Not all SZ Keypads are the Same!

I just retured fram a conference were there were three other participants with SZ160's!

Anyway, we compared the machines. Believe or not there are some subtle but significant differences.

First, one of the keypads had absolutely NO flex. Solid as a rock. Yet another was very squishy - when "d" or "f" is pushed it flexed several keys around it.

Also the fit of the hings varies slighly- two of the units being aschew. This, in turn, affected the tension required to open and close the lids (ranging from soft to firm).

Also the screen light-bleed ranged from noticable on non-existant. But all the screens were equally brilliant. And we could not tell any differences between touchpads.

The differences are no big deal (unloess your obsessive like I am). Just as no two pair of shoes, or shirts, and same model cars are exactly alike so it is true with laptops as well. All I know is that the owners in total sync about their pruase of the SZ!

 

Well all laptops are different. Some come manufactured badly, like my current HP came with a bad motherboard the day I bought it. Others come good.

The SZ Premium Edition has a very good keyboard as to what I have read while some SZ Non-Premium Edition's dont.

 

I've tried several SZs premium/non premium and keyboard feel/use was pretty much the same...

 

The feel of my old sz non premium and my current premium model feel sthe same. However, they non premium I owned had a noticalbe amount of flex. Im actually starting to like the feel of this "plasticy" keyboard. And after further examination, I noticed the right hinge on my premium is is slightly off.

 

It's a shame that Sony does not put keyboards that doesn't flex in all of thier SZ models. Anything with the price of the SZ, premium or non-premium, should have a "good" keyboard.

 

i think like timelockmind mentioned even another SZ160 a premium model had alot of flex....its is not that i think sony was being paticular about what models but just how they put the laptops together is obviously not that consistent which is a shame.

this is probably one of the reasons why some people love the keyboard and see no problem and others hate it so much

 

do you guys know if silver keyboard any better?

 

I have to agree, I just returned my SZ160 to FRY's and bought another one from the the actual SonyStyle store.

My new SZ keyboard has NO flex at all!!! The screen on the other hand has a little more light bleed than my other one.

No one would even notice, but the fact that I stared at that screen for 2 weeks, I can tell the difference.

Oh and the reason I switched is becuase SonyStyle offers a 5 year warranty for $189 only available in-store.

 

This really does seem to be the case.
My 160 is literally solid as a ROCK (keyboard).
-The screen hinge is so stiff that if I'm not careful, it will lift the whole front of the computer up a bit when I open it (stiff is good, if you ask me..so no complaints).
Light leak is very minor, and ONLY noticeable on a completely black screen (like when you first turn it on).

I noticed that the 160 I saw a few days ago at Fry's had a keyboard that flexed more than mine, but less than the non-premium SZ sitting next to it.


Strange, but I think you're absolutely right...
-And I got the best of the whole litter with mine! -Yippee! -But others should apparently beware...
-Mark