Sony VAIO FW notebook

If everything works well, I will get the new Sony VAIO FW series notebook in my hands in the following week.

It is based on the new centrino 2 platform, P8400 2.26GHz, 3Gb RAM, ATI Radeon 3470 graphics, 250GB HDD.. and the most notable feature:

It has a 16.4" screen with 1600*900 resolution. Really widescreen.

I'm not yet allowed to post in the "Notebook news and reviews" section, So I might just post the pics and reports right here.

 

Congrats man let me know how you like it......the FW looks really nice

 

Congrats!!! How's the battery life and the keyboard?

 

Well .. i haven't got it in my hands yet ..

it is available in 2 shades, grey and white. The grey one has black keys. The keys are like the macbook, and like the iMac also.

I expect a good battery life, and a stunning display..

It has dolby surround speakers.. will report right when I get it in my hands..

stay tuned ..

 

The notebook just arrived .. it is very surprising package..

in the box, there's only the battery, power adapter and a manual.. no driver cd or recovery cd and moreover.. the machine has no recovery partition either ..

this is taking cost-cutting a bit too far ..

 

Wow, no recovery CD? Well, it sounds like Sony wants you to buy their recovery CD for the expensive amount it is then. That's very unfortunate to hear.

Well, let us know how it is turning it on and checking out the performance, I suppose (If you decide to do that).

 

Are you sure about the recovery partition? That would be surprising...

 

Yes, I'll do some performance testing - wPrime, pcmark, 3dmark and boot times.

It arrived at my brother's place. I will check it myself and post the results. Recovery partition is a necessity if there's no CD ..

I'm preparing to make a full user review with pics and benchmarks.. stay tuned ..

 

it has to have it, how else can you return it to the factory state. something is a miss.

 

Pics in newegg showed only the battery and the power adapter and the manual.

 

Congrats. Lots of us here are interested in the FW, so please let us know your thoughts...

 

Im glad you got your new FW. Congrats. Sony doesn't send their own recovery dvd, they install VAIO recovery center in your PC. Your expected to make your own recovery dvd/cd from the program. Its very easy, all you have to do is supply the discs when you start the program.

 

Sony does not sell recovery dvds. They expect you to run Vaio Recovery Center and burn recovery discs from the option.

 

Could you please test the camera function of your MotionEye webcam and check if it's really 1.3 MP? Sony and other companies usually advertise their webcams as being 1.3 MP but they're only capable of creating 0.3 MP/VGA (640x480) or lower quality pictures. Are you able to create a snapshot that's actually 1.3 MP with any of the bundled software?

Edit:

Nevermind, I tested the Arcsoft Webcam Companion utility that is bundled in the new models on my SZ, and although it's capable of creating a 1.3 MP snapshot, there's an asterisk next to that resolution when selecting it in the settings. There's no explanation as to why that asterisk is there but I'm assuming it's because the software is using interpolation to create that particular size.

Whose idea was it to advertise a true VGA CCD as 1.3 MP anyway, which can only be obtained through interpolation? Why stop at 1.3 MP? Why not make it higher, like 4 MP? It's the software that does all the resizing, after all. Unfortunately almost all notebook manufacturers omit the interpolated part or even the true CCD MP entirely, misleading customers. This type of advertising needs to change.

 

Would love to hear about battery life on the FW. Did you get the extended battery?

 

I agree. While other notebook brands are going with 1.3 even 2.0 MP, a 3.2 or sth more would definitely have been pioneering ..

I took the normal battery. I don't need an extended battery, as wherever I go, I'm near a power source. I'll report the battery times.

I will post the user review next sunday.

 

Could you tell us what hard drive Sony gave you? Brand name, model, etc.

Thanks!

 

Please tell us the quality of the speaker and please tell us whether the volume is loud enough for one person watches it right in front of the screen.

And is the fan quiet enough?

Thanks in advance.

 

This model is very interesting to me also. Is one of the ports on it eSATA? Thanks in advance.

Gary

 

no eSATA port on it.

 

Thanks for clarifying. Still I love the form factor and screen and probably would enjoy th ekeyboard a lot. Will awiat some reviews and thanks.

Gary

 

the price just fell $50 at newegg .. I will get my hands on mine on monday..