Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Anybody that uses / tried out that new screen of Sony...
did you also find it bothering to see the light reflecting and to mirror yourself?
Oh and I am grateful for any news on loud fans regarding this series especially the VGN S2 VP with 2.0 Ghz... of Sony..
Thanks
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Hello guincho,
Hopefully this message will help. (See summary at bottom of message if you don't want to read this long winded review).
SCREEN: (I rate as 5 of 5)
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I have had my S260 for about 3 weeks now and I absolutely love the screen. I will not buy another laptop without the "glossy" screen. It really makes everything appear clear and bright. I have not used the laptop outside so I can't comment on any negative effects from the screen creating reflections. I run my screen on 2 notches below full brightness and am using the laptop inside my office mostly. I don't see any reflections during normal operation even though there is a window directy behind me. However, I can see the reflection if the screen is off or if I am viewing a webpage with a back backgroung.
FAN (I rate as 3.5 out of 5)
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The fan is somewhat loud compared to my old laptop (Sharp UM32W). The Sharp fan is audible, but it did not come on very often even though the unit got very hot. Perhaps that contributed to the failure of my Sharp. I cannot tell the Sony's fan is on most of the time, but sometimes, it kicks on pretty loud and I can hear it. I have an old Dell I8000 and that fan is much louder than my Sonys. I'd say if you work in a quite area, you will hear the fan quite often. I do wish that the Sony's fan was not as loud as it is, but this is not enough of an issue to bother On the plus side, the Sony laptop operates very COOL.[
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PERFORMACE: (I rate as a 5 out of 5)
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I do not do any major computing with my Computer, but I am very satisfied with the speed. I usually download from the web, work in Word and/or Excel, and surf in at least 5 IE windows. Everything just flys with this laptop. I ran a 1min 58sec computation of SuperPI to 2million digits. Unfortunately, I can't try it on the Sharp since it went bad, but the Sharp really struggled when doing the above tasks. I would have to wait on the Sharp when opening up multiple windows (you could just see the system lagging). The performace of the Sharp was the main issue I had with the Sharp.
SIZE: (I rate as a 4.5 out of 5)
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I really like the size of the laptop especially compared to the Dell I8k I have. The Sharp has the Sony beat in this catagory, but the Sharp did not have a built in DVD or CDROM (just USB ports). I rate the Sony so high because it is small (not as small as Sharp, but small compared to other thin and light units), has the ultimate screen (size and clarity), and is fairly light (even though it is about 2x the weight of the Sharp).
CONSTRUCTION: (I rate as a 4 out of 5)
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The Sony is built very solid. With the screen open, I can support the laptop by one of the front corners with ZERO deflection of the case. The Dell felt very weak (cheap plastic). If I tried holding it by one corner, it felt like it would fall apart. Just go to a store and pick up an opened Sony by one corner and you will see it is very well built. If you are at the store, try doing the same thing with an HP 1040. The HP felt more like my Dell. This is one of the main reasons I bought the Sony instead of the HP.
QUALITY: (I rate as a 4 out of 5)
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I am a little concerned with the S260. I took a star away because the first 260 I had failed out of the box. (see this thread: http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5382). I took the Sony back to CC and exchanged it for the one I am using now. NO PROBLEM NOW, but I am a little gun shy since the first one went bad. However, I have had bad luck with the Sharp and the DELL. Sharp went bad after 13 months, and almost every part has been replaced on the Dell during the 3 year warranty period. I hope the Sony lasts, but I am a little concerned since my first Sony unit went bad.
BATTERY LIFE (5 out of 5)
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My standard size battery last 4 to 5 hours during normal use with WiFi turned on. This beats out the Sharp and DELL big time (about 2 hours for each of the DELL and Sharp).
KEYBOARD (3 out of 5)
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I like the size of the keyboard and keys. The keys are pretty much full size, but I do not like the feel of the keys. They don't seem quite as responsive as others I have used. Also, the Page Dn and Up keys requre the Function key to be pressed.
TOUCHPAD (4 out of 5)
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I like it. The only negative is the size of the buttons. They are somewhat small, but I am starting to like them now that I have used the laptop for almost a month.
STYLE (5 out of 5)
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Sony is all about style when it comes to the notebooks. It looks very elegent.
WIRELESS (4 out of 5)
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This laptop picks up signals that I didn't even know were around my area. Neither the Dell or Sharp picked up this well. However, as others have noted, the bandwidth varies quite often. It will go from 54mbs to 1mbs within moments. In all fairness, I am about 300 feet from the 2wire hub. Even at that distance, I get a "good" signal shown on the meter. I think the quality of the signal at that distance is causing the changes in my bandwith.
PRICE: (3 out of 5)
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Sony is expensive, but I wanted a compact and rigid notebook with a good screen. I wish it had a DVD-RW like the HP DV1040, but I traded that off for the "rigidity" of the Sony. I would like to get my hands on an IBM and compare the quality of the IBM with the Sony. I was in either OfficeMAX or Office Depot the other day, and noticed that the S260P was something like $1499. At that price, I'd give the notebook 5 stars in Price.
SUMMARY:
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Pros:
1. Fabulous screen - Right size and beautiful displays
2. Performace - Very fast
3. Size/Weight - Thin and light...
4. Quality and Construction - well built
5. Touchpad - I really like this touchpad compared to Dell or Sharp.
6. Style - Looks cool
7. Wireless - I pickup networks that I didn't know existed.
8. Fabulous screen - Did I mention that the screen is fabulous.
Cons:
1. Fan - irrating to some, but not overly so to me. It is noticable.
2. Price - Pretty expensive compared to others, but deals can be had.
3. Keyboard - Nice size, but lack of independent Page Up, etc
Good luck with your decision....
Sony VGN S2 series display = mirror ?
Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by guincho, Jan 7, 2005.
