New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

Of course...doesn't everyone? ;-) I've been DJing since '92....I've got around 5000 records in my collection.

Yeah...this is why I'm definitely going to wait for the early adopters to weigh in. Unless my Asus goes *poof* I'm in no rush.

Yeah figured that... but I'd like to avoid lugging it on the road with me. Plus it kind of defeats the whole lightness thing;-)


Oh, I've another question maybe Beaups can weigh in on since he's laid hands on the Z? How long is the cord that links the dock and the notebook? I'd need at least a meter if the dock were going to make any sense for my setup. Looks pretty long in the videos and pics....

 

I based this on the printed "CHARGE" above the leftmost of the two ports. If that's just bad labeling, and that this USB 2.0 port is free to use, that's good.

 

^its free to use, as I understand it...it's simply labeled charge because that is the one port that offers sleep and charge functionality.

 

I'm hoping and praying that the press release is wrong.
I missed it in the initial press release but it's definitely there.
Has Sony not noticed that high end monitors haven't had an analogue input for quite some time - why the VGA?
If the dock can't achieve 1920x1200 digitally then that appears to be a massive step backward. Even my VGN-S from 2005 can achieve that.
This doesn't just make the laptop undesirable for me, it makes it impossible.
Crazy stuff.

 

let me ask you guys this: If I buy with the 1080p and use it in 1600x900 resolution, will it looks worse than buying with the 900 screen? I know using out of native resolution used to produce lower quality, but would that happens with such a quality display as the Z´s 1080p?

p.s.: is someone with the older 1080p z1 could tell me how it looks like configured for lower resolution (let´s say 1600x900) I would thank.

 

^ yes, it will look extremely bad

 

no it will not

 

this

10char

 

...and the same HDMI 1.3 card (limited to 1920x1200) can output 2560x1600 to DVI or DP.
Why would Sony chose HDMI and assuming the press release is correct then futher limit the resolution below 1920x1200.
I'm not trying to be obtuse but if someone could explain the logic to me I'd appreciate it. Right now I'm just scratching my (stupid) head.

Maybe the assumption is that the press release is wrong?

 

so you can leave something like a phone plugged in and it will charge even when the notebook is off. which is a great thing for travel because you don't need two outlets to plug in a phone and the laptop.

 

the reason is that HDMI has been in the market for a longer time and it is associate with HD, in today world everything with the word HD in the product do sell (even tho it is not a real HD).

 

this is true, also most business class airline only has 1 power outlet for you.

 

Message removed

 

Okay, thank you.
As you can probably tell 'HD' doesn't mean diddly-squat to me; I just want more pixels to work with. More screen = more productivity.
I'm going to hope the AMD spec sheet trumps the Sony press release and that 1920x1200 is possible.

 

Underwhelming performance? It's freaking raid 0 SSD with a full voltage sandy bridge i7 in a 2.5lb package!!! Underwhelming packaging? It's carbon fiber and aluminum, what do you want it made out of? Unicorn horns? And you wonder why we call you trolls? :|

 

Is it confirmed that the new VAIO Z series will come with Raid 0 SSD setup?

 

Nope. (At least not according to this thread) Looking at the specs, you can only go up to 512GB rather than the 1TB max on the Z13 and SA. This makes it seem like they didn't go with a Raid0 setup and it's only a single traditional drive.

 

The new Z in no way loses functionality, btw. It does everything the old one did at least as good, if not better. Of course, if you mean being able to upgrade certain parts, the only really difference would appear to be the RAM. The 2010 Z, sure you could upgrade/swap the SSD but it wasn't exactly consumer friendly to do so as you needed to strip a 1.8" drive to crap it in there. The 2011 Z just things in a different manner, and when is change a bad thing? When things don't change, you end up with HP Pavilions where the only thing that changes from year to year is the pattern printed on the lid :|

 

i'm pretty sure the z1 didn't get above a 512

 

From the sony asia site: "For storage, VAIO Z Series incorporates SSD with RAID for fast data reading and writing."

So i guess they are using raid0, but its not that the uk cto page doesnt flaunt that seeing that they usually do.

PS. Is it odd that the Z21 isnt front and center on the sony asia vaio page?

Z Series : VAIO Notebook : Sony Asia Pacific

EDIT: SONY UK also states RAID 0 http://www.sony.co.uk/product/vn-z-series/vpcz21v9e

 

The Z13/14 had the 1TB SSD option in Japan.

 

Can i play bluray disk without a wall charger?
Can i simply switch to speed mode to use my internal GPU to play a game?

No need for me to re-hash all the shortcomings identified you can just read back a few pages if you're interested.

 

I cant even remember the last time i held disc media.

Do you play games on the go? Whenever i play games im at my desk...with my mouse...and headset. the hd3000 is fine for everything else you need on the go, it can probably play the latest games on low too.

 

I'd like to know too, I ordered one. Actually, SGP is based out of Los Angeles. I may call them tomorrow morning and cancel my order is those write-ups prove correct.

(edit) That review did come from that site where we both purchased ours. I'm cancelling mine, unless they send me me what's advertised on their site as is. Will make that call if I can locate their number on that site.

Office Location :
3550 Wilshire Blvd Suite 1906, Los Angeles, CA 90010 USA

Email : [email protected]



Our office hour is Mon - Fri 9AM~6PM.
Our office will be closed and will not be ship out orders on holidays.

I totally understand where your coming from. All I've ever purchased is Sony Vaio's (never really cared for any other brand), so I can appreciate the points you've made on the Z2. Many bashed the plastic palmrest on the Vpc-Z1 being cheap and color wearing off, but that didn't dis way me from purchasing one. I think this forum/thread is to present both points of views, therefore we can all make that executive decision as to whether to get one for ourselves or not. I would have never figured some of those inconveniences had they not been pointed out by you and others in this thread, so thanks.

I love my Z13, will pass on the Z2, but I can't wait to read the reviews on the Z2 by those members in this forum that do purchase the Z2. So, everyone, open your pocket books and spend spend spend.

 

This is my last post. I don't like being the troll...it's not my peronality type. I wanted the Z but based on what I've picked up in the impressive 300+ thread I think it's probably not right for me. So now I have to figure out what I want.

I love the look of the MBA but want to run windows and I want a normal keyboard. Apparently on the Samsung 9 the wi-fi is brutal with little range. Lenovo is boring and I wanted something that I really liked the looks of this time. Acer, Asus, Dell, blah, blah, blah

Good luck guys. I'm sure I'll still be around trying to make myself change my mind....but no more trolling from me.

 

Come and visit from time to time.....

 

Or don't

Say no more, your trolling has been explained

 

Of coarse he should visit whenever he fancies. Liking the look of an Apple product in no way explains his displeasure at the Sony Z announcement. The Z is a over priced piece of kit however you look at it and also has some failings too. TBH if bootcamp worked properly it would of had me and many others along time ago. Just a shame Apple has a rotten core imho.

 

i really don't know how people can hate on apple hardware. they seem to associate the OS with the hardware lol.

 

^^ Ill post a review on it once it is released in Asia Pacific, which is somewhere end July I am told.

 

Ops my bad, it was the Z14 that had the 1TB SSD option. This option was never offered on the Z13.

Now knowing the SSDs are in RAID, I wonder why there's no 1TB option for Sony's flagship computer (it's offered on the SA). From what I understand, it isn't physically bigger than the lesser modules.

 

Okay before you return yours, listen to my story first

So I just got mine today, and it did look as if it's one solid thing without the VAIO cutout. I was like $^%#@! and then I got a great idea. I got myself a paper, placed it on my Z, and shaded on the paper with a pencil. The embossed sign resulted in a faint gray VAIO logo, after which I traced the outline with a pencil. I then put this paper on top of the leather skin and was ready to cut it, but then I couldn't find a knife cutter.

I contemplated using a kitchen knife, but then I saw this really faint VAIO logo on the other side of the sticky paper (the leather skin is stuck on a yellow glossy sticky paper). It's so faint I can't see it properly. I thought well did these guys put the outline but forgot to cut it out. And then it occurred to me maybe it has been cut but I have to peel out the cutout myself. So I folded the skin near the faint outlines and with great effort I got the cutout to show itself!

The rest is just peeling the cutout, cleaning the lid, positioning the skin properly, and pasting the skin carefully (to prevent bubbles from forming). I also got the palmrest skin and I pasted it and it's great to the touch

Here are the pics:

 

Have we missed something? If so please take the time to point it out.

The GPU specs are 1920 over HDMI and 2560 over DVI or DP. So no 2560 from the Z (although I'd love that to be wrong.)

(I'm disregarding VGA)

S

 

I use AnyDVD to allow the ripping of the DVD (runs in the background), and then I use Handbrake to rip the DVD to MKV format. I went with MKV as it allows h264 encoding of the video without affecting resolution etc, and you can rip as many audio and subtitle tracks as you need, and set the default track etc. I have a Synology cubestation with about 5TB of storage and I copy these MKVs across. I use a dedicated HTPC running XBMC Openelec to manage and watch the collection.

In the beginning I just used to rip the DVDs to ISO using AnyDVD (would make an exact replica that I could copy to the NAS) but this is not as flexible as making your own copy, plus you can cut out bonus features and trailers etc that you don't want when converting to MKV (and save a little space too).

Sorry for going a little off-topic, hope that helps.

 

I am a little confused why so many people are complaining about battery life. Sure, Sony claims 7 and then another 7 with the sheet, but are you guys really using your battery that much?

I travel a lot, but I am almost always connected to the mains, even airplanes have in-seat electric sockets these days. The only time I would need longer battery power is if there is a powershortage or I am going somewhere very remote. So for me 5 hours is more than enough.

 

You can never have enough battery life ;-)

I tend to leave my charger at home if I'm going to the office and I know I'm going to be back that evening. I use the desktop at work for 75% of stuff and the laptop for the rest; if I could get a full day from the laptop without putting it to sleep or running out of juice it would be ideal. I'm a little jealous of the Acer Timeline series for that reason; it provides a solid 8 hours of practical use.

With the new Z I imagine I would simply bring the sheet battery with me aswell, if I know in advance I'll need more than the 6-7 hours afforded by the built in battery. We shall see.

 

with z11 i have to carry extra 9cell battery everyday, and charging is really pain since i have wait until the first one charged then swap it before i go to bed everynight since there is no charging dock. the sheet battery for Z21 would eliminate that problem.

and yes i (we) use battery that much. if you go to present something to your client in their office and ask them every time for charging first and have cord all over their office it is look like you are unprepared.

 

I know exactly what you mean, doing presentations myself, you always want to be prepared and non-dependent of power supply.

However, additional weight of 685g for sheet battery seems too much for me, plus it spoils Z appearance and its main highlight - thinness. I did like idea of previous VPC-Z and its high capacity battery, slightly raising backside of laptop (same as those rubber feet do with new Z).

Other than that, quite OK package. Can't wait to see first reviews especialy Z1 vs Z2

Cheers,
Miki

 

Can i just remind people of the forum rules.
Comments are getting a little personal and we don't really need to do that.
The report button is there so if people have an issue with anything do use the report button.

 

Just buy something else then...

 

I completely disagree.
Many people bought the previous Z because you had everything you needed in a light (~1.4kg), portable package that you could take anywhere.

With the new Z, if you wish to retain the same features as the previous, you now have to carry your laptop in two sections with a larger power brick to accomodate this DECREASE in functionality. And at a weight of ~1.8kg, actually more if you account for the huge looking powersupply.

Incase you weren't following, that's a DECREASE in functionality, and half a kilo of additional weight.

Don't get me wrong this laptop is great, but in no ways is it an upgrade, just a side step. Ok maybe one step forwards. If only sony were intelligent enough to offer two options, one fully integrated unit, and this one. That would have guarenteed so many sales from people here who were clearly waiting to give sony their money, but were let down by a change in direction from sony.

 

They did offer 2 options. The 2nd one is called the SA

 

please consider Sony SA

 

Its expensive, not overpriced. I think many people would agree that being the only notebook of its kind (referring to both this Z and previous Z), its worth every penny.

 

sony SA quality wise is in a league way below the Z IMO.
Screen is abysmal, and poor viewing angles.
Quality of clickpad turned me off immedietely after trying it. very cheap.

I was actually expecting the SA to be exactly what i needed, and when i found put it wasn't good enough for my needs and tastes, i realised i needed to go a premium laptop, and the Z would be perfect for me. Sadly sony changed direction with this Z, so it's no sony for me. Maybe next year sony.

 

I second that.

As always, it comes down to user personal preferences and daily routine. For someone who needs full GPU power on the go, VPC-Z would make more sense as you have all-in-one powerhouse. And 1.47kg (I believe) isn't too much weight over 1.2kg. Those people who don't need all the power, all the time, will be pleased with new Z, showing off how thin it is, light....

I'm still evaluating, but as someone here said, you need to keep up with progress, meaning you'll probably need to change your habits, and that's what hurts most people.

One thing I want to add in defend of two parts new Z, is heat issue. If you want to play a bit, you simply use Vdock GPU so your laptop will stay much cooler than having dedicated GPU like previous Z. Too much gaming, too much time, too much heat may cause some issues with your laptop eventually so I really second this idea. Looks like laptop itself will last longer. Please note that I'm talking about business oriented laptop, not some specifically die-hard gaming machine (Alienware comes in mind).


Cheers,
Miki

 

Here's where you lose me.

You complain about Z's lack of ODD, lack of GPU, bezel, and keyboard. With the exception of the keyboard (you've never typed on it), those are all valid complaints.

Then, you say you love the MBA and the Samsung series 9.

What am I missing here?

 

I'm still kinda confused what kind of niche does the new Z fill. It's even arguably worse than the VPC-Z as the combined weight and footprint of the laptop and the dock will make it even less portable than the Z (assuming the dock weighs 200g), but the laptop alone is more portable without a doubt. The 2620M CPU doesn't even make a difference when compared to the 640M, so it's a marginal upgrade at most. Same thing applies to the shift from 1066mhz ram to 1333mhz. The SSD system has changed though so it deserves some credit I guess.

I guess it can only be described as "the world's lightest and thinnest notebook with a full powered CPU", but then again, at a ridiculous price, and only offering slight benefits over other competitors. We'll see how the MBA refresh goes this year, then we can compare.

 

Even more than than, the I7/HD3000 CPU is cooled by a dual fan system with both heat pipes extracting from the CPU/IGPU. This laptop should run ultra cool. The engineering on the fan system is extremely impressive.

Bronsky

 

doesn't make a difference? Sandy Bridge GPU is at the very minimum 2x better than arrandale. CPU wise, although this would be harder to notice, SB is faster at the same clock speed than arrandale while using less power.

I don't understand why people keep crying about having to carry the dock with you therefore negating the weight advantage the actual laptop has. Why would you have to carry it with you every single day? If you must game at every location you travel to, you probably bought the wrong laptop. :| I carry my Z with me every single day to work, I use the ODD and/or GPU maybe once or twice per month AWAY from home. This is why this new Z appeals to me. I love that my Z has an ODD and GPU available when I need it, sure, but I don't need it every single day. I'd gladly have those 2 things available on the side if it made my Z cooler and lighter.

Maybe you MUST game and burn bluray media at every single place you travel to, but you have to understand that it's not normal to do so for the target audience of the Z :\