small size of the docking station now seems just for show.

 

hahaha! I thought I was the only one . So, do you never run your Z1 on
"Speed?"

 

I love this case! Where can I get one?

 

itll probably be sold as an accessory on the sony site soon.

 

At the risk of appearing foolish, let me ask this. Would it be possible to daisy chain an external HD off the external unit? I'd like to be able to work on photos which would be housed there. I don't mind moving them onto the main unit to work and then back if that process is fast enough. My thought is that I wouldn't have to spring for a huge(ly expensive) internal SSD this way. Is this a crazy idea?

 

That doesn't sound crazy at all. The external unit has 1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 in the back. From Engadget's photos, it looks like there's also 1 additional USB 2.0 on the top under a cover. So just plug your external into one of those three plugs and you should be good.

Unless I'm misunderstanding your original question...

 

how does it breathe in that case?

 

There are vents

 

Is there a way to boost screen colors on intel graphics similar to digital vibrance option on nvidia card?

 

The concept (or rather the implementation) is not fully clear to me either. The dock, including the connector cable and the larger AC adapter is not really mobile. But if it is not mobile and will probably stay on the desk most of the time, why not make it a bit larger and put a powerful GPU inside?


Can someone comment on whether the feet on the rear aluminum hinge are made from rubber or aluminum?

 

Is this 100% reliable info ?

 

I hope there will be enough air intake through keyboard. Exhaust vents on the side will not be blocked

 

Beaups has said that they are rubber. (rubber coated screws to be exact, he also said they felt very durable)

 

I am getting one when it's available in US. But one thing does concern me with the new Z. Engadget mention "Sony claims 6.5 hours of usage with the standard, non-user replaceable battery". If that is the case, then after 3-4 years, you would be left with a notebook that can only last 1 hr at max right? What do you do then?

I understand there is an optional Sheet Battery that you can get, but what if user don't want the added weight?

 

This is just like the Z1 release...still no release info for Japan. At least Japan should take first delivery ; )

 

I think the battery is replaceable. its just a little harder to get to (involves removing a few screws), which deems it non-user replaceable. Pretty sure u can buy replacement batteries and install them yourself if you need to. (This is how it is with the Vaio SA)

 

Aw man, I wanted the battery to be removable, so I could take it out when it's plugged into the wall to preserve the longevity of the battery life.

 

yea well, then the battery would have to be smaller...

 

Case looks hot.

 

Tks for the clarification. I just came across another puzzle. It's missing an Microphone jack... What's going on?

Here is the pix showing the connectors:
Sony Vaio Z detailed hands-on - Engadget Galleries

 

It is most probably going to be a headphone/microphone combo jack.

 

Ohai. Plz to locate enter key in this pickshure

 

Yea people have been bringing this up alot, most likely combo (as stated above) but it makes me wonder, to people use mic jacks alot? I usually just use the built in mic.

 

Thats a huge enter key. Also just noticed FULL SIZE DIRECTIONAL KEYPAD! yay for gaming!!!

 

Look again. there are two enter keys

 

Haha yea i noticed that, i think that ones for the "numpad"

 

Thanks xxGenericSNxx! No, I don't think you are misunderstanding. My hope would be that the USB 3.0 port and the Thunderbolt would allow me to move some pretty large RAW files back and forth quickly enough to the main unit so that I could create a nice workflow. I've got everything backed up through a NAS right now but don't yet have a good workflow, so my pictures are just sitting. For me this could be pretty awesome.

Any problems you can see with driving the display through the HDMI port to my flat screen TV? I've been using the TV as a monitor with my Dell D630 for photo editing, and it's been pretty sweet to see the images on that 48" screen. Working that way has been a little slow though.

Thanks for any input. It's much appreciated.

 

With the amount of leftover spaces to the left & right of the keyboard, I'm really puzzled why Sony can't implement an extra column of keys to contain dedicated "Page Up", "Page Down", "Home", "End", etc. keys. I'm sure Sony would have save quite a few people from having some "grief" if they have done that.

 

Thanks, ota-con. I looked at that page, and am unfortunately no wiser as a result. On the other hand, two separate Sony stores here in Canada told me that they absolutely will not service Vaio laptops purchased in the US. I'd love to learn that I am wrong on this, though, because Sony Canada has a significantly limited selection.