Take your desktop with you
Written: Sep 26 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Powerful, light, attractive
Cons: Price, poor battery life, no CD-ROM Drive
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| tochriste's Full Review: Sony VAIO Z505JSK PC Notebook |
I was looking for a desktop replacement. Since I travel a lot on business, I wanted something that could handle those business applications, yet did not make my shoulders ache as I walked through the airports. Powerful, yet light....
After careful consideration (and realizing that you do have to make some sacrifices to get rid of the weight), I chose the Sony Vaio PCG-Z505JS (by the way, the difference between the JS & JSK is that the JSK comes with WIN2000). I am happy to report that I believe I made the right choice.
The 505JS comes with a Pentium III, 650 MHZ Processor (with SpeedStep Technology), a whopping 128MB RAM, and a 12 GB HD. That is more powerful than the big desktop I was replacing. It also has an internal modem, an RJ-45 10Base-T/100Base-TX Ethernet interface (making it easy to connect to a LAN), and a memory stick slot. Those of you who don't own other Sony products probably don't care about the memory stick slot, however, since I own a Sony Camcorder & Digital Camera, it makes life easier (see review on Sony Cybershot DSC-S50). The best thing about this notebook is that it only weighs 3.75 pounds and is very attractive with it's purplish case. The case is solid and does not feel flimsy.
There is a great commercial on TV about the VAIO. This guy is going through airport security, and he puts in a huge monitor, CPU, etc. through the Xray machine, and, out comes the slim little VAIO. That commercial hits it right on the head. You are carrying a very powerful computer, and it is sleek and light!
Okay, so I said there are certain things you have to sacrifice...here goes. This model has an external floppy (obviously to reduce the weight), so, unless you leave it home, it can be cumbersome. It doesn't come with a CD-ROM, so that will cost you another $300. Battery life is not very good. I think it maxes out at 2 hours, and, the Vaio comes with a hefty price tag---MSRP $2,999.
You can get the notebook for a couple of hundred dollars less, but I am going to warn you about something. There are reputable companies out there that are selling refurbished 505's as new. They will advertise them as brand new with a lower price tag (about $2,699), but they are refurbished. It took me three attempts to finally get a brand new one. I had to threaten them with reporting them to Consumer Affairs. These are certified CNET Merchants, so beware. If you want to know the name of these stores, please email me. I can also tell you how you can tell if the model is refurbished.
I can go on and on about the Vaio, the screen is beautiful, the keys are comfortable, etc. Bottom line. If you want an excellent notebook computer, this is it!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tochriste
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Location: Chester, NY
Reviews written: 48
Trusted by: 5 members
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