Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

It's the Kensington Lock.

 

cheers for that...

Bah - how boring, I was hoping it was a cheeky stub for lightpeak

 

These will be available in the SA.

According to the specs there is an express card slot, but on the photos there is none. Maybe in the SA...

This would be really nice to have. (But I got used to the FN+arrows navigation on my laptop.)

 

For all who thought that the 13 MBP would be an alternative, think again
Apple refreshes MacBook Pro family with Sandy Bridge processors, AMD graphics, Thunderbolt I/O tech, and FaceTime HD cameras -- Engadget
Especially the display resolution with still 1280X800 is something between pittyful and making me laugh

 

Not that I'm an Apple fan, not at all... but how is 1280x800 much different than 1366x768 .... !? Just a different form-factor. What is so "pitiful" about it?

 

^I think the same users that see 1280x800 as pitiful also see 1366x768 as pitiful. Remember SA offers 1600x900 and Z up to 1920x1080.

 

I see.
Well that's a matter of personal preference. I wouldn't see higher resolution as a general advantage. Many people in this forum actually downgraded to 1366x768 as they find it much more convenient for daily work. No matter what density the pixels have - the screen remains 13" and not more.

For the few weeks I had a Z on the side, I also found it tiring for the eyes to work on such a high resolution.

"More" does not always equal "better". I noticed SB still features 1366x768.

But as I said - it depends on usage pattern and preference. For some tasks higher resolution can certainly help.

 

Beaups, welcome back! Any more info that you can share about the SA? Can you tell us (or at least give us a hint) what is the problem with its release? Maybe it got solved and it will get released sooner...

 

Kensington lock.

 

blinder, there will be no expresscard in SA as well as the chassis is one and the same in both series. Moreover I hardly found the vent - it is ... on the rear side under the central hinge.

For folks like us, who need more I/O ports, there is a joke: I know where the slot is! It is down on the bottom! . The only hope is that there will be national modifications or customizations with more options, like FireWire, Fingerprint, 3G or expresscard.

 

I don't know, I don't use my expresscard slot at all, and I would but I had it when stuff sticks out of my laptop.

 

Doesn't have to stick out. Many express-cards are just as deep as the slot itself. But I rarely use mine as well. Only when I need more USB ports.

 

The 13'' MBA has 1440x900. I know a lot of people who expacted that resolution for the new MBP, at least as an option.
In my oppinion 1376x768 is enough for my TZ12 but since I have to switch to a 13'' Sony, I want at least 1600x900, better FullHD.

 

Firewire and ExpressCard no (that would require rather too much of a redesign!), but fingerprint reader, with TPM chip, and 3G will be options.

I have to ask, what do all of you use your ExpressCard slot for? The only thing I ever used in mine on the old computer was for eSATA, and it's a bit lame that the SB doesn't have an eSATA port, but you can get a USB3-eSATA cable so it's no big loss for me - and when I get round to upgrading my external hard drives I'll just go USB3 next. I have also heard rumours of a USB3-Firewire adaptor but not seen one, and a quick Google reveals nothing.

 

ssssssssss, to answer: for three basic things - as a SSD drive, HSPA modem and Sony's i.Link card port.

 

Expresscard SSD has been ace for me, I installed Visual Studio on it instead of the spindle drive, it's twice as fast and then some.

I wouldn't miss it if my main drive was an SSD I guess, but as an alternative it's been really handy.

 

Does this mean the SA will have a fairly sturdy CFRP lid which doesn't break easily? I am desperately waiting for a Sandy Bridge equipped Z successor or the SA since the CRFP bezel on my TZ12 broke and some friends of mine had the same problem with various TZ, TT and Z models. We all fixed the problem with duct tape but every time when I open the lid I hear a disturbing creaking sound so I would like to replace my TZ sooner than later.

 

june, bah thats just to long to wait, and its a shame as the SA looks like it might be the best 13" option, after the macbook pro update failed to impress.

Or maybe Dell might follow on from the xps1330 and stick a quad core i7 in a 13" model?

 

Is the Sony Vaio SA going to be released anytime soon or is it going to be June like the Z?

Is the battery life going to be realistically better than 7 Hours?

 

Check it out:

There's already some references to the SA floating around SonyStyle...

Sony TradeUps

The models we find listed within the combo selection box on these pages include:

VPCSA11GX/XI
VPCSA13GX/XI
VPCSA15GX/XI
VPCSA17GX/XI
VPCSA18GX/XI
VPCSA1DGX/XI
VPCSA1EGX/XI
VPCSA1FGX/XI

Google fodder?

 

16:10 is just wrong when watching HDTV. You can't full-screen without getting black bars or a stretched image. 1600x900 is much better, as it at least matches broadcast TV aspect ratio.

I'd be even happier if it was 1665x900, as most movies are shot in 1.85:1, and I'm sick of how about half of all movies are simply stretched and squeezed to fit.

 

But some people say the extra vertical space comes in handy when doing actual work. But I guess it's not really extra since the 16:9 is more pixels

 

That's actually the 15" one... (as it's had it since last year) but the 13" is still at 1280x800... it's sad to see how many CS majors use MBPs here... then again, the EECS majors are the ones that care about the hardware i guess . Here's a link to the specs:

Apple - MacBook Pro - Technical specifications of the 13-inch model.

Hopefully with the pull of the Z from the SonyStyle site today this means they'll put up SA info on the site soon (even though we cant order)

It depends... if you implement 16:10 like on the 15" MBP (as 1440x900, note the 17" MBP has a 1920x1200 res screen, so Apple isn't all that bad) then yes, i'd prefer my 1600x900, but if you implement it like how most people would think (ie. 1600x1000) then i'd want it. I'd want a 16:10 screen ratio... makes surfing the web nicer or anything nicer for that matter... anything but watch movies I guess... (too bad i don't got time for that, and Amazon Prime movies don't apply to Student Amazon Prime members )

 

The 12'' MacBook Air has, as I said a 1440x900 resolution... Apple - MacBook Air - Technical specifications of the 13-inch.

 

It's very awkward if you are dealing with images.

 

16:9 is rubbish for absolutely everything except watching films - which is not a primary use of my laptop, I don't know about everyone else. I'd much rather 16:10 (I've given up on hoping for 4:3), and see a letterboxed image when I do watch a film. Never really minded that, it's infinitely preferable to stretching/cropping the film to fit.

@ Sadiki - the fact that 1366x768 actually has very slightly more pixels than 1280x800 is slightly misleading, since vertical pixels are very important for working on documents, reading websites - basically pretty much anything apart from watching films! 1280x800 is still pretty weak though, and so is anything 900 high for that matter - I think 1000+ vertical pixels is sensible really.

@ beaups, since you seem to have a bit more inside info: do you know whether both DIMMs are user-accessible/replaceable in the SB, same as the older S, or is it just one?

 

Are the dimensions for the new SA/SB simlar to the 'Z'?

I've got a few size specific cases (e.g. Waterfield, Mach 3 carbon fibre) and as they're not cheap, would like to know if the new laptops will fit them.

 

SA/SB has a slightly larger footprint. Remember, the machine also has a larger screen, 13.3.

 

About the same thickness, but the SB is a slightly bigger footprint in both dimensions (not surprising considering the screen is 13.3 vs 13.1, and also has a bigger bezel). According to the Sony UK website:

SB (fairly sure the SA will be identical, as it is on the same chassis):
Depth Main Unit (mm)
224.5
Height Main Unit (mm)
23.9
Width Main Unit (mm)
331

Z:
Depth Main Unit (mm)
210
Height Main Unit (mm)
23.8
Width Main Unit (mm)
314

Edit: anyone know if the SB will come with a case? Unlikely I suspect given the price point, but my SZ did a few years ago. Hopefully that case will fit the SB, even though it is slightly different dimensions (16:9 against 16:10)

 

0% chance on a case I reckon...

 

I'm not even sure if all the SZs came with one, or whether it was just because mine was the absolute top end full-carbon-fibre limited edition job.

Did your Z come with one? That's probably more equivalent to the SZ than the SB is.

 

Case? I don't think any Vaio model comes with a case nowadays unless you pay for one extra

 

It is nearly four years since I bought my last one!

Slightly disappointing if they don't even offer one with the Z, it was a good addition to a premium product at fairly marginal cost to Sony. Mine also has a matching neoprene pouch for the charger. Things like this are a nice touch when I'm spending more on a computer than I ever have on a car.

 

No, my Z never came with a case. I forked out £100 for the official Z leather case though (way over priced, but it's the best case for the Z).

 

Premium product? Pray for premium quality which you don't get with the Z, instead of for a bag... I don't care as long as the main product does its job and I don't have to tighten hinges every couple of weeks! Let sony keep the bags and invest the money in better quality assurance!

 

The cynical side of me did wonder whether part of the motivation behind the 13.1" (as opposed to the fairly standard 13.3") form factor was to cash in on the luxury case market...

I tend to just use the neoprene sleeve to prevent scratches and then whack the computer in my bag, which has a laptop compartment, which is why I'm hoping this one will fit. No huge hassle or expense if I have to buy another, but it does look quite slick with the VAIO branding.

 

Your post doesn't make much sense to me, but I have no plans to buy a Z.

The premium product including the case to which I was referring is my SZ, now several years old. It's one of the best designed & engineered products I've ever owned, let alone laptops.

 

Are you suggesting the Z has some serious quality issues? I owned the older Z series before buying the new one, neither suffer from any quality issues and feel very much a premium notebook (the newer VPC-Z is much more sturdier and rigid than the VGP-Z).

 

Gracy, I think you're going a little too far now. You've mentioned the hinges in every other post.

 

Hey, at least it's a change from whoever it is that keeps posting about her Vaio trying to electrocute her!

 

So, as far I can tell, it must be like this:

VAIO SB = replaces VAIO S
VAIO SA = replaces VAIO Z, until a new VAIO Z is released later this year.

Am I right?

 

Am I lying or overreacting? Based on the numbers of threads about that problem started by owners I am not.

I'm just saying that I hope Sony learns from that. Sh*t happens but hopefully only once! That's all I'm saying. Don't get me wrong.

Yes, looks like it. Although it seems SA will not be released soon either, maybe even at the same time with a new Z.

 

That was the plan. But as Beaups told us, the SA is delayed and will be released at/around the sime time, when the new Z comes out.

 

Really? Can you post the link to that post?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/557488-sony-vaio-z-discontinued-2.html#post7192946

 

Thanks Gracy, you have almost the same old VAIO S as myself, will you upgrade to VAIO SB or wait for VAIO SA or Z?

 

No, definitely not upgrading to SA or SB. I don't like the flat, edgy, Toshiba-like design.

One of the main reasons I bought Vaio on first place was the nice, innovative design with the cylindrical hinges and Power button on the side, oval forms, etc. - now all of this is gone with the SA/SB, although I must admit the black version of SB looks 10 times better than the pre-mature prototype in the beginning of January!

There is nothing symbolic, no fancy touch in the new design - a flat ironing board. But this is a matter of personal taste! So no bad feelings please I respect all of you who do like it So respect the taste and opinion of those who don't too

I also don't like all the ports being on one side and the heat being dissipated from the back and so low - find both unpractical.

And besides the design - no reason to be upgrading yet. Just for a Sandy Bridge? Not such a big jump forwards IMO. Still love my S

But I am curious about the build quality of those new models and of course curious about the design of that new Z that will come sooner or later... hope they implement more imagination there!

I really feel cheesed off that the legendary, unique Vaio design is now gone and all what's left is a pure Toshiba (with strong Apple influence)...

I own a few other Sony products (MP3 player, DVD player, etc.) and I am really getting the feeling that Sony is more and more trying to copy others, instead of create their own!! Pity!

 

You really need to read some reviews - it's the biggest step up in performance between successive series of laptop processors, ever.

Re. the design, I think it's really nice. I'm a big fan of form following function, I can't stand design features added for no reason. The cylindrical hinge looked nice but was crappy from an ergonomic point of view.

 

In fact I did (read reviews) - still not convinced at all. Most conclude that those already having a corresponding Arrandale CPU should consider awaiting next generation CPUs. Of course if you plan on jumping from Arrandale i3 to Sandy Bridge i7 there is a very significant difference. But in the same class.... no, at least not according to the 5 or 6 reviews and benchmarks I read.
Besides that it is still the storage media bottlenecking modern PCs - until reliable SSDs at reasonable price hit the market - no CPU will make daily tasks any faster. My browser, Office, Photoshop only use less than 50% CPU - how will Sandy Bridge make them fly? Together with a 5400RPM HDD and 4GB RAM as SB is offered? No way... This is just sand thrown in the eyes.

 

Sorry not correct. Sandy Bridge processors are dramtically improved especially in regards of battery optimization. We are talking about 30% more battery life compared first gen processors. Thats why new SB is coming with a50whr battery instead of 55whr of the current S but still It will have better life. Sony claims 5.5 hours max for current S and 7 hours max for new SB.