VAIO AR owners thread!

I am very interested in purchasing the new AR770 from sony. I have only owned compaqs and dell. I like the way the AR looks and I don't mind the 17 inch screen. I tested one that was configured with 1920 x 1200 resolution at the store and if I set the resolution to something smaller, the actual display becomes smaller and it looks like I am using a 16 inch display laptop. How come the AR doesn't resize the screen so it takes up the whole screen? Will it only take up the whole screen if it is only set at 1920 x 1200?

By the way, my main concern is the reliability of the laptop. Do any of you have any major problems like heat issues or failures? My last laptop failed on me twice and this is why I am in the market for a new laptop. I am only considering Sony or Fujitsu laptops due to the nice displays both companies offer. Please share your experience if you have own or currently own an AR. Thanks.

 

Why do you want SONY AR?

 

Never use an LCD at anything but the native resolution, they either don't use all the screen, or they go blurry because the pixels are a fixed size so it tries to fractions of pixels, which doesn't really work. If you want to use a lower res, get a different screen/laptop.

 

As a desktop replacement and I can't resist the piano black finish if you know what I mean. The display also looks nice.

 

Thanks. Will definitely look into that.

 

no,i mean why Sony?how can buy hp 9700t(it has black finish) for less or macbook pro for same price(macbook looks so beautifulest!)

 

I have the AR31S which is 1920x1200 native res. Changing the res in Vista to a lower one still fills the whole display area, just as it does with my desktop. The only reason for doing so would be to run a game wouldn't it? All icons and default text sizes can be tweaked if like me your eyesight isn't what it used to be! Now that I have got used to it I like Vista and would not go back to XP! I have followed this guide to tweak the settings, and it's great.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532

I spent most of last year working and travelling around northen Australia by plane (30+ flights) and car and it never faultered! Daytime temps up to 42 deg C. The only thing I want to do is get twin 500GB internal drives when they become available soon in the 2.5" 9.5mm form (Samsung Spinpoint M6). Can recommend the Kingston Contour Pro Laptop bag,
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2451

I also put the laptop in a Targus Sleeve Skin made of Neoprene which replaces the one in the case that doesn't quite fit the VAIO which IS big!
http://www.shoptargus.com/Targus_Se...g_XL_TSS012EU/version.asp?refsource=stadwords
Yes it looks gorgeous and is widely admired by others!

 

Brand loyalty I suppose and since they make really nice displays.

 

Hi everyone Im new here, actually Ive been around for a while but this is my first post...Ive got a AR290G just did a fresh install of Vista. I downloaded and install all the necessary drivers but I couldnt find the driver for the S1,S2 and the eject bottons on the left side pannel..also the driver for the camera doesnt seems to work for some reason...Can you guys point me to the right direction?

Thanks for any help.

aaron

 

Anyone got one of the AR61's (AR790U I think in USA). Wasnt really looking for a 17 inch screen (was going for the FZ with the 15.4".

However tempted by the 512mb 8600GT (is this DDR3)? and the larger 400gb hard drive.

Can't seem to find any reviews of these machines though for some reason

 

@lubu: Depends on what version of Vista you are talking about.
For 32bit you can get everything working, for Vista64 the situation is rather bad so far.
Assuming you are using Vista32 you can follow my steps and see if it works for your particular model:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3063872&postcount=13

 

I really like the looks and kb on the AR that I played with at Best Buy. However, I don't think I can live with the mouse button location. Even out on the edge is not as bad as the edge itself. Seems like that would really wear on the thumb after a while. That and the reach itself from the kb to the touchpad and buttons. Comments?

 

Just bought myself an AR770 pre configured with:
T9300 2.5
3Gb Ram
364Gb RAID
BD Super multi
17" WUXGA With XBRITE HiColor (1920 x 1200)
Vista home premium

and i have to say it is the sexiest piece of technology I have ever owned (appart from this waldorf synthesiser I had once but thats a different thing entirely) The screen especially is without equal. I know this model has been around for going on 3 years but it certainly doesn't look aged.

I thought about getting an FW. but even fully spec'd it has nothing on the AR. Average GPU, single HDD, smaller screen and I'm not convinced that you need the wide angle aspect of it on laptop, give me more real estate please Centrino 2 would have been ideal I guess but hey, this thing is bloddy fast enough for my needs!

Okay okay no real point to my post I guess other than to say I'm thoroughly happy with my purchase (ahem $1699 by the way) and I'm glad to finally be a Viao owner!

 

Hi PPL,

I have an AR51M laptop which is great apart from a really annoying buzzing sound coming from the LCD screen when its not on full brightness.

Has anyone else got or NOT got this problem with the same model of laptop?

Sony have had it in for repair 4 times and are refusing to replace it but they say the noise if within their acceptance.

Any comments would be great.

Cheers
Al

 

Hi I have the AR51E machine and do not have any noise at all, sounds to me as there is a problem, but for what ever reason sony not accepting it.

 

Hi Jimmas,

Thanks for the info, I suspect Sony are hoping I will just go away and forget it as if they have to start replacing laptops then they might have quite a few to replace as people become aware of the problem.

I thing the problem is with the inverter circuit that drives the backlight, either that or the back lamp itself.

Any with AR and has this problem?

Cheers
Al