By Will Head
03/04/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,40176069p,00.htm

The laptops in Sony's TX series are not only impossibly small, but super-stylish, too. The 11-inch widescreen display is enough for use while out and about and its tiny dimensions and lightweight chassis won't slow you down while you're on the move.

Despite its small size, the TX57GN is usable, with a decent keyboard and even an internal DVD writer. It's fully Vista capable, so you don't miss out on the fancy extras in Microsoft's new OS, and at around S$3,699 it's not exorbitantly priced.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET UK. 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.

Design
The TX57GN hasn't changed much on the outside compared to its predecessors but when the design is this good, that's no bad thing. Crucially, its footprint is still smaller than a sheet of A4 paper, and even when closed it's less than 30mm thick.

The laptop lid is finished with a stylish black metallic effect, while the rest of the body is decked out in an attractive silver. The lid itself is only a mere 4mm thick, which seems impossibly thin, but thankfully it's protected by carbon fibre to help prevent damage. You'll still want to exercise some care when opening and closing it, though, as the screen can flex a fair bit.

11-inches of screen estate is enough for working on the move, although if you're planning on using the laptop for prolonged sessions in the office, you'll want to hook it up to a larger external display to prevent eye strain.

Despite the small chassis, the keys are decently sized and comfortable to type on, and the keyboard is stable and not prone to the flexing we've seen on some ultraportables. The touchpad does feel like it's been squeezed in though, with the top almost touching the space bar -- you may find you accidentally brush against it when typing. The mouse buttons are a little awkward to press right at the bottom of the unit.

Features
This laptop is built with portability and long battery life in mind, so it's no surprise that it's a little lacking in the Gigahertz department. The Intel Core Solo U1500 ultra-low voltage chip--running at 1.33GHz--and 1GB RAM are sufficient for everyday tasks but lack the oomph for anything more intensive.

The Intel GMA 950 graphics card also lacks the horsepower for gaming, and you'll be hard-pushed to play any recent titles.

	This Vaio comes in a trio of colors. (Click for larger image)

Storage comes in at a reasonable 100GB from the Toshiba hard drive and there's also an internal dual layer DVD writer so you can burn up to 8.5GB of data at a time.

Sony has packed a fair bit inside the TX57GN, which is probably just as well since you're limited to two USB ports and a single four-pin FireWire for expansion. The card slot is also the older PC Card format, rather than ExpressCard--while this is fine for now, it does limit its potential in the future.

Your wireless needs are taken care of by the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you shouldn't have a problem connecting it up to a wire-free Internet connection.

The 11.1-inch screen uses Sony's X-black technology, and while this means extremely vibrant colors, it does have the downside of making the display fairly reflective. The resolution stretches to 1,366 x 768 pixels so widescreen content will make the most of the display area.

The TX57GN is fully capable of running Vista's flashy Aero interface and you also get an assortment of bundled software thrown in, including a copy of Microsoft Works and Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Performance And Battery Life
To create a laptop this small, compromises have to be made and as a result the TX57GN was only reasonable rather than outstanding in our speed tests.

Its PCMark05 score of 1,508 isn't going to break any records but that doesn't mean that it's slow by any means. In general use, even with all the Vista eye-candy turned on, it was still quick to respond and it's more than capable of turning its hand to office tasks.

If gaming is your thing, however, you'll need to look elsewhere--a 3DMark06 score of 111 just doesn't cut it for immersive gaming. MobileMark won't run under Vista yet, but according to Sony it should last for 7 hours 30 minutes from a single charge, a figure that is in line with our experience. Operating noise is extremely low, with the fan barely noticeable.

Service And Support
Sony Vaio notebooks have a one-year local warranty. At Sony's support Web site, Vaio owners can download the latest drivers. For simple problems, the company offers an online knowledge database for troubleshooting. Should the unit require further diagnosis or repair, the customer will have to send the unit to the service center. For an additional S$94.50 , consumers can purchase the Vaio Overseas Service package which provides a 24-hour call center for repair requests and international warranty coverage at designated countries.