New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

LOLOL awesome

 

At least you can say that car is very unique!

 

As to the first point, yes but again there's the time factor. It's more convenient to just grab a couple of discs when there's some time for it. If the new Z isn't about convenience, then what good is it (a bit of an exageration, I admit)?

As to the second point of a computer to fit ALL my needs, well, now that's the crux of the biscuit isn't it? Nothing will meet all needs/desires and nothing ever will. Is the new Z the best for me? Maybe. I'm still tempted to wait and see if a true maxed-out Z competitor emerges this summer.

 

The battery life will probably be better than the SA/SB, even with the smaller battery because of the integrated Intel HD graphics compared to the discrete 6630m. Like on older Z's, when you switch on the nvidia gpu, there's a huge hit on the battery life - it goes from 5 hours to maybe 3 hours.

 

Dont judge, but all of my movies are already in digital format, so ti actually would be convenient for me.

It doesn't even take that long though. I use rapidshare and it takes maybe 30 minutes for a true 720p BRrip and less than 10 for one of those "m720p" rips.

Also, you could look into netflix, does netflix do bluray online yet?

 

Nope, inlet vents are on the front side lip (front right), quite clever actually

 

Why is he trolling? He expected the new Z to satisfy most of his needs, but it actually doesn't. He has different use cases than you do.

I am also a bit disappointed. Too many distubring little details and compromises. I was waiting to purchase the best Vaio, namely the new Z, but I have the feeling that currently there is no best Vaio. For me, it would be something between the SA and the Z. Quality-wise closer to the Z, function- and component-wise closer to the SA. Maybe we were just spoilt by the previous Z (though it was not perfect either).

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EDIT: If I remember correctly, when the VPCZ1 was introduced, almost everyone was excited about it and was wondering how is such a thing technically even possible. The laptop was jaw-dropping and is still said to be the best sub-14" notebook. The situation with VPCZ2 seems to be different now. Many people are disappointed in the forums and there are already negative points in some of the tech-site previews.
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What would have been cool, is if the Z2 would have been introduced as the X2 (maybe with a (U)LV CPU, a bit less extras and 11" screen), the SB/SC would be simply S and the SA with premium materials and build quality, better screen and a bit different design (and made in Japan) would have been the Z2.

 

so it is just on the website?

 

I may be wrong & please kindly correct me if needed.

I think Louche may frequently have been in a situation when he/she has to go away on a business trip for like 5-10 days or something, traveling by plane for much of the journey. Obviously, if one is traveling on a plane, one wouldn't be bringing his/her external media dock with him/her. During this duration of travel for business, Louche may happen to have some free time & decide to purchase some videos (Blu-ray movie discs) from a local video store, wherever that is. I think this is the issue for him/her, because without having the dock with him/her, there's no way for Louche to watch the blu-ray movie discs that he/she had just bought, unless he/she wants to spend another $100 or so during the trip to buy an external blu-ray drive just to watch the movie on his/her VAIO notebook. Then again, this may not be a logical solution if Louche decides to play the discs on his/her upcoming flight during the business trip........

Based solely on such scenarios, I can see why Louche is not too keen to have no built-in optical drive in the notebook itself.

 

I rent, not own, so it's a convenience for me. Besides, I want 1080p, not cut-down video or cut-down audio (with good IEMs, that's not an issue.)

I shouldn't blow the movie issue out of proportion. Perhaps it's just a stand-in for a larger issue, the trade-offs in the Z just didn't work the way I want since they emphasize factors (ultra-slim, ultra-light, eGPU) that I really don't care about. I would be glad to have an extra pound and have an internal blu-ray writer and ditch the GPU. Maybe I'll see if whatever Dell from Hell is coming out or the refreshed Envy 14 works out better for me. But I doubt it.

 

but then us on the other side of the fence would call your version of the Z fat and all sorts of other ugly names (pavilion clone? :O low blow, i kid ) The thing is, people a lot more talented than most of us didn't come up with what you want, they came up with this. This is a thread for those of us excited for the Z that lives.

 

You mean like Apple, who tells customers what they should want & need?

 

Who said, that it must be fat? I didn't say either, that I would have wanted it to be the same as the SA. Btw the SA is 6,65 mm thicker than the Z2.

Reducing thickness should not be the ultimate goal (especially if they increase the width and the bezel to reach it).

They are not gods and I know better what I want, than they do.
I'm not saying that the new Z is not cool and not an excellent notebook. But it is not what many of us expected to be the next thing in the VGN-S -> VGN-SZ -> VGN-Z -> VPC-Z1 line. That's the reason for many of the negative comments.

No it isn't.

 

Ok this thread is turning a little sour lets turn it around. Anyone have any idea when preorders and CTO will open on sony usa?

 

I disagree. X1 was awesome in the looks only, and not practical because they use lowly Atom cpu in it. Atom is a joke. For the Z2, I wouldn't want a ULV version because I don't think there is much battery saving anyway. I feel like the ULV CPUs just limits the ceiling of how fast and how much power it can use. When you are not doing too much things, they don't really show much difference on power usage.

Is Z2 made in Japan? I really hope it is. I'm looking forward to Z2 because it has everything I need. I'm considering buying Z2 without the dock because the price. I still can't decide about the screen resolution though. Although I like super high resolution screens, I tried a refurb Z12 with 1080p, and the letters were kind of small in Windows. I won't be changing DPI scaling because they don't work on a lot of programs. Maybe 900p would be enough, that's the toughest part of the decision for me.

 

Not sure.

But given that it seems like (based upon my own humble observations only & may not totally be accurate) the Sony USA web site seems to have a common practice of being changed/updated during the weekends, the time periods from Saturday night to Monday morning might be the best time to check in on them to see if the pre-orders for the new VAIO Z notebook is up.

 

it is made in japan. If u get a cto in america it might say made in usa bc its customized in CA.

I have decided that 1080p is too small for me (It is indeed extremely small) and i dont like to use any scaling so i'm going with 900p. the 900p is supposed to be brighter as well, and you will be able to play games at the native res alot better.

Also, 1080p might not be available on any preconfigured models, and I want a preconfigured cuz it will arrive much faster, i could even pick it up in store.

 

.....UGH ITS ONLY WEDNESDAY!!!!!

thanks for the info

 

does anyone know that sheet battery will be able to charge without laptop?

also will the WWAN be gobi2000 or gobi3000

 

The small/regular one is a 4,7A/90W supply right?
What is the rating of the larger one?

I dont see why the laptop+dock should so require much more power combined when the regular one worked fine on the VGN-Z/VPC-Z1 models with internal ODD and GPU.
Or is the 6650M GPU power consumption substantially higher than the 330M used in VPC-Z1 series?

I have one of these to extend battery time on my VGN-Z (and charge my phone, iPad etc):
Tekkeon - myPower ALL, MP3300/MP3400/MP3450
It may not be able to power the dock and laptop, but I will try it if/when I get a new Z..

 

^ Gobi3000.
It will. VGP-BPSC27 : Battery & Adaptor : VAIO Accessories : Sony Asia Pacific

 

It doesnt look like it has any ports, so i guess no. It does employ "smart charge/discharge" tho where the sheet battery discharges before the builtin and and the builtin charges before the sheet battery when plugged in.

I remember seeing gobi3000 somewhere, but i cant be sure

They might just be the same thing, the other one is just bigger cuz its cheaper and size doesn't matter much because its just sitting at a desk.

 

I think that might be the reason.

Obviously I can't tell for sure because I don't have the upcoming VAIO Z notebook but I do have the VPC-Z notebook with the similar small size AC power brick & I also have a similar large size AC power brick (to the one on the left of the photo) that comes with my VGP-PRZ10 docking station (for the VPC-Z series) & according to the stickers on both the power bricks, they state an output of 19.5V. So if the power bricks of the upcoming VAIO Z series are similar to the ones for the VPC-Z series, then I think the only difference between those 2 power bricks is just size.

 

If it's a troll I guess I'm baiting or feeding.
Fact of the matter is that the reason why we choose the Z or any other product, is because we believe it best suits us in the marketplace. There's no perfect product, there's always a trade off somewhere we make choices and we make the most out of what we buy.

Disappointment is fine. But the anger is quite puzzling to me. No one owes anyone anything. The folks at Sony have made their move, we'll see how the market will respond. Their future developments will ultimately rest on how consumer behavior shifts. Individually, we'll respond in terms of finding the laptop that best suits our own personal needs. Or go Tony Stark and build something on your own you crazy kids.

That's the bottom line.

 

Nice, Gobi3000 will able to do LTE on verizon right? anyone know the speed?

 

The output voltage - 19.5V is the same on both which is natural. Could you also check the current (amps) on your dock supply?
It is probaby printed below in smaller text - 'Output 4.7A' or some other value.

 

It would depend on your location but probably around 8mbps. Plenty fast.

Does anyone know how the wwan contract works? I probably wouldnt use it, but i thought maybe i'd get just so I have the option later. Do you have to activate it immediately after you get your notebook, or can you wait until you need it? Can you cancel your contract any time without penalty? How much does it cost?

 

Oh, I see. Please kindly excuse my stupidity & ignorance.

It looks like there is in fact a difference between the 2 different power bricks that I have. The differences are as follows:

Power brick for VPC-Z13 notebook: 4.7A
Power brick for VGP-PRZ10 dock: 6.2A

Hope the above info helps a bit.

 

So that means the dock power brick would charge the battery faster right?

 

Thanks!
90W and a 120W power supply it seems then.

The larger one may be able to charge the battery faster if the charging circuits in the laptop is able to make use of the higher current from the dock power supply.

 

I imagine that the draw from the BDdisc and the graphics processor will probably offset this difference no?

 

Does anyone know if the dock has the same limit?

Because, if it does, I find that totally ridiculous in 2011... I would understand such limitations 2 years ago, when monitors being capable of displaying 2560x1600 were total rarity and used almost exclusively by artists...

Furthermore, as the new Z does not have Express Card expansion slot, it is impossible to use solutions such as ViDock...

 

Does anyone know if the main laptop will run off the larger adapter?

 

as my gobi2000 in my z11, it is month-to-month since we own the modem so verizon cannot tie us with the contract

: )

 

Thanks for the info! Do you know or experienced if Sony laptops charge faster with higher capacity adapters? I know that Dell's Latitude laptops did this 5 years ago.

 

Sort of. The new Z alone should require less current than the old Z models since it no longer has additional GPU and ODD internally. The power consumption of the old Z with internal ODD/GPU compared to the new Z + external ODD/GPU shouldnt be that different.

 

No, will not be able. Top models in the US will have probably Sierra modems compatible with 750MHz LTE networks.

 

Thats what was listed under the specs for the dock for the press release (just go look at it)

So i would be able to activate for a month or two if i ever needed it? How much do you pay every month?

 

Thx... just checked the specs.

This sucks I really cannot understand why Sony refuses to support resolutions larger than 1920x1200... Maybe they will start doing it once they produce monitors capable of doing it...

So, I guess, for people that want to use 30" monitors (or 27" ones with 2560x1600) and buy the new Z, the only hope is if somebody starts making accessories for Sony's proprietary version of Thunderbolt.

 

Crazy. Especially when the GPU is capable of more. In fact I think even the integrated Intel graphics can do 2560 (as the thinkpad x220 can do 2560 over DP and has no dedicated GPU).

At least the new Z can support four displays at once. I've been looking for a notebook that can do that for a long time. Er.....

Anyway I've posted about this a couple of times now so no more from me on this.

Everything else looks great.

S

 

look at the GPU specs for max resolution not a pr.

 

yes, indeed

if i remember correctly for 5gb i pay $50/mo not very sure since the company pay for it : )

 

The gpu site states 1920x1200 over hdmi and 2048x1536 over vga. So who's right?

AMD Radeon? HD 6700M/HD 6600M Series Graphics

Also, doesnt the Z have intel widi? Whats the max res through widi?

 

people need to understand before they are crying that only HDMI 1.3 or above support more than 1200p.

 

Allow me to interject. A while back we were all woo wah over this leather skin guard. I ordered one and it's on its way. But today I checked the above link again and I found this review:

Now I'm a bit worried. ComputerCowboy, did you order from this website? If so, was it like what's described in the above review?

 

Since I'm complaining how the new Z turned out, I thought I would check out an alternative. I checked to see what was offered by a high-end gaming company (Sager) in the 13" range. I figured that while it would be at least a pound heavier, maybe it would offer me more bang.

What they offer (NP3101) is a i3-330UM and a 1366 x 768 display at 3.4 lbs. Slightly lighter than I expected but at way less performance. To be fair, it's not a fair comparison, the Sager is a fraction of the price, the machines really aren't competitors. On the other hand, it does point out just how much Sony packed into the new Z. On yet another hand, I would still be interested in anyone offering a 13-14" notebook at no more than 4lbs with FHD, etc.

 

Apologies in advance...this is going to be something of a long post.

As an old Z owner I've been waiting seemingly forever for Sony to return to it's (pre X-series) roots with the Z... and this new one almost fufills all my wishes. no onboard ODD is cool with me.... my old PCG-Z505SX didn't have one and I never missed it - I suspect in 2011 I'll miss it even less;-)

I LOVED my old 505, it served me very well for 6 years....





never had a single major issue with the machine (other than the well known battery issues)....and it still boots up fine, albeit on AC power only.

When it came time to buy a new computer the Z at the time just didn't suit my needs... so I wound up going with a customized Asus W3V-S. Form factor didn't thrill me, but other than that it packed pretty much everything I needed in a reasonably attractive form. Ever since then I've been checking out each successive Z and they kept getting bigger and bigger....

Finally they've gone slimmer Very, very nice design imo.

LOL... that's what I've been doing for almost 3 years now. Been intensively researching my next purchase for a long time now (thus my membership here - I don't post, but I read - A LOT;-) and until lately I've just not found anything that turned me on. Right now I'm considering the Z, SA, P430, UX31, U36SD-A1, U46SV-A1, X1 and Envy 14" Beats.

My inclination is to wait for the first proper user reviews and hopefully buy the Z in the fall... but like many I have some questions/comments/concerns:

I use my computer for DJing and light music production/editing (Ableton Live, Final Scratch and Traktor Scratch) so the high-res screen and light weight of the new Z appeals to me. I'm quite sure any of the i5 or i7 chips will give me more than enough power to do all the music stuff for a long time to come... I would like more than two USB ports, but I suppose I can carry a portable hub for when I need more.

Other than that I mostly just watch a lot of TV/Movies. Will the integrated Intel graphics stream 720p and/or 1080p video files to my Sony HDTV smoothly (either via WiDi or VGA/HDMI)? Or do I need the dock? I'm thinking to buy the notebook on it's own, see how that works out and then buy the dock later on if I find I need it... does anyone know if the dock will be available separately?

The rubber feet at the bottom of the hinge scare me...I know Beaups has assured us they seem durable, but I keep my laptops for a loooong time (only 2 computers in the last 12 years I can't imagine they're going to stand up to 4 or 5 years of heavy use on the road?

Another thing I'm wondering... anyone know if the Z will be available with the 'Fresh Start' option? Bloatware is the enemy of music software....and I don't really want to have to do a fresh install myself.

The vents on the bottom also have me concerned, I do most of my computing in bed... I guess I should finally get a lap desk;-) My old Z had a nice solid bottom, and one of the many reasons I went with my W3V is it also has a solid (crappy plastic) base.... really wish the new Z had no holes underneath a la Apple:-(

 

You have vinyl. Cool.

 

we'll have to see how it performs in a real world scenario. my guess is that they've probably accounted for lap use (it being a laptop afterall), thus having a separate intake in the back under the hinge.

I can see why there are concerns tho.

 

for lap use, if you purchase the sheet battery. it will solved the problem coz it will channel the air thru the back.