The good: Great screen; optical drive; fantastic battery life; strong features for a portable; ExpressCard/34 slot.

The bad: Feels fragile; no native digital video out; bland design.

The bottom line: The Sony VAIO VGN-TZ17GN is more fragile than we'd like, especially at S$3,699 but the feature set is quite impressive for an ultraportable.

Read full review of the Sony Vaio VGN-TZ17GN »

By Craig Simms, CNET.com.au
Oct 19, 2007

The ultraportable range is always fun to poke around--the form factor itself is always an exercise in compromise. Bits get left out either to reduce heat, battery drain, or simply because the notebook doesn't have the room to take it. It certainly keeps things interesting at the very small end of the scale, where one extra feature can mean make or break.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com.au. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details. The Vaio VGN-NR17G is also known as the Vaio NR160 in the US.

Design

The 11.1-inch TZ impresses with its 1.2kg weight and impressive LED backlit screen--but the 1,366 x 768 screen itself is flimsy. While it probably would take a large amount of stress to actually break something, it is disconcerting. Despite this, a basic Webcam is still thrown in for good measure.

The power button sits on the right hand side on the hinge, glowing a pleasing green colour. The hinge itself is smaller than you'd think, with the battery taking up the bulk of the space.

The keys on the keyboard are matte black, raised from the base and separated, and easy enough to type on at a respectable speed. The piano black surface behind it makes it look trashy however, as does the silver-dust bezel of the screen and the plastic used for the monitor hinge--it's a bit odd to see a Sony notebook that isn't the epitome of style, and in fact goes the other way.

Sony's own blurb for the TZ is hilarious: "In many ways, the Vaio TZ is a notebook inspired by nature. Its sleek, dark looks and brooding inner strength reflect the compact power of a crouching puma. But lift the razor-thin screen from the slimline body and the Vaio TZ adopts the delicate characteristics of a pearlescent black butterfly." Translation: small, flimsy, black, somewhat shiny.

The modem, Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire ports are hidden underneath a cover that will probably break off far too easily--we'd almost prefer that they be left open to the outside world, as it's clear it's going to end up that way anyway just through everyday use.

A smattering of multimedia buttons are along the front, however they are quite difficult to press, making their usefulness questionable. The wireless LAN switch is situated beneath these, capable of turning off the 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth connections.

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