World's first photos of VAIO SA from CES

Actually it looks more luxurious than SZ especially in the picture below, it DOES look classy and beautiful in black.

 

I don't care how "luxurious" it looks - it should look efficient and functional.

A huge bezel = wasted space.

I don't care if some designer spent ages on designing a surface that looks nice - make it work well, who cares how it looks?

 

I don't understand why you still call these pictures the new Z, the SA....etc if is proven that is a concept, a prototype or whatever in the future will be. Do you think that if this was the real succesor of the Z, Sony in the CES wouldn't speak about it? Especially if this was the new Z, we would speak for a redesign from the VPC-Z so why hide it? This in not the new Z, and not even the SA.

 

I pretty much got everything i was looking for.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6937146-post55.html

Ideally I would like Sony to offer a matte white one/with silver keys I think and to see the colour followed through. I think it would good in white. The silver trackpad buttons don't bother me. My TT has the same. I just think it could look a little nicer/implemented better.

The bezel is similar to the SZ actually. The SZ lower bezel though is hidden slightly. The rest looks the same.

 

I think most people problem(I know Im in the same boat) is the fact the bezel is a bit on the larger side of things. It, as other have said, make it look like a 14in machine, and what could be possible even larger than the S, despite weighing less.

 

I'm also not convinced that the keyboard tray being recessed in all directions is a good idea - that pit might be a crud magnet.
But as others said, the size is what bothers me the most. If the keys are the same size as the Z (which seems likely, as the layout is identical), the width to the left and right of the keyboard seems to be one extra key's width on each side compared to the Z -- that's substantial. Similar for the hill between the trackpad and the arrow keys, which the Z doesn't have. That makes it quite a bit deeper.
I'm not sure I would call this an ultra-portable at all.

 

Im on the same boat as you, the design has grown on me, and i pretty much like the specs. Leaving a 16" for a 13.3" is a huge gain in mobility, and in battery life, and this is exactly what I need.

 

I kind of like it but comparing it just from these pics posted to my Gen 1 Z2 in terms of style (important to me) my Z2 wins hands down i my opinion. I always loved the hinge/barrell design on the 1st gen Z series its unique and seperates the Vaio Z2 range the rest on the market.

 

Looks like it comes with a backlit kb with the light sensor (in between speed and the Caps/Scroll/Num lock status LEDs).

Have backlit kbs typically been reserved only for Sony's Premium line?

 

^^

Yes, just appeared in Z and F. Also some models of VAIO S was available in best buy integrating backlit keyboard.

 

Agreed, and don't forget:

I must admit, the black one without chrome mouse button looks quite reasonable, but what's the deal with the huge bezel and space around the keys? One step forward and two steps back...

Still hoping this concept is not quite the real Z successor, otherwise I might be seriously thinking about defecting from Sony and moving to the Samsung 9 series

 

Great find BTW.

This is the machine translated text that accompanied the article, make of it what you will:

From ASCII.jp??????????3D?????????????International CES 2011????

 

Very nice photos.

 

Isn't there a saying that "sometimes, in order to improve, one will have to take a couple of steps backward in order to go forward" or something similar along those lines? Maybe this is that moment Sony need to encounter before making a "better" top-of-the-line notebook in the future!

 

Hmm with the new pics of the dock/extended battery, maybe the extended battery can fit into that dock too as the laptop seems to be slightly raised. In any case, where are the intake vents going to be if Sony implements a slice battery? This reminds me of the HP Envy series... and they aren't exactly too good with heat management either...

 

I think Confucius might have said, "Take step back, fall down cliff, land flat on face"

 

Hey I'm going to see if I can get the Engadget crew to answer why they pulled the SA article ( Sony VAIO SA with Intel's latest processors primed to take over for the VAIO Z, VAIO Y picks up AMD Fusion -- Engadget.

Ustream Engadget showcast is starting NOW!
The Engadget Podcast Show livestream extravaganza starts at 8PM PST / 11PM EST! -- Engadget

Jump in and give me a hand!!!

Edit: no luck, they were all drunk.

 

You aren't going to get a straight answer from Engadget. Most likely Sony requested them not to mention anything, or Engadget wasn't sure if the information was completely correct since nobody but Sony knows what's happening at this point.

Look, Beaups has pretty much said that the SA is a Z successor, but not a replacer. That means that the Z will most likely be temporarily discontinued when the SA comes out, but later this year the Z will have a replacement.

 

I've been looking at the Samsung 9. It's a nice laptop looking laptop but i prefer having switchable graphics in my desktop laptops (more future proof as i tend to keep my laptops now for 2-3yrs). For that reason i also like having a more powerful processor. I also like having a built in drive.
May be Sony should have done what Samsung have done and move the hinge up a bit to obscure the bezel. Really i would need to take a ruler to it to determine if the Samsung bezel at the bottom was actually really any smaller. It is the lower part of the bezel that does make the Sony bezel look large. There are other ways also to try and break something up.

Akihabara News

 

In my opinion SA will have bigger dimensions so it will cost less than Z. Z will still be the most refined model, with everything magically placed inside a space that can´t fit everything =) since the weight will be very close between the two, I´m anxious waiting for the SA...

 

Actually, a very VERY similar model(s) to the Series 9 has been in sale in Korea since October last year. That funky looking lid and model design...

There are two variants (one is a 13 incher and the other is a 15 incher)

http://kr.samsungmobile.com/product/sens/product/overview.do?pdModel=NT-SF310&pdGroup=210102

http://kr.samsungmobile.com/product/sens/product/overview.do?pdModel=NT-SF510&pdGroup=210102

Models are SF310 and SF510 respectively. There might actually be more similar designs from Samsung; those are what I can recall off the top of me head.

The price of a SF310 today is around US$1040, with the following specs:
- i5 460m (2.53GHz)
- 13.3 LED LCD
- 3GB RAM
- 320GB HDD
- DVD writer
- nVidia GeForce 310M (512MB dedicated)
- 3x USB 2.0 ports, HDMI out

Can't remember the LCD resolution. I recall it was at the 1300 region (it's a perfect 16:9)

If you're interested in pics only... Enjoy...
< NT-SF310-S53[??] < 13" [????? ????] < SF310 from Enuri (Korean Price Comparison Site)

Though mind you. Knowing you Rachel regarding image quality and the rest... Samsung ain't the best in that department...

 

Good point, which I guess just really highlights the facts that the 9 Series is a much nicer design. For my use, the graphics wouldn't bother me, but I sure would find it hard to go to a low power CPU.

 

I wouldn't consider the Samsung 9. It seems to be designed as a knee-jerk reaction to the MacBook Air, and not an innovative product that stands on its own legs.

The closest thing to a TT replacement these days are probably the Vaio G and the Panasonic S9, but they don't have switchable graphics, and the G cries for a newer CPU, while the S9 is rather thick.

 

I love the design of the current Sony Z with its matte surface and cylinder hinge!

I like the specs and the price though. Quad Core in a 13.3''? Is there any other laptop out there that can compare? They offer an HDD hard drive which I like because it lowers the base price to $1250. So I can get a 2nd gen core-i, AMD 6630, ~5.5 hrs battery life, and a 1600x900 screen all for about $1250. Not bad.

 

On sony's website it says the S series will be available for pre sale Jan 9 (tomorrow), does that include the SA ?

 

&lt;RANT&gt;
Whoever came up with the word "pre-sale" a few years ago should be flogged. There is no such thing. It's called an order.
Yet, these days, you see "pre-sale" everywhere, and even "pre-order", which is completely meaningless.
&lt;/RANT&gt;

I believe the SA isn't considered part of the "standard" S series, so my guess is no.

 

..or just get rid of the bezel almost completely like Samsung's newest LED TVs.

 

That may be the reason but I think it may also be due to the fact that these VAIO SA series will be offered with HDD configurations, which I also expect optical drives to be standard.

With the current VPC-Z, it is either SSD + optical drive or HDD + no optical drive, so part of the increase in size on the VAIO SA may be to accommodate specs with HDD + optical drive.

Obviously, I could be totally wrong with this analogy.

 

I believe we both are right, they cut prices without the need of so much magic in small components and also make space for a HDD... the drawback is more volumetric size, but if the weight remains the same, i´m so happy... in fact, SA looks even better to my needs than the vaio z does, which was already very good... imagine sandy bridge + 6630 + 13.3 with ~ 3lbs weight... it´s a dream.

 

Well the Z did come with HDD standard in Asia, and I am sure if they brought those models here the Z would have started less than the around $1700 base price.

 

At least the Z's price will drop.

 

Well for a while it did if you got at the MS store, and they even gave you an xBox 360 with it to boot.

 

Not just americans, sane people from Canada too. Like me.

 

this is disappointing, was looking forward to the z replacement, guess it'll take another couple of months...

 

I just wanted to hug my VPCZ122GX/B also. =)

Here are some tribute photos to the Z11/12/13 series. Even if I don't like how it doesn't feel as solid as a MBP would, I have to admit it's a beautiful beast.

 

Nice pics, I love this beauty!

 

There seems to be a new article on ascii.jp about this. By reading what google translate outputs about the article I think that this picture (LE: the first one) is the bottom of the new SA.
LE: Link to the article:
ASCII.jp???????????? Sandy Bridge??????AIO?International CES 2011????
...maybe somebody understands Japanese and can enlighten us
LE2: 2 more pictures added (sorry if these pictures were already posted before) ...

 

It doesnt say much. It just says that its the Z successor and it has switchable graphics with a physical switch above the keyboard.

 

Avoid thanks for posting those pictures. I know there was some debate before about the underside of the VPC-Z lol and it seems that Sony has responded to that-making things cleaner looking.

The gold one would look really nice with a matte lid. The design really is definetly a grower and it's also in my opinion quite a design focused laptop. In the above pictures they look very good. Build looks like it will be very good also.

Hopefully we will hear more about this laptop from Sony soon.

5ushimonster, thanks for posting those links. The S9 display is meant to be very good but the other more value line laptops are more inferior as you would expect. I don't have any interest in the Samsung budget lines.

 

Actually I think that is the bottom of the SA when the "slice" battery is attached
I think this notebook is not that bad (from the design point of view). I now have an LG P310 and I think I will switch to this one once it becomes available (if it would fit in my STM Rogue S backpack which I love).
Right now, looking at the pictures I saw so far, my main concern would be the mouse buttons. The buttons seem to have a chrome finish that doesn't look that great and I'm worried that this finish might not last (read: wear off ).
... still waiting for an official announcement or a decent hands on...

LE: And one more picture from notebookcheck.net.
article link: CES 2011: Sony unveils new concept notebooks and other refreshed models - Notebookcheck.net News
and its source:
http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/01/07/we.tour.sonys.vaio.computers.at.ces/

A very interesting quote from that article:
Finally, the VAIO S is a straightforward update to the new Core i5 family and updated graphics. Sony didn't give out many details, but the 13-inch system has been its usual balance between portability and speed; we didn't notice any changes on the outside. It starts at $900 but will be available on Sunday, January 9.

Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/01/07/we.tour.sonys.vaio.computers.at.ces/#ixzz1AYxeKBoH

LE2: 3 more articles:
http://us.aving.net/news/view.php?articleId=181166
http://www.digitaltrends.com/trade-...ps-leverage-sheet-batteries-glowing-finishes/
http://blog.laptopmag.com/sony-vaio...tic-is-cool-again-z-replacement#axzz1AZ4LXs93
...getting more concerned about those touchpad buttons

 

These VAIOs look quite good, despite lack of cylindrical hinge which is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful part of premium-class VAIOs

I think Sony should design notebook with minimal number of unnecessary grooves (just like in MacBooks). It looks more aesthetic especially if someone perceive notebooks as a whole device, both in performance and design.

 

Thank you guys for posting links.

I didn't like the slice battery idea that much...

The new checkered pattern carbon lid:



--------------------------------------------------------------------------



this picture of VAIO Z is so romantic , I love the green power button and the integrated cylindrical hinge.
Here is a tribute for VAIO Z:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RldgRqyhj8

 

anybody noticed how it would be hard to reach headphone jack! I'm still not convinced about this location!, I think it would be more okay if it was additional.

EDIT: as I expected... it appears to be additional. There is an another jack on the right which supports headphones or mic.

 

Is it just me or did anyone else notice something odd with the above photo?

I know that the angle & view of photo taking & such plays a part but it looks like the lid is way bigger than the palmrest/base of the notebook......

 

Nice visual illusion if you open your 13 incher and it appears as a 17" laptop.

 

Im liking this model more and more, the blocking ports monster should be then a dock that was made for this model, why sony cant make a dock like the one from the dell latitude z600

the laptop inductive charger:


the WIRELESS dock:

 

I think that could be the power connector port for the VAIO notebook. Maybe the connecting tip of the power brick has been "drastically" slimmed down in this series.

 

If you look closer, that is clearly marked to be a headphone jack. Power connector sits on the top right side of the unit.

 

Ha, my bad.... I guess I need to make an appointment with my Optometrist soon.

Anyway, I think that earphone connector at the left end of the notebook is not necessarily bad because one can hook it up to a set of external speakers when the notebook is on a desk & it makes cable management easier too.

Off-topic. The refreshed VAIO S series is on the SonyStyle USA online store. After browsing through it, I got to admit that I'm very tempted to buy a new VAIO S notebook (instead of the VAIO SA) to replace my old VAIO Z notebook.

 

More hands on with it. Sony VAIO Design Concepts Hands-on: Plastic is Cool Again, Z Replacement?