still no lighted keyboards?

in their entire lineup? i don't get it. don't the executives actually use the product?

 

Currently, there are no backlit keyboards being offered in the entire lineup, although I believe that this is highly likely to change in the near future.

Err.... it's not that the executives don't actually use the product, I think Sony believe that the executives will only use their notebooks in regular office environments, which means that the working environments will most probably be brightly lit, so there is no point in implementing such a function. However, I may be very, very, very wrong on this last statement.

 

I, for one, would really, REALLY like to see this implemented. I've become accustomed to tilting the screen down to light up the keyboard, but that's a bad workaround.

Was a problem on my TZ, SZ and now Z. Not sure why it is so difficult to add this feature across the lineup. I'd be willing to pay a premium for it.

 

Wasn't there someone else complaining in the same direction?

Using a laptop in a dark environment increases exe strain.

Backlit keyboards are more a gimmick than useful - also it removes some of the toughness of a regular keyboard.
A regular keyboard will not fail with a tiny spillage - a backlight one may.

 

Rather than a backlight keyboard, I'd rather see Sony put ALL the keys where they're supposed to go, so people CAN type in the dark. Heck, I wouldn't mind if the key faces were blank too, as long as the keys were all in the right spot -- with touch typing, you don't need to see the keys, but you do need consistency.

 

Which keys aren't in the right place?
As far as I can tell my SZ has the keys in the same place as any other laptop.

Have you got a different language keyboard?

 

US English keyboard.

There's a blue Fn key crammed between the left CTRL and Windows key, so when I try to hit, say, Alt-S to do a save, I end up hitting Windows+S instead.

Just as bad, the right control keys are all moved to the left to give room for the cursor keys.
Note to notebook manufacturers: If you use the cursor keys, you're not touch typing at that point, and don't require the keys to be reachable from the FJ position. Place a PSP-style four-way rocker switch next to the keypad, and give me back my control key where it's supposed to go!

Then there's the F-key row, where the keys have been made much smaller to make room for more of them, which means that when I aim for, say, F9, I hit F12 instead. And the top right four keys aren't even in the right order -- the print screen and scroll lock have switched places.
Again, people don't touch type those keys. They can go on the same row as the CD Eject button.

 

On the Fn key I actually get annoyed if its at the far left instead of moved "one in".
Its a laptopspeciality I beleive - and different manufacturers place it in different placed.

Fn keys - I never had a problem with them - but then I'm not touch typing.
But aren't fn keys on laptops smaller anyways?

I suspect you're nitpicking in a way - I think there will always be some compromise on a laptop keyboard.

But then, I can only type on laptop kyboards, and will survive on a "flat" external keyboard...

 

Thinkpad has it reversed that way, FN at extreme left , hated it. I use Ctrl more often then any other combination and 80% of times was hitting wrong one, so - no, thank you) BTW. Have european FZ and find the UK English keyboard layout smarter then US.

 

Sins of the past. From what I can tell, Thinkpads now have the F1 start over the 1 just like other machines.
AFAICT, only Microsoft keyboards now have F1 to the far left, with the ESC key moved away (presumably to irritate users of operating systems where ESC is actually used, i.e. all the rest).

Why, oh why can't they put it next to the space bar so it won't change the place of any other key?

 

rather than backlighted , how if they put fluorescent keys..lol

 

All of these arguments about key placement is exactly why we need backlit keyboards. While I don't need to constantly peer at the keyboard to type, I do need to verify the placement of a function key, page up, page down, etc. I don't need it often, but I've reached the point where every time I squint and move the angle of the panel to verify I'm about to hit the right key I cringe. I've looking very closely at the FW because I think the 16.4" is the best sized 16:9 for my purposes. Lack of backlit keyboard is the only thing that makes me reconsider at this point. (Oh, and that I am waiting for it to come with 7 on it.)

 

I'd love lighted keyboard, I'll be probably more productive.

 

...except the VAIO Z's keyboard, which failed miserably when I spilled a small amount of syrup on the middle of the keyboard. Roughly half the keys got entirely messed up, and four keys no longer function at all. The Z's keyboard is definitely not designed to handle spillage of any kind, and is a ￥30,000 part to replace.

In contrast, my Thinkpad's keyboard is designed for handling spills (I could have flushed the keyboard with water to remove the syrup, too). I actually prefer the Thinklight to a backlit keyboard, because it can also illuminate papers/business cards/etc.

 

Interesting...

 

I wouldn't mind having a lighted keyboard myself. I know where the regular keys all are without looking, but I always have to look to make sure I'm hitting the numbered keys right. Plus this UK keyboard has certain keys in spots that I just can't seem to get used to.

 

Set it to your native lagauge

I've got a USB keyboard (UK) for my old lapto and its set to German - only the brackets fool me all the time.

(ruined the old keyboard and its a now close to 4,5 years old laptop, USB keyboard was the cheapest option)

 

But my native language is English.

 

So do you come from a US keyboard then?

 

Yes, my other ones had a US keyboard and this is a UK. There are not a ton of differences, but just enough to annoy me as I sit here in the dark typing.

 

So set the keyboard layout to "US" in Windows and you should be alright)

 

thanks for the lively dialogue......as i type (peck) away on my macbook pro, with its illuminated keyboard!

looking at some upcoming Win7 machines...Dell has plenty with optional backlighting, HP too, Sony???

 

Oh, and nother argument against backlight - its a battery eater.
I suppose you can switch it off, but then you have a swich that breaks and that transparent plastic you can sometimes get on other proudcts isn't that visible.

 

lol. a cheap solution? Just get a usb Light, the Vaio Z series has the usb port positioned perfectly for it. XD

Can even use it to illuminate your paper documents!