By Dan Ackerman, CNET.com
05/07/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,40763462p,00.htm

The midsize Media Center laptop is a hard concept to get one's head around. Those interested in playing movies, especially via Blu-ray, are likely to want a 17-inch or larger display, while mainstream users often turn to 15-inch laptops for their mix of portability and pricing--not a surfeit of media features. Still, there's no denying the appeal of a well-designed laptop, and the S$4,699 Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18G is, like the rest of Sony's line, head and shoulders above the competition in that regard, second only to perhaps Apple. If the design and features appeal but you don't want the added expense of a Blu-ray drive, the VGN-FZ17G knocks S$1,700 off the price by subbing in a plain-Jane DVD burner.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. 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. Note that some Asia countries offer the Sony Vaio FZ laptop with a Bluetooth radio.

	The Vaio logo on the silver cover. (Click for larger image)

Design
Like much of the Sony Vaio laptop family, the VGN-FZ18G has a large Vaio logo embossed on the back of the lid, while the sharp, angular case eschews the recent trend toward soft, rounded edges. At only 34.5mm thick, it's slimmer than other recent 15-inch media-friendly laptops, such as the HP Pavilion dv6500 and the Dell Inspiron 6400.

Sony's flat-key keyboard is among our favorite laptop keyboards, but we wish the tiny touchpad mouse buttons were a little more substantial. Keeping with the multimedia theme, there's a four-way click-wheel above the keyboard that acts as a media control hub, offering fast-forward, rewind, play, and volume controls.

The 15.4-inch widescreen LCD display delivers a 1,280 x 800 native resolution, which is standard for a display this size. Showing off a little corporate synergy, Sony uses the same LCD technology found in its Bravia line of HDTVs which the company calls Xbrite, promising higher contrast and richer colors. The screen indeed looks excellent, especially when playing back a high-definition Blu-ray movie--although at 1,280 x 800, it's not really true 1080p resolution. You'll need the HDMI output into your big-screen TV to get the full Blu-ray experience.

Features
But the system's generally excellent design and features are marred by some annoying "extras". At a time when other vendors like Dell and HP are making conscious efforts to declutter their systems, removing desktop come-ons for Internet access and music subscription services, the Vaio VGN-FZ18G is one of the most egregious offenders we've seen in recent memory. Not only is the default desktop background image an advertisement for Sony's Spider-Man 3 movie, the system comes thoughtfully preloaded with full-length copies of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, you'll have to pony up US$8.99 each to unlock the protected film files via an Internet connection, and even then, they'll only play on the original laptop. Together, the two films take up around 2.6GB of hard drive space. Fortunately, some Asia-Pacific configurations are spared this experience. Other conspicuous partner applications include GameTap, Napster, and a Travelocity desktop widget.

One of the slimmest portables with a Blu-ray drive. (Click for larger image)

Clicking the AV Mode button above the keyboard pops up a toolbar with links to a Sony Webcam utility, Intervideo's WinDVD for playing back Blu-ray discs, and Sony's much-maligned SonicStage music application (which pales in comparison to iTunes or Windows Media Player).

We were pleased to see the inclusion of 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, and the HDMI port is a no-brainer in a system with a Blu-ray drive. The lack of a Bluetooth antenna was disappointing but won't be a deal breaker for most.

As a fixed-configuration system, you're stuck with the default specs of the VGN-FZ18G, but with a fast Core 2 Duo T7300 CPU (some Asia-Pacific models are configured with a faster 2.2GHz processor) running on an 800MHz frontside bus from Intel's new Centrino Duo lineup along with 2GB of RAM, Nvidia's new GeForce 8400M GT graphics card, and a decent-sized hard drive, we have no complaints. The similarly configured Vaio VGN-FZ17 costs S$1,700 less and leaves out the Blu-ray drive.

Performance And Battery Life
The Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18G performed in line with other recent multimedia-friendly 15-inch laptops. The HP Pavilion dv6500 was marginally faster, on account of its T7500 CPU being one step farther up the Core 2 Duo ladder, but in real-world terms, you're unlikely to see any performance difference, even under heavy multimedia use. We were able to, for example, play a Blu-ray movie, surf the Web, and work on an Excel file at the same time with no slowdown or stuttering.

The VGN-FZ18G ran for 2 hours 2 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using the included Lithium-ion battery. 2 hours from a 15-inch laptop isn't especially impressive, but falls within acceptable parameters and was better than the HP dv6500. Our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.



System configurations:

Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18G
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT; 160GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

HP Pavilion dv6500
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB Nvidia 8400M GS; 200GB Toshiba 4,200rpm

Dell Inspiron 6400
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon x1400; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm

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. 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.