SZ for school?

How is this laptop for school (word, firefox, excel, photoshop)? I currently own a FZ190, but my dad wants it and I need a smaller laptop anyways.

I saw the SZ premium at bestbuy and LOVED it. It looks great...

HOWEVER,

How is the battery life? How is the heat of this? Noise?

I didn't care too much for the keyboard...seemed really flimsy.

Any suggestions? I really like everything I saw except the keyboard

 

The heat is manageable. As for the battery life, it is pretty decent. Expect 3 to 4 hours with average use. You'll probably get more battery life with a high-capacity battery, although they are more expensive.
If you're not in a rush, wait for Sony's new SZ models to come out late this summer.

 

using one, and enjoying it

cheers ...

 

I think its a good school computer, I also don't like the keyboard myself, but I've only tried it out a little bit in stores. You may get used to it in time. At first, I found my TZ's keyboard to be too small and my hands would occasionally cramp but after a week, everything is perfect.

Do you need one now? As said before, Sony should release new models sometime in July-August.

 

i can wait, but will those new models be at a really high price (>2,000 base price)???

I hope they change the keyboard.

Any pictures of the upcoming ones??

thanks

 

i own a premium vaio SZ (SZ780), and i think its perfect..hehe. very lightweight, quite small (not too), great screen, great performance. heat is nothing to talk about, never gets too uncomfortable, and im a guy who never uses a desk, its always on my lap, so i'd notice. i'd say 3-4 hours battery for a Windows laptop is more than decent, especially when u consider the SZ's weight puts it in the ultra-portable category. there are two modes on the SZ (speed and stamina), which basically turn the dedicated graphics card on and off. on speed, i get 3 hours with wireless on. on stamina, i get 5 hours. i consider that excellent. its brand new though.

if u can afford it, wait for the new models, if not...these are fine. its hard to keep up with technology. and go for the premium SZ's, the carbon fiber (lets face it) simply looks great..it also reduces weight

 

Does Sony offer any student discounts at all that can be applied and previewed before checkout?

 

i dont think sony does..if ur gonna buy from a dealer, maybe?!

 

I like the SZ series too. I hate the keyboard tough. It is very noisy when typing and it has a lot of flex.
In terms of discounts, the only discount that Sony is offering right now is on the TZ series.

 

Maybe is coming something?

I would not be surprised if Sony refresh the TZ before introducing new models. The SFF Montevina will come in September so it makes sense that we will see another refresh of the TZ (Intel GM950-128GB SSD) now and another in October with the Montevina ULV.

 

If you live by a Sony Outlet store, they probably have the SZ at a really good price right now.

I would wait for the new models to be announced before making a decision. At that time you could still source an SZ if you wanted to spend less.

The keyboard itself is rigid and does not flex when you type. It's the keys themselves that I think most people have a problem with.

Because of the deeper 3mm stroke and larger squared-off keys, the keys on the SZ are kinda like dinner plates balanced on pencils. The base the pencils sit on is solid, but the plates can easily teeter back and forth. That being said, the SZ's curved front metal and longer key stroke provide extended typing comfort. I type on a latitude D820 all day and my wrists hurt from the sharp front-edge of the latitude.

If you plan on typing a lot of assignments/reports using the laptop keyboard, do not ignore ergonomics. It makes a world of a difference when you're up all night typing a 20 page report, trust me

 

just something to defend the SZ keyboards that are getting hammered on this thread, lol: im coming from using a thinkpad, and those keyboards are legendary.. i definitely notice a difference, and the keyboard on the SZ is definitely inferior. but im doing FINE on it. i hardly typo, and i dont notice any discomfort in my fingers. so if all is well with u about the SZ, dont let the keyboard dissuade u

EDIT: being a college student myself, ive spent my share of nights on both the thinkpad and the SZ typing 20 page reports. i noticed a difference at the beginning, but now it feels normal

 

SZ is great for everything but games and Blu-ray. Battery life is much better than FZ. If you are satisfied with FZ battery life, you can't go wrong with SZ. SZ is noisier than FZ since the fan has to work harder to compensate for its smaller form factor but the noise is still tolerable. If the fan starts to make crackling noise, you can open the casing and clean it with compressed air can.