Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor (2.26GHz), 3MB L2 cache
Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1
13.3" widescreen LCD with XBRITE-ECO technology & LED backlight
3GB of pre-installed RAM & a roomy 250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Biometric fingerprint scanner & built-in MOTION EYE camera
Rating: - Sony SR Series
VGN-SR290 Configure-to-Order, Fresh Start(tm), 320 GB Hard Disk Drive [5400], Standard Battery, ATI HD 3470 with HDMI(tm) Output, Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz), 13.3" WXGA, Night Black, Business 32-bit, 4 GB (DDR2-800, 2GBx2)
I placed my customized order directly with Sony on October 28th and received it on October 31st, even though I was told by the website to expect 7 business days to build it (I did opt for the overnight delivery). The packaging was safe and clean and I am completely satisfied, though when buying VAIO's at the store I noticed a lot more pride in the packaging, but who cares.
I opted for the Fresh Start option and was very pleased to get what I was promised; a clean machine with nothing to remove except for Microsoft Works. Vista did require multiple updates that took most of the afternoon.
I also opted for the medium operating system (slight upgrade), maximum RAM and best display. The overall performance for my needs in data manipulation and presentations work GREAT! I have not yet used the Blue Tooth or HDMI options for the display yet, but it has been GREAT so far. I do have to say the screen is a little small for programming, but for those quick items it works great (I have a workhorse of a desktop for heavier use). The keyboard is very friendly to my large hands. The size and weight makes it feel more like a portfolio or notebook than a computer (super light and comfortable. Overall, I would say this computer is perfect for anyone without vision issues and with a definite need to be mobile. It's small and clean profile makes for a great tool in business proposals and meetings.
This is my first computer with the finger print system. It is easy once you learn how to do it. The tutorial will confuse you, but once you get it, you have it. The password option is still there, so even after you set it up with finger prints, you can still use the password anytime. I found the fingerprint option a much simpler way.
The battery is the factory default. I wanted to go with the larger one, but I wasn't sure if it would be oversized like most laptop extended batteries. This standard battery seems to last 2 hours of continual use, or somewhere around three hours of light use. But it is new, and this doesn't prove much yet.
Rating: - Sony Vaio VGN-SR165E Black
Great computer. Very lightweight. You can put the laptop on your lap because it doesn't heat up like my previous two laptops (Dell and Compaq). It is very lightweight. The screen is very bright. The computer runs very fast and starts up very fast.
Cons: Lots of installed junkware but can be removed. The bottom of the laptop is plastics which makes it less durable. The resolution other than the native resolution is a bit distorted.
Rating: - Not quite what I was expecting
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.
Rating: - A good, compact notebook with solid performance
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.
Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/P 13.3-Inch Laptop (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Pink Reviews
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