Sony VAIO VGN-Z550N/B 13.1" Laptop (2.40 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 Processor, 3 GB of RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business) Black
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Created exclusively for professionals, the VAIO VGN-Z550N/B redefines mobile performance. Featuring a scratch-resistant XBRITE-DuraView LCD and wrapped in a durable carbon fiber, the Z series is designed to withstand even the most taxing business trips. To complement this durability, this portable workstation is backed by powerful yet efficient Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and a hybrid graphics system that lets you select your graphics performance on the fly without rebooting. Engineered to let… Product details and pricing info |
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15 Customer Reviews Posted
- Excellent machine
- this is my second Vaio and some friends almost convinced me for a macbook...I'm glad with my decision...Sony VAIO rocks!!!
- 2008-12-02, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Good Laptop
- this sony Vaio is Woking great but only after i downgraded it to WindowsXP , because sony preloaded the Vista Version wit alot of uneeded trials and software which eat up more than 1.5GB of the RAM just after startup.
but in the XP DVD all these unneeded software are simply not there, as a result a better performance in programes and even for the battary life.
i like it that way - 2008-12-02, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great Laptop !!!
- This computer was design for the business traveller person in mind. It's a very powerfull machine that can handle complex pogrames. The machine allows you to toggle between 2 graphic cards. Although it consumes more power, i use the NVIDIA dedicated graphic card when i want to hook up my 24 inches external monitor at my office. The 6 cell battery on POWER SAVER mode can last my 5-hour weekly flights and the computer is so small and compact that fits very comfortably on the plane seats front pockets. Surprisingly, the screen looks amazingly bright and sharp to view any graphics,in spite the slim screen. The computer doesn't come with any usefull free programs, so expect to install your own software, unless you proceed to purchase the pre-installed 30 day trial software already on the computer. The computer works great, my only criticism is that is an expensive product, so i reccommend everyone to purchase the 3 year warranty service plan by N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. offered at amazon.com that extends your computer to literally 4 years. I also reccommend buying the sony vaio neoprene sleeve for 13" laptops to proctect the machine from scratches while travelling.
- 2008-11-29, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great Ultramobile & Powerful Notebook. Buy.
- Review after using this since September. My model is slightly different and I use high resolution version.
There are some positives and negative.
Positives
Light but powerful
This PC is very light, but it does not sacrifice its processing power. Intel's latest 45nm P9500 works great. Even somewhat heavy graphic applications or encoding-decoding of files can work fast. Heat is also well controlled probably due to the benefit of the P9500 and the combination of internal system design and the air flow structure inside, which is typically the strong part of Sony that is very good at designing smaller consumer electronics. I never felt the annoying heat from the system on the keyboard and/or the areas around the mouse touch panel.
Long Life and Graphics
The switch above the keyboard that lets you choose between the nVidia chipset ("Speed") and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD ("Stamina"). On a stamina mode, my experience is that the regular battery can keep the system running for around 6 hours, which is remarkable compared with its light weight. I set the brightness lower in addition to the stamina setting. Graphics resolutions and other features are automatically set at lower level on stamina mode. Performance, particularly with games and 3D applications, is better with the nVidia chipset, while the integrated graphics card favors battery life. A reboot is no longer required after a switch, either, due to the Intel Centrino 2's support for switchable graphics.
I use 1600x900 resolution for the display, which is beautiful due to its LED backlit and very high resolution compared with other laptops. Its benefit is that you can have more workspace when using multiple applications at the same time, for example, a few excel sheets and excel VBA at the same time.
Negatives
Software for 3G connection, using the embedded Sprint modem does have some issues with compatibility in some cases. In my case, some Excel Add-In that uses an internet network connection crushes Excel itself every time I use it. Vaio Support desk which is as you image very slow to response due to inappropriate advice and long waiting time spent 6-8 hours in total and finally gave up to solve the issue and admitted that the original SmartWi software that manages network connection cannot be removed from the system when you use the Sprint modem is making trouble with other Excel Add-in. I suspect that the usage through Sprint is monitored by the software and both Sony and Sprint have some agreement on the revenue sharing of wireless data fees. Anyway, this is not at all positive for users and I had to buy other modems for use mobile data connections. Sony needs to focus on hardware only or otherwise improve its software quality. The frustrating experience with the support desk tends to remain in the memory of users for very long period of time.
Otherwise, I feel the keyboard quality needs to be a bit improved to the extent that some key generates creaking noise sometimes. And the mouse pad area is just a bit too close to the keyboard and I sometimes touch it and make an error in typing.
Net-net, this is the best ultramobile notebook that has strong processing power, real mobility, and beautiful design that I ever seen. It outperforms many competitions like Mac Air and X series from Lenovo. This is expensive notebook but if you need the best one right now, this is it. SmartWi is annoying in some cases but the support desk should have learned something from the trouble that I had already. - 2008-11-16, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Amazon demonstrates why I always go there first to shop.
- I am extrememly happy with this new Sony laptop which had all the bells and whistles I was looking for. The only con is only two USB ports which are on opposites side of the the laptop--a design improvement Sony should make would be a third one with power) along side one of the other ones.
However, what I most want to review is Amazon's handling of a minor problem I had. While the details of a minor problem with the initial computer was worked out, Amazon immediately sent me, without charge, another identical computer. I have since returned the "extra" computer, but Amazon's swift action at no cost to me has made me a happy and loyal customer. - 2008-11-12, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
