VAIO VPC-Z1190 CTO on Canadian Site!

The Canadian VAIO Z CTO is finally up on their site! Est. Ship date if ordered today (Mar.7.2010) is on Mar.16.2010. Not bad for something on backorder? The CTO Options are pretty much similar with the USA site.. I recall a NBR user claim that the delay for the Canadians was due to getting TRIM support on the SSDs. I can't seem to find any information regarding this on the Sony Cdn site. Also, I don't see an option for 1920x1080 resolution option. =(

$2078.99 For the following standard CTO specs:

# Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GH
# 13.1" widescreen with XBRITE-DuraView™ LCD technology (1600x900)
# Standard Capacity Battery
# No Engraving
# 128GB (128GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID technology
# DVD +/- R DL / DVD +/- RW / DVD-RAM Drive
# No Fresh Start™
# Silver
# Microsoft® Works
# Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...mId=8198552921666096100&IRTrack=HomepageSpot4

Pre-config Spec Options (Silver and Bilingual Keyboard)

VPCZ112GDS
Processor
Type: Intel® Core™ i5 - 520M
Speed: 2.40GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.93GHz
L2 Cache: 3MB
Technology: Intel® Turbo Boost Technology

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7® Professional 64-bit Bilingual

Memory
Type: DDR3 SDRAM
Installed: 4GB (2GBx2)
Maximum: 8GB
Speed: 1066MHz

Solid State Drive
Capacity: 128GB
Interface: Serial ATA

Optical Drive #1
CD Support: Read / Write (CD/-R/-RW)
DVD Support: Read / Write (DVD +/- R/+/-RW/+/-R DL/-RAM)

Graphics
Processor: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU and Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HD with Total Available Graphics Memory of 2650MB (max.)
Video RAM: 1GB of dedicated video RAM
Technology: Dynamic Hybrid Graphics System
Chipset: Mobile Intel® HM57 Express Chipset
Max. External Resolution via VGA: 2048x1536
Max. External Display Resoluton via HDMI™: 1920x1080

Networking/Modem
Ethernet Protocol: 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T
Ethernet Speed: Fast Ethernet (RJ-45)
Wi-Fi: Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 (802.11a/b/g/n)
Bluetooth® Technology: Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth® Technology (2.1+EDR)

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...d=1007451&navigationPath=n32009n100299n100509

 

You are wrong about the resolution:
Display
Screen Size: 13.1"
Resolution: 1600 x 900
Back Light Technology: LED

 

I hate the bilingual keyboard, is there an option for the non-bilingual keyboard. As well, I don't see any info on www.sonystyle.ca about the backlit keyboard, is this standard or an option.

There is a 1920x1080 res screen for this model but so far it's on the Signature Series on the US site. The 1600x900 is that standard resolution.

If I can't get the non-bilingual keyboard and backlit keyboard I will probably order from the US, with the strong Canadian currency.

Any info well appreciated.
Thanks.

 

Backlit keyboard is standard. Bilingual keyboard ships with all preconfigured models; historically Canadian CTO models have come with a US English keyboard as the only option.

And yes, I absolutely hate the bilingual keyboard, so I will be going CTO.

 

I hope we can keep this thread running for Canadians!

I definitely have a few questions before dropping 2.5 (incl tax/ship) for this baby.

I hope someone can confirm soon whether the CTO is definitely US english keyboard.

Anyone know when Sony Style stores will have this on display? Also any difference by going through a Sony Style store for CTO versus online at home? Can you get better deals though the store?

Thanks guys!

 

I've added some Canadian CTO information to my post on the first page of the Z owners' thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5846110#post5846110

I cannot confirm that the CTO keyboard is US English, however I'm 99.9% sure. However I do plan to try to confirm this before I order.

I would love to know whether it's possible to get any sort of discount from Sony Style Canada, but I cannot find any evidence of this happening in the past. The biggest bummer is I can find some decent coupons for sonystyle.ca (ie. $200 off $2500+), but they are NOT valid on CTO notebooks. :-/

 

Sunfox when do you think you will bite the bullet and order one? Are you going to just order online via sonystyle.ca? Have you had any experiences with Canadian CTO?

I've been using an ibm thinkpad x40 for the past 5 years, have been waiting patiently for the past year or so for the best possible laptop for me, and thankfully I waited for this new Vaio Z (I was close to getting a Vaio SR...even almost considered the dell studio xps 13!!!). I'm just scared as always (and will of course happen) that the next refresh will be even better. I highly doubt I can wait any longer though!

I will probably just wait another week or so for some more user reviews and try to check it out at a Sony Style store, but right now i'm like 95% certain I will get this new Vaio Z.

 

I've never done Canadian CTO before.

The last VAIO I bought (and am still using) was a first generation premium SZ, which I bought pre-built 4 years ago from Sony Style. I don't think Canada even had CTO back then, but if they did it wasn't available on the SZ. This was back when you could choose English or French models.

I've looked at a lot of notebooks over the past 2 years, including the Studio XPS 13, HP Envy and a bunch of others. The new Z is pretty much perfect for my needs.

I plan on ordering soon. If calling results in any sort of discount I may even order as soon as tomorrow, but if not I'll probably procrastinate a bit before biting the bullet.

 

I've sent Sony Canada an email with a few questions regarding the backlit keyboard and whether or not I can select the US keyboard and not the bilingual with the shortened shift key.

As well, I want to use Sony's Notebook Trade In program so that I can get $408 on my Dell 6400 that is on its last leg. I would be very happy with that trade in value but the VPC Z1190 is not on the drop down list of laptops for the trade in as yet. I emailed Sony asking if the Z1190 will be an option for the trade in because that would be great news.

Once I find out some answers I will post it here. Sony's Canadian website on the Z CTO is terrible. They don't give you enough info. Customers of course will ask such questions as is keyboard (bilingual, US and is it backlit) etc... it's as if they take 5 minutes to put up limited info on a long awaited laptop that is not cheap either.

I will never buy a Dell again its junk. I've had mine 4 years and there's cracks everywhere and I've never dropped it once and I don't travel with it at all. The hinges on it don't hold the screen up anymore I use a pillow behind it to keep it at an angle. I've looked at all other laptops but none are as powerful and of high quality in terms of durability and has great features such as the Z.

The bottom line is its better to pay a little extra to have a laptop that will last even for normal use. I'll be ordering the Carbon Fiber version for sure in black.

Keep this thread going especially for Canadians as we don't want put in an order and find out its different from the US version.

Cheers.

 

Previous CTO models (from Sony Style Canada) had US (non-bi) keyboards. I received a response directly from Sony when inquiring about the FW590 and the older Z.

They said something along the lines that the US + Canadian CTO models were made from the same factory (China and Texas?). Can't imagine this situation changed.

The pre-configured models (at the brick and mortar stores) will have the bi-lingual keyboards. Yuck.

 

Well this is great news, because when I saw the bilingual keyboards at the Sony Store my first thought was "what idiot did this?"

I've been trying to find a an answer to the type of backlit keyboard that the Z has...such as just the letters or is it letters and around the edges of the letters like the S series I believe. I personally from pictures really like the letters and the edge around the key lit up, it looks really nice.

The 512gb SSD is very pricey, I've looked around in the forums with no conclusive answer but can you un-raid SSD to allow for more storage space and if so does it read the SSD as separate drives/partitions or as one whole drive like (C: ).

Has anyone placed their order yet? What specs did you settle on?

Thanks for any info.

 

Update:

I just got off the phone with Sony Canada and I had a rep talk to his manager and he found out that the backlit keyboard lights up the letters as well the edges around the keys. I'm hoping this info is correct can anyone else confirm this? The rep I spoke to seemed a little iffy with his facts, I wish they would get proper training on a new and expensive laptop. Regarding the un-raid of the SSD he said he would send an email to someone and get back to me on that issue.

I just put in my Notebook Trade In request on Sony site, once they send me a box I send them my laptop and hopefully I get around $350-$408 credit towards the new Z1190 the rep confirmed I can use the trade in for the new laptop....sweet!

 

why did not offer blu-ray playback in option ! I don't want blu-ray burner, only player. grrr !

I read review on it, but unfortunately, seem to be little hot under. I always use a lot my laptop on my palm in the train !

Maybe I will go with sony Vaio CW just for that, but need to buy on jr.com because in canada, no video card 330m offer

 

I was just informed by a rep that there is no backlit keyboards on CTO.
He also said that the sony z supports windows 7 TRIM.

 

Backlit keyboard is a stock item on the Z, especially if it's US English. And Sony never mentions Trim, and no one has confirmed, so I'd take both of those pieces of information with about 3 kilograms of salt.

 

Also:

I asked if there was any discounts available, I got 200$ off.
However, this is for CTOs more expensive than 2500$. I had configured mine to be around 2300, except he said add on some things, so i bumped up to 6GB of RAM instead of 4, and added the XP Pro downgrade disc + Fresh start.

 

Hmm, you got a discount? I know of a $200 off $2500 online coupon, but it excludes CTO models. However if they'll do it when you call... ;-)

 

ya if you guys can ask about backlit keyboards on CTO laptops, that'd be great.
I think the guy I was speaking to was just misinformed as its a brand new laptop (most of the guys on these forums have more info than them)

 

Gberg, If you read my previous post you will see that I spoke to a rep today, which I then had him ask his manager specifically about the backlit keyboard and what type. There is definitely a backlit keyboard and I was assured that it is the backlit keyboard with the letters and the surrounding trim/edges around the keys lit.

I'm now more concerned about the TRIM feature with the SSD so that there isn't a lack of performance over time. There is still some debate as to whether certain SSD have it or not. I've read the quad drives don't like the 512GB but what about the 384GB.

SunFox do you have any info on this and whether we can un-raid the SSD drives to a single drive?

I'm waiting for my Notebook Trade In box to send in my Dell 6400 I get about $408 towards a credit to the CTO Z...which is good since this Dell has reached its lifespan.

 

All the SSDs are the same, so if "quad" doesn't have it, "triple" and "dual" won't either.

It might be possible to run the drives in JBOD mode (appears as one disk but no speed improvement versus RAID 0) which MIGHT give trim support. Otherwise you would have between 2 and 4 completely separate hard drives to deal with.

Of course this all depends on the drives supporting trim at the FIRMWARE level, which no one seems to know yet.

Otherwise get the 512gb which should be a fair chunk more than you actually need, and re-image the system every year or so.

 

Thanks for the chart Sunfox, the 512gb is not worth the money in my opinion. At most I will get the 384gb as I want to stick to a somewhat reasonable budget with this laptop. I'm really hoping for the trim as I can do without the Raid 0.

What configs to you plan on getting Sunfox for the CTO? Are you going to get the Blue Ray drive?

I'm also a little bit disappointed the screen is a TN screen with limited viewing angles unless viewed directly.

 

Placed my order

* Intel® Core™ i7-620M
* Standard Capacity Battery
* 256GB SSD
* DVD/RW
* Premium Carbon Fibre
* Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium
* 4GB RAM

Thanks for the help everyone, I am looking forward to this baby - ship date: March 16th

 

placed order.... with a new rep as too bad for the other one misinforming me about the backlit keyboard.
it IS STANDARD for all CTOs.

Free expedited shipping as well as the 200$ off laptop (2530$ - 200)

 

Congrats to bluegt and Gberg for their orders! Let us know what your experiences are like.

Gberg what config did you end up getting?

 

I wasn't fortunate enough to get a discount, and I dropped 3 grand. Oh well. I've had such a miserable experience with Dell I'm just happy I didn't get stuck with one of their computers.

I ordered the exact same thing you did. Except with Win7 Pro.
* Intel® Core™ i7-620M
* Standard Capacity Battery
* 256GB SSD
* DVD/RW
* Premium Carbon Fibre
* Microsoft Windows® 7 Pro
* 4GB RAM

 

same as ReactionRED,

* Intel® Core™ i7-620M
* Standard Capacity Battery
* 256GB SSD
* DVD/RW
* Premium Carbon Fibre
* Microsoft Windows® 7 Pro (+FRESH START!)
* 4GB RAM

I had wanted to just get a 2300$ laptop with 192 and no fresh start, but the discount was needed to be done at 2500+, for me to get 200$ off.
I didn't press him enough, who knows, maybe you can try getting 200$ off for the regular 2300$ priced laptop. We don't have as much leeway, as its a brand new laptop.

Always go for the free expedited shipping

With taxes it came to 2640

 

I'm planning on going pretty much fully loaded. I've been waffling on the BD drive, but I do plan on keeping the system for 4-5 years and I know I won't want to add it later, so I'll likely get it.

However I'm disappointed at the 512gb pricing, which is what I had originally wanted. Looks like Canada is getting ripped off on the 256gb SSD drives, which ticks me off.

 

Yes I agree the 512gb pricing is a ripoff, plus we have no option for the 1920x1080 screen like in Japan, which really would only be a marginal increase of about $150 but Sony squeezes the Americans to spend the 4.5k, which is even a bigger ripoff. I'm amazed at how no other company has tried to beat Sony to the punch with a similar product......it is within their means. Bad move on HP's part or Lenovo's.

I'm still debating the BD drive........let me know what you decide and any further info you may get.

Cheers.

 

Do you guys know about the TPM Module? Is it standard in the CTO Models in Canada to come with the scanners? Please tell me it comes with it!

 

Has anyone tried to get more than the $200 discount....say perhaps 10% when trying to place the order?

 

Well, I think I've come to a decision.

BD - out.
512gb SSD - in.

Would I like BD on the notebook? Of course, yes.

But would I use the BD? Maybe.

OK, so what does the BD drive do that the DVD drive doesn't? Play and burn BDs.

Do I watch BD movies? Yes, quite a lot. I now have 2 standalone players and 2 PS3s, and over 150 BD movies (and over 450 DVDs).

But do I watch BDs on computers? No, I don't even have a BD on my main desktop and I haven't particularly missed it. Now if I'm going to want to watch a movie on some computer, then the notebook's going to be it, but would I really do it?

Well, I have a DVD drive on my current notebook. Have I ever watched a DVD movie on it? No. Never. All movies have been from the hard disk.

Within the next 5 years, will any critical content be shipped on BD? Highly unlikely, it took way longer for software to start shipping on DVDs, and if something did it would be a game which would be a non-issue.

Would I want to burn BDs? Maybe, but more likely on my desktop. I have several HD cameras and could use a BD burner, but I'm unlikely to make use of it on my notebook.

So back to the original question: would I like a BD drive in my notebook? Yes. Can I afford it? Probably. Would I get the use out of it? Highly unlikely. So is it worth $430 for me? No.

Thus, no BD. Now the SSD storage is something I can really make a use out of; my desktop has 2TB (76GB free currently) and my media server now has 5TB. So I'm a disk space hog.

I figure (assuming a $200 discount) I should be able to get everything I want, with a 3 year warranty, for under $4000 (plus tax).

 

Good News!

I was able to talk my way into a 10% discount with the following config:

Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GH
13.1" widescreen with XBRITE-DuraView™ LCD technology (1600x900)
256GB (256GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID technology
DVD +/- R DL / DVD +/- RW / DVD-RAM Drive
Fresh Start™
Premium Carbon Fibre
Microsoft Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit with XP Pro downgrade disc
6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1066

Total: 2807.99 (no tax included yet)

I spent 20 minutes trying to negotiate some sort of discount.. and the rep finally gave it to me! She was a hard one to crack. 10% of 2807.99 = $280.80 off original purchase price! So total I'm paying is $2527.19 (tax not included yet). Overall, I'm very content with my purchase! Est. Ship Date: Mar 18th.

 

There's a Sony Style March Madness sale ($200 off - $1500)

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...langId=-1&promotionId=SonyStylePromotion01057

 

Yeah I saw that, but how to get the special ? no rebate code, etc. When I select a sony Z CTO, I didn't find something about this special on sonystyle.ca Someone know how it works !?? (maybe only some other models...)

 

I think that's for older notebooks.
good job on getting the 280$ off!
I should've pressed for a bigger discount! It was quite easy to get 200$ and free expedited shipping. Pretty much said.. soo... discounts available?

Anybody placing an order should at least get what I got, if not more.
More than 10% off seems highly unlikely though

 

Meh. Tried to get more, on a more expensive system, and the rep wouldn't budge past $200 + free expedited. Even the enticement of an extended warranty didn't work.

But of course I absolutely hate negotiating. I didn't order yet.

 

I only received a $200 discount + free expedited shipping as well - I couldn't get them past $200 off.

 

So these models don't have GPS or wwan?

That bites

 

No wwan. Not sure about GPS, but probably not if it's part of the WWAN module.

 

yah, it was pretty tough getting 10% already... anything beyond that is probably next to impossible... thankfully, the rep was extremely friendly and quite easy going over the phone... which is probably why she gave me the 10% after 20 minutes of annoying her! hahaha

 

Sad part is the US reps - which are in the same building in Toronto as the Canadian reps - seem perfectly willing to offer everyone 10% or 15% with extended warranty.

Right now I'd be satisfied getting 10%. The March Madness deal is $200 off of $1500. That's 13.3% off of $1500. If I'm spending more than double the minimum purchase, I'd like a bit more than $200...

 

Is the march madness deal available for the z? i can't seem to get it to work

 

Works over the phone. Also it has to be a custom model - the $1999.99 prebuilt Z doesn't apply.

 

The coupon code for $200 off (MARCHMADNESS200) works. You're given the chance to enter it during the checkout process.

 

I totally agree with you should be at the very least 10%, I'm going to try and see if I can get the discount. Right now I'm guaranteed $408 dollars back on my current laptop that is on its last leg so I can use that towards the new Z. If I can get an addition 10% on top of that I would be a very happy happy camper.

Too bad they don't have the 1920x1080 screen in Canada, I wonder if they will ever offer that feature I'm almost tempted to wait if I knew that would happen any time soon.

 

Guys,

isnt it a little too hot?? ill be super happy if Sony offer i7LM version!!

 

I called today on the 1080p option and the reps don't know anything. No one could say if they're expecting any further prebuilt models either (say a fully loaded Signature edition). I also haven't heard back on my email to them on the subject from more than 24 hours ago.

I really hate negotiating. I prefer to come up with a price I want to pay (usually quite reasonable and based on what others have been paying - I don't expect people to earn no margin), ask if they can meet it, and if not I walk. That's how I bought a car about 6 years ago. I researched it, knew exactly what I wanted, knew about incentives and the invoice price, came up with a figure. The first dealer rejected me, but the second accepted and I got my car. Technically no work involved for the sales guy, just a sale. But then a family member got friendly with a local dealer, and for my last car I got the price I wanted without even asking.

 

With the marchmadness coupon, the total price for the z1190 basic + carbon fibre comes out to $1880.19+tax

...Very tempting...It's getting harder by the second to resist my temptation and wait for the new Macbook pro...

What should I do guys??

 

I'm sure you'll be happy with the Z versus waiting on something that may end up being a disappointment!

 

Ah great. Right now the link to the CTO Z results in "product not available".