Why Centrino Was Made
Written: Aug 06 '03 (Updated Sep 24 '04)
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Pros: Sony brand, ultra-mobile chassis, wireless Internet, XBRITE widescreen, sound, battery life, durable
Cons: Tiny touchpad
The Bottom Line: Throws out a lot of deep-rooted designs with innovation unlike any other.
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| babyeddy7's Full Review: Sony VAIO PCG-TR1A PC Notebook |
When my brother graduated from college this summer, he had to give up the laptop that the school had provided him. And so we embarked on a mission to find the best on the market. I consulted my uncle in Osaka to see what top-secret things Japan had in store for us. We narrowed the choices down to three, the Sony PCG-TR1 and similar Fujitsu and Toshiba mini notebook computers. Turns out my brother preferred the TR1’s anti-glare screen and eye-catching, elegant chassis.
Sony TR1
We enter the North Store, walk around the circular computer-housing booth, and there it is basking in the warm yellow spotlight-knowing it is the center of attention. We aren’t alone in admiring the arresting TR1.
If you are interested in purchasing a Centrino-enabled computer, do yourself a big favor and buy this computer. The whole purpose of Centrino is to free users from wires to access the Internet thereby making computers truly mobile. Do not get a huge desktop replacement computer with a 15-inch screen; it is way too big and heavy. If you buy a Centrino-enabled HP, Dell, or Gateway, you are doing yourself a major disservice.
You have to see the TR1 for yourself. Pictures don’t do this justice! See section labeled Experience TR1 hands-on for details.
Only found on the TR1
The TR1's 900MHz Pentium M must be a joke, right? Wrong! Actually this microprocessor isn't much slower than 2.4GHz Pentium 4-M. Intel must now undo years of marketing that promoted higher clock speeds, a tiny factor of a computer's overall performance. Higher numbers do not always mean better!
The first thing everyone notices about the TR1 is the screen. In all my years studying technology, I’ve never seen anything like this. The anti-glare, incredibly clear widescreen XBRITE monitor has such amazing contrast and clarity, it reminds me of the first time witnessing HDTV. Currently, this is the best LCD display available. See it for yourself.
In addition to being beautiful, XBRITE technology offsets a major problem associated with tiny computers- eye strain. Text, pictures, and everything in between are so clear and vibrant that viewing the TR1's screen is better for your eyes than a much larger 16-inch! You’ll have to see it for yourself.
Another huge innovation is speaker placement. Instead of keeping the speakers between the screen and keyboard, like all previous laptops, Sony moved them to a place above the screen. Therefore, when the notebook computer is opened, the speakers face the user directly to provide unprecedented sound quality. Maximum volume is also increased by the new design.
Sony defeats yet another habitual laptop design, the drive bay location. Instead of opening from the side, making it inconvenient for disk swapping, the TR1’s DVD/CD-RW drive opens from the front.
Motion Eye is the CMOS camera located at the top of the LCD screen. While picture quality isn’t great, the convenience of a digital camcorder and camera is welcome. If you’re a student, you can use this for taking pictures of notes instead of writing them down or typing them. You’ll even be able to record the entire class. There are infinite uses of this camera, and it surely makes the TR1 stand out from everything else. The capture button is located on the right of the LCD screen for instant picture-taking ability.
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but every so often a product comes along to make the maxim specious. The TR1 is the first and only Centrino-enabled computer to place such a strong accent on style. White magnesium, the Sony logo, luminous indicators, and the gorgeous widescreen display all add up to the most elegant computer around. HP and Dell have a lot of catching up to do.
Memory Stick is the leader among flash memory cards because of its compatibility with arsenals of gadgets from Sony. The TR1, like all VAIOs, has a slot built in, so plugging in devices with the USB cord won't be necessary.
Magnesium is lighter and stronger than titanium, and Sony loves coating their beauties with this metal. Don’t settle for cheap plastic in Dells, HPs, or others. Only Sony and Apple make high-quality, all-metal computers. In addition to adding durability and elegance, it adds true value.
The future of technology lies in portability and miniaturization. Smaller means better. Sony’s TR1 is the smallest and lightest notebook computer available in the United States. It measures only 270 X 34.7 X 188.4mm and weighs a little over three pounds, but is fully featured as any other computer. Toting this is no more troublesome than a small hardcover book.
Seven hours of battery life is a remarkable figure for such a small computer; it's never been done before with a standard capacity battery. And if you think that's a lot, the large capacity battery should last an unprecedented 11 hours. Sony ditched Transmeta Crusoe processors, which allowed only two hours of use in the old Picturebook model, for Intel’s Pentium M- designed for low energy consumption. We found that average battery life was over six hours- remember that this figure depends on the type of tasks performed. When using wireless Internet, the battery lasted just short of three hours. Impressive.
Other Positives
Unwire. I’m sure you’ve seen Intel’s Centrino ads, but I’ll enlighten you anyway. WiFi (wireless fidelity) is currently the international standard for wireless Internet. So-called WiFi hotspots are areas, usually cafés like Starbucks, where wireless Internet is accessible. Centrino is the built-in low power-consumption technology that enables this. To use, just go to a hotspot, slide the activation bar to on, and you’re ready to go. The Sony TR1, Sony’s second Centrino notebook, might not be the only WiFi-enabled computer available, but it definitely is the best looking.
Despite the TR1’s small stature, the keyboard is perfect for most hand sizes. Typing is easy because the keys aren’t too scaled down from their original size. Even large hands will get accustomed promptly.
Negatives
There is only one minor flaw we have encountered after about a month of use. First, the touchpad, the square-shaped device used to navigate, is a little too small. This is only a problem when trying to drag-and-drop files to folders and other similar operations.
Technical Support
After formatting my hard drive and installing Windows 2000 on my Sony PCV-W10, I called Sony's technical support to send me file names of the programs that were deleted. Assistance was expeditious and friendly. I did not use Sony's technical support with this computer.
Technical Specifications
provided by sonystyle.com
Microprocessor: Intel Ultra Low Voltage Pentium 900MHz-M SpeedStep
System Bus: 400 MHz
Chipset: Intel 855 GM
L1 / L2 Cache: 64K / 1 MB CPU Integrated
RAM (std/max): 256MB DDR / 1GB DDR
Memory Bus: 266MHz
Hard drive: 30GB (Ultra ATA/100)
Optical Drives: Integrated CD-RW/DVD-Rom Combo Drive
CD-RW: 24x/8x/4x (read/write/rewrite)
DVD-Rom: 8x (read)
Conclusion
Sony’s TR1 has value like no other. If you choose to get something else, you’ll miss out on a lot of exclusive features like the plasma-surpassing XBRITE display, perfect speaker placement, ultra portability, white magnesium casing, Motion Eye digital camcorder/camera, and quality expected of Sony.
If the screen of the TR1 is too small for you, I suggest looking at the Z1. It is Sony’s first Centrino laptop, and has a larger 14.1-inch screen.
Experience TR1 hands-on
No picture of the TR1 can do it justice, so you’ll have to see it for yourself.
Your best bet is to visit the SonyStyle store in Manhattan (550 Madison Avenue between 55th and 56th) or Sony Metreon in San Francisco. Retailers in the U.S. are slow at best, and, as this computer is so obscure, finding one will be a challenge. However, I do know that all CompUSA stores have the TR1 on display. Circuit City and Best Buy might have it, but I would call before going.
Purchasing
Apparently the TR1 isn’t as obscure as I thought; it’s been sold out for weeks at every place I can think of. Sonystyle.com, whose inventory is located at the Sony Plaza in Manhattan, has about two left. How the TR1 got so popular is a mystery to me- perhaps consumers aren’t as uninformed as I thought.
I’m proud, to say the least.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1999
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: 801-900
Screen Size: 11 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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babyeddy7
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Member: Derek
Location: New York City
Reviews written: 21
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