5 comments about Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/B 13.3" Laptop (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Black.

1. This laptop suffers from several expected and unexpected (features). First, it costs about twice what it should, compared to its competition. There is only one widescreen screen resolution available, anything else is just distortion. Don't buy this unless you have young eyes or expect to wear maginfying glass spectacles. Surprisingly, there is a lot of plastic in this case - they want you to believe its all metal but the bottom is plastic and quite flimsy. Sony has loaded it with a ton of useless software. Vista uses 1 gig of ram to start up - don't think of ordering this with less than 2 gigs. Ah, Vista, its really too bad that you can't get this laptop with XP as Vista is the most bloated piece of junk Microsoft has ever designed. My company is still able to order Lenovo laptops with XP and will, until absolutely forced to go to Vista.



2. I bought this laptop for replacement of my broken Dell Inspiron 700M. I really like this laptop so far.
   
   This laptop is nicely constructed and it is lighter than my Dell. This laptop is mostly made up of plastic and only the keyboard area are metallic. I am not sure what kind of metal did Sony used, maybe magnesium alloy as what they have claimed on their advertisement. The keyboard is really nice, it doesn't flex like many other laptops and it is very quite.
   
   The machine remains very cool even thought you have your setting on maximum performance. It might generate little bit of heat on palm rest area, but it won't bothers you like my Dell. The fan is always on, however it doesn't make a lot of noise.
   
   The screen on this laptop is best I have seen so far. It is very bright and sharp. You can adjust the resolution if you think 1280X800 pixels are too small for you. there are 4 different of resolution you can change to.
   
   



3. I bought this laptop for college, and it's the best laptop i have used so far!
   First off, I have to say that this laptop runs VERY cool and quiet, even when gaming. My laptop temperature never went over 60C even when i was gaming, and I can barely hear the fan even when the laptop is under stress.
   This laptop is FAST, It loads programs super fast, and it can multitask very well, I usually have more than 10 programs opened at the same time (firefox, aim, msn, yim, skype, itunes, outlook, photoshop cs3, etc), and this laptop has had no problems handling that.
   This is laptop also gives you easy access to the RAM and the Harddrive, so it would be really easy if you want to upgrade the RAM or the harddrive(or a SSD) later on.
   The screen is very bright and vibrant! I usually have to turn the brightness down a bit, because it hurts my eyes at full brightness.
   The keyboard is very unique and easy to type on, and the laptop has a large and responsive trackpad, a fingerprint reader, you can use the fingerprint reader to log in to windows, websites, im programs, etc. very convieient.
   The battery life usually lasts around 4 hours for under normal use, like web browser, word processing, etc
   This laptop is very light, just a little over 4lbs, very easy to carry around.
   its a really good looking laptop
   when im at school, people would always be like wow that's a really great looking laptop.
   The built quality is excellent, the cover and the palmrest area are made out of magnesium, but there are some flex on the right palm rest area, and on the screen, but not a big deal at all.
   
   Pros:
   solid performance
   excellent screen
   great looking
   light
   excellent battery life
   cool/quiet running
   mode switch
   built in 1.3mp camera, and mic
   
   Cons:
   lousy speakers!!!
   flex at some parts of the laptop
   part of the laptop is made out of plastic
   came loaded with bloastwares



4. I bought the Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/B 13.3 inch notebook after 4 years with my old Acer laptop. The Acer was bulky and ran pretty hot, so this time I decided to get myself something more compact, since I want to be able to comfortably hold it on my lap. I have to say that I'm very pleased with this notebook.
   
   This VAIO is very small and light. It weighs something like 4 lbs. Besides being compact and light, I also like the fact that it doesn't run hot. It stays cool pretty much all the time. The fans are very quiet and barely noticable, even when they spool up (which happens once every two days, if that). The design of the notebook is very nice. I wish it had more USB slots, but there's always some trade offs with a compact notebook. The biggest drawback is that the screen is on the small size. If you have bad vision you'll have a hard time with the screen resolution. Unfortunately the screen resolution can only be adjusted in such a way that it looks like absolute crap if it's anything other than the native resolution. I'm not a computer wiz, so I don't know how else to explain it. Personally, the 13.3 inch screen works out fine for me.
   
   Other than that, it runs Vista without any problems. I haven't experienced any slowdowns so far. Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase. For those looking to buy one of the 13.3 inch VAIOs, make sure that you are Ok with the screen size, because it may be a little too small for some people.



5. I've been using Fijutsu's Lifebooks for years so when this arrived, I was disappointed to find that I hadn't bought a compact laptop but in fact a regular sized heavy laptop. It is slightly smaller than large laptops but not small enough to make much difference, and it's far heavier than the two pound laptops I'm used to.
   
   The screen looks excellent. It's bright and has great accurate color. The keyboard is full sized with plenty of space between the keys. The CPU is very fast as is the hard disk. This is the first laptop I've owned that had enough CPU, memory and a screen accurate enough to edit pictures and do color correction. The speakers are good although a lot of sound seems to be coming out of the bottom of the laptop.
   
   The laptop does have a fan which isn't noisy but is certainly not silent. The laptop runs very cool but a warm laptop has never bothered me. There is a lack of USB outputs (only two) and there is no HDMI out, only an old VGA. It does have an SD slot as well as a slot for Sony's beloved Memory Stick, probably for the Sony employees who have to use them. The trackpad buttons are strangely noisy but they give you good feedback. Battery life is acceptable but nothing outstanding. There are lots of "mode" buttons that some may find useful but I have yet to push any of them.
   
   Sony is known for loading their laptops with every mediocre bit of software available and they don't disappoint here. Allocate some time to remove a lot of poorly-written junk that will extend your boot time, fill your memory and clutter your screen.
   
   What's especially annoying is that there is a very powerful Intel graphics chip inside, however the DVD application Sony gives you isn't compatible with it -- the hardware acceleration options are disabled. It turns out you have to purchase one of two DVD players that are compatible with the chip's MPEG acceleration (called Clear Video; check Intel's web site). Of course most people aren't going to know this so they'll run their battery down watching a DVD with the free software-only player. Even those who know about the graphics chip won't feel like buying a special player when they already got one with the laptop. Why can't Sony include applications made for the very hardware you've just paid for?
   
   And I agree with those who say that Vista is a tremendous burden on the system. You can forget about using the first gigabyte of memory for applications because Vista needs that just to boot up. Unfortunately no Linux distributions support the graphics chip yet but support for it has been checked into freedesktop.org so it's on the way.

2 comments about Toshiba Satellite A305-S6857 15.4-inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Black.

1. I really liked the style of this laptop. That was what made me interested right off the bat. I liked how Toshiba fused the black and gray together.
   
   The second thing that sealed the deal for me was the 4 gigs of ram that comes in this laptop. I was also very happy to see a 320 gig hard drive, too.
   
   The sound quality of this laptop is very outstanding compared to most laptops. You can turn up what ever it is you're listening to at a comfortable level and not have your speakers crack.
   
   The built in web cam is a nice feature, also.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this laptop to any college student.



2. This is my third Toshiba laptop in 6 years. I love to trade up. My first Toshiba laptop is still in use! This one is fantastic! FOUR gig of RAM was a big plus, along with the webcam and the neat USB SLEEP and CHARGE port for charging Ipods etc if the computer is plugged in but turned off.
   The screen is sharp and clear with no glare. The keyboard is very comfortable and I love the smooth-surface touchpad...no room for grit and grime to settle in the edges. The battery life seems to be three hours plus! The only negative is getting rid of all the free/trial software.
   This is a wonderful computer. I was able to get it for $649 (with $200 mail-in rebate). Family and friends have had DELL and Gateway, but my Toshiba's have always been outstanding.

5 comments about Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI5 17-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium).

1. My daily driver is a tiny VAIO TXN17P - I really like it - it is my fifth in the 10.25 inch screen series - I treat it like a blackberry - it goes everywhere with me - it is lightweight.
   
   And that is also its problem - just short of the performance I need for some creative work.
   
   So I bought the Toshiba Satellite X205 SLI6 so I had a powerful machine, dedicated to work I mostly do at home, but "luggable" for when I want the freedom to move around.
   
   First I should say that the machine came out of the box and worked perfectly in all regards from the start. It is a work of art - nice to touch and nice to look at.
   
   I'm not that much of a "gamer", so I can't help by reviewing the machine's potential for that use
   
   For me, it is dedicated to the Adobe CS3 suite and to MS Visual Studio. I use its monitor and when it is in its normal place a VS 21 inch side by side in dual screen mode. The graphics on both are fast and stunning for my work.
   
   As to performance, I have a love/hate relationship with Norton 360. I believe it does a really good job protecting me, but at the same time, even though I've done lots of configuration to improve performance, it hurts a lot on my little VAIO. So you can see how I'd use that as a subjective benchmark on the Toshiba. The result? I don't even notice it running and I have not tuned it. I rate it at 100 nortstones.
   
   I do have a couple of complaints. I'm sure this first item is my bad for no doing due diligence, but I had thought that the T9300 processor was 64bit, I knew the machine was configure with 3GB, but also had seen the spec that it could go to 4GB, so I made the assumption that I'd be getting a 64bit Vista OS. Not true - it is 32bit. It is not that I need 64bit desperately, but (still assuming it could be upgraded), I was really expecting to get a machine that I didn't need to do all the driver upgrades and so forth for.
   
   The second complaint is with the power brick. It is a whopping 2 pounds and draws 180W. I'm afraid to use my 130W iGo to charge it. And another Toshiba adapter is $85.
   
   Overall, a good value. Hope this was helpful.



2. This is my fourth Toshiba laptop, and I have always found them to be stable and hard-working machines. They are reliable and I've never had a single hardware problem in 6 years. That said, Toshibas are usually weighty and can be slower than comparable laptops. This time around, I needed more speed and better graphics, and chose the 17" X205-SLI5. It's configured as a gaming computer with Nvidia drivers, and handles my high speed applications with confidence. I didn't need the surround-sound speakers or subwoofer, but having watched a DVD on this laptop, I'm now sold on them. The Vista operating system is much ado about nothing. It's like a ramped up XP, and you can easily disable the annoying windows animation. I ordered through Amazon, and the computer was sold and shipped by J&R with no problems. One minor complaint is that the touch pad "button mode" toggle is on the touchpad itself. Frequently I find myself accidentally toggled into that mode, which is irritating. I have not found a way to disable this feature, so am living with it as is. Also, this model is heavy even by Toshiba's standards, but I knew that when I ordered this computer. So I give it a solid four stars and a high recommendation.



3. If you want a desktop PC sitting in your lap, get this. If you want a laptop PC, don't get this. You may think like I did, "Oh, it can't be that big. And, it's a laptop, so I can use it anywhere."
   
   Not. You can't easily lift it with one hand. Once you put it down somewhere, you'll need to be motivated to take it somewhere else.
   
   Do yourself a favor and invest in some killer hardware for your desktop.



4. If you're reading this review right now, then chances are you want to make sure you are making the right choice.
   Let me assure you, if you're planning on purchasing a Toshiba laptop, you are not.
   
   Please, google "toshiba laptop complaints" and get the REAL reviews.
   As for my input...
   this is a conversation that took place in an authorized toshiba shipping store:
   me: "Man, let me tell you something... NEVER buy a Toshiba laptop."
   clerk: "With the ammount of them that we ship back every month, I never would."
   
   ..just in case you were wondering how many laptops this authorized postal service receives from customer and ships out for repair every month - "..about 30" is the answer that I got
   
   Good luck.



5. I purchased the x205-s9810 back in July to replace a Dell Inspiron I had. I did it primarily to play WOW and get more than 12 FPS ;-). I haven't tried any other heavy duty games like Crysis or anything, although I hear that it runs very well with it. (I did try Star Wars Galaxies, but that game's graphics suck anyway....)
   
   Pros:
   
   [...]
   
   Ports: All major inputs and outputs (6 USB, HDMI, etc...).
   
   Touch Pad: Touch pad is very cool (especially the volume control).
   
   Keyboard: Keyboard layout rocks. Ilove the silver matte finish.
   
   Speakers: the Sound!!! WOW. Best sound out of a laptop I've heard.
   
   Media keys and camera are a cool feature. Overall aesthetics are nice.
   
   OS: Vista is fine if you turn off all the annoying admin pop-ups, configure the windows and views, etc... I've only ran into problems doing heavy networking, WebDav, etc.. But then again, it's not for business, but pleasure and gaming.
   
   Fingerprint Scanner: I use this everyday to log in. Very nice feature.
   
   Cons:
   These are MINOR cons (and why I gave it 4 stars; wish they had 1/2 stars....):
   
   Glossy Finish: As others have said the glossy finish, both on the monitor and cover, grab finger prints like nobody's business. BUT did I buy it for looks? No. So that's not a big deal to me. I wouldn't pass this computer up just beacause of looks...
   
   Fans: The fans blow out to the right and left. This means that if you use a mouse a lot (like I do), your hand will burn up in no time. I have resorted to taping a piece of folded paper to the right side to deflect the heat away. This heat really only comes into play when you're gaming. They should have made the fans blow out the back instead.
   
   DVD Drive: I've only used the DVD drive once to install something and it was VERY loud; vibrated like crazy. I'll have to try another soon to get a better idea. The laptop was, however, sitting on a stand at a 30 deg. angle so that might have had something to do with it.
   
   Standby: For some reason, every now and then, when I put the unit on standby, and try and unplug a USB device, it shuts down. Now, this is probably my fault due to the pulling of the USB device andnot stopping it first. If I pull it out first, and then put it on stand by, everything is fine.
   
   Power Brick: Yep...it's a brick. Heavy and hot especially when gaming. BUT AGAIN, what do you expect from a gaming laptop! Doesn't bother me a bit.
   
   Weight: Heavy, heavy, heavy. But I don't care as I would expect that from a gaming laptop. Not a big deal to me. I'm not a wimp so I can handle carrying it around the house and to the local gaming coffee house.
   
   Conclsions:
   For the money and features, and especially if you're a casual gamer, this is the best gaming laptop on the market so far. If you are a intermediate to advanced computer user, the computer will end up working like a charm once you configure Vista like you need it (I had bought a copy of XP in case Vista was as bad as people said, but I didn't need it). I am very happy with the laptop so far.

2 comments about Gateway P-173XL FX Edition Notebook PC - Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless, 4GB DDR2, 400GB HDD, DL DVDRW, 17" WUXGA, Fingerprint Reader, Webcam, Windows Vista Ultimate.

1. We bought a Gateway and Windows got hosed for some reason. We called 1-800-GATEWAY for support. Guess what? If you buy a Gateway anywhere but their website you must call a separate toll number. WTF!? Then we needed to restore it but the restore partition was bad. Had to get the recovery disk. They charged me $20 for a $1 CD-R. Then it wouldn't work, and they wanted to charge me to tell me how to use it. Again WTF? These people are horrible. Save yourself a lot of trouble and get a Mac. Get HP. Get an abacus. Anything but Gateway.



2. This laptop is cool ... actually i think its the best for gaming !!
   
   2.4GHz Is not bad
   
   FAST 400GB HDD , WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE and the screen is sexy with the res 1920x1200
   
   i dont agree with that guy who said about the restore cd and stuff
   
   u get the CD with the laptop and u have it on ur D drive Recovery Drive and you can Burn it on a disc any time
   
   
   now .. lets talk about what things i didnt like on it :
   
   when playing Crysis or any other game with high graphix .. the 8800 GTS gets hot !! u need to open the bottom vents and it will be cool :D
   
   another thing .. the laptop these days is getting HOT !! .. under the laptop .. i think its from the HDD ? i dunno .. it wasnt like that .. and now im not blocking any holding it and typing to get let it cool down :))

5 comments about CTL E09XPH 9” 2go classmate PC Laptop (900 MHz Intel Celeron Processor, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, XP Home) Bone/Grey.

1. This unit is all it is said to be. Feels very sturdy and seems to be made out of material that would allow this to survive a fall from the table. Yes the keyboard is tight and takes time to adjust if you are a fast typer but this shouldn't be your primary PC. Great for kids or for traveling. The handle is what made it for me. However, I had to return my unit as it just couldn't make and keep a wireless connect. Amazon sent another one. It did better but still had only half the ability to pick up and keep connections as my 4 year old laptop. Since I needed this for traveling, this was not workable so returned again. I had the Unix version and the second unit consistently locked up. Made Windows look flawless. The speed of the unit was on the slow side but acceptable. Hated to let it go as the whole family loved it.



2. This thing is great. Better than advertised. And we downloaded openoffice.org for free and can now do everything we normally did with Microsoft. Great for taking to class and doing work because it is so lite and can fit into a purse or bag so easily! And a 40g hard drive is plenty of room!



3. It might look cute, and it does exactly what it claims to do, but look at the price. You can get laptops with stiffer hardware specs at Dealnews or others sites for the same or a little more in price. I don't see the rationale for paying that much for inferior hardware when vendors are still trying to get laptops from 3 years ago out of inventory, all of which have better specs than this cute little system. It does what it says, but that does not make it a value.
   
   On this very same site, you can get the ASUS Eee PC 900 16G which has double the RAM, a better screen, a 16GB SSD, an extra USB port and costs $50 dollars less.
   
   Looking at this makes me want to go put on a Steve Gutenberg fan-shirt and watch Short Circuit.



4. I tend to agree with all the other reviews so far, so I won't repeat what they said. I do need to give a couple of warnings:
   
   1. Wireless internet connection doesn't work after upgrading to Windows XP SP3. Once I upgrade, the wireless is able to connect to my router and my other PC's, but internet connection is spotty at best and broken at worst.
   
   2. Customer support is nonexistent! I've emailed them a couple of times and no one has responded after three weeks. They don't seem to offer telephone support.
   
   3. Reformatting drive using provided recovery disk crashes computer. I thought my wireless issues might be a software issue so I tried using the recovery disk to start from scratch, but after the hard drive was reformatted, the computer would freeze on the initial 2goPC screen with no way of going forward. I had to return the laptop to Amazon and get a replacement, which is when I figured out the wireless problem only occurs when Service Pack 3 is installed.



5. I originally purchased this for my 9 year old because the kids computer was losing keys and was sufficiently outdated that it would not run some of the games like the new versions of Zoo Tycoon. I liked the idea that this would have a more durable "kid-friendly" form factor. However, it is woefully underpowered and frankly, not significantly more durable than some of the comparably priced Acer or Asus systems. In addition, the CTL, Acer Aspire and Asus EEe do not have DVD/CD drives which is very inconvenient if you want to run children's games which require the original disk be in the drive in order to run.
   
   I came across an Acer Extensa which is a dual AMD with 2 GB memory. I bought the Extensa at Best Buy for 399 which is less than the CTL or the Asus EEe and the Acer Aspire and it has better specs. It has a larger 14" screen and it is a comparable size to the CTL. While the Extensa comes with Vista and is an "ok" speed, if you wipe it and install Windows XP -- you have a system with performance that should last indefinitely for the kids -- particularly if you use Open Office (a great FREE alternative to MS Office).
   
   So if you want an economical system for the kids that will allow them to play today's memory/CPU intensive games AND be able to do dual duty as a "real system" capable of running office and home productivity suites, check out the Acer Extensa or even the Aspire systems. In the long run, it will be cheaper since you won't be looking at having to upgrade in a year as the needs of the kids and your family changes.

1 comments about HP Pavilion DV6920US 15.4-inch Laptop (2.00 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium).

1. This laptop is stunning to look at, with a state-of-the-art look and feel. The monitor is fantastic. I use mine 98% of the time at home--which is good, because it is heavy. if you travel a lot, I recommend a smaller and lighter laptop for that reason.

5 comments about Asus Eee PC 4G (7-inch Screen, 800 MHz Intel Celeron Processor, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB Hard Drive, Linux Preloaded) Galaxy Black.

1. I spend a lot of time traveling to and waiting in doctors offices. In the past, that time was lost but since I received my Eee PC, waiting time is now productive time. The little computer boots up quickly and it's battery lasts for a couple hours without needing a charge. So now, if I'm told that I'll be waiting for hours for a scheduled appointment, I just pull out my Eee PC and start working. I quickly adjusted to the small keyboard and find I'm able to work on it almost as quickly as my regular computer. However, I have small hands and I think that helps. The keyboard would be awkward for someone with large hands.



2. I bought this pretty mini laptop a couple of week ago, I just can said that I really love this notebook, the size is perfect to go anywhere with it, the weight is around 1 Kg that is unbelievable light, I put in my backpack I can felt the difference between a real notebook. The linux software for me is better than windows I never have problem to run my application. I good point to buy this pretty mini notebook is the super fast boot up and shut down. The programs open so quickly and I never find a virus in my eeepc 4G. I love go to my class with this laptop the keyboard are little but if you now to type you don't have a problem with this. The wireless card are so good, Its catch all the signals of my university. The webcam is a extra value is not the best resolution I saw in a webcam but is similar to competitor. I really recommend this computer for anyone that like an extreme mobility and amazing partner in studies.



3. Wanted a $500 laptop and this was it. Windows XP version was not out yet when I bought this around a year ago. Pros: very, very quick boot up and for WiFi to lock in signal; works great for reading, writing emails, reviewing pdf docs, Word document editing, Xcel document editing. Falls apart when docs get too intensive with graphics and macros, etc. Very light weight, very quick shut down compared to Windows XP computers. Never worry about viruses due to Linux OS. Cons: I came up using DOS and Windows, so I don't know anything about Linux, so it took effort to "customize" things. Youtube videos choppy sometimes, even though I increased RAM to 1 GB. Storage of file is awful since no resident hard drive. If you use memory card, then computer runs annoying start-up panel that you must dismiss/respond to. I'm pretty computer literate but could not synch this computer with my desktop Outlook database. No on-board DVD player so you cannot watch movies. Conclusion: this computer is suited for very light office work, quick jump on and jump off internet surfing and emails. Of course prices of laptops that use Microsoft software dropping so fast that this Linux computer no longer on the cutting edge.



4. I bought this item for a specifc purpose and within hours of getting it I knew it was a great choice. A have to admit a friend who earns a living as a computer professional helped me decide. Right after I received it and took it to the place he, I, and other friends visit a lot he had to checked it out. Well, he ordered one right there and 3 others took down all the info and thought they would also order it. And let me tell you their purposes were different from mine. So it's a shame Amazon doesn't have a referral program for maybe some gift cards. This item is really nice. Just what I need to write short stories. My regular laptop, which I rarely use, is too heavy and bulky. The keyboard takes some getting use to but what new electronics don't. Bought the Kindle book reader same time and it's hard to put one down to pick up the other. Am not that smart about hardware. All I know is if it does what I want it's good. Software-wise I do lots of 3d graphics with many commercial programs. The software included here is more than enough for most casual users. Certainly not for the specialized computer user but thats a good thing. Surf the net, use word processing, spreadsheets, presentations. databases, etc? Then is the laptop for you and the price is great. Oh and it's fast.



5. Exactly what I was looking for. After carrying a heavy laptop that hardly fits under the plane seat, I was thrilled to get this unit to travel with. When on the road, we use it to catch up on email and browse the web.
   
   I 'pimped' it to use the normal Linux front end, much nicer than the dumbed down front end.
   
   The web cam was an extra perk I paid for, but it only works with Skype, and not the usual IM suspects supported under pidgin. I tried to download the Yahoo IM for Linux software, but th were too many dependencies for things not availalble on the debian OS provided.

5 comments about Sony VAIO VGN-CR407E/P 14.1-inch Laptop (1.73 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Pink.

1. I am very disappointed with Sony VAIO. My first Sony VAIO's power connector broke after two years. Now this new one I bought three month ago, the charger stopped working. This is very annoying because all my files are in the computer. It is amazing the quality of Sony is becoming so poor, and I am not going to buy another Sony for sure.



2. My dad, mom and sister own vaio's (that I use everyday) and i'm next, I love the compatibility sony has through it's electronics with there sony pro duo memory cards, there customer service is great, my dad has had many questions that were answerd fast and he has been happy with them. What I have found is people sometimes blame computer makers for problems with windows ect.. I know alot about computers and windows, sony makes quality computers with fantastic looking designs. tech support is also a must have with a computer purchase and sony makes it easy.



3. Perfect product!fast shipping!
   But I found BestBuy offer a upgrade hardware of same product with same price. -_-



4. I purchased this laptop to work from home with. At first I was over charged $150.00 by Amazon. I got that settled. When I received the laptop, the CD/DVD door was jammed closed and I was unable to open it. I called right away and was sent a replacement and told NOT to send the defective one back until i received tne replacement one- I liked that, since you never know what can happen in the mail. The second laptop arrived quickly and appears to work fine.
   Over all the laptop is nice, but the transaction with Amazon was a little sour.



5. DO NOT BUY THIS COMPUTER!!! Mine is a little over a year old (of course) and the wiring has burned out and now Sony wants $699 to repair this and install a new mother board. I did not buy an extended warranty because the salesman told me how wonderful and reliable and etc. this computer is - LIES! I'm not sinking that much money into a defective computer that doesn't even work for two years. I took the $699 and bought a new Dell desktop that I really like. While I miss the convenience of the laptop, I'll never buy another one - especially not a Sony! When I was able to use it I had to put a thick towel between it and my legs because it got so hot it burned me. Of course, this model is not covered by the recall, even though it obviously has the same problem as the T models.

4 comments about Sony VAIO VGN-Z520N/B 13.1" Laptop (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor, 3 GB of RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business) Black.

1. I anxiously awiated the delivery of a Sony Z to replace my older TX series, and use my notebook as a road warrior and have always enjoyed Sony products. However, this one disappointed me upon receipt as instead of spending an afternoon setting my computer up, I spent it on the phone with Sony Support. If you look at the original listing/advert you see XP Downgrade listed about 3 times, however, a disc is NOT included with the computer, and after placing 3 phone calls to Sony Support, Parts & Accessories, and then Customer Relations, I have learned that one is not currently available with a delivery estimate given of November (it's currently August as I write this!). This should be clearly noted in any advertisements, as many folks still use and rely upon Windows XP for work and I would not have ordered this computer at this time if I could not downgrade straight out of the box. VERY disappointing. I was angered enough to *not* find the downgrade disc included, but to learn that it was not contemplated to meet the release of the computer is negligent and misleading especially in light of the advertising.
   
   Other than that, computer looks nice, and reminds me of the TX/TZ with that extra inch or so that I always wanted without going to the size of a full notebook. The power adapter is quite bulky and heavy compared with previous Sony Vaio power bricks and comes with a beefy 3-prong cord as well -- a lot of weight to add to an otherwise svelt computer.
   
   I am certain that others will buy and enjoy this computer, especially if you are OK with Windows Vista and don't require Windows XP for business. But for those who do, it's a show stopper...and I would recommend that you wait until sony rectifies this and/or it is properly advertised.
   
   Software, especially an Operating System, is as important to the product as the hardware component. Inasmuch as Sony didn't (and apparently cannot) currently deliver all that was clearly advertised, I am only giving the Sony Vaio VGNZ570N/B 1 star.



2. Initial experience was mixed. The set up files for Microsoft One Care were corrupted (and on the restore partion also). I tried Norton 360 trial for security. Wireless sped seems to be slower than previous Centrino N setups. Sony support went on the system and nearly trashed it. I suspect the excellent but very tight security of Norton, may have added to my problems. After initial frustration, I tied to restore it to factory settings and used a disc for Microsoft One care. With his new instalation, what a difference. This is now the computer I was looking for. While the WiFi is still at 65 Mpbs, video from other computers comes in smooth I am using a D-Link dir 655 N router). The Sprint wireless works very well. The unit has builtin GPS and works easlilly with Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009. Battery life is good, with wireless on I would estimate 3-4 hours of usefull battery life (with the standard battery).I have been using now for 4 days since my reinstall and a so far no further glitches. The unit is a pleasure to use.



3. I received this lap top in couple of days after the release. So far I dont have any issues and everything is very cool with this cute lop top. Creating and restoring the PC is like cake walk.
   
   Only problem is the sony tech support. They dont have much knowledge. As I myself a techi, I hope I dont need their support. I give five star as this for the PC and not for the service. Otherwise I would have given only three or four stars.



4. Got it last week. Looks great. Feels just perfect. It is an ideal travel laptop. Only one little problem. The unit comes with Vista without any hope (as of now) of downgrading to XP. Why downgrade? Well, because some applications will not run well on vista (or not at all), networking with other computers is a nightmare (if you have XP computers at home and want to share printers or a network drive with this laptop- well it is a shot in the dark and I still can't get it to work right despite hours spent online and on the machine), the OS seems to go out of its way to slow the machine down (a simple example - word2007 opens in less time on a three year old laptop running xp than on this one - and this after I used msconfig to disable most of the startup services).
   But I have to say, Vista looks really nice and if looks were all that mattered, and you did not need to interact with xp computers or are limited to running standard office applications - then it is a very nice laptop. Sony did a great job - too bad the OS is not pulling it's weight. Shame a great laptop gets dragged down by a lousy OS..

5 comments about Sony VAIO VGN-CR407E/R 14.1-inch Laptop (1.73 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Red.

1. I am very disappointed with Sony VAIO. My first Sony VAIO's power connector broke after two years. Now this new one I bought three month ago, the charger stopped working. This is very annoying because all my files are in the computer. It is amazing the quality of Sony is becoming so poor, and I am not going to buy another Sony for sure.



2. My dad, mom and sister own vaio's (that I use everyday) and i'm next, I love the compatibility sony has through it's electronics with there sony pro duo memory cards, there customer service is great, my dad has had many questions that were answerd fast and he has been happy with them. What I have found is people sometimes blame computer makers for problems with windows ect.. I know alot about computers and windows, sony makes quality computers with fantastic looking designs. tech support is also a must have with a computer purchase and sony makes it easy.



3. Perfect product!fast shipping!
   But I found BestBuy offer a upgrade hardware of same product with same price. -_-



4. I purchased this laptop to work from home with. At first I was over charged $150.00 by Amazon. I got that settled. When I received the laptop, the CD/DVD door was jammed closed and I was unable to open it. I called right away and was sent a replacement and told NOT to send the defective one back until i received tne replacement one- I liked that, since you never know what can happen in the mail. The second laptop arrived quickly and appears to work fine.
   Over all the laptop is nice, but the transaction with Amazon was a little sour.



5. DO NOT BUY THIS COMPUTER!!! Mine is a little over a year old (of course) and the wiring has burned out and now Sony wants $699 to repair this and install a new mother board. I did not buy an extended warranty because the salesman told me how wonderful and reliable and etc. this computer is - LIES! I'm not sinking that much money into a defective computer that doesn't even work for two years. I took the $699 and bought a new Dell desktop that I really like. While I miss the convenience of the laptop, I'll never buy another one - especially not a Sony! When I was able to use it I had to put a thick towel between it and my legs because it got so hot it burned me. Of course, this model is not covered by the recall, even though it obviously has the same problem as the T models.