CNET Asia Review

The computing arsenal of road warriors should include three items: ultralight weight, long battery life, and easy connectivity. The new Sony Vaio TR2 fulfills each requirement, and then some. It offers the same extralight, 1.41kg case as its predecessor, the TR1, with souped-up specs such as a 1GHz Pentium M processor and a 40GB hard drive. The Vaio TR2 earned a phenomenal 258-minute score in CNET Labs' battery-drain test. In addition, it sports three ways to get on the Web: 56K dial-up, Ethernet, and 802.11b wireless networking. Other pluses include an integrated digital camera, and a dedicated flash media slot. All told, the Vaio TR2 remains one of the smartest laptop choices available for highly mobile professionals.

Design
The Vaio TR2's cool, ultralight case offers just about everything a journalist, a surveyor, or another mobile professional needs to get the job done. It's small and light enough to tote almost anywhere, measuring 270.4 by 188.4 by 36.5 mm and weighing 1.41kg, standard for an ultraportable.

Despite the notebook's small size, it includes a hearty selection of features for those who do both written and visual work. The keyboard isn't the widest in the world, but it's broad enough to dash off quick articles or reports without causing finger cramps. The integrated, rotating video camera on top of the 10.6-inch screen allows you to take stills and full-motion video to accompany your reports.

You can zap your work back to the office via the Vaio TR2's 56K modem, Ethernet, or 802.11b wireless connections. A handy wireless on/off switch on the system's front edge helps to conserve battery life when you're not using wireless. You can also use the laptop's dedicated slot to download your music files or pictures from a Memory Stick flash media card or burn your work to disc using the integrated DVD/CD-RW drive. A healthy selection of ports--including FireWire, VGA, and USB 2.0--let you plug peripherals such as monitors, keyboards, and printers into the Vaio TR2.

Amid all these perks, some drawbacks exist. The Vaio TR2's touchpad and two mouse buttons are munchkin-size. The screen's high 1,280x768 native resolution makes for very detailed graphics--but minuscule text. (You can, of course, adjust the resolution.) And we wish you could swap out the fixed disk drive for other modules, such as a second battery, or at least choose a cutting-edge DVD+RW drive when you buy.

Features
Most ultralight manufacturers run a tight ship when it comes to the specs you can choose at purchase time, but Sony takes the idea to the extreme with the Vaio TR2. The laptop's only variable is its 266MHz DDR memory, which starts at 512MB and maxes out at 1GB. The remaining components don't budge, but fortunately, they're right on the mark for an ultralight laptop. The list includes a 1GHz Pentium M processor, a 40GB hard drive, an Intel 855GM graphics chip with up to 64MB of video RAM borrowed from main memory, an integrated DVD/CD-RW drive, an exceptionally bright 10.6-inch screen, and built-in 802.11b wireless. To achieve true component excellence, Sony would have to include bleeding-edge parts such as a DVD+RW drive and 802.11g wireless.

The Vaio TR2 offers a decent software selection. Windows XP Home is the laptop's sole operating system choice. Microsoft's Works 7.0 minisuite, Money 2004, and Encarta Online are the only office productivity options.

When it comes to multimedia apps, the playing field widens considerably. Sony's own DVgate lets you capture video or images from your built-in or external camera, edit those clips, then export them to a VCR or a DVD player to record on tape or disc. You can also use the included InterVideo WinDVD 4.0 player to view them on the TR2. Sony PictureGear Studio and Adobe Photoshop Elements allow you to import and edit photos, then organize them in online collections or albums. Plus, Sony's SonicStage software assists with music playback and organization.

Performance
The Sony Vaio TR2 came in last place in mobile performance in this small test group, bested by both the Toshiba Portégé R100 and the Panasonic ToughBook CFW2. The Toshiba Portégé R100 scored only eight points higher than the Vaio TR2, which is not a huge difference and wouldn't be noticeable when performing most real-world tasks. The 900MHz Pentium M-based Panasonic ToughBook CFW2, however, scored 17 points higher than the 1GHz Pentium M-based Sony Vaio TR2, which translates into a noticeable difference in mobile performance. Compared to its peers, the Vaio TR2 comes up short, but not by a huge amount.

Battery Life
The Sony Vaio TR2 had a much better showing in battery life than in mobile performance, lasting more than four hours, thanks to its 11.1V, 3600mAh (48WHr) battery--good enough for second place in this small test group. This was more than enough to beat the Toshiba Portégé R100 with its default 10.8V, 1600mAh (17WHr) battery, which lasted only a bit more than two hours. The Panasonic ToughBook CFW2, however, was just too much for the Vaio TR2 to handle, cranking for nearly six hours with its 7.4V, 6,600mAh (49WHr) battery. Still, the Vaio TR2 lasts long enough to get about half a day's work done.

Service And Support
While Sony comes on strong with the Vaio TR2's design, its warranty is merely average (although it's typical for the industry). Free parts and labor with return-to-depot service and phone support last for one year. You can't buy an extended policy online, but some Vaio TR2 retailers offer various warranty extensions.

The notebook ships with some of the better documentation we've seen among Sony laptops. Both the hard-copy quick-start guide and electronic user manual include step-by-step graphics on how to set up and use the TR2. Unfortunately, Sony's limited support Web site still pales in comparison to those of other laptop manufacturers, lacking handy features such as user forums and the ability to chat in real time with a tech-support rep.

To find out more about how this product's warranty really stacks up and what you should look for in terms of service and support, take a look at CNET's hardware warranty explainer.

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Sony Vaio PCG-TR2 (Pentium M 1GHz, 512MB RAM)

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User Reviews

The best laptop so far

Jul 19, 2005

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: 
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Opinion:
I am a businessman using my laptop as part of business every day and I can tell you that this is the best laptop ever built! Even the new Sony TR does not compare with this one. It is small, ultraportable, with built-in microphone, could have more power on the speaker, widescreen and cute!

 

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