Sony FW and School

Is this laptop too big for school or do you think it might be just portable enough? I have lifted it as best I can at Best Buy and it seems lighter than my current notebook,but it is still on the heavier side. Anyone have any experience or should I go smaller?

 

it is doable....but its not perfect......the general consensus is that portability falls under 12-14 inch laptops........the sony fw is a 16.4 incher I believe...so obviously somewhat outside this portability margin.....also it weighs about 6.4 lbs.......

in the end it is really up to you.....this laptop is not small by any means but it could be manageable depending on yourself

 

im about to get one for school as well, and am in the same situation

i dont carry any other books around during the day, so really in the greater scheme of things 6.4lbs isnt much at all......but once you pick up an SR or SZ....its so tempting to go all the way and not have anything weighing you down....

 

Personally I think the portability issue has been blown out of proportion. In the grand scheme of things a couple extra pounds is an insignificant difference. Now don't get me wrong, I would love to have something like the macbook air (its just so thin!). But the only reason I would get one is if I also had a substantially powerful desktop to offset what I see as the limitation of a smaller screen size, (not to mention the much higher price). So while its certainly convenient to have a small and light laptop, a laptop like the FW would be far from a poor choice for school. I think you'd be more than happy with it, especially since you're already used to a heavier laptop.

 

In most of my lectures the amount of people that have laptops 15"+ boggles my mind. I am about to purchase a SZ for school and at 13.3" its the perfect size for class.

 

depending on what classes you're taking, an FW might be handy. For example, I'm taking a Communications Systems class that involves video editing, where the FW's large screen would be useful.

 

Mostly at school it will be used for note taking and internet surfing between classes. But,I do plan on using it alot at home as well. I guess I just like the fact that it is a versatile laptop

 

I think you'll be golden as long as you have a good backpack to carry it around it, like something from Wenger or Northface.

 

Simple answer: Up to you.

Keep in mind, you're the one using it and will have to consider:

1. You will need a larger backpack
2. You will have alot more weight on you in addition to school supplies/books
3. You may annoy other people with a huge/distracting/in the way screen
4. Other people may annoy you by being able to see everything you're doing from a couple rows back
5. Battery life will be shorter than a smaller notebook
6. Big footprint..can it fit on small college desks without tilting?
7. Why not just hook up a smaller laptop to an ext. monitor when you're at home and have the convenience of the small size in class?

 

I agree with Duke.

 

i think getting a laptop is all about showing your personality. if you feel that getting this FW will be the perfect laptop for your personality, get it. i bought a FW even after everybody told me that it wouldn't be a good purchase for school, and i am extremely happy with my purchase. if you don't mind carrying around a little bit heavier computer and being a little bit inconvenienced during class, id say go for it.

 

Go check it out in terms of size at your local Best Buy, etc. See it for yourself if you can before you decide. If it's between a 15.4" and the FW, it's an easy choice. However, if you can't picture carrying around that size, you'll need to choose a smaller puter (13.3, 14.1, etc).

For myself, the weight isn't an issue, the size to carry isn't an issue. It may take up more space, but I fully expect to see a lot of 17" MBP's at classes (grad school), and this should fit in nicely. I had to have the extra screen real-estate because multi-tasking is very important to me, but didn't want to strain my eyes on a 1920x1200 resolution. I had a 13.3" laptop for the past 11 years (my Gateway Solo is still ticking). It's way too small for me.

So while I originally ordered an XPS 1530 (delayed past my tipping point, so I canceled), I'm actually happier I went with the FW.

It's not always about portability, as a lot of college students spend a lot more time on campus then they do at home, and can't realistically plug their laptops into an external monitor as frequently as people lead them to believe. And a vast majority of your time using a laptop will not be in class, but in a library, etc. Something to think about.

 

I agree, big screens get distracting in a theater set-up especially when they are watching movies or playing games in class. It got so bad in one of my classes that the prof would not teach until all laptops were closed. I also don't like the idea of people looking at my stuff.

 

Hey guys,I appreciate all the advice. Those are all good points. I try to be a smart shopper,and I am not in a complete rush. I am gonna check it out some more as well as some other laptops.

 

The FW certainly looks awkward when compared to 15.4" wide screens. The laptop's footprint is big.

 

The FW is something like: 15.1 x 10.3 x 1.46
For comparison, the XPS 1530 (15.4"): 14.06 x 10.34 x 1.38
Further comparison, the XPS 1730: 16 x 11.9 x 2

That one inch width difference makes it 'awkward'? I'd say the difference between the FW and a 17" is vastly different than the difference between the FW and a 15.4". But that's just me.

 

I like Duke's Guide lines.

 

In my opinion ,it is too heavy...i dont want to buildup my muscle everyday for bring it to school