SZ 170/180 release

A Sony customer service rep I sopke to claimed that there will be no
170/180. I find this hard to believe (I have read their specs on-line). He was very certain about this.

Does anyone know if they are in the pipeline and when they might be introduced? A while back I heard a relase time in April...

 

There will be a 170 & 180. But I don’t have info on the timeline. The 180 is supposed to have the Cingular WWAN service standard. Also I think a 2.16GHz chip with 120GB HD. The Sony reps know very little about their product line and future plans. Its shocking since its such a well respected electronics company. But the reps must get no training and are given absolutely no information.

My guess on the 170 will be Q3 of 2006 at the earliest. Its nearing the end of Q1 and the 160 can barely be considered released since Sony isn’t selling them and the supply is miniscule. So expect a long wait for the 170/180 until the 160 has time to take hold in the marketplace & tech writers have a chance to release reviews.

 

170 has the WWan (EDGE/GPRS) card builtin. Not sure what the 170 vs 180 was, but its on the sony sel site with the pdf of all the specs if you want to compare them.

I had ordered the SZ170P but it wasn't shipping till 4/15 according to the Sony internal ordering folks. Not sure if that is yet another BS date that they give both their own employees AS WELL as customers!

Note, I dont work for Sony, my gf does.

 

Those who buy the 170 or 180, please let us know how you like it. It is at the top of my list, if I cannot wait for the Merom processors

 

Something interesting i found China it seems is well and truly advertising there equivelant of the American models

Strange how some countires...AUS, HK get two configurations and thats it while america was bombarded as is CHina (not sure about europe)

now i cant read chinese so i dont have much of an idea of whats going on but it seems it will come out..atleast in china

http://www.sonystyle.com.cn/vaio/vaio_home_new.asp
(if any one can translate this it would be good)

the SZ18 is the SZ180 equivalent and translaets to AU$5000 :O insane

 

Considering we have pricing for the SZ180, I'd say it's real

http://www.notebookreview.com/price...randID=13&productFamilyID=715&productID=15181

 

According to the link, the SZ18CP/X is simply a limited edition with colorful carbon fiber casing, which like what you can see from the japanese edition SZ160. That's the only difference between it and other SZ P model.

500 units limited

Beside this, there is nothing worth to translate...

and, oh, 3 years extended warranty and a targus case are included in this, again, lame price: US$ 3750

And yes, I speak Chinese...

The funny part is, I tried to order it and they accepted this order. I don't know when they upgraded this SZ18 page, but I am obviously not one of the first 500 people that interested in this machine? lol

 

I just received an update on the release of the SZ180. The email from Sony Direct customer care says there is no solid release date, but the lastest update they received is late April or early May.

 

... and this is why I ordered my custom SZ90 from Japan with the specs I wanted. Same essential price as the US, better spec, no wait. I will have mine tomorrrow!

 

Mind sharing us the price with us? Any issues about the power if you live in the US? Why is the spec better?

 

Does the SZ90 come with the Cingular WWAN?

 

Er, no. Cingular cel phones don't work in Japan, so it is not an option. Not something I wanted anyway. I was talking spec-wise. Actually, what I got will be better than the US anyway spec-wise, since the T2600 isn't an option on the premiums. The SZ180 will only have the T2500 according to Sony US specs.

 

This would make my 4th Japanese laptop. The power supplies are always switching, so they work around the world, and the Japanese ends of plugs are like the US. No issues there.

See http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=44824 for details of what I got.

 

FenderP

Thanks for the info, but I think I will wait since I need the Cingular WWAN option. Good luck on your new notebook.