Sony Vaio touchpads

I am considering buying a Sony laptop and I have a question to any (preferably newer) Sony Vaio users.

Currently my Toshiba laptop has a software called “Synaptics Pointing Device” and I can use my touch pad by virtue of it. One of the major benefits of this particular software is that you can customize tap zones and allocate a function to certain parts of the touch pad. For instance, about one inch of the top right hand side of my touch pad functions as maximizing/minimizing windows when I tap on that part.

This feature is very nice and handy and I was wondering whether Sony Vaio laptops also come with this touchpad software. If not, what is the software that came with your laptop?

Comments from FW uses will be more appreciated.

Thanks!

 

I'm no FW user but FYI the SR series uses synaptics.

 

The SR is the only Sony I am aware of that uses Synaptics touchpads. The FW and Z both use an Alps touchpad which is not very good in comparison to the Synaptics. The SR touchpad has all of the features you mentioned.

 

That's bad news!

Is there a way to buy and install synaptics to FW?

 

Just thinking - I actually think my Alps touchpad is better than the old synaptics in terms of control.
And the tap zones...

You can scrol by moving your finger along the right hand side.
The top side will allow you to use the back/foreward buttons in for example IE or Firefox or Explorer.
Else, you can customize the top left corner to some extent.

And just wondering - I found that silver touchpads are very sensitive while black ones are perfect to use. Did anybody have the same experience?

 

I was hoping the FW had a Synaptics touchpad, but oh well.

 

You can program the outer edges on the FW for certain functions

 

I forget what the SZ90 had. It may have been a Synaptics but I could be wrong. I know that the U70's little joystick/mouse thing was a Synaptics. It seems for the past few years Sony's favored Alps.

I can tell you that SZ vs. G vs. Z, the G has the best touchpad. It's the most responsive and the button to pad size is good.

 

Putting it tht way - I think the SZ's one is perfect too.

Its also little issues like "coating".

I've got some screen wipes, they left a coating on my Medion's touchpad and it got a bit unresponsive and sticky, but nothing that wont "heal".
The coating wears away fast.

Then its wet/dry fingers. Try to wash your hands, fry them and then use a touchpad - they are stil too humid.

Also, can you objectively compare good touchads??