Sony Core Solo TX in U.S.

Sure wish it was core duo but with up to 11 hours battery life and having been actually tested at 9 hours and 2 minutes (if it is same as the TX3P on the second link I am giving) I would say it is a very good ultralight offering:

http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-TX850P/B

http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=3210

Hope ABAXTER or someone reviews this in the near future. I am temped to just buy one and review it myself.

 

11 hours of battery life is great, but in order ot get it the TX doesn't have the features of other notebooks.

 

I am sure many will feel the same way, but for ultralight fans this is very good news IMHO. With a double layer DVD burner, bluetooth, 2 USB, PC slot, extra wide screen, Firewire, wireless capability, frankly I can't see much else to want in an ultralight, except perhaps s-video out, but unfortunately Sony does not play that. However what we don't want in an ultralight is excess fan noise, heat, added weight, added thickness, to name a few. I do not see many other ultralights meeting the TX mobility standard. I chanced to see the Dell 1210 at a mall kiosk the other day. After checking out the thickness and overall size and style I could see it was not for me. Guess I am spoiled by my Sony T250, which I take literally everywhere. If I want to do the heavy graphics/video work I leave that to my 17" Powerbook, although I am sure my little T250 could do it in a pinch.

The only other ultralight that might interest me is the Duo Core Asus S6F which also has an 11 inch screen, but I don't know if they are even being sold yet. Wish I could find some info on that for sure...

 

Well, yeah. That's kind of the point, right? I mean, the TX is clearly aimed at people who need something incredibly small and portable while also getting a lot of battery life out of it. The people who buy it clearly put the premiums on those things. Frankly though, the amount of features it does have (including actually having a built-in DVD burner, rather than requiring an exteral drive) is pretty remarkable for the form factor.

For what it's worth, I do love the idea of the TX, but at least from trying it out in the store (the previous Pentium M-based version of it at least), I think the keyboard is just a bit too small for me to do any extended typing on it. I imagine I would eventually get used to it, but that's generally been my main problem with these notebooks (and previous Sonys like the C1 Picturebook). Again, I love them in theory, but in practice I think they're just too small for me to actually use.

I guess that is always the tradeoff with these things. You either have a really spacious keyboard and a large screen but a large form factor that is harder to carry around, or a small keyboard and small screen but a form factor that is incredibly easy to carry around.

Personally, I really liked my S360, and for my purposes at least, the S and SZ series seem like one of the best combinations of form and function.

 

Just out of curiosity, why do they only seem to sell this on their business site, while the SonyStyle.com site is still selling the old TX's with the Pentium M?

 

I think it may be because when the took out the Cingular modem and put in the TPM and Biometric Fingerprint scanner, it fit more into the B2B mold that they've been working on getting into with some of their notebooks.

 

Or they still haven't finished their quota of selling their soon to be depleted regular TX stock.

 

Interesting, according to Sony's website, WAN is not available in these Core Solo TXs.

Why didnt Sony offer Core Duo like Asus has with their S6F which is the same size as the TXs?

I did see one listing of a Asus S6f on Ebay.

 

They went with the Ultra Low Voltage Core Solo processor with it's 5.5W of power requirements vs. the ULV Core Duo which has 9W of power requirements to get the long 8+ hours of battery life that comes with the TX's.

 

Lenovo X60s beats the TX hands down.

 

The X60 is larger and heavier than the TX.

The X60 also requires a separate ultrabay for the DVD burner drive, whereas it is built into the TX (all the more impressive that the TX is smaller and lighter).

Why are you comparing them?

 

I think there's more room in the S6F case, possibly? The S6F is apparently 1.4 inches thick whereas the TX is 0.83-1.12 inches thick (I also noticed that it seems to be a fair bit heavier than the TX series). I have to guess that leaves more room to use the full Core Duo and not a Core Solo.

 

Interesting Review on CNET Asia, which gave the S6F a 9 out of 10 rating:

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,39256182p,00.htm

Wish it had firewire, though it will certainly make me think twice about pulling the trigger on the Sony Solo Core. No Double layer or instant start DVD like Sony, although it has twice the 3DMark of the Sony TX2 and a faster, larger HD.

 

It seems like "twice the 3dmark" is kind of an academic point really when you're talking about a 3dmark2006 score of 108. Clearly neither of these machines could even possibly be considered for most 3d games (Doom 3 at 6.1 fps?). I can't imagine using that as a deciding factor between the S6F and the TX.

I still wonder how comparable these are though, if the size is the primary factor. From the CNET review, the A6F is significantly thicker and heavier (I think they said 1.4" compared to 0.83-1.11" or so for the TX, and I think around 3.2-3.4 pounds compared to 2.76 pounds for the TX).

It seems like it comes down to whether you want a larger "ultraportable" with a larger HD and a faster processor, or a smaller ultraportable with lower specs but more battery life.

With a notebook like that, I kind of wonder what one would really need the faster processor or larger HD for.

-Zadillo

 

Well, it's possibly larger, but the lightest version weighs 2.7lbs with a Core Duo 1.66GHz and a standard 2.5" hd. It doesn't have a DVD burner, but IMO the DVD drive in the TX is a huge waste of space that could be used for better parts or more battery life. That's just personal opinion though...I'm sure some people appreciate the DVD drive. It's a shame, because I really like the screen on the TX.

 

buddy1065, refer to your comment:
The Asus S6F already has Bluetooth 2.0 as well as Core Duo and it is only 11.1 inch widescreen. I love Sony but if the Asus ever lands in the U.S. I may go for it instead.

Please see thread ASUS S6: http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9967

Please see review ASUS S6: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,39256182p,00.htm?

ASUS S6 is a very nice & stylish looking laptop. When I compare it side by side with Fujitsu P5010, the dimension and thickness of ASUS is about the same with P5010. I think it's because ASUS has a cooling fan for it's a Centrino Duo processor.

It's on sale for US 2,200 (in Jakarta, Indonesia) for leather version with spec asf:
- 512MB onboard RAM with one slot available. You could add another 1GB become 1.5GB
- 80GB HD and it's a 2.5" HDD
- Bluetooth, Wifi, Modem, Lan, 2xUSB v2.0 (EDR), DVDRW, VGA Out, Mic Jack & SPDIF audio output jack, Express Card Slot.
- It comes in a very nice packaging carton box (for what???)
- It comes with a VERY nice slip case bag
- CNET stated there is NO firewire, just to confirm it HAS one firewire port in the back side of the unit.
- I dont know the actual battery life usage, but according to the brochure, it claims up to 3 hours.

It LACKS:
- NO Fingerprint
- NO PCMCIA slot, instead it has one Express Card Slot.
- NO S-video

I compare the screen side by side with my Fujitsu P5010. Fujitsu has better looking - sharper & clearer on the fonts. IMHO, it's a very nice looking laptop, esp. considering the size and the Centrino Duo processor. I believe currently ASUS is the first company who release Duo in the small size laptop. Please correct me otherwise.

 

I would miss the internal DVD burner on my 10.6" screen Sony T250. It burns my backup files to DVD, lets me watch skip free DVD movies on the fly. It does play the older 3rd person games like ONI at 1076x768 really well, and the most recent "Tomb Raider Legends" with some flicker at 648x480, but it is playable. Microsoft's Midtown Madness runs very well using a USB steering wheel. Although I don't play games on it much at all, the kids are always begging to drive. (Using the ROM emulator engines games like Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Street Fighter and Streets Of Rage work effortlessly, but of course they are 2D games.) To hear about a laptop with more than twice the 3Dmark may indeed be signifigant for users like me. The T250 has only a 4200 RPM DVD, 64 MB shared RAM and an 855GME chipset at that, not the latest 950GMA. Why, my old Sager 750 Pentium 3 with only 8 MB dedicated RAM could play RESIDENT EVIL, another 3RD person game very well. Sure, these days such GPU's are blown away with todays versions and todays more demanding games, but I think some may be underestimating the shared memory family. If you are a gamer then yes, of course; stay away, but I am just saying I have first hand knowledge of playing certain 3D games these chips can and do run. So such laptops as the Apple Macbook, TX800, SF6, Acer Ferrari 1000 (external DVD), etc. are all being carefully considered before my next purchase, which will be very soon I hope.

 

Thanks so much for that info Denzo, looks like that may well be the laptop for me. Don't know why it's so slow in coming out though. I won't miss the PCMCIA slot; I use my Sprint A900 "Blade" both as a cell phone and as a laptop modem connecting by USB or Bluetooth. Works great on my Sony T250.

Uhhh...anyone know of any cheap two way tickets to Indonesia?

 

Just to confirm. I saw it myself. Asus S6 HAS one firewire port in the back of the unit.

the downside IMHO: (as I posted above)
- NO Fingerprint
- NO PCMCIA slot, instead it has one Express Card Slot.
- NO S-video
- And it's thicker than TX (almost as thick as my Fujitsu P5010)

 

Your welcome. As you may know, it comes with Leather & Non Leather version. All specs & dimension are all the same. The different is ONLY the leather on the cover lid.

Leather US 2,200 (comes in four different colors)
Non Leather US 1,900 (Dark Grey)

2 years International warranty.

 

One more question; isn't the ASUS S6F the laptop with the "No Bad Pixel" LCD guarantee? I believe so unless I am thinking of a different laptop. Anyway, as to the things it is missing; s-video, PC slot, finger print scanner, my T250 doesn't have them so I will not miss them. I use my 17" Powerbook for the heavy stuff. I need a take anywhere laptop like my T250; it is so much fun to have and get on the internet pretty much anywhere in the US. To tell you the truth I hardly ever use it for anything but pleasure and I have used it every day for over a year; I am not tired of it yet but would love an even quicker laptop in the same size package. The S6F seems pretty much perfect for my use, considering the step up to dual core, 2.5" HD and Bluetooth 2.0 it looks like something I could love for a very long time.

 

I agree with you. The bottom line is finding what you NEED not what you WANT. Currently I'm using Fujitsu P5010 (11.1" screen) and recently bought Portege M500 (12.1" Duo Core). Both computers work great, but in my case I found Fujitsu is relatively heavy, and Portege is relatively big to be carry around. They are just not too convinience for me to be carried around.

My need is an ultraportable laptop - something incredibly small, thin, light, portable with DVD burner built-in and most important thing is a great battery life. I need DVD for personal entertainment and a presentation in the small coffee shop table, work in the economy class flight small table. And TX serves my needs. (not to mention a great feature to watch DVD/ picture WITHOUT booting Windows)

Again, what you NEED is one of the most important criteria that we all have to have BEFORE purchasing any laptops.

 

Yes! ASUS S6F the laptop with the "No Bad Pixel" LCD guarantee. also the Bluetooth is NOT only a 2.0 version but also an EDR (Enhance Data Rate) version. I believe and EDR Bluetooth is twice faster than regular Bluetooth.

If you're sure you will NOT miss those features, IMHO, yes you will love this laptop.

 

Oops. Anyone could advise me on how to attach the picture?

 

Got it! here is ASUS S6

 

PLEASE do let me know your user opinion when you buy ASUS S6. Thx

 

Apologize if I have discuss more on ASUS than TX. I like ASUS S6, but I'm ordering TX 850.

 

FYI: If you notice in the brochure, there is an optical mouse. It's included in the box.

 

Thanks again Denzo. The features of the new TX are impressive, at least to people like you and me. Size and portability and features matter very much to us. Keep me posted if you buy one and how you like it.

 

I will let you know as soon as my TX arrives. Most likely at end of this month after my overseas trip.

 

It's worth keeping in mind that they are not still using that chipset, if you're comparing it to the Asus. The Sony TX850P (the one linked to at the start of this thread) uses the Intel 945GMS chipset and the Intel GMA950 graphics:

http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-TX850P/B

 

OK, I went down to the SonyStyle store to give the TX a more thorough test. I have to say, after actually sitting down and really spending some serious time with the keyboard (typing a number of full paragraphs), I am actually really impressed with just how easy it is to type on. Previous times when I've just played around with it, I found the keyboard to be just too small, but once I acclimated myself to it this time, I found that I was able to type almost as fast as with a regular keyboard. Actually, I think I even had an easier time typing on the TX than I did the SZ.

I am now seriously considering the TX for my next laptop. My primary use of a laptop like this is writing, and I have to say that the battery life of the TX combined with the extreme portability is really tempting me. My only knock on it before was that I couldn't type extensively on it, but now I am pretty convinced that I could actually type without any problems.

 

Lenovo X60s

-2.7 lbs with standard battery and optional travel bezel (external optical drive)
-Up to 11 hours of battery life with large capacity and extended life batteries
(does increase weight by more than a lb.)
-IBM makes the best keyboards for typing, there is no arguing this
-Respectable L2400 Core Duo Processor
-100 GB 7200 RM HD
-Lack of optical drive is advantageous in most situations.

I'd say it's fair to compare the two. It just depends on your priorities.
TX is fashionably built, has a top-of-the-line screen,
and is lighter by more than a pound.
However, it sacrifices processing power, a fast HD, and a good keyboard, none of which can be remedied (any keyboard suffices for the layman. It's about initial impression and comfort in the long run).

 

I'm not sure I understand how "lack of optical drive is advantageous in most situations", unless it gives you a noticeably thinner or lighter notebook. If the TX is just as thin, and lighter (btw, the NoteBook review I saw said the X60s was 3.5 pounds with battery, not 2.7 pounds).

Also, the review seemed to indicate that the X60 was 3.4 pounds by itself, and he wasn't weighing it with the Ultrabase. It sounds to me like the weight would go up quite a bit with the ultrabsse added on (I didn't see what the weight of the ultrabase was though).

But that isn't the case here. So essentially, I don't see how it is advantageous to not have the optical drive at all in the unit itself. I mean, whatever "benefit" you get from not having an internal optical drive would seem to be the same thing you'd get from just not putting a CD or DVD in the optical drive of the X60s.

But with the X60s, you basically have to attach the ultrabase (which you also have to pay an extra $160-200 for), and if you anticipate needing it at all it means you have to carry it around with you while you travel.

So really, how is that lack of an optical drive an advantage in most situations? Seriously, I mean, in what situation is that an advantage over a TX owner who doesn't have to carry around and attack an ultrabase just to use CD's or DVD's?

Also, it sounds like you only get that battery life by adding an extra pound of weight, which also seems to be a disadvantage. Also, the NBR review said 5 hours and 59 minutes of battery life with the 8-cell extended battery, not 11 hours.

Perhaps the 11 hours is with the slower processor (which it says is used for more battery life)?

Anyway, seriously, after reading about the X60, it does sound like a nice laptop, but I don't see how it would be compared to the TX. Also, I am sure that the X60 does have a good keyboard, but after spending a lot of time with it, I feel that the TX keyboard is actually quite solid too.

I think that I would have to choose the TX over the X60 though, if I were deciding between the two laptops. The "sacrifice" in processing power strikes me as an acceptable sacrifice for the significantly better battery life. The lack of a 7200rpm HD also doesn't seem all that relevant to me given the kinds of stuff this type of laptop would be used for. I mean, I really don't see what kind of stuff you would do with this laptop that a 7200rpm would really batter.

 

I tried the TX keyboard at a Sony Store a while ago....

didn't like it. The key travel is too shallow and there's not much room in the palm rest. I like the weight though... really nice.

 

I agree totally with zadillo! IMO, I think the bottom line it's what you NEED and NOT what you WANT.

 

The ultralight screen version of the X60s (with LED screen) starts at 2.7 lbs. Tack on another .3 lbs for the standard screen and 0.5 lbs for the extended battery and 3.5 lbs sounds about right.

The X60 is slightly heavier than the X60s because it incorporates a standard Core Duo processor. The weight would definitely go up with an Ultrabase added on but, personally, I would never carry around the Ultrabase.

Well, it's not really the same. The drive mechanics and space taken by the drive are getting traded against far more crucial components to me like processor, drive space and battery life.

True, but I don't anticipate using the drive when I travel and wouldn't carry it with me. I'd tack on the extra slice battery instead.

Well, I'll describe my situation. I'm an engineer/team lead who does a lot of development and virtual machine testing. That means I want as much processor power as I can get, as much hard drive space as I can get, and as much RAM as I can get. I still want to be able to take a notebook to meetings, work from home, and take trips without worrying about maintaining two computing environments.

Any time I want to use a CD-ROM or DVD, I will either use it at my desk while docked or rip the image and keep it on the drive. It's very easy for me to work around the lack of optical drive, but it's impossible for me to work around the tradeoffs in CPU and RAM and HD.

Again, this really boils down to personal situations and preferences, but hopefully I've explained why dropping the optical drive is best for my particular work environment. I think some folks assume that such a small machine is basically just used for simple productivity tasks on the go. I use a notebook as a way to maintain the same powerful computing environment at home and at work...so trading off those parts doesn't really work for me. I can easily go for months without needing to use the optical drive on the go...and there are plenty of workarounds if I need to. Meanwhile, I use the CPU/RAM/HD every day, both docked and undocked. It's kind of a no-brainer for me.

 

I checked out the Asus screens U.K. and U.S.

While it indicates the laptop is comming to the U.K. there is no such advertisement on the U.S. site.

Looks like I may get the TX850 after all.

 

I ordered the Tx850 and the UX180 from PC Connection last night at 9pm (PST) and they arrive today, they have insanely fast shipping and it only cost $23 for it. I will post reviews on both units once I use them this afternoon with pictures. Pcconnection.com has the Tx850 for $2299 and the UX180 for $1799, not a big deal since those are the retail prices, but they don’t charge tax and they are an authorized Sony dealer, so I bought the extended warranties with the accidental damage. Someone let me know if they have tried using the accidental coverage, do they replace it with a new unit?

 

I just returned my UX180 because of some freezing problems and a dead pixel. After using the UX180 for 2 weeks I was 50/50 on returning it (if no issues/dead pixel). I like the device, but the battery life is too short and it is not pocketable. I might be getting a TX850 instead. I am still 50/50 whether to get a replacement too...

 

So would you say that the UX180 is not a good device, or do you not like it because of the defective one you received?

 

Fixed for posterity.

 

Hope to see your review soon AMGMAN06. It may help me decide between the Macbook and the TX850. Hope you will download the Tombraider Legends demo also; I don't play games much but would be interested to see how the TX850 integrated graphics does against my present Sony T250, which also plays the game at 640x480, lots of flicker but playable. Hope you try the demo by following the link at:

www.tombraider.com

Sony directs me to a CDW sales link which jacks up the retail price to $2350 for the TX850. I see Proportable charges the list price of $2299 no tax. I may go with Proportable. But I will wait until the Apple WWDC ends Friday just to make sure they don't announce (Oh...One More Thing...) a dedicated GPU in the Macbook (FAT CHANCE). Too bad they would not/could not design such a Macbook from the beginning. Since I already have a Powerbook it comes down to the thin and light longer battery life Sony Tx850 and the heavier Macbook...yet Bluetooth 2.0 is very important to me. So we'll see.

 

CORRECTION:
I think the bottom line it's what you NEED and NOT what you WANT.

 

The UX180p is good. I really like it other than the short battery life. One day after I made that post I ordered the UX90p/s (with the flash drive). No TX for me.

 

Let me know what you think of the UX90 when you get it, I still have not opened the ux180 and am thinking about returning it in favor of the ux90. Were did you get the ux90 from and how much was it? thanks...

 

When did Proportable sell sony?? I only see Asus...

 

Wow...

A lot of stuff here is being said about the TX being a lousy machine.

Actually, all I can see from several of the postings is that the TX isn't suitable for you.

Several are clammering about its lack of muscle, 3D capabilities or (this one's funny) that Sony did a mistake by having the DVD ROM built in.

On the bright side...most of the posters know what they really need, so the thread became sort of pointless.

 

Today (Aug 14) I have NOT bought VAIO TX yet. I was a bit confused with the model, but I just found out today asf: (thanks to few friends in this forum & LeoG.net forum)

- TX 92 - is this for JAPAN Market
- TX 37 - is for ASIA & Australia Market
- TX 770/TX 850 - is for US Market
- TX 3 - is for UK/Europe Market

(Above model are basically the same, except some models have highger speed processor & WAN options)

But I got to play with the demo unit. I found it's very NICE built, NICE keyboard feel, NICE touch pad feel, NICE & bright sreen, NICE AV mode (instant start for DVD/Music/Photo). Compare to my Fujitsu P5010, TX speaker is bit louder, but it's NOT as loud as my Toshiba Portege M500.

I'm waiting for the ready unit to come in. I'll let you know the rest when I have it.

 

I have an S and a T and if anyone is considering a T then i would highly recommend it. I am a 110% happy with my T (not the core solo but last years model TX7xx. After using the T for a few months i realize that it is probably a wise decision for Sony to use a core solo vs a core dual. Why? When i go out the S gets left at home 99.9% of the time, reason is that the battery and weight of the T becomes so indispensible. If you want a faster notebook get a portable laptop, if you are buying an ultraportable the two things that matter are size and battery life...performance is not a factor provided that the work one needs to do is not hindered by performance. All i do is surf the web, basic programs like Word, and watch movies, the T handles these tasks with ease. When i was shopping for this notebook 6mos ago the only other one that could compare at the time was a Fujitsu, but in the end i elected to go with the Sony because it was lighter.

I think the most important thing when shopping for a notebook is to be honest with oneself. Sure it would be nice if i had this feature or that feature in case i needed it but unfortunately technology is not at the point where we can have our cake and eat it as well. If you truly need to do more than surfing and word processing than you should consider the S if not then why carry the extra weight 100% of the time when you will only need the extra performance some of the time.

Just my $0.02 from a happy TX owner. To me personally, i regret not doing it sooner...not having to look at a battery indicator in my taskbar EVER is reason enough in itself.

Don't buy a Ferrari and complain about the lack of space or a magic wagon and complain about the speed. It's a case of function leading to form...you either get it or you're sitting in the dark