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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from CNET Asia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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How to select the right Sony Vaio laptop
By Darius Chang
22/05/2009 URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,62053997,00.htm
IntroductionWhen one thinks of Sony Vaio notebooks, the first characteristic which comes to mind is design. Instead of pursuing the budget crowd or early adopters who will scrutinize specifications, the Japanese maker looks at how portable technology fits into everyday life and creates a machine that is not only functional, but looks good as well. Vaio originally stood for Video Audio Integrated Operation. But at its 10-year anniversary in the laptop market in 2008, the acronym was renamed to Visual Audio Intelligence Organizer to reflect how laptops are becoming personal and not just another machine.Even before the MacBook Air heralded a new age of superslim machines, Sony already had an incredibly thin laptop in the Vaio X505. Contrary to popular perception, the keyboard design with individual keys first appeared in Vaio portables, not Apple notebooks. Subsequently, the Japanese company exercised its innovative chops by introducing LED backlit screens (TX series) and switchable graphics (SZ series). In 2006, a consortium led by Sony finalized the Blu-ray format and began the HD wars with rival format HD-DVD. In the end, Blu-ray won and was declared the de facto optical standard for high-definition video content. The Sony AR series was the first to introduce a Blu-ray writer in a laptop, though it costs a hefty premium due to the expensive optical drive. However, as the price of Blu-ray components started dropping, more and more midrange machines began sporting it and we expect that soon even budget laptops will join in the action. If there is one criticism about Sony laptops besides the fact that it charges a hefty premium for its sleek design, it is the tendency for the Japanese manufacturer to load its machines with trialware and shareware. These take up unnecessary harddisk space and the consumer will need to spend time uninstalling them. In its defense, a few of Sony's proprietary software such as Click to Disc Editor, Vaio Music Box, Vaio Movie Story, Vaio Media Plus do increase the multimedia capabilities of the Vaio laptops. Consumer lineupAW | FW | NS | P | SR | CS | TT | Z
AW series
As Sony's premium entertainment flagship model, the Vaio AW series, is not only chock-full of the latest components, but is also the first to sport innovations such as a Blu-ray writer and a 3LED LCD display. The latter was first used in high-end Bravia LCD TVs. The 18.4-inch panel sports full-HD resolution as well as ICC profile support, and is capable of displaying the full Adobe RGB color gamut. This allows unprecedented color reproduction which creative professionals require in their work. The laptop also comes equipped with a CompactFlash slot for digital photographers to quickly download their images. To add further value, the machine is preinstalled with Adobe Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements. But this machine is not all work and no play. Thanks to its impressive panel, Blu-ray optical drive and 2.1-channel audio system, the Vaio AW is also an excellent home entertainment replacement. The powerful Core 2 Duo processor and high-end Nvidia graphics card not only make quick work of video editing, but are capable of handling most game titles as well. Target market: Business, entertainment and performance users; gamers. Models available in this series
FW series
If you love the experience of having a huge screen, yet still need to lug around a laptop every now and then, take a closer look at the Vaio FW. Despite its generous 16.4-inch display, this machine has the form factor of a 15.4-inch laptop and is one of the sleekest and lightest in its class. The entry-level model offers a strong entertainment suite despite an affordable price tag. Decked out with a high-resolution display and powerful ATI discrete graphics card, this machine is capable of playing high-definition video clips as well as most games. Going up the range, the Vaio FW's GPU gets more powerful and features such as full-HD panels and Blu-ray drives start popping up. Target market: Entertainment and performance users; gamers. Models available in this series
NS series
Not every Vaio hits your wallet equally hard. The Vaio NS series is for the basic user who wants style, yet doesn't feel like investing a lot of cash for a high-end machine. Despite its affordable price tag, this midsized machine comes with Core 2 Duo performance, Draft-N Wi-Fi, DVD writer and Windows Vista Home Premium operating system. It's available in silver and pink shades as well. Target market: Entry-level users and students. Models available in this series
P series
Though the Vaio P minilaptop sports an Intel Atom chipset, Sony has empathetically declared that this is not a Netbook. This series caters to those willing to pay an exceptionally high premium for an incredibly slim machine that makes a fashion statement. As such, battery life and performance are compromised, as the Vaio P has only a small battery and runs on the resource-intensive Windows Vista operating system. Target market: Frequent travelers and fashion users. Models available in this series
SR series
The Vaio SR series acknowledges the fact that business portables also serve as personal entertainment machines. As such, it is the first laptop to sport a dedicated "Switch" button that changes the desktop theme based on current needs. Here is a brief rundown of the three profiles available and a list of shortcut displayed at the bottom of the screen.  The shortcut icons change depending on the profile selected. Entertainment profile Personal profile To ensure data security, the SR series is equipped with a biometric fingerprint sensor and TPM security chip. The HDD Protection system parks the harddisk reader arm to prevent it from scratch the magnetic platters if the unit is dropped. Target market: Frequent travelers; students; business, entertainment and fashion users. Models available in this series
CS series
This Vaio series targets the casual user as well as students. Available in an impressive array of eight colors (red, glossy black, brown, pink, white, matt black, beige and purple), the Vaio CS comes with competent entertainment features despite its affordable price. Unique LED lights pulse and glow to the rhythm of your music. For those with a creative slant, the unit comes preinstalled with Adobe Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements. Target market: Students; entertainment and fashion users. Models available in this series
TT series
In a nutshell, it is arguable that the Vaio TT series is the best compromise between portability and usability. Despite its 11.1-inch form factor, this range has a comfortable keyboard and even an integrated optical drive under the hood. The scratch-resistant display was made for indoor and outdoor use. Capable of reproducing the entire NTSC color gamut, the LED-backlit panel provides excellent image reproduction and an integrated glare filter prevents distracting reflections. A unique feature is the noise-cancellation capability of the audio system. Using the bundled headphones, the Vaio generates an anti-noise wave that creates an isolated sound environment. The basic and midrange models come in a metal shell with color options. The top-of-the-line unit has only one shade (black), but uses carbon fiber which is stronger and lighter than magnesium alloy. The premium model is also the first to sport an integrated Blu-ray writer and HDMI output for an ultraportable, though you pay a hefty premium for such privileges. Target market: Frequent travelers; business and fashion users. Models available in this series
Z series
The Vaio Z is the premium business thin-and-light from Sony. Its predecessor, the Vaio SZ series, was the first to sport both integrated and discrete graphics cards under the hood. A physical switch would allow the user to select between the battery-saving integrated GPU and the powerful dedicated video processor. However, switching between them would require a system reboot. With the new Centrino 2 platform supporting Hybrid Graphics, the new Z series is capable of switching modes on-the-fly. As a corporate machine, the Vaio Z also comes with the fingerprint sensor/TPM security chip combo as well as an excellent scratch-resistant display which can render the entire 100 percent of the NTSC color gamut for accurate image rendering. With a tough carbon-fiber chassis, this Vaio can withstand drops of up to 90cm for added peace of mind. Target market: Business and fashion users. Models available in this series
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