Avoid Sony VAIOs
Written: Oct 25 '01
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Pros: Small, lightweight, cute
Cons: Many software incompatabilities, proprietary screen resolution, no floppy or CDROM
The Bottom Line: High price, proprietary configuration, and lack of removable media support all add up to make this laptop a bad choice for anyone serious about computing.
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| jayp39's Full Review: Sony VAIO C1X PC Notebook |
When I first saw the Sony VAIO, I was quite impressed. They are sleek, thin, light weight wonders of technology.
And they're cute. Who could not love a Sony VAIO?
Let me tell you who - a computer enthusaist, such as myself.
There are several reasons for this.
1:
The lack of external drives on these things creates a real problem. I have no floppy and no CDROM -- how am I supposed to install things? Over the network? Ok, I suppose that works, but how am I going to install the drivers for my network card? I can't get on the network until my network card is set up, and I can't set up my network card until I can get on the network. Catch-22.
Fortunately, some network cards will work ok without requiring that you install any drivers, if they are supported by Windows 98 by default.
2:
If you look at this VAIO, you will notice that the screen is MUCH wider than it is tall, it's like a widescreen TV vs. a regular TV. This means that the VAIO is running at a non standard resolution, which causes some programs to have problems working properly, and causes images to be distorted in some cases, which leads to number 3...
3:
Many people who use Laptops use them for presentations, by hooking them up to a projector.
There is no standard monitor out on the Sony VAIO, you have to use their proprietary adapter, which just leads to more problems and inconveniences if you lose the adapter. Once you get the projector hooked up, you're still going to have problems. Remember how the VAIO is running at an odd resolution? Well, projectors project at a more standard resolution, which means that the image from the VAIO is going to be smushed and distorted so that it fits on the projected screen. This makes text hard to read, and images look really bad.
4:
The webcam integrated into the VAIO is a very low quality camera indeed. Worse, the driver support for it is sub par -- it offers no control over the brightness settings, which is absolutely crucial if you ever want your camera to have a chance of taking a picture that doesn't either look like mud, or come out very fuzzy.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 2000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium
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Epinions.com ID:
jayp39
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Location: Lansing, MI
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 3 members
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