Toshiba PA3479U-1BRS Battery |
Posted: October 1, 2014 |
The VAIO S delivers Intel Wireless Display technology for wirelessly streaming video content to your HDTV. Sony was also kind enough to add a LED-backlit keyboard to make it easier to type in dark environments.The new 16-inch Sony VAIO F is a multimedia notebook with built-in 3D display that also includes 3D Active Shutter Glasses to let you enjoy 3D movies, photos, and video in Full 1080p HD picture quality. Using the latest Intel processors and a display with an ultra-fast, 240 GHz refresh rate, the VAIO F packs plenty of punch for watching Blu-ray movies on the built-in BD-ROM/DVD/CD drive and supports 3d Blu-ray Discs. The VAIO F uses a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and dedicated NVIDIA GeForce graphics with 1 GB of dedicated video memory for solid multimedia performance.The 11-inch Sony VAIO YB is the next evolution in the Y-series family and offers impressive technology at a lower price point than earlier Y-series notebooks. The YB Series weighs just 3.23 lbs. with it’s 11.6-inch LED display, full-size keyboard and up to 6-hours of battery life using the latest AMD “APU” processors which combine the traditional CPU and the equivalent of a discrete graphics processor on a single piece of silicon. Using the AMD dual-core E-350 APU with AMD Mobility Radeon HD 6310 graphics, the VAIO YB delivers fast performance and picture-perfect HD video playback for a fraction of the cost you might expect from a notebook like this. Demanding business travelers know that unneeded extra baggage weighs more, and slows you down as you are running around an airport or around a city. This type of user is very demanding about their laptop, which has to be not only very small and sleek, but have enough power to run most if not all of the programs they use in the office. Sony came up to the plate with the TZ for this market, cramming everything a business user could want into an extremely small package that could almost fit into a large coat pocket. Just like the notebook itself, the keyboard is very tiny. Key size is much smaller compared to other notebooks, and it took a bit to get the placement remembered to type without looking at the keys. Once you get the hang of it, it doesn’t seem more difficult to type on than other keyboards. Key tension was very soft, giving your fingertips little stress as you pecked away at the small keys.The touchpad had a nice even texture, similar to other business notebooks like the ThinkPad series. Tracking was spot on, and the computer showed no lag under fast movement. The only complaint I had was no upper boundary existed above the touchpad, allowing your finger to slide off the top without warning.
The Sony TZ is no gaming machine, and never will be. With the special low voltage processor, it is geared towards extended battery life and not necessarily high-end performance. Though you may not be able to run BioShock, you can run older games to kill free time between (or during) meetings. I found Half-Life 1 to work out great on this laptop so its not just limited to solitaire.The Sony TZ came with its fair share of preinstalled bloatware. To make the machine run smoothly, and get the best battery life, anything that didn’t control a certain feature on the laptop was uninstalled. Luckily this was a very simple process, requiring only a handful of visits to the program listing section in the control panel to remove the software, and an equal number of system restarts. I have to say that my first impression of the true HD screen format was one of hatred. Another odd format I would have to get used to, and more odd screen designations to remember. I figured it would be just another gimmick … but then I started to enjoy it. Outside of watching movies, the extra-wide wide screen is great for organizing many tasks on the screen, where a normal widescreen display just starts to feel crowded. Two documents side by side, a webpage next to a document, or even a webpage with my IM buddy list far off to the side. Of course it is nice for movies as well. True HD displays are basically what you have in your living room or TV room if you own an HDTV. 720P or 1080P screens are slightly shorter than what you usually find on a computer. For example on a WUXGA notebook has a resolution of 1920×1200, where as a Full HD 1080P screen is 1920×1080. This has to do with the way most movies are recorded, and in the end thinner or no bars at all showing up during a movie. Below I picked 3 Blu-ray titles from my collection, to give you a good idea of what you might expect to see on this screen format. Working away from a power outlet was not a fun activity with this configuration that included a 4400mAh battery. In the balanced profile with the screen brightness set to 50-60%, I was lucky if the battery gauge indicated more than 2 hours and 40 minutes. Watching a Blu-ray movie decreased the battery life further, putting me into the range of a movie, with enough time to safely shutdown once the film ended. One thing I can say though, if you have the option to select the extended battery, get it. As always, our First Look Review is merely intended to provide you with a first glimpse of a new notebook. Our full review is coming soon … stay tuned.Sony and the CPSC today announced a voluntary safety recall of certain AC adapters. The recalled AC adapter model is the Sony VGP-AC19V17, which was supplied with the following Sony products:All-in-one VAIO desktop computers: VGC-LT series and VGC-JS2 series Sony will be consulting with its OEM customers that utilize their battery cells and work with those that choose to participate regarding quantity and the scheduling of replacement battery packs. Since many notebook manufacturers indeed use Sony batteries we can expect more recalls to come. Manufacturers that choose to do the responsible thing and work with Sony to recall and replace batteries will likely be making announcements in the next few weeks. Stay tuned and we’ll post on any further recalls that take place for laptop batteries.In a sign of the times, Sony has launched a Spanish language VAIO FJ in the U.S. that includes a Spanish language OS (Windows XP) and keyboard. Sony figures that with 31 million US citizens over the age of five speaking Spanish at home, there has to be a market out there The new Spanish-version FJ en Espa ol notebook is based on Sony’s popular VAIO FJ Series. The VAIO FJ is a 14.1-inch widescreen laptop with a Pentium M processor, built-in camera, microphone and an XBrite screen. The FJ Espanol will be available in five colors– including Onyx Black, Pearl White, Sky Blue, Jade Green and Raspberry Red.Apple s effort has be a huge success, largely because they ve created a fun environment with knowledgeable and passionate sales staff. palmOne is leveraging a similar concept in a handful of malls across the country, but as many of our editors found out, their staff was composed mainly of Radio Shack and office store former employees who didn t have a very in-depth knowledge of the product line. One of the most difficult problems with buying new electronics or computer gear is that most stores don t have the product in stock or even on display. And testing something like a notebook or PDA in a pinned down enclosure substantially detracts from the overall experience. A PDA might look great in the store, but how does it feel in the pocket? The same thing goes for a notebook how am I supposed to know how heavy it really is if I can only raise it an inch without hitting the restraint? Forgot about trying to view the screen in alternate lighting conditions and working with the unit undisturbed for a while. The point is, Sony may be right on with this concept. Set the stores up like showrooms where customers can leisurely browse the product line and discuss features with educated sales staff when they re ready. If buyers decide they want a Sony product, there may be stock available, if not, they ll be directed to the nearest Best Buy, Circuit City or other authorized Sony retailer. Sony hasn t made their list of cities official yet, but assume they ll start at the top of the most populated areas list and move down.Today Sony announced the new VAIO C lineup of entertainment notebooks, each equipped with a second generation Intel Core i5 processor. Select models will come built with a Blu-ray player drive with HD video playback and DVD/CD read/write and a 1GB AMD Radeon 6630 hybrid graphics card. “Sony knows entertainment,” said Mike Abary, general manager of VAIO PC marketing for Sony Electronics. “For the A series, we are using various AV and IT components, software and services developed throughout the company to deliver the best entertainment experience possible on a notebook PC.”To ensure that the quality of video playback is optimized for almost any environment, A series notebooks employ an ambient light sensor. ErgoBrite technology, originally developed for Sony’s stand-alone IT displays, automatically adjusts screen brightness to accommodate various lighting conditions. No more worrying about struggling with configurations when plugging your PC into an external display device as Sony’s Smart Display Sensor automatically adjusts to a compatible screen resolution and aspect ratio when using an external monitor or projector.Intel Centrino mobile technology provides the processing muscle for this PC, while allowing the unit to run quite, cool and efficient. The mobile processor also contributes to the computer’s thin profile, making it the lightest notebook of its kind.
But the spread of SZ notebooks ceased abruptly. Availability has since contracted to the point where it’s not even available to pre-order on Sony’s website any longer. In fact, where they used to have the perpetually delayed estimated shipping date, they now have a form to submit your email address in a “don’t call us, we’ll call you,” maneuver.You have to sign up to be notified when the SZ will be available, this comes after the notebook has been selling for about a month. So what’s going on? It’s easy to try and pin this on Intel, with the new Core Duo, wireless card and other hardware and software, delays are bound to happen. After all, Lenovo is having a difficult time getting their T60 to market. But it’s hard to believe that Intel is to blame considering Dell is pumping out Core Duo Inspirons and Sony’s own FE models are even readily available.
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