Sony VAIO Z505LS PC Notebook

Pros: Tiny and lightweight -- like a slim hardback book. Fast processor, vibrant screen.
Cons: External CD and floppy drives (but this keeps it small). 2 hr. battery.

Not only was this my first Sony computer purchase, but I was also making a switch from ten years of the Mac OS to Windows. As a writer who travels, I needed a speedy and small laptop to take on trips, as well as to, say, a nearby restaurant or diner...

Pros: weight, infrared - used it to back up data, firewire
Cons: battery life, power issues

Hi, I bought this laptop as a student in summer 2001. I picked out this model for its lightweight primarily, and also because i trust SONY as a brand. I have used this laptop excessively for pretty much all my needs in grad school and my job ...

Pros: Size, weight, features, interface connections
Cons: Battery life, bundled software

My model is actually the PCG-Z505LSK, which is almost identical to the LS, but has Windows 2000 instead of Windows Millennium. My unit has the 20gb hard disk and 256mb of RAM.

I have been a desktop computer user for years and years, and have...

Pros: Great size and weight
Cons: Warranty on battery is only one month

I was very interested but when I discussed the warranty with the salesperson I was surprised to find out about the poor One Month warranty on the battery.

I previously had problems with an NEC so I was aware of battery problems. (NEC replaced...

Pros: small package. lots of ports, i-link, USB, PC Card, Memory Card
Cons: Loud at full power, poor sony support, poor battery life, expensive peripherals

The Z505 series is a very nice compact package that still gets comments in meetings even though it is a couple years old. My Z505LS has been upgraded and reconfigured a couple times with the help of the yahoo Z505 mailing list and other web sources. I've swapped the hard drive, installed windows 2000 and increased the memory to 512MB. Right now I use it as a remote Java software development box. I used it for Powerpoint and other type of sales related presentations in a previous job. The unit has been very reliable. The power management software can be used to reduce fan noise.

You have to use the expensive Sony CDROM drive if you wish to boot from CD-ROM to install an operating system. I use a firewire CD/RW for backups.

The Sony drivers and OS support pages are confusing and contain only the barest amount of information. Drivers do seem to be available for Windows. Don't know about Linux