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

That would be pretty amazing (and embarrassing to Apple, as you say) if the Z weighs 1.35 kg, but I doubt this. If it's really this light, then why does every other official Sony specs say it weighs 1.49 kg?

What I find confusing is that some parts of SonyStyle says it's 3.3 pounds (1.49 kg) while others say it's 3.4 pounds (1.54 kg).

 

That could be its weight without the battery.

 

That makes sense

BTW, I just found something really interesting. If you look at the spec sheets for all the US Z models, it looks like the Z590, the one with the dual SSD's, weighs 3.42 pounds, while the rest weigh 3.31 pounds. Not a big difference, but an interesting little fact (unless it's a mistake) - this would explain the fluctuation between the Z's claimed weight being 3.3 / 3.4 pounds.

 

Except that the battery weighs more than 140 grams, so it can't be.

 

Here is the exact description of memory option for Z (this is from invoice I received when I ordered one...then cancelled):

4 GB DDR3-SDRAM (DDR3-1066, 2GBx2)

 

Note that the rounding error is pretty big at 0.1 pounds. Most spec sheets say that the weight in pound is "nominal" (look for the asterisk) so best to only consider metric specs.

 

The spec sheets are pretty specific:

VGN-Z590UAB - 3.42 pounds (at +- .1 pound error, 1.547kg to 1.556kg)
VGN-Z570N/B - 3.31 pounds (at +- .1 pound error, 1.497kg to 1.505kg)

All the models match the "official" metric weight of 1.499kg perfectly, except for the Z590UAB (with the SSD's), which weighs at least 0.047kg more than 1.499kg. But I guess since the difference is less than 0.1kg rounded, you could speculate that the difference is due to conversion errors, although it's strange that the 3.42 pounds is only shown on the Z590 SSD model, which I haven't seen metric specs for yet btw.

 

Yes, good work, that answers some of the other people's questions. Though, it still doesn't explain the 1.35kg on the Japanese model

 

I don't know. More likely than not it's an error. Unless Sony is really stupid, they'd make it very very clear everywhere that the Z was 1.35kg / 2.98 pounds rather than the currently official 1.49kg / 3.3 pounds if this wasn't a error.

So you can be pretty sure it's going to be 1.49kg / 3.3 pounds as they've clearly stated at every official press release / website, except for this one "error" you've spotted. But I guess none of us will know for sure until we can actually weigh it ourselves.

 

Remember that there are different options in different countries. Things like WWAN are standard in the USA, but in Japan, 100% optional. All that "stuff" adds weight.

 

The 1,35 kg weight refers to a Japanese config without the usual options (as someone already stated) that includes a single SSD and a DVD drive.
Look at paragraph 5: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translat...08/0716/sony1.htm&lp=ja_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

Regarding Tomassi's question, the Japanese model does come with HSDPA but it's locked to a Japanese provider. I've opened a thread on some issues regarding the Z(including this one) here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=275038 Feel free to contribute there if you have any information.

 

How do they manage to get the Z to be almost 1" shorter on the depth? The Z is 8.3" while the SR is 9.2". That sounds kind of incredulous given that the difference between 16:10 and 16:9 shouldn't be that huge. Is there a lot of unused bezel space on the SR??

 

link is ok, its working.

 

The width of the screen including bezel is actually 12.4" for both.
If you click on "specifications" here, it explains it pretty well:
SR http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=8198552921644570898&parentCategoryId=16154
Z http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=8198552921644570897&parentCategoryId=16154

 

Well, at the moment I actually am very close to the final decision of getting the $2349 Z570N/B (US model, without HSDPA support). It's a pity that it comes with the -to me- useless SPRINT support, but other than that I don't really dislike anything about the configuration. I wouldn't be using the HSDPA support function in the near future anyway. My feeling is like this; compared to my current notebook the Z570N/B already is a huge upgrade, while the price (in euros, compared to other notebooks here in Europe) is incredibly low. It's just a really good deal for me.

If I'd get the $3999 Z590UAB I would get it with the 128GB SSD. Of course, compared to the Z570N/B I would then have the following 'improvements';
- 4GB RAM instead of 3GB
- SSD instead of HDD (128GB is probably enough for me anyway)
- 1600x900 resolution instead of 1366x768
- Better available graphics memory and twice the amount of dedicated video RAM (256MB instead of 128).
- No bloatware

Obviously we're talking about a super machine here. Now, the problem really isn't that I don't want to or can spend this money. The problem is that if I spend this kind of money on such a fantastic machine, I know I won't take a new notebook for at least 4 years. However, if I take the lower-end Z570N/B, I could fairly easily get a new one after about 2,5 years. By then Sony will likely have a machine even better than the Z590UAB, with built-in HSDPA support, for probably even less money.

In summary, HSDPA support really isn't a dealbreaker for me, because I won't be using it in the near future anyway. However, I might well start liking it in a few years (especially if mobile Internet fees start dropping). That's why I feel that, if I take a 'notebook for the future' (like the Z590UAB), it should have HSDPA: It shouldn't be anything close to perfect, it should be just perfect.

By the way, once I get the Z570N/B I will probably not be upgrading to 4GB RAM. As we all know 4GB RAM is hardly any better than 3GB RAM (for 32-bit Windows Vista), so why paying the extra money and going through the hassle of upgrading (particularly since we're not having our 'perfect' machine anyway)?

Then finally, don't forget, the Z570N/B actually does have some advantages compared to the Z590UAB; it's lighter, got a somewhat longer battery life, and has some faster CD and DVD writing speeds (though I'm not 100% this isn't a mistake on sonystyle.com; sonystyle namely also states the 1600x900 is XBRITE-ECO™ Technology and not XBRITE-DuraView™ Technology, while I'm quite sure that's incorrect as well). And of course 1366x768 actually has an advantage compared to 1600x900 as well (though I'd personally would prefer 1600x900, ceteris paribus).

As to your question; if I'd be living in the US and hence the SPRINT support would have been useful to me; yes, in that case, I would have strongly considered the $3999 model. Don't forget though, the Z570N/B of course is a marvellous choice as well!

 

128GB SSDs are available for less than $550 now. Link

In theory Portable One should be able to equip Sony Z with these SSDs. I have not checked this with Portable One.

 

I used to go to Fry's in Fountain Valley all the time. The place is a mad-house!

 

Wow, from a Z to an FW? That's a pretty big change of heart. What happened?

 

Thanks for the comparison. I've decided already to go for the $2349 model, but after reading your post, it justified it even more. I just wished I can find a similar model with a Blu-Ray Reader. And as much as it would be nice to have SSD, its just not affordable for me at this time.

As much a mad-house it is, I love it... I call it, "ONE STOP SHOPPING" for everything.

 

Another reason for getting the $2349 instead of the $3999:
With the $3999 it would be really hard to get a consecutive laptop with which you can be truely happy! However, with the $2349 you can still look forward to your next lappy which could for instance have an SSD!

 

Vaio Berlin 2008 Lineup Conference video:

http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/gb/en/vaio10/flash.jsp

You have a pretty good overview over all the new products and an interesting insight into guts of the z-series (104min).

4 Zseries see also: 49 min and 117min

 

I actually meant depth. Sorry about the mixup.

 

Not so much change of heart but change of screen size!! I didn't want the hassle and potential bluriness of setting Vista screen DPI to make text readable. I think 1600x900 Z is wrong fit for people who want to actually work on the system for hours on end. It's a road warrior meant to be used sporadically during the day. If Sony had provided the Blu-ray option with 1366x768 version, I would have stayed with the Z. But it was not to be.

 

does anyone know if the Z they were messing around with had the 1600x900 resolution or the 1300?

 

I see. And understand. I too use my laptop all day (working from home) and I would never want the higher resolution on the Z. Then again, I doubt I'd be happy with 1366x768 on 13.1 if it were all day either.

I didn't know that blu-ray was not available with the lower res Z. I don't get it... why would that be?

 

I worked long hours with 1280x800 13.3" Dell XPS 1330 and it was tolerable but not ideal. So, yeah, the FW really is about as small as I want to go.

As for no Blu-ray on lower res Z, it is MADDENING!! Sony wants to sell a bunch of $3500 laptops out of the gate is why. I'm certain Blu-ray will show up in all configs for Z and SR by Christmas.

 

Check this out. Fry's Electronics (So. Cal., USA) is beginning to sell the FW. I actually saw the newspaper ad July 19th, but forget to post. There's only one model so far, but it's a start. That Sony Rep was right about its July release. Lets hope his correct for the SR and Z. I suspect sometime next week the SR and Z will hit inventory. I hope.....

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5660061?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

There's some great FW Pics on this web page as well for those interested....

 

Newegg is shipping 2 FW configurations and 1 SR. At least, they say they are in stock and are willing to take your money!! But I wouldn't order a laptop from them to save my a$$...they have an absolute iron-clad no exceptions no return no refund policy on laptops. Fergit that!!

 

woah, I didn't know fry's delivers to canada, interesting.

 

That's my concern about moving from a 12.1" @ 1280x800 (Dell D420) to a 13.3" @ 1280x800 (SR??). The size and weight would be fine... but it may not be enough of a jump up in screen size. And since I rarely leave the house with my laptop, I might as well go for something larger.

Then again, there's a psychological barrier (for me) in going from a nice little light-weight laptop to a large, bulky/heavier one.

 

You guys are crazy. If your working at home on it all day then get the docking station, a nice logitech mouse, an ergonomic keyboard and a 20"+ monitor. Plug your z/sz/sr into the dock and enjoy working with a big screen at eye level and have the laptop as a second screen for outlook or whatever.

You literally just yoink the laptop out of the docking station - all the screen settings change to single monitor (it can even switch primary monitor back and forth) and off you go. I do this every day with my sz and it works brilliantly.

Best of both worlds

 

I'm on a 7.5 pounder right now so the FW is about 1 lb lighter. But if I could get an SR or Z low res with Blu-ray that would be my choice.

 

Something you need to consider and check into

Warranty Information
Please write to Fry's Main Office for warranty information on products purchased at Frys.com:

Fry's Electronics
600 East Brokaw Road
San Jose, CA 95112

Thank you!

Most manufacturers will not honor warranties for items shipped overseas or to Canada.

 

well after much thought i finally made my order for a Z through sonystyle. here is the configuration i went with:

* Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P9500 (2.53GHz)
* Photo Standard
* Video Standard
* QuickBooks Simple Start
* Trusted Platform Module / Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
* No Fresh Start™
* Microsoft® Works
* Standard Battery (BPS12)
* Windows® Live OneCare 90-Day Trial
* Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
* LCD 13.1" (XBRITE-DuraView™
* 3 GB DDR3-SDRAM (DDR3-1066, 2GBx1 + 1GBx1)
* DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
* Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
* 120 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]

Here is my reasoning behind going with the Z540 instead of the Z590 CTO and also for the various components:

Z540 v Z590: The major differences are BlueRay, SSD, higher resolution, and additional video card ram. I'll be using my machine as a secondary machine for office work, browsing, occasional videos, and will NOT be doing any gaming. because of this, i can do without the blueray, ssd, and additional video card ram. The toughest decision was with the higher resolution. I LOVE having a lot of desktop space (I run dual 24" monitors @ 1920x1200 resolution at home) as it helps my productivity. Since Sonystyle did not have any Z's on display, the only way I could determine whether the standard resolution would be adequate on the Z was to do the next best thing: try using the SR. Since the resolution on the SR and the standard Z is pretty close, I figure that if I was happy with the SR resolution, I would be happy with the standard Z resolution. The result: I was perfectly fine with the SR resolution. Winner: Z540 CTO

Processor: I was debating between the P8400 and P9500 as well, main difference being the extra cache on the P9500. This was an easy choice because after deciding that I was going to do the Z540 CTO, it gave me more money to play with to go with the P9500. Not only that, the most important components to me were the ones I could NOT upgrade in the future, the processor being one of those things, so I wanted the best processor possible. Winner: P9500

Battery: I chose the standard battery because I don't like how the extended does not sit flush. Most likely, I'll buy an extra battery in the future. If sonystyle had that option now, I would have bought it, but you only have the choice of either/or right now. 5 1/2 hours of advertised life is more than enough for me. Winner: Standard battery

Ram: Originally, I was set at maxing out the ram at 4GB because buying it directly from Sony is a pretty good deal (remember we are talking about DDR3 laptop ram). However, after much thought, I decided to go with 3GB for a couple of reasons: 1) Vista 32 bit will only recognize 3GB anyways 2) Because of this, if I were to go with 4GB and wanted windows to recognize all 4, I would have to format and install a 64 bit version. Getting all the components to work after the format would be a HUGE headache since the Z is new and no one has tried it yet. PLUS, I'm actually PAYING for the 32 bit vista license, so I might as well stay with it 3)The price difference going from 2GB to 3GB was only $50, but the price difference from 3GB to 4GB was $100! 3GB comes in the configuration "2GBx1 and 1GBx1," so I'm sure I can upgrade the 1GB module in the future when prices go down anyways. Winner: 3GB ram

OS: I chose the default Windows Vista Home Premium because they're all pretty much the same, plus/minus some useless features. Honestly, I can obtain the other Vista versions if I wanted to, but I think Vista Home will suit me just fine for what I will be doing with this laptop (again, office work, browsing, videos, and many other straight-forward tasks). However, if the default OS was Vista Home Basic instead of the Premium version, I would DEFINITELY upgrade because the basic version lacks a ton of cool features (Aero for example). Winner: Vista Home Premium

Harddrive: This was an easy decision. I care very little for harddrive space since this is a secondary machine; that means that I won't be holding a lot of large files on this laptop (that's what my desktop is for). SSD is still too expensive to me right now, so that was out of the question. When it came down to it, it was a choice between 5400RPM vs 7200RPM. The cost to upgrade to the cheapest 7200RPM drive was at least $100, so I don't think it was worth it. Not only that, the harddrive itself looks like it can be replaced fairly easily, so I can always change it in the future if necessary. Winner: Stock 120GB 5400RPM harddrive

Here is the final pricing for my order:

Subtotal: $2,099.99
Promotional Discount: -$100.00 (can only get this if you place the order over the phone)
Tax: $171.01
Shipping: INCLUDED
Total: $2,171.00

I ordered the laptop using an AMEX credit card because AMEX gives an additional extended 1 year warranty after the manufacturers warranty. Because of this, I did not bother getting any extended warranties through Sonystyle. Not only that, if I got the extended warranty through Sonystyle, I would have gotten the $200 off promotion as well (need to get any 2 accessories + any extended warranty plan to get the $200 off). However, if I got the $200 off, I would not be able to get the additional $100 off over the phone (I tried twice over the phone).

I know I could have gotten a Z cheaper if I bought from a 3rd party reseller, but it was impossible to find the specs I wanted, so the only option was to do CTO through sonystyle. overall, I am happy with my decisions so far. Let's hope it holds up once I get the final product.

 

Ya I know, currently the model at fry's is below the one at sonystyle canada, no blu-ray.

 

That's exactly what I have and do now, with a D420 laptop, MediaBase docking station, 20" Dell S-IPS monitor and Logitech wireless mouse.

The thing is, this arrangement only works when I stay at the docking station & monitor. But since I do work from home, I go from the desk area to the kitchen table to the couch, to outside, etc. And lately I'm spending less and less time in front of the nice big beautiful monitor -- hence my desire for a larger screened laptop. Does that make sense, or no?

 

What was the anticipated date of shipping listed when you made the purchase?

 

8/15 when i was at the checkout screen. it's being built in their san diego location, so luckily it won't take too long to ship (i'm from northern cali).

 

how do you know where its being built? how do i check mine? are they all there?

 

i spoke to 3 different reps and they all told me the same thing. i don't know if they're all there, but if you want to check, i guess the best thing to do would be to call in.

 

Nice peace of sharing thoughts

One question; what did you say on the phone to get that $100 off?

I personally am still doubting about the resolution... I will probably be getting a docking station including an external monitor, but still will be using my notebook a lot away from the docking station. I just want 'the best' resolution, and care to must about the price... But what is the best resolution for me? I don't know...

 

Yea thats where they are being built. Thats where my SZ780 was built to. To Fuzzielitlpanda (dude u gotta change ur name lol) Just to let you know for your own sake, careful on the CTO's as I mentioned in the other threads that when I got the SZ780 CTO, others and myself had a screen defect. There will almost always be some kind of problem with the CTO's as they are built by hand vs manufacturer and not Made in Japan. Also note they charge a 20% restocking fee vs a 15% on the prebuilt which is about roughly $500 taken away from ur pocket if you decide to return it. My advise to you is to cancel ur order and wait and think about it for a bit till it comes out. Dont rush. Just trying to give you information to help you out IMO.

Cheers!

 

Has anyone order the VGN-Z570N/B (the preconfigured US model of $2349) yet? What shipping date did it list?

On the VGN-Z570N/B-page on sonystyle.com it says "Pre-sale item available on or about 08/26/2008. We will notify you by email. Your account will be billed when product ships."

It would be a bit weird imo though if a preconfigured model would start shipping like 11 days later than CTO'd models... :S

 

Sonystyle USA apparently doesn't charge a restocking fee for notebooks according to the site. The 15-20% fee is on the Canadian site however.

 

Well, you should know that manufacturer originates in latin: manu (by hand) facere (to make) -> to make/build sth. by hand

Just thought I'd share this with you so you know for the future

...

Anyways congrats fuzzielitlpanda on you order and the discount =)
Hope you will enjoy your new Z!

I would love to be able to configure mine too, but I'm sitting here in old little Europe stuck with 3 preconfigured way overpriced models...

 

You should just buy one of the US SonyStyle/newegg website, and ship it to a friend in the US since its free shipping, and then have them FedEx/UPS it to you in Europe.

If you can't find anyone, I'll do it for you.

 

Sorry if this is stupid, but my dad was asking to see the ports of the SR. He wanted to know the speaker port, etc.




What port would I use to hookup speakers?

 

Headphone jack.

 

Thank you for detailed post, fuzzielitlpanda. If you are not in desperate need then I'd say wait for a while for the detailed reviews. That way, you'll have a more informed purchase. You might even get lucky to get more discounts later

Regarding the discount: i personally do not think their will be a big discount unless Sony wants to take a very aggressive pricing/marketing strategy. Generally speaking new computer equipment have this premium pricing policy where they charge you more in the beginning. It is more apparent in Desktop market than in laptop's

 

Thank you. Thats what I thought it would be.