Sony S Series - International

So I was very, very disappointed to learn the S Series was not unveiled for the US Markets...but it was for the European markets. It's literally the perfect laptop to replace my current vaio.

What would be the easiest/cheapest way to get one where I live in the US? Would customization still be an option?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I've called UPS and DHL about having Sony UK send the device to their one of their london stores and having them send it to me from there, but it'd be about $250 shipping + whatever the duties are..

 

It should be rolled out shortly in the US. Now that it has been released in Europe, I would guess they will roll it out in the US over the next couple of weeks or so.

 

Have they done this often in the past? Why wouldn't they include it in their big CES preview? I am only skeptical because I have on pretty reliable information that it won't be extended to the US anytime soon. If anyone knows sony trending information I'd love to know.

 

The CES preview is not only for the US but is a venue for products that have impact, globally. Who knows why the S-series, that Sony has already announced in other markets, was not previewed during CES 2010, along with the other new models like the F-series and the Z-series.

Either way, I doubt it will be long (days/weeks) before the new S-series will be available on the US Sonystyle site.

 

That's very good news...I really hope you're right lol. Thanks a lot! (rep)

 

I personally was looking for the SR replacement but I think the S series probably won't be available in Sonysytle US. I think the exclusive Sony 13inch notebook for Best Buy is the new S series for Europe.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Midmarket/Best-Buy-Launches-Blue-Label-20-Notebook-Line-208244/

 

You're totally right--that's DEFINITELY it! Awesome find, owe ya heaps.

 

hey, glad to help. here is actually the video of the upcoming Vaio S from best buy, showing the intell wireless display. I think it's cool in concept but i am not sure if it's really that practical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gm4ADoMFus

 

It will be interesting to see what the specs are for the best buy PC and the price. I guess we will have to wait a week and see. This is actually good news, because I can go into BB and see if it is a Matte screen or not.

 

Yeah, I'm fairly certain it will be a matte screen but we'll see soon. Can't believe it's only a week away here are a few more conjectures:

• The Best Buy press releases are touting 500gb harddrives on their three Blue Label 2.0 machines--I think Sony has 5400 and 7200rpm models available under the UK Site's customization page, so I wonder which one it'll be for the Best Buy customization. I'm guessing that it'll be 5400rpm for better battery life, and the hdd is of course interchangeable at a later date if you so choose.
  
  
• Probably the biggest possible shortcoming that could exist in the Best Buy Blue Label 2.0 version of the Vaio S is if they nixed the NVIDIA 310m...that would be a bit tragic.
  
  
• ...It doesn't seem likely that they'll have the black casing available for the Vaio S @ best buy does it? that's probably what I'd prefer--otherwise it looks awfully a lot like a macbook pro lol.
  
  
• I'm not sure if this model will have backlit keys, at least it didn't from that Intel demo video...course they might just not have been on. It also wouldn't've been an expensive addition for Sony to have included so it's probably a 50/50 on that. Because these are sorta customized by Best Buy, and the Toshiba has it, I'd probably err that it does in conclusion lol.

 

The last SR model that Best Buy had was 5400 HD and no dedicated graphics. So I am going towards the same this time. I do think it will have the backlit keyboard as the article about the new machines seemed to talk a lot about that. I also think only one casing will be available because in the best Best Buy blue label machines only had ones casing option and since it was shown as silver, I would say it is going to be silver.

 

Please note that there is a world of difference in the models that are available via Bestbuy or any other retail channel, versus what is possible via the CTO option from Sonystyle.

Thus whether something is (or is not) available from BB is secondary to what is available via Sonystyle. I prefer the CTO option from Sonystyle, since the wide variety of choices it offers is simply not possible in the pre-built options available elsewhere.

I like maximizing the RAM, the CPU, the graphics related stuff and things like a bluray burner right at the outset, while I am okay with going with a downspecced option when it comes to something like the harddrive. A harddrive can easily be switched to a high capacity SSD downstream while things like the CPU simply cannot be done as readily.

 

Agreed, Bestbuy does their own thing, especially with these Blue Label PCs. I am just wondering if they are delaying the release of the S in the US, because of this Blue label model. They might have a deal with Best Buy that they won't do CTO orders for a certain time period to allow BB to get more sales on this blue label model.

But I do think that we can speculate based on the past BB models and this article talking about the blue label PCs.

 

Well in this PC Mag article it talks about the technology and mentions an exclusive deal for the Toshiba and Sony Blue Label models. And separately a 6-month exclusivity deal for the WiDi technology too.

So from that it seems that Best Buy has exclusive rights to these two models by Toshiba and Sony, and a 6-month exclusive right to the WiDi tech which will be sold solely within these two for the time stated.

Of course just because Best Buy is "exclusively" selling something for now doesn't mean Sony can't open it up and sell it themselves after a certain point either. It doesn't seem like it will be any time soon though. And the S Series' sales performance at Best Buy stores might be a dependent variable on this as well.

Also there are a few pics of the S Series in that article...the screen seems to have some reflections on it doesn't it?

 

A Best Buy worker just posted on another section of this website what she read off the box of the S Series they just got in which are the Blue Label 2.0 laptops: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=449411&page=2

It's not looking very good. The lowest i5 available and Intel HD graphics

 

I saw the S series in one of the SonyStyle stores in Australia today. It had a nice backlit keyboard. too bad the F series here does not have backlit keyboard i guess that's the pros for living in US.. you get the backlit keyboard in your F series.. i rather that then the S series imho

 

If you go to www.bestbuy.com and type in "Blue Label" in the search field, you will see the BB Sony Vaio S advertised.

 

I know BestBuy Canada is advertising the S series coming with i5 core and all that jazz.. it's coming in 3 days.

 

I've seen the S11 in the BB here in US at my local BestBuy, but I'm in the same boat. In the market for a new Vaio, and the only S11 I can find in the US is the one @ BB which doesn't quite fit the specs I want, and the casing is silver.

Fingers crossed for an S11 release on sonystyle.com soon!

 

My fingers are crossed too, I just want a base model i5 as long as it has a backlit keyboard and comes in black or titanium. Otherwise I'll have to get the silver from BB.

 

Are there any reviews of this series?

 

It's already in the stores. I pick one up over the weekend. So far it's a great machine.

 

Which screen is better?
The display from the S series or the SR series?

 

Really? Can we see it/use it? I'm quite curious.

Still considering this or a macbook pro once they refresh or a dell studio xps 13 once they refresh with i5... I might just go with the sony because I need a laptop fast.

I thought they were the same... I have no idea.