New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

Well let's not compare the Z screen with monitors. As far as laptops go, the Z screen is one of the best there is. Period.

And certainly better than the X220 screen. Now as for the new Z screen, nobody except beaups has seen it, so we do not know much about the screen and if its the same screen as last year or it has been "tweaked" like the F series screen.
If it has been "tweaked" then the Z will also have as good or better viewing angles than any IPS screen.

@Beaups
What did you feel about the Z screen viewing angles ? Much improved over VPC Z ? Or same ?

 

what about touchpad buttons? Are they touch/sensor buttons, or regular buttons hidden behind glass surface?

 

why the hell is the trackpad so glossy...i'm going to go blind trying to use it(and the people on either side of me).

ps, is it me or does it look RIGHT-justified?

 

Notebookjournal.de's first look

Sony Vaio Z21 im Test Erster Eindruck der Sony Z Notebooks auf notebookjournal.de

Google Translate

This is another first look from pc pro.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/06/29/sony-vaio-z-series-2011-review-first-look/

This is one from Trusted Reviews
http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-vaio-z_Laptop_review

The 11.6 MBA's use a ULV processor and the 13.3 MBA's use a LV processor. LV processor are more than enough for the majority of people. Plus, they help reduce heat and extend battery life which for many with ultraportables is important. Buying a laptop with a more power processor, some will see it as future proofing and of course some need the extra power.

I see that two docking stations are listed in the accessory store. If the traditional docking station has been eliminated for this model i think that's a shame. My SZ most of the time sits on my desk in a dock. It just gives it a better angle to work on.
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/docking-stations/vgpprz20c
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/docking-stations/vgp-prz20a

 

^they're just DVD and BD versions of the dock.

 

Thanks Rachel.

Not so positive reactions from notebookjournal.de

 

I think so. Well the AMD spec sheet gives 1920 as the max output over HDMI.

It looks like a truly fabulous machine, but I don't get the emphasis on being able to run four screens at once. I get the VGA on the laptop but why on the dock? The GPU can drive 2560 screens over DVI and DP - wouldn't one of those have been a better connector to put on the dock?

I didn't expect to one be considering a thinkpad as an alternative. Screen not nearly as good and I hate the design, but most of the time it will be docked, and it will drive a 2560 screen so I can move up. And the price of the x220 with a dell screen is probably comparable to the z.

Are all of the Z docks the same? Crippling it with VGA and HDMI only seems very strange to me and I'd be surprised if I was the only person with an issue here.

S

 

where are speakers located? Hope it's not those thin lines on keypad sides.

 

Notebookcheck list the VGA card as a 6730. It might have come up earlier, but i thought that the dock came with a 6650..

"the connected media dock with the AMD Radeon 6730 (source device manager)"

 

No youre Not!

I really hate the fact that they wont use a displayport, like Lenovo done with "all" their recent laptops.

I wanna use my 30 inch screen, but i cant with this laptop. ANd they've taken away the express card slot whitch meens that i cant use a ViDock either..

 

My thoughts exactly! I want to be able to upgrade my external GPU from time to time, guess it won't happen with Z. Everything proprietary.

Good for Sony, bad for us.


Cheers,
Miki

 

And to raise my concern about those rubber feet at screen bottom: they suppose to raise laptop a bit for better airflow, but what about using laptop in your lap?
They have no particular use in this scenario, and even worse you block those bottom vents with your lap/cloth.

And losing ODD/GPU/some extra ports (more exact putting them into secondary unit), yet they've made it wider and couldn't put mic-in jack? I like using mic from headset, much closer to your mouth, better clarity. Also (this is my personal preference), I like having audio/mic jacks on the left side as cords don't interfere with with your mouse. In that respect, VGN-Z had excellent layout.

Another thing: touchpad size. In previous iterations touchpad followed screen aspect ratio 16:9, kinda nice design touch, giving symmetry, but it doesn't look like it with new Z.

Cheers,
Miki

 

thats a problem with every laptop with vents on the bottom. which is almost every laptop ever.

 

They should at least put the bottom vents in th middle so if you rest it on your knees it can still get airflow.
The other question I guess is how much the fan is needed to basic operation like web surfing.

 

The spec sheet from AMD was all I found too.
I have no idea what VGA is doing on the dock - what's the intended use?
Surely the VGA connector on the laptop is enough for backwards compatibility?
I'm currently driving a 24" Eizo with a dying backlight and I'd love a 27" Eizo or NEC.

 

I think Sony should have may be added a LV processor as an option for this laptop.
Intel® Core? i7-2629M Processor (4M Cache, 2.10 GHz)with SPEC Code(s)SR04D
Intel Core i7 2629M Notebook Processor - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Intel® Core? i7-2649M Processor (4M Cache, 2.30 GHz)with SPEC Code(s)SR04N
I don't know if the upcoming 13.3 MBA will still use LV processors. Apple may opt to use ULV processors because well with the performance has significantly improved compared to old core 2 duo ULV processors.

About upgrading the external graphics, ok it's not MXM but with BGA jobs out there may be someone will actually try and upgrade it and see if it works. You can get BGA jobs for about £100 or less now.

 

Speakers are located at the top, pretty similar to the Z1. Check out the layout here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...-speculation-news-thread-288.html#post7648624

 

VGN-Z didn't have ANY vents on the bottom, I was so happy for that

I must be blind or something, I don't see any speaker grills on the top... I do wear glasses though

And as someone said before, having smaller fans will make them spin faster, more whining.... both VGN and VPC Z were quite loud, I've had few people asking me "what's that noise". Oh well....

Cheers,
Miki

 

Notebookjournal:

which translates to devestating vertical viewing angles... are they serious? I thought that they use the old Z display?? Does anyone remember such a statement concerning the old Z display or have they changed the display for a cheaper one?

 

I think I misunderstood you. For clarification: The speakers are located at the top (near the hinges, see pictures I provided), the speaker GRILLS are at the bottom of the laptop, so the speakers are facing downwards.

 

that explains everything
Thanks mate!

 

the speakers are facing downwards? so if i placed it on my bed, it would be mute... that's epic FAIL

 

good point, and quite weird position when you put it that way. I guess they wanted to create (sort of) woofer feel, with sound bouncing back from the surface... don't see any other reason.

As I said before, with all those components removed from the main unit, this still couldn't do things properly. Also, I prefer having USB on both sides, so when I connect phone/external HDD cables don't interfere with my mouse "territory".

Cheers,
Miki

 

Absolutely. The battery is rather weak.

 

but with physically less components inside, meaning less things to power, and with 2nd gen Intel processor inside, it should still give us like 6-7h, right?

I do see lack of new/fresh/useful ideas in new Z, it's like they didn't know which direction they wanted to go.

 

it would also pretty much fry your laptop as well. thats a lot bigger issue than having a boom box.

 

bunch of extremists here Using the Z on a bed would neither "mute" or "fry" it :| Unless of course your bed is a tub of water then probably

 

No. There will be NO 6-7 hours. The maximum you'll squeeze out of it is about 4 - closer to 5. SA series has even more powerfull battery of 4500 mAh.

 

Bummer!! I thought with latest Intel one would get 6-7 hours, which would be rather welcome update over previous Z.

So technically speaking, what do you REALLY get over previous Z, from consumers point of view?

 

^ All is sacrificied to 1.1 kg of portability. Battery as well.

 

Is there any technical reason why a third party shouldn't be able to create a lightpeak to thunderbolt connector?

 

i've never had a successful encounter with laptops and bedsheets.

...that probly doesn't sound as good as it did in my head :/

 

I quite succesfully counter this problem by using sheet battery. And I would guess, that this will be solution for the future as well.

when I think about it, I've somehow never used my current laptop without sheet battery, and I'm not much concerned about using new Z on my lap with it.

 

looks like sonystyle might get updated with new Z pretty shortly

 

according to one video, sheet battery weights hefty 600-700 grams, so we're talking about 1.8kg and additional bulkiness.... No sheet battery for me.

Here is that video (at 1:30)
YouTube - ‪Sony Vaio Z detailed hands-on‬‏

 

For those concerned about the speakers and vents being on the bottom: as a longtime X user this is a mixed bag.

There is an intake vent on the bottom of the X, but even with the laptop on my lap it never got uncomfortably warm. And to be fair, when you have a laptop on your lap or on the besheets, it's usually only for watching a movie or web browsing, rarely would you be doing anything CPU intensive.

The speaker on the bottom would be a tiny bit of a concern alright as the single mono speaker on the X is pitiful to begin with, and when it's covered by your leg you couldn't hear it at all. I would imagine the Z speakers will be a good bit more powerful though. We will have to see.

There's a lot of discussion about battery life here, and I think the main concern is the CPU; the most basic i5 CPU should prolong battery life (I would imagine), and I honestly do believe in the Windows 7 Power profiles for limiting CPU and prolonging the battery life. So with that in mind I would assume about 6 hours is realistic for basic word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing etc.

 

If people do not need a new notebook right now, I strongly suggest people wait until Intel push out Ivy Bridge. With the next-gen chips Mobile CPU's, the LV range will become the 'norm'. They will offer plenty of power and greatly improve power consumption.

If you buy now, you are buying "stop gap" products. Plus if you buy now, I'm sure you will regret it when you see what comes out next year. Ivy Bridge & Windows 8 looks like a dream team...

 

^Come on, there's always a better cpu coming "next year"....that mentality and you'll never buy.

 

^ that is a good thing. never buy. save money. be happy with what you have

 

Very true, but what I believe he meant, Sony will probable re-design Z (same as with VGN/VPC Z) by the time ivy bridge comes, or not?

Cheers,
Miki

 

Did you see the size of the speakers? I am quite sure they do have the same size as those which are in the current Z. And those are anything but powerful. Given that they ARE the same speakers, sound can be expected to be even worse than on the current Z.

Sony officially claims something between 6.5-7 hours w/o the sheet battery. If you look back on the advertising history, you can certainly say that the battery life in a real usage case (light web surfing, word processing will not exceed 5 hours w/ wireless enabled and med brightness. I'll bet you.

 

Its DOWN!!! YESSSSS!!!

 

sony refreshes the z series every 2 years, so chances are the next one will be released with haswell

 

I did say "if you don't need a new notebook right now". Some people just buy a new one for the sake of it. In my view, it makes sense to wait a while.

As tempted as I am with the new Z, I am going to wait for the new tech & OS. My 2010 Z will last just fine until 2012...

 

VPC-Z lasted just over 12 months...

 

redesign will follow with Windows 8 introduction (maybe )

 

I lol'd

yeah bit unusual, sure you can get by without, but with all that space... i've got a feeling the new z was not supposed to be so wide, but they had problems with fitting it all in so just gave up and made it wider.

surely not? that just sounds dumb! as has been said you could always use a usb mic.

problem with the P330 is the glossy screen. Though it's an inch narrower with the same screen size, that's a plus. Just thicker though.

 

I'm thinking maybe get a stop gap laptop now, such as the asus u36SD (has good specs though low res screen), and wait out for the z3

 

Although there are some nit-picky things to grief about with this notebook, but that doesn't take away the fact that the z21 is still an engineering marvel. For those of us that don't have a previous Z, the external gpu works, and needs a computer in his hands my aug27th (read: ME), this is clearly a must buy.

 

You're obviously not from the US of A! Wait a year? Look at this thread, we wanted this laptop 6 months ago My Z11 is still beasting thru everything I throw at it and yet, I still am considering selling her to buy this sexy thing