New Vaio 2008 model listing with indication prices - FW - Z - SR - BZ

I would like to have 2x 64GB SSD Raid 0 option, because i want to have as fast machine as i can. SSD is fast itself but in Raid 0, its just amazing. I know that i can have 320gb insted of 128 but i dont need to have a lot of place on my HDD. Now i have 2 years old DELL XPS m1710 with only 100gb and i have there almost everything i need. If i will need to have more space then i buy external 1TB FW HDD. btw. I want to have 2 os. One Windows and 2nd Linux. I cant even imagine how fast Linux will be on 2x SDD in Raid 0, 2.53 CPU and 4GB DDR3 in Dual Mode.

Geeee, can you check if lid for high-end models is carbon or not?

btw. one question. If i will buy laptop in USA can i use WAN in Europe? (with European SIM)

 

No. Sprint is not a GSM-based provider.

 

So the Z is already on display? I'd better get to my area SonyStyle store soon.

 

Speed is equavalent IMHO to about a 7200rpm drive, no moving parts, good reliability (knock on wood), etc. My little G feels more like my old SZ than an ultraportable. If it had the 4200rpm 1.8" I'd be dying on the vine.

WWAN, MotionEye, TPM/finger biometrics being the big ones.

 

Ok I will ask, like I said I don't know if they can answer inquiries regarding anything other than issues here in the US, but I will ask. And carbon is my first question...lol.

Ok I just checked the latest post PG 166, and Sector your the only one that had questions on Z, so I will be back later to post your answers to both your questions. Sony Stores close at 9PM USA, West Coast time, so I should be able to post between 9pm-llpm. You may have to calculate time change from where your at.

 

Geeee, can you take a peek at the FW for me to see how gargantuan it looks in real life.

By the way... I lived in OC up until a few years ago, so I've been to South Coast Plaza many times. Have fun!

 

LOL, where you at now? Ok I will look at the FW, but because I'm not use to that series, I couldn't define how gargantuan it looks in real life compared to what your use too, but I'll try and give you the best asessment I can. I can't believe you left OC. OC is the best!!!!

Alright gotta go.... over and out....

 

Geee, I suppose it would be strange for you to take along a camera and get some images of the Z?

I would like to see the Z and TZ side-by-side, the size difference and screen quality, as I may upgrade to the Z in a few months.

 

I'm in South Florida now.

Thanks. I guess I'm either looking for "Holy crap, that thing is HUGE! And HEAVY!" ... or ... "Ya know, it's actually not that bad. Not as big or heavy as I had expected"

I know, I agree. But at least the houses here cost half the price!

 

Oooooh, great idea. Maybe Geeee can look at a nice Sony camera while he's there. Just slip in your own SD card and pretend to be testing the camera's picture quality!

 

You know what Rahulnirmal, I thought about that, but I loaned my charger to a friend who went on vacation and my digital camera has no charge at all. I'll see if I can borrow theirs, and since they do have internet for customers for free, I'll see if I can send it to my email. I
m curious about that as well. Many have posted that the Z will be similar in text as the TZ. I have to see if they have both resolutions of the TZ. But your concern is the size up from the TZ, right? I'll do my best, I may be there again over the weekend. So I'll buy a charger and take some over the weekend. I'm going to bring my camera, Sony of course, and see if they can do a quick charge, so I can take that shot.

It's 530pm local time and I should get on my way. I have 3 1/2 hours to really get a good look at this.

 

OK, thanks. Post here everything what u think about Z laptop and no rush about posting im going to sleep now. Its 2AM in UK

 

I wonder if they can do a fresh start on the $3999 unit that comes with vista ultimate.

 

the FW is only an inch bigger than the FZ. Its around the same weight so i dont expect it to be a major problem. Do let us no geee.

 

Yep. Good stuff.

Too bad it's not thinner though. If it were only one inch thick (like the Macbook Pro) I'd be sold.

 

Well Pro has its issues because it tried squeezing everything within an inch. As for the air....well you can always do that when you have no hardware inside. lol. i would say 1.34-1.5" is decent.

 

Not when you're used to using a 1" thin laptop...

 

true enough. best of luck choosing.

 

there you go:

 

Man, that Z is HUGE!

 

some photos from VAIO Japan Press Event:

 

Thank you very much eddieaus for the Z vs TZ picture!

Its not much bigger and yet has far more power, I love ultraportables but I may go a big bigger this time....

I'd give you rep but I've given out too much in the last 24 hours.

Where did you find it BTW? I'm betting there's more shots comparing both notebooks from the website you got it from.

 

Odd and dissapointing...

The FW series in Europe is too expensive. I was planning on buying in the U.S. and they wouldn't even include the HD3650. Plans ruined...

 

If the Z keyboard is covered, the Z reminds me about my old TX.

 

I called the two Chicago area Sony Style stores today. Both of them have the FW and SR on display, but no Z yet...

 

i found that pic on a japanese website. that's the only comparison pic they have. i'll post more if i can find some.

 

Yes, theres is the 1:1 conversion. But if people in the US are willing to shell out major money for a system with the 3470, i think you should definitely get the one with 3650. Which is i think under 1600 euros. I don't you'll get a comparable system in Europe for much less.

 

Yeah, I just right clicked on the image and found the URL, the website its from.
Too bad they didn't have more comparison pics. But that one was good enough. I can't believe the Z's motherboard is smaller than the TZs!

 

from the picture the comparing the FW to the BZ, the FW isn't that much bigger. It just looks a bit odd because of the ratio difference.

 

If thats true, the Z should run really cool with the 9300 GS. Incredible machine.

 

Sony will refresh or replace the TZ, G and UX series in the Fall, my guess is towards replacing them with all new models like they've replaced the SZ and FZ, using the Montevina ultra low voltage U3300, SU9300 and SU9400 processors.

The Montevina SFF (small form factor) processors should be released by September latest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_future_Intel_Core_2_microprocessors

Here's the link.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49298185-11,00.htm

 

simply wow. yea the Z has been designed really well. Good Job Sony designers. I think Z owners are going to like it quite a lot.

 

i'm from san jose, california and called the sony style store in valley fair mall. no Z on display, but they have the other ones.

 

more pics from Japanese website:

 

Question: Does pre-ordering help get the laptop earlier? or does it matter when i order?

 

First come first serve. Simple as that! Pre-order if you need it ASAP. What happens if they run out of ONE certain part? They have to backorder...that means you wait longer.

 

VAIO Z and MacBook Air put together:

 

GOD, im am in such a big dilemma. Z or SR, wow y does my school start on the 20th, pisses me off. i can either take the risk of not gettin the Z by the time skoo starts or get the SR and take this risk of regretting it caz the z came out earlier than expected.

 

Not a big deal but I wish the Z had the media control buttons my TZ has, why not considering it has HDMI out and Blu-Ray as an option and the SR has them. Its predecessor, the SZ didn't have them either but I wish they did put those in its successor.

Just a little nag on my part. I always have something to complain about.

 

Since Sony has dropped the "odd" PCMCIA slot, I just don't understand why they don't include an ExpressCard/54 (54 mm wide, in an L-shape) slot in place of an ExpressCard/34 (34 mm wide) slot. Too bad Creative's Sound Blaster X-Fi ExpressCard is in ExpressCard/54 form, which means that the Z (& even my SZ) cannot use. At least with my SZ, I can still use the Creative Soundblaster PCMCIA sound card...

Below are links containing info on what I'm talking about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressCard
http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/24/creatives-sound-blaster-x-fi-gets-expresscard-makeover/

 

Yes, I have also wished Vaios would use the larger 54mm slot.

Is there no converter that lets you use 54mm cards in a 34mm slot? 54mm cards have the same connector as a 34mm card but of course are physically larger in size and cannot fit in a 34mm slot.

 

Cheers bud! Looks like the extended battery doesnt weigh that much more than the Standard one. So 470 - 312 = 158 g. So the total weight of Z + Extended battery should be 1.49 + 0.158 = 1.65kg. Impressive weight for longer battery life!

 

Just got back from SonyStyle Store and was able to look at all 3 models: Z, SR, and FW. This is what I found out.

SoundsGood: Answer to your question on FW.
You basically asked how oversized I personally felt the FW was. It's a big computer coming from someone who prefers 13" screens. I'm sure you will use it as a desktop replacement. We agree, it would be hell to travel with that thing. And it did have some weight on it when I picked it up. It's a nice laptop.

Sector: answer to your question...
Yes, all Z models, at least here in the USA are all made of carbon. The sony rep. said it's a slightly different type of carbon on the Z than it was on the SZ, but it is Carbon. I took a look at the SZ and there is a slight difference in the feel of the carbon. I think it may have been due to the weight of the Z. I'm not sure. But rest assured, it's Carbon.

Also, as for the Sprint WAN question. The rep said, "Yes, it is possible to replace the sprint sim card and use another sim card in your country, its is a very complicated task that requires someone who know what they're doing. There's more to it than a simple replacement of cards. He says, it is not recommended". Make sure if you do decide to have someone tamper with this that they know what exactly is involved. This will void the warranty.

rahulnirmal: answer to your question....
Screen Comparison
Here are photos you were curious about.
The first photo is a screen comparison of the Z (left) and TZ (right). I aligned the screens together - that's why the TZ looks pushed back. I wished I would have turned on the TZ, but I wasn't thinking.

Now, the second photo is screen comparison of the SR (left) and Z (right). For those that have an SZ as I do, this will convey the difference in screen space.
View attachment 21173 ............ View attachment 21174


Keyboard Comparison
First of all, the keys on the Z is its own dimension. Its slightly larger than the TZ, but smaller than the SR. What's amazing about the Z's keys is how wide apart the keys are from each other.

The first photo depicts key size between the Z (left) and TZ (right). The following photo next to it is key size comparison from SR (left) and Z (right).

View attachment 21175 ............ View attachment 21176

Overall Size
I placed the TZ over the Z to show you the difference in size. Keep in mind, I aligned the rear of both notebooks together. So as you can see how much the TZ's battery sticks out.
The barrel cylinder on the Z is somewhat flushed with the top and bottom casing unlike the TZ. So all you can see is about 1/2 of that barrel cylinder across the entire notebook (unlike the TZ where you can see the entire cylinder). The cylinder is made of plastic and it felt like plastic, but because Sony did such a good job in the design, it looks more quality than it does cheap.

The photo next to it is the Z over the SR. You can tell from the sides how slightly wider the Z is. And the depth of the SR over the Z. I should have aligned it better back to back and side by side to at least one side; Sorry.

It might appear that the alignment of the first photo below was off, but in actuality it was the angle of my shot. Only the comparison of the Z with SR was slightly out of alignment as you can see from the second photo below, but it provides you a general idea.

View attachment 21177 ............ View attachment 21178

This is just my personal opinion on the Z and in no way am I trying to sway anyone's decision on this model, but when I first took a look at the the Z, I really wasn't as excited as I thought I would be. I guess because there was so much hype about this laptop that I expected more based on my first impression. Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice and sweet looking notebook; unique in its very way. But it didn't scream, "BUY ME, TAKE ME HOME!" like it did when I first saw the Carbon SZ.

The funny thing is, when I was approaching the Sony Store, I expected to wait my turn to get my hands on it. There was quite a bit of traffic flow in the store, but I was the only one there that even paid any attention to the Z, SR and FW during the 1 1/2 hour I was there. I expected Sony to launch these models with fireworks and a cool display to showcase them, but no fireworks, the 3 models just sat there on a table behind a counter waiting to get attention. I even had to ask the salesperson where they had it on display because I couldn't see them when I entered the store.

The Z at first sight reminded me of the old S Series Sony introduced before the SZ (which also had a 13.3 screen). The Sony rep agreed with me on that as well.
After looking at it and playing around with it, I'm not so anxious to get one right away. In fact, I'm thinking about just keeping my SZ. I'm just going to wait when they refresh the Z. For now it's Z500. I may wait for Z600 or Z700, but who know I may change my mind and get one at the end of July.

Now for you Gamers, I'm sure you all will be impressed by it. Another Sony Rep. that was answering my questions happened to be a gamer and he just went on and on with the resolution. By the way, the Z they had on display had 1600 x 900. So I think anyone buying this for gaming will be very very impressed. Text is a different story as we all discussed.

I did ask about text size. As all of you know there's 2 settings 96dpi and 120dpi. I changed it to 120 (Large) dpi and text was still small on Z with 1600x900, however you can go to custom settings and increase text size up to 200%. I don't know the disadvantages to that and how it would affect other programs. But that was suggested to me the salesperson to help alleviate eye strain when working and reading texts. Unfortunately, this was their only Z model on display. The Z with 1366x768 was not showcased.

These models will hit Sony Stores and Retail Shops sometime at the end of July for sale just as I thought. But for those of you that CTO'd, you will get them in August.

As for weight, you can really tell the difference from the weight of the SZ to that of the Z. I picked both up. Both models on display had batteries on them. Z felt much much lighter than SZ. I never realized that a half pound would make a difference, but it did. I was very impressed by the weight of the Z. It felt hollow and flimsy. It just didn't feel solid like the SZ due to all that lightweight material Sony's using and small-scaled internal components which is all good and positive.

Now for those looking at performance and speed, all of you will tell a different story. I understand now where the hype is. Not so much externally, but internally - the core as to what makes that Z perform. It would be very interesting to get someone else's opinion to see what their thoughts are on the Z.

Now for the SR, bottom line is it reminded me of the macbook 13" (not the pro), but the macbook that comes in white and black. If anything, I think Sony made the SR to compete with the macbook and the Z with the mac air IMO.

 

Valid one. Those media control buttons are very handy. But looking at all the Z ports, particularly the HDMI, they look like they were jammed in somewhere. The microphone and headphone ports are also awkwardly placed on the left.

 

Geeee...........you rock.
I've given out too much rep but once the limit is up, your getting some rep. Thank you very much!!!

I think a reason for this is better placement if you plug in external speakers. Just a guess.
On the SZ and SR, those audio ports are on the left side like the Z but at the rear, like where the Firewire, Modem and Ethernet ports are on the TZ. Seems strange to me.

 

In Sony, We Trust.

 

I was just wondering if anyone was planning to do a clean install of a 64bit windows when they recieve the Z.

I did a clean install of a 64bit edition of windows vista ultimate on my old HP laptop with relative ease, but that was only because HP provided many of the 64bit drivers.

Does anyone know if it will be as easy with the new Z? I'm not sure how well Sony supplies its drivers, cause it really is a waste of 4GB RAM, if its not a clean install of a 64bit windows.

 

Speaking of 64 bit, does anybody know if its possible to borrow a 64 Bit installation disc (i.e from a friend, coworker, crackhead neighbor, ect...) and then use the product key provided by sony? or is this against the law?

 

The key provided with your Sony is specific to the version of Windows that comes with it (say Vista 32 business). You can't use it with another version, or on another machine. However you can do a clean install of the same version of Vista that comes with your laptop and use the serial number on the back of your laptop (that's legal).

Also you can borrow a 64 bits disk and install it without any key, and try it legally for up to a month.

 

Yers, some European model will come with HSDPA support. By the way, the Sony vendor talking to Geee was talking through his back orifice. You CAN'T just change the SIM card on the US model in order to make it work in Europe.

There are THREE solutions/workaround:

1) If you want an INTERNAL, dedicated WWAN for your laptop, supposing you are technically able (or know someone who is), you may be able to replace the WWAN module (but that's expensive and it will void your warranty, plus there is no guarantee you'll find the part). Of course you will need to get a PAYG or monthly European SIM card as well.

2) If you're happy with an EXTERNAL WWAN, most providers will be happy to either sell or give you a USB stick in which they put their SIM card (for example, if you sign up for 24 months with T-Mobile UK, it's £15 per month and they give you the USB stick http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/offers/broadband/). It's big like a USB key, but it sticks out, and therefore can break easily if you forget to store it after use. Unless you are really good at opening a tiny laptop without breaking it, it's the only solution to get dedicated WWAN in Europe if you decide to buy a US model.

3) Alternatively, if your mobile phone / smartphone has 3G, you can use it as a modem, either through BT or USB. This is what I do with my TZ, I use my Tytn II as an external BT modem. It works like a charm, is very fast, and I only have to pay for a 3G option on my phone, which is much cheaper than a dedicated 3G contract for a laptop (about half price). If you only need the WWAN occasionally, it's probably the best/most economical solution today, and it will work fine with a US model. Downside is 3G eats the battery of my phone fast (so you need extended/spare battery) and using BT for the modem means you can't use it for headphones (for example) at the same time. These are the main reasons why I'd like to have internal WWAN in my next laptop...

Lastly, SONY prices for SSD are MAD . The reason why they are so expensive is because they put 2 x 64GB overtpriced SSDs (like last year's price) in RAID. It's also because there are two SSDs in their 128Gb model that they don't have the room to put a Blu-Ray drive (I suspect). As other said, the main advantages of SSDs over HDDs are speed, reliability (no moving part), less heat, less noise, less power hungry. But not at that price!

I would definitely buy a non-SSD model, and if you decide you do want/need the performance boost, replace the standard SATA2 2,5" hard drive in the Z with one of the cheap SSD models from OCZ ( http://www.trustedreviews.com/storage/news/2008/07/02/OCZ-Core-Series-Halves-SSD-Prices/p1) or Ridata ( http://www.trustedreviews.com/stora...ta-Challenges-OCZ-SSD-Prices-With-New-Line/p1). The 128gb Ridata costs around $500, that's WAY cheaper than the Sony solution (around 3 times if you put the hard drive it replaces on E-bay).

If I had to choose between WWAN and SSD, I would choose WWAN anytime because it's an added functionality instead of a performance boost, and it's much easier to replace an HDD with an SSD than a SPRINT module with an HSDPA module (but that's just me!).