Vaio Z12 and Z11 GPS is available in EU models ?

One simple question, is the GPS antenna available in the EU versione of the Z vaio new notebook?

I seen here in different post that soma vaio need to install "US driver and application" to anable the gps but i am not sure and before to buy a Z notebook i'd like to know this important (for me) info.

Thank you and have an happy weekend from Italy

 

Yes. The GPS function is integrated in the WWAN.
I don't have the Z, but the S which has the same WWAN card, Gobi 2000. You just need to install SmartWi to have the GPS.
Some Z's owners in a French forum have said the same thing

 

does anyone know if the WWAN card is unlocked? so if i buy it from USA will it work in UK?

 

US=locked
Europe=not locked

 

Thank you very much for all the info. After a long valutation i have just ordered this notebook! (vpcz12z9 in Italy)

 

SmartWi is this one or there are different version ?
Sony eSupport - VPCZ12HGX - Software Updates & Drivers

Sorry but i do not know witch us model is equal to the italian vpc-z12z9 (i7-wwan-fullhd) so i chose random one from the list (VPCZ12HGX)

 

I've purchased a VPC-Z12 without any WWAN functionality. I have a mini PCI-e card so I've opened the laptop to see if I could install it myself. Close to the SIM slot opening, there is only an empty space and I could not find a mini PCI-e connector nearby. Does anybody know which P/N should I buy in order to add WWAN functionality to the Z?

 

Do you see ANY empty mPCIe connectors? If you ordered it without that feature, you may not have the mPCIe connector on the board. Past that, you could solder in a mPCIe connector to the headers on the board, but I don't think you'd want to solder on a new Z. If you DO have an empty mPCIe, try a WWAN modem with a built-in SIM card slot kinda like this one, because it doesn't sound like you have one, or if you do, it's not connected to anything.

 

Is GPS only available with a WWAN card? I did not purchase one with such card but when I navigated to Google maps using Chrome shortly after receiving my laptop, I was asked for permission to transmit location data, and my current location was pinpointed on the map.
However, now, after having done a fresh install, I don't see any of that when visiting Google maps.

 

That's one of the problems. Could not find any empty mPCIe connectors anywhere. If I had the P/N I would actually do a detailed study to see if soldering would be feasible before buying the P/N, considering that circuit boards today are multi-layered and I don't want to mess with that. Another possibility would be to connect a daughterboard that has the mPCIe connector to the main board via ZIF cable instead of doing soldering to the mainboard as I saw some empty ZIF connectors available in the mainboard.

The other problem is a board to insert the sim card (and the WWAN antennas to be installed under the LCD panel ).

I've purchased the WWAN mPCIe card and the push-push SIM slot to solder on my old VGN-Z591 that had the CDMA mPCIe card and I was going to replace it with GSM WWAN card. Things are completely different now with the VPC-Z12. If anybody know the P/N or could publish photos with the WWAN card , I would greatly appreciate that.

 

I have to take back what I said earlier.
The 3G (WWAN) is not locked in the US.
The software that comes with it makes it locked to Verizon wireless. But if you download OneClick Internet from the Sony Euro sites, it unlocks and voila! You have a world 3G VAIO Z.

So Europeans can easily buy a 3G US VAIO Z and unlock and take it home.
I also unlocked my US VAIO Z.

 

If it's speced with a Verizon wireless WWAN card, that would be a different frequency and system than GSM 3G/HSDPA, no? So how could that possibly provide any signal in Europe?

 

Because it uses the GOBI 2000, which has 3G for both american and euro 3G.
Basically for all over the world.

How would I know?
I have the US Z, which supposedly uses CDMA, Im currently online using a SIM card on a 3G (GSM) network.
Simply buy downloading Sony Europe's Oneclick and change the firmware to the desired network.

Eventhough it says verizon it is artificially locked. The Gobi 2000 is great card as it provides coverage for most world 3G, EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA networks, a true world laptop. I was suprised by all of this.

 

Good stuff. I never knew that.

 

can you please give the link to unlock my gobi2000, also i have the z11 bought about 6 months ago it is USA version. but if i take it world wide how to i used 3g? there is no such a sim card slot it is verizon which is CDMA i think

thx

 

The sim card slot is behind the battery, if you dont see one you are out of luck.

 

This looks to be great news!
Yesterday I bought a Z13SGX this week, without any expectative of use the 3G/GSM in my country (Brazil). I'm very satisfied by find this topic!
But I'm needing a little help... I inserted the SIM card, downloaded the file "OneClickInternet_WWAN_Software_1.0.0.1.zip" from Sony UK support (originally destined to a random UK Z13). After unpack the file, I have 2 executable: one .bat (WWAN_Setup) and one .exe (Consumer_SonyGeneric_Setup_20100315_WithoutDesktopIcon).
If I run the .bat, I receive @ DOS prompt the message "ERROR: Error accessing the registry", and if I run the .exe appears a black window with a progress bar that comes to the end and nothing else happens.

Somebody can tell me what should I do? Better yet, what I'm doing wrong?

Also, is it needed uninstall the SmartWI or any other software? Mine has 2 options: Verizon or Sprint (looks like I accidentally set to Sprint).

Thanks in advance!!!