What makes a VAIO feel like a VAIO?

I just got back from testing one out and wow, I have to givve credit where credit is due. There is something about sony laptops that no other manufacturer is able to make theres like. Its the type of plastic Sony uses. Super feather like weight, but yet very solid. what I liked most, aside from the extreme lightness and thinness was the keyboard. Super scissor keys, much less key stroke travel than other brands. They feel alot like apple keys to me. But VAIOS are sooooooooooo nice.

Some say that on the FW series for instance, the build is lacking but im not sure about that. Rock solid keyboard and overall feel.

 

I've been a ThinkPad user for YEARS, and I've only had VAIO's for the last 2 years or so. Initially I was afraid of the build quality, as I simply used the keyboard to judge the build quality of the laptops. However, the screens on the VAIO's always made me sooo jealous, so I started looking at them more closely. After 2 years of owing VAIO's, I have say that I am VERY pleasantly surprised with the build quality of the machines. I thought I was going to have to sacrifice durability for screen quality, but I really haven't. We now have three VAIO's in our business, and all three are working as well as the day we bought them - no problems whatsoever. When you combine the looks of the machines (my new SZ160 is simply a work of art) with the fact that they are actually quite reliable, you have to be impressed. I thought that I would never own anything but a ThinkPad, but unless Lenovo improves the screen quality of their machines, they've lost this customer to Sony.

Javier

On a side note, I'm sure many here would like to hear from you how your Asus machine compares with the VAIO's you've used, as I've heard VERY good things about Asus...

 

I have an ASUS right now, but after seeing the FS830W in store, wow....so nice. Sonys are eye candy but they are not the best for speed. Its almost like the plastic they use is like apples. Looks cheap but feels strong and super light.

 

Its the white ipod type color, that attracts me. Plus they dont complicate it, make it simple yet elegant. Plus all the stuff they can add into one tiny notebook without missing out on the high-end specifications.

 

Well Said Aer0sense! My thoughts exactly....

 

Thanks, Sony truly is brilliant in all its products
I have a phone, camera, TV, notebook, all by sony and they are all great products.

 

Vaio Rocks I do not see any competition. Just like PlayStation.

 

vaios are the sexiest in the market. THey make an IBM look like a rotten pear.

Like I said, Ive always wanted a Sony but just didnt see it worth the extra price. But after last night seeing one in person (FS830W) i was like I want one so bad. They are on clerance right now, $1200cdn (before $1800 i believe). Put in my 5400rpm HD and it should be decently fast.

The looks and design and feel is what attracted me. I am sooooo tempted to getting it. WOW. And ya when you type on it, it makes it feel like youre typing on an apple. I really dig these super flat keys.

 

feel free to comment, dont be shy kids.

I am very very tempted to buying one just cause i was so impressed with the 2mins I got to play with it in store.

FS830W, and I have a 5400rpm I can swap in and load up to 1.5GB ram.

 

im looking at 15.4" laptops and the Vaio is the most intriguing, but its WHITE!! is it gonna get dirty to fast, or is it faily easy to keep it clean.

 

White's amazing, it is fairly easy to clean. But would get dirty fast if not cleaned often.

 

What makes my Vaio feel like a vaio, the fact that my screen went wrong after 3 months and Sony uk wouldnt honor the warranty on a laptop bought in the states.

sorry to put a downer on such a happy thread ;-) they do look pretty dont they

 

did you purchase the VAIO Overseas Service? If you didn't then your fault but if you did then they can be in for a serious lawsuit.

 

Unfortunately i didnt buy it through sony stlye, and wasnt aware of the overseas services, abit nievely i was working on the princple of Sony being an International company and as such assumed they would treat there customers with a certain degree of commonsense i.e. if someone buys a portable notebook they are more than likely going to travel with it. I appreciat Sony has covered there bases by offering a overseas policy for a nominal fee, but the are supposed to be a international company not a little market stall working in the back of beyond that dissappears after they have made a sale.

Ultimately this has been a expensive learning curve, most of my house is outfiited with Sony products, most of which ive been happy with (with the exception of the psp, 4 returns dodgy screens)

Due to Sonys terrible customer service (they even wanted to charge me 12 pounds ($20) when i rang there technical support people, who are less than useless) and the subsequent way they treated me i wil never buy Sony again.

But i do have a very pretty broken laptop untill i can buy a broken second hand one for the screen (they are very expensive)

 

That really isnt sony's fault. Sony australia lets you buy the warranty up to 60 days after the original purchase which is pretty good. I love my Vaio I think what makes it so cool is its balance its good at everything. Weyve had our sony tv thats used for 5-7 hours a day and its still going strong after 19 years. Odd side note Sony In japanese sounds alot like Soh Nee Meaning "business go bad" Odd choice of name for such a succesful business.

 

wow, thanks for the heads up matt. This isnt the first time ive heard of sony lcds going out. Just how bad is their support though? Like if something goes wrong, am i screwed? Do they leave you stranded?

 

No comparision for LCD if you ask me.

 

Its not up to sony to read you the fine print if you dont buy the overseas warranty then no its not their problem.

 

I think customer service in general just bad. Sometime if you're lucky you'll get good service. I dealt with Bestbuy's customer service, and it's 50-50% chance between good and bad.

So the next question is: Is it really just Sony that has poor quality control/customer service? I don't hang out in other brand forum nor do I search for customer's complains. So I'm curious about it.

 

gee is it really that bad? say something goes wrong and i have to drop it off at the service depot, will they just give me the "talk to the hand?" are they really that bad? ive heard of peoples LCDs just breaking out of the blue and screwed out since sony doesnt listen to them.

 

My bestbuy experience is mixed. I once spilled coffee and fried my laptop, then I cleaned it carefully, wiping the motherboard and keyboard to get rid of the coffee smell. Then I brought it to bestbuy and tell them it doesn't work. They replaced the mb within a week and it never has problem and still works now.
On my second sony laptop, after1.5 yrs, it has this intermittent problem where it just doesn't boot. It just turned on, then nothing happened. This was a nightmare since I don't know what's wrong, neither bestbuy. It took them months of multiple repairs on different parts, but it's still not fixed. Eventually they gave me a new laptop (a store credit of the total purchase I paid for the laptop, to be used to purchase any laptop I want).
At least the bestbuy geek squads in my place weren't snotty. no "talk to the hand". They just wrote the symptoms and shipped it to the repair center.
I never have LCD problems with my laptops

 

?????? The warrenty issue aside (like i mentioned earlier) getting 3 yes 3 months out of a laptop before its breaks doesnt represent good value for money (i dont know but it might in Australia), and although there are plenty of people giving sony praise in these forums there are plenty of people who are trying to find fixes for the brand new broken machines and there are a equal number of people, who having dealt with "Sony's Customer Service" (a oxymoron if there was ever one) are equaly dissatisfied.

And fine print is exactly that its fine print, these are the points the companys are not proud of and dont want the general public to be genaraly aware of, and its always written in such a ways (regardless of which company) to allow the company an excuse to behave badly and get away with it

 

Umm its not common A one off dosent mean its bad quality Maybe it was dropped or damaged by the user.

 

And the pot gets stirred...

wpuk:
It is very unfortunate that the display only lasted 3 months, regardless of the cause. I think I would be bitter too. But you are in a unique circumstance in that your laptop was purchased in one country, and transported to another. I'm not aware of any companies, international or not, that would honor a warranty in your situation. There is no way to gaurantee 100% yields in manufacturing, so you have to expect things to go wrong once in a while. That is exactly what the warranty period is for! There is nothing more for you to do than chalk this up as a learning experience. It is something for everyone that does any international travel to take note of. Sony did not Prey upon you because they knew they could sell you a ****py laptop, and not have to honor the warranty because you were taking it out of the country. They Preyed upon you because you are a consumer. All big companies do!

 

My original post was answering the above question about what makes a vaio feel like a vaio, but ref matt_h1 comments about me having claimed my experiances are common, at no point have i claimed my experiances are common, but i appreciate with matt being Australian he might be having trouble understanding someone is allowed a point of view different to his,

i have stated my laptops fault and have stated my experiances with sony customer, so just for matt_h1

My experiances are my own experiances - no one elses

There are plenty of people in these forums chuffed to little bits with the laptops and rightly so, when they dont go wrong its a smashing machine

There are plenty of people in these forums that are not chuffed with there laptops and are looking for fixes to there problems (Did you pick that up matt there problems, hope that wasn't to hard for you to grasp)

There are also plenty of people in these forums that have had negative experiances with sony support (oxymoron)

With regards to matt_h1's baiting comment "Maybe it was dropped or damaged by the user" pathetic

But to finish on a high note, they do look very pretty and i hope that everyone that buys one of the newer models enjoys there experiances with it, whether that be for 3 months or 19 years (they you go ive included you in a positive way , would you like a cuddle now)

 

what are the odds of my LCD going out within the first yr or at all. Cause if its high, ill refund my sony. I dont need to be spending this kind of money on something that will last 2 months and get screwed out of my money.

Its sounds like sony runs and hides.

 

What does the fact that I'm Australian have to do with anything? We have less crime, less unemployment, less poverty and a higher percentage of people with tertiary educations than the US.

 

LOL, im British you pratt

 

lucky you.

 

Yeah, but unlike you my mommy doesn't dress me funny. j/k

 

...My mummy loves me! *drinks a foster, throws a shrimp on the barbie and wrestles a croc or two* Its spelt mum btw