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    Sony S Series Questions answered

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by Mishal, Aug 3, 2004.

  1. Mishal

    Mishal Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey guys

    I've seen some S Series questions on this forum, and havent seen the answers yet. I emailed Sony Customer service about 5 days back, and (within 24 hrs) receieved the answers to my questions.
    Coincedently, they were the same questions ppl on the forum had.

    Ok, starting off - people had questions concerning the extended life battery on the S series - Well, according to Sony Customer Service, the extended life battery is the exact same size and dimensions as the normal battery, so there will be no protuding elements. It should fit perfectly in the bay.
    The following is a quote from Sony CS:

    "The S170 includes a standard battery (3S2P)) which offers an estimated battery
    life of up to 5 hours. The optional double capacity battery (3S3P can increase
    battery life up to 10 hours. Please note that the double capacity battery (3S3P)
    has the same dimension of the standard battery (3S2P). Hence the double capacity
    battery (3S3P) will be perfectly suited just like the standard battery."

    And they added this in a follow up email:
    "The S170 includes a standard battery (3S2P)) which offers an estimated battery
    life of up to 5 hours . The optional double capacity battery (3S3P can increase
    battery life up to10 hours. As the dimensions of the these batteries are the
    same the double capacity battery fits in to the normal battery bay."

    Now, people had questions as to sales tax. Sony Style had this response for me (and it sucks, as I live in NC!)

    "In compliance with government tax laws, Sony charges sales tax for orders
    shipped to all states except the following: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New
    Hampshire, Oregon, Nebraska, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming. We
    automatically compute and add sales tax to these orders."

    Comparing Dimensions of both the A and S Series:

    The approximate dimensions of the Sony VAIO S-series notebook is 12.3” x 1.16-1.39” x 8.85” (W x H x D).

    The approximate dimensions of the Sony VAIO A-series notebook is
    14.7” x 1.5”-1.7” x 10.9”(W x H x D)


    Hope this answers some questions - I am just about to purchase an S series - I was debating getting either an S or an A, but the battery life and features to size just sold the S Series to me.

    Take Care
    Hope this helps
    Mishal
     
    Mishal, Aug 3, 2004
    #1
  2. Gilthoniel

    Gilthoniel Notebook Enthusiast

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    On the size of the battery, my sales rep from Sony told me that the difference in the thickness dimension (notice they state a range, not a single figure), reflects how the thickness changes with the extended life battery. Yes, it fits in the existing bay, but it does protrude somewhat.

    At least that's what my Sony rep told me. He could be wrong...
     
    Gilthoniel, Aug 4, 2004
    #2
  3. magic168

    magic168 Notebook Geek

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    Yes, according to posts over at the S-Series forums (http://sony.thumbrocket.com), the extended battery protrudes. I think someone is going to post some pictures, but I haven't seen them yet.
     
    magic168, Aug 4, 2004
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  4. Skyshade

    Skyshade Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    The picture of S with an extended battery is on sonystyle's S page...[ ;)]

    See the small protrustion at the joint between LCD & keyboard? That's the extended battery.

    http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start;sid=xLFZ3UaV7UJZgQeFenJT1gmEkLc3TCzR5fU=?CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_SSeries&Dept=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers

    Go into eiterh S150 or S170's page, then click "More Images" beneath the main picture. Select Picture No. 2 in the small window. The pic will show you an S without the extended battery.

    http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=xLFZ3UaV7UJZgQeFenJT1gmEkLc3TCzR5fU=?ProductSKU=VGNS150&Dept=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers&CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_SSeries
     
    Skyshade, Aug 4, 2004
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  5. darrow

    darrow Notebook Geek

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    The rep may have meant 10 hours combined battery life, with the standard battery and extended battery together.

    SonyStyle claims "up to 7.5 hours" for the extended battery, but on one of the S Forums a user reported only getting around 6 hours (with unspecified settings). He also raised the issue as to whether it's really worth the extra cost, weight and size for the extended battery rather than a second standard battery, since he's only getting just over an hour more battery life.
     
    darrow, Aug 4, 2004
    #5
  6. real_mav

    real_mav Newbie

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    it also depends on how bright your screen is and what your power management settings are

    Sony S Series Forums
    http://sony.dirtysoap.net
    http://sonyforums.dirtysoap.net
     
    real_mav, Aug 8, 2004
    #6