Remember to get the $300 tradein from Sony.

TigerDirect sells the VPCZ122GX/S for $1950. Currently, BCB is 13.2% for TD which is $257. GP4 has been extended until the end of the year. That model of Z12 is part of the promotion. So if you have an old laptop, you can get $300 for it.

$1950 - $275 - $300 = $1393 with free shipping and no tax to many states.

If you don't have an old laptop, you can get one on CL. I pick them up for between $50-$60.

This also works for the /B model if you prefer that.

Sony TradeUps

 

Think I can apply this to the z11 I got from the MS store 2months ago? I wonder how strict they are on original receipts.

 

For those of us kinda new to packaging together deals like this, can you give a little more detail? BCB = bing cashback, but how does it work? GP4 = ?

Is the laptop trade-in process done through tigerdirect.com also? Or it's separately done with Sony?

Appreciate the help!

 

Nope. There are only two Z11 models eligible and the Z112 isn't one of them.

 

BCB is Bing CashBack. Just go to Bing and type in tigerdirect. The first paid ad will be for BCB. It's nice in that at the TD website they'll even tell you how much BCB you'll get on the order page. The BCB comes either instantly or a few weeks later from Microsoft. Note that BCB shuts down after July 30th, you then have 1 year to cash out. Microsoft just puts the money directly into my paypal acct.

I put a GP4 link in my original post. That comes from Sony. Make sure you do the GP4 promotion. Sony has a regular trade in program that doesn't give you nearly as much. GP4 is for $300. I score cheap traders for $50-$60 on CL.

 

The Z12 CTO models dont seem to be eligible. I couldnt find them in the list of models in the trade ups. Have to cancel my CTO order and stick with the one from TD.

 

That still doesn't explain what GP4 is, which was what rossi64 asked. It just introduces yet another incomprehensible abbreviation: CL
Can the abbreviation lovers here please start writing the words out in full the first time they use them?

 

GP4 is the name of this promotion: "Go Pro 4". This is title on the page indicated by the link in the original post.

CL = http://www.craigslist.org

 

Looks like the old laptop being traded has to be 1.6ghz or above. Since you mentioned you pickup old laptops from CL for $50, I can't image it works and meets specs. Do they, for $50?

I have a junker Sony P3 PCG-Z505HS in my basement. It actually works, but I don't have a battery or charger. Will that fly? It'd be SO sweet to get $300 if it does!

PS I picked up my VPCZ122GX/B from Microcenter retail store last week for $1699, no BCB hassle. This would be super if I can get $300 for that Sony P3 I got.

 

Actually, for a Centrino processor like the one on my 5-yr old Dell Inspiron, Sony is saying only 2.2ghz and up. Mine's a 1.6.

 

Never heard of microcenter, but just checked their website. That IS a great price w/ no rebate crap. Everything go well with the purchase? Are they an authorized retailer (so no warranty issues)?

 

Microcenter is awesome. I loved them when they were unknown and no one went there. The are an honorable company. When they oversell something, instead of just canceling like everyone else. They will sub in something of greater value. They honor there commitments. It's like Fry's with class, no chips or candy though.

 

They show up all the time. Unfortunately they don't last long. You see it and you have to reply right away. Sometimes they are functionally complete, sometimes they aren't. If they aren't, the issue will be either missing the charger or the harddisk. Many owners remove the HD before they sell it. Chargers are easy, just go to any thrift store and they'll be a bunch of them for $3. Worse case, get a new one off of ebay for $8-$10. HD's are easy as well. You can get an old 20GB or 40GB for $5-$10.

You have to be patient and fast. Patient in waiting for one, fast when one does show up. When I look for a trader, it generally takes me a week or two to get one. Thrift stores are also good hunting grounds.

As for the condition, you don't need everything Sony lists. I've done of few of the GPs including GP4. I never ship manuals, CD, etc, etc. Some of the machines I've sent in have been cosmetic disasters but I make sure they have a COA, boot and at least last a minute on battery. I've never been denied.

The cheapest ones tend to be the P4s.

Here are some ebay one's that would have worked with a little work to illustrate the price. CL posts aren't archived. CL prices tend to be lower.

WORKING COMPAQ EVO N1000V PENTIUM 4 - 2.0GHZ - NR - eBay (item 260623408976 end time Jun-24-10 08:51:01 PDT)
GATEWAY 400SD4 LAPTOP NOTEBOOK COMPUTER - eBay (item 170505312643 end time Jun-28-10 12:56:15 PDT)
Dell latitude C640 laptop P4 2.0GHz 512MB RAM 18.6 HDD - eBay (item 180525101609 end time Jun-29-10 14:38:16 PDT)
Toshiba Satellite 1905-S301 P4 Laptop 2GHz 640MB Combo - eBay (item 150460071246 end time Jul-01-10 10:00:20 PDT)
DELL LATITUDE C640 LAPTOP PENTIUM 4 2.00GHz 256MB - eBay (item 220628943107 end time Jul-02-10 18:25:54 PDT)

If people don't feel capable of installing an HD and OS, then if you bump the price up $15-$20 you can get fully functional machines that match spec. Once again CL prices tend to be lower.

Compaq Persario 1500 14.1" Laptop 30GB/2Ghz/384MB/XPP - eBay (item 350369675134 end time Jun-30-10 18:38:16 PDT)
Dell Latitude C640 P4 2.0 ghz H.D. 40 gb 256 with WiFi - eBay (item 290449365302 end time Jun-30-10 17:35:49 PDT)

 

Travfar, excellent tips. I didn't think even semi-working P4 laptops can be had for so little, not that I ever looked Just did a quick browse on my local CL, no luck around here LOL. I'm sure I'll score one off Ebay.

 

Micro center is authorized Sony retailer.

 

One comment about the Sony GP programs. Be patient. You'll get an email saying they received it and then nothing for about 1.5 months. Then it'll go through inspection and check printing seemingly instantaneously and you'll get your check in the mail right before the 8 weeks is up. Also, there's some verbage about subtracting $20 to cover the shipment of your laptop to Sony. That has never happened to me. I've always gotten the full $300.

 

So it needs an OS too? Is Linux acceptable?

 

No. It has to be windows maching the COA on the machine.

 

Duh, forgot about that OEM license. Won't be a problem, lol.

 

I just finished loading XP Home (matching the COA sticker) on that trader I picked up today. I almost feel bad shipping that monster Inspiron 9100 for $50 LOL. I've got a million of those original Dell XP install discs, I'll throw one in for Sony!

So are you leaning towards the HP or Sony at this point? How far is your Microcenter from you? Go have a look at it. Once you feel the weight (or lack of) of this 3lbs chassis and 1600x900 on a 13.1" screen, you probably won't be able to resist

 

Check my post here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/494546-considering-sony-z-comments-suggestions-8.html

I did play with one today. Very light, very nice.

All depends on what discounts or coupons crop up, but it sounds like Sony has none. I'm thinking Envy mainly due to cost. I can configure an i5-520m, 1600x900 Radiance screen, 4GB, HD 5650, with 500GB HDD with 10% student discount and 6% sales tax for about $1200. If I go with their 256GB SSD it'll cost me about $1600, and about $1450 with 160GB SSD.

If HP Direct 25% BCB comes back though, or HP offers one of their $300+ coupons It'll be a no brainer HP. 128GB SSD just is a little too small for my needs, but 256GB puts it out of my price range really on both accounts. I'd like to spend less than $1500, preferably $1200 max.

 

This only works in United States, not in Canada. >_>

 

The Envy 14 is really a nice package at the base config for $999 with EPP, which is why I can't help but to constantly lurk the Envy 14 forum I wish the Z was offered with a much lower end CPU to bring down the price. I'm anti CPU upgrade, truly believe CPU upgrade is the worse bang for the buck overall unless you have a very specific need to have the most CPU power.

Hate to burst your bubble, but I highly doubt BCB will go back up unless they have a way to isolate the Envy 14 from being applied. You can bet HP marketing closely monitors all these internet forums. You can blame the increased price/lowered base CPU/lack of coupon or BCB on these forums. Remember, BCB 25% was active when the Envy 17 first went live.

Coupons will come, after the craze dies down. Probably for back to school sales at the earliest.

 

hmm, they mention in the P4G sony thing that you need proof of purchase. How strict are they of this? Do you need the original receipt then I presume?

 

You're not paying a premium for the CPU in the Z. What your paying the premium for is the minaturization. The Z is 3.0 lbs which is a whopping 2.3 lbs lighter than the 5.3lb Envy.

So I wouldnt expect to see Sony every competing on price with the Envy. Totally different targets. The Envy is basically competing with much larger and laptops in a totally different category - units like the Lenovo T510, W510, Dell E6xxx and MacBook Pro.

 

I usually send them a copy of my email confirmation.

 

I highly doubt these forums influenced HP. If it did then they'd be posting here periodically to address people's questions and concerns. Secondly, to eliminate an HP sitewide BCB because of the Envy 14 is not going to happen etiher. The Envy 14 is a small portion of their overall sales. Most students will want to order soon anyhow to get their machine before school starts, and assume four weeks to place order and get it puts it into august.

 

Yes I understand that. Sony, artificially or otherwise, will keep the price of the Z up there. They can't dilute that premium image by installing what is perceived to be a "cheap CPU".

 

Between the people calling in to "preorder" their Envy 14 and all these posts here, I really don't doubt it one bit it at least played a part in HP's decision to up the starting price to $1099 (never mind that they "threw in" the 900p screen as base) with an i3 as base CPU.

Marketing dept monitoring these forums to gauge interest on a product is not the same as monitoring people's complaints. I personally know an engineer from one of the largest consumer electronics company in the world. They monitor all the biggest internet forums. He used to participate in some of the forums officially for the company, but as you can imagine it soon got out of control with people's requests and complaints.

 

I don't know what marketing departments are doing one way or the other. But I find it highly unlikely that most computer buyers join (or even read) internet forums that talk about computers. If you think about the percentage of the market that members of this forum represent, it's likely extremely small. I don't think that the marketing decisions of firms the size of HP (or any manufacturer) are going to made based on what marketing lurkers are reading on internet forums. If they are, that is a very bad business practice imo. Forums are self-selective by nature, and don't represent a cross-section of the market. They'd be making decisions that have major financial consequences on incomplete data.

 

Having now an envy 14 (the new 14.5" model) sitting on my desk next to my Z, I can say there's really no comparison between the 2.

The envy feels GIANT and HEAVY compared to the Z...and when you put on the "slice" battery it's a damn tank. And if you think the Z's screen colors are blown out and oversaturated....just wait till you see the Envy.

 

My problem again, is cost. I'd love to have the Z, but I think the 128GB is just too small for my needs and the cheapest 256GB configured Z is over $2300. I'd spend the $1700 at MicroCenter, get the $300 rebate I'd be fine with even $200 back if I can find a machine for under $100 to trade in, and that would make it reasonable. Only caveat I have is lack of ability to upgrade my own SSD later. If Sony makes their 256GB drives affordable later, then ok, but I don't think they offer them now as a user installable item.

 

Don't rule out external and/or express card storage down the road.

 

Can you post pics?

Thanks

 

^ I will in about 2 weeks when it's officially released. Sorry.

 

That's why I keep an eye out for trashed Zs. I want to harvest the drives.

I wouldn't let the 128GB keep you back. Think about it, how much disk space do you need to be superfast? Just do the DVD swap out and stick a 500GB in it's place. You'll have 128GB of superfast disk for intensive stuff and 500GB of "slow" space for everything else.

 

Has that been done? How easy is it? Where do I get the adapter tray?

 

You can as a customer. Unless you've received the laptop directly from HP then you're bound by their rules. Envy 14 has already been released in Europe and USA.

 

^ Can't comment there. Have customer received units yet? All I see out there is preorder.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/469244-z11-replace-dvd-hdd-working-solution.html

Did you sell your N10?

 

Oh yeah. It's not pre-order it's in full order stage, many people have received their units, or will soon. Check out the Envy 14 Owner's Lounge. Granted it's already like 400+ pages in length, lol.

You mean my Asus N10J? Yeah a long time ago. I've gone through about four different netbooks since then trying to find that "perfect" one, never really found it. TBH the only thing the N10J was missing was a larger screen resolution, a 1366x768 would have made it a hot seller.

I may still get an HP Mini 311 if Bing Cashback goes to 25% again because it seems even now I wish I had an expendable PC on lots of occasions.

That's my other concern with the Sony, it's cost will make me treat it too gingerly, and won't want to ever take it anywhere, even though it's perfect size/weight to transport anywhere.

 

Can I Buy A New Sony Vaio Z On Ebay And Still Qualify For The $300 Trade-ups?

 

The trade-in web site very clearly states both that you have to buy from an authorized reseller and that items bought from auction sites are not eligible. So what do you think?

 

Well...... depends who you buy it from. Many retailers sell on ebay. Buy.com and B&H for example. When you buy from buy.com on ebay, it's just like buying from the store. Your receipt, packing list et al are all the same. At least it used to be. As long as the receipt looks kosher, how's Sony to know? So I would say maybe. It's a gamble regardless.

I wouldn't buy from ebay expecting it. If I happened to have bought on ebay, I would try. The process is two step. You send in your serial and receipt to get approved before sending in the trader.

 

was looking to do a buy it now from this eBay Seller called Datavis. He says he is an authorized Sony Seller.Sony VPC-Z122GX/B Vaio Notebook PC - eBay (item 200490930385 end time Aug-01-10 14:15:01 PDT)
Do you think I can get the $300 trade in?

 

That's something you need to decide for yourself.

 

Datavision is definitely authorized - they have a big store on $$$$ 5th Ave/39th street in NYC.

Why not buy it from Microcenter? 1699 right now. That's where I bought mine. If you're in NJ or NYC, buy it from the Paterson NJ store - 3.5% sales tax there!

I shipped my trader to Sony on Monday. Very easy and simple process. After I faxed in my proof of purchase, I received the shipping label two days later.

 

I just called Sony Tradeup customer service. They said they will not honor any Ebay transactions.

I then called Data Vision to see what kind of receipt they offer, to find a work around. The guy was a complete jerk! He continued to ignore what I was saying and even started to sound angry. I won't be purchasing from them...

 

What number did you guys call to verify eligibility? I have a Dell P4 1.8ghz but it appears they are saying it has to be 2.0ghz, ugh....... Just want to call and try to see if somehow it would qualify due to having 1600x1200 resolution to make up for the .2ghz (which is nothing)

 

I bought a new VPCZ124GX from CircuitCtiy? Are they an authorized seller? If so, for some reason I dont see that exact model on the site. I see the
Z122GX and the 125GX. I bought the Z124GX.

Am I out lof luck?