Sony VAOI notebook?

[Bird Strike]

I was starting to set my mind at purchasing a Sony VAIO notebook with 16.1" screen that is due out mid next month over here (in Australia). However I started hearing some stories about so-called "Sony VAIO time-bomb", where between one and two years after purchase, most of Sony VAOI notebooks suffer some kind of a major failure and they are not worth repairing.

Is this correct, or has some people been trying to frighten me off Sony?


[By the way is it just me who finds Computers & Internet forum more interesting and FUNNY than JetBlast?]

[Hersham Boy]

I've not owned one myself but a couple of colleagues do and they have had no issues.

Besides, they are (mostly) works of art and anything Sony rules absolutely, so go for it :)

Hersh

[fobotcso]

Hi BS.

You'll be looking for statistics on this question so I'll start the ball rolling by saying that my little sub-notebook seems OK so far after 18 months. It is in for repair at the moment because the camera mounted in the lid/screen came lose so I thought I'd get it fixed while it was still in extended warranty from the store (2 years).

Sounds like a rumour, so I wouldn't reject Sony on those grounds alone.

What displeases me is that there is quite a bit of Sony Customised software pre-installed. (Digital Video stuff.) If I want to upgrade from Windows ME to Windows 2000 I won't be able to re-install the Sony specific stuff from the Sony Restore disks.

Unless, that is, I get some good advice from some of the Gurus here on how to create my own Registry entries. ;)

I could just copy the files from the old set-up, but the Applications won't work unless they are "Registered" properly.

It's a great piece of kit, but I'd think very carefully about buying another Sony PC even though I'm a Sony fan.

[Lost_luggage34]

I would certainly recommend them - get a good product for the money.

Have owned two over the past 5 years. Find them very easy to use and a good stable hardware platorm with no issues whatsoever.

Admittedly my first one did eventually die simply of genuine wear and tear. This was after 3 years of very arduous use ; many hours in dirty environments, being stuffed under a/c seats 10+ times a week etc. Buying another seemed second nature and I was able to use the battery, CD drive and other bits from the old chassis.

Would agree with comments from fobotcso above re. Sony's own software which comes pre-loaded. I prefer to do my own custom build and found all the Sony s/w unecessary and obviously it chews up CPU cycles. Simple to just zap it all and rebuild as you want.

[What_does_this_button_do?]

You know that Sony use the Motorola chip and not the Intel.........

[zed3]

GULP.....bought my Vaio last month, very pleased up to now!

[Engineer]

What_does_this_button_do?

Chances are it will use an intel chip set :D :D :D

But PCG-GRX560, 560P and K use Mobile Intel Pentium 4

[fobotcso]

My little sub-notebook has something called a "Crusoe" chip placarded at 600MHz but in reality it's nearer 400MHz of other manufacturers. Something to do with the limited instruction set built into the chip so that it has to work harder to get the same result as an Intel or AMD.

But the resulting battery life is improved. Bit of a Catch 22 init? Make it run slower to make the battery last longer doing the same tasks that a faster processor would do in a shorter time...:confused:

[Evo7]

I've had a vaio for a couple of years now - been used and abused, and has lived through it all with nothing more than a replacement battery. Would buy another. :)

[Engineer]

fobotcso

Chip uses a technique called Code Morphing (http://www.transmeta.com/technology/architecture/code_morphing.html) an interesting application

[fobotcso]

Thank you for that, Engineer. It is indeed interesting.

Although it is claimed to produce less heat (and therefore less wasted battery energy) it still keeps my fingers warm if I let them linger around the keyboard. Quite nice in the cold weather,

[tacpot]

A company I used to work for bought three Sony Vaios about three years ago. One went wrong with battery/ac adapter troubles after two years. The PC Support department had such a shocking experience trying to get support from Sony for the laptop, that we eventually decided that we could not afford to buy Vaios. They can only be regarded as a throwaway item, like an inkjet printer.

I do not buy from Sony for the business I now work at, for this reason. I will also not buy Dell Servers, but that is another story.

[CrashDive]

Well about 3 months ago I purchased two Vaio's ( one for me and one for our Finance Director ).

Both were the PCG-GRX316MP model ( i.e. the one with the 16.1" screen ) and I have to say that so far I've been very happy with the performance of both. Indeed from a systems development point of view it's been ideal, e.g. fast, reliable, high-res, etc.

That said, it pays to remember that whilst the screen is indeed 16.1"'s ( and that's big ! ) its native pixel dimension is high ( i.e. I run mine at 1600 x 1200 ) which is a setting which gives you lots of screen 'acreage' but results in small fonts ( i.e. not good for those who are visually challenged ) - and you also need to remember that with a laptop it's very hard to make it work at settings it was not designed for, e.g. 1024 x 768 on mine looks AWFUL, because the characters and borders around things end up looking all furry where the graphics card tries to stretch the fonts to fit the non-standard resolution which has been applied.

For the record my laptop has no IR Port, and no serial port, but it does have three USB ports, and the battery life for such a large beast is about 150 minutes - and the keyboard is the nicest I think I've ever found on a laptop .

So would I buy Sony again ?

The answer is a resounding YES ( and indeed many of our pilots also have purchased Sony's of various models and all seem very happy with them ).

Nb. I brought the two mentioned above from the Dixons airside at LGW's (North Terminal) - and, from memory, I think the company ended up paying about £1348 for each unit, i.e. that's the so called 'Tax Free' price, albeit that they give you a receipt with a VAT number on it and VAT applied ! - which the company of course can then claim back - so veritably 17.5% 'Tax free' + 17.5% VAT reclaim = 35% reduction w.r.t the RRP - nice one ! :D

[PAXboy]

I have owned a C1-XD for 2.25 years, this is sub-A4 notebook with the mini-camera. Several points and all UK based.

1) The basic idea of a 'time-bomb' is scaremongering.

2) I like the machine a lot. I wanted the smallest and lightest machine available at the time and Tosh had just stopped the Libretto. I have always liked and been satisfied with Sony gear.

3) Mine arrived with Win 98 as was then current. 99% of the problems have been down to that heap of kak software. But I have the same problem that, Sony will not provide a software upgrade path. So if I upgrade my own O/S (piece of cake) I lose battery monitoring and have to hunt around to find the right drivers for IR and USB etc. so have stuck with 98. To counteract the inherent instability of 98, I have many ways of saving and backing up files, all of which require more equipment and money. Since Win 2K was around GBP100, I expected to pay a premium for the Sony edition with more software and drivers, say GBP140 and I would have paid. But they do not even have such a thing.

4) That said, I have used it on commercial projects (I am self employed) and it works a treat. If I could PAY Sony money for a revised O/S - I would but they will have nothing to do with it!!! In my view, this is a crushingly stupid attitude. (see below)

5) I did not buy my lap-top for the camera but have found it very useful on a number of occassions, to my surprise.

6) The hard drive died suddenly (like VERY suddenly) in May. I think it was due to a colleague inadvertently bashing the machine when it was running but could not prove it. Sony offerred GBP 290 to collect, replace and deliver by courier with a guarantee. They would have taken "up to two weeks". I found a suitable web site, bought a replacement disk for GBP 65 and did it myself. They have NO IDEA what it means for a self employed person to be without a lap-top by which he earns his mortgage money. Their customer service organisation might be OK for TV and video but not for PCs.

7) The shop where I bought it said, "Sony will not give us so much as a case screw - they want to do everything and charge for everything. We cannot even get replacement/spare batteries for customers."

8) A friend who bought an 'F' series is thrilled to bits with it, as are friends who have other models. My problems might be greater because the sub-notebook format requires more O/S tweaks to make it work.

9) I had a problem with two of the key caps and (long story) they broke off My fault. Rang Sony and was expected to be charged a high price for two measly pieces of plastic and postage. "We do not sell key caps, you will have to buy a new keybaord for GBP149." As a result, I have two keys with no caps. Had they have charged me even ten pounds each - I would probably have paid up.

10) I am about to buy a PDA and was drawn to the new Sony (with mini-cam) when I tried it in the shop. However, my experiences with Sony non-service for my lap top mean that I shall not buy a Sony PC again. When this unit dies a natural (or otherwise) death, then I shall have to find another. I see that Siemens produced a similar A5 format unit last year. I continue to buy Sony TV and video equipment.

Writing out that little list has made my blood boil :mad: :mad:

[tacpot]

Agree wholeheartedly with PAXBoy: Sony customer service is not suitable for any commercial operation, but especially not for self-employed users.

[Bird Strike]

Bloody Hell CrashDive, that sounds cheap. The RRP for the thing here is $5295 including GST. That's about 1800 quid. Does it have 1.6 GHz processor as per the one that I am considering, or is it faster?

Banana, I haven't seen Mesh sold here. Pity, sounds like a nice spec machine at a reasonable price.

[CrashDive]

Bird Strike - what I've got is a Sony Vaio PCG-GRX316MP specified as follows:

TFT Screen = 16.1" UXGA
CPU = 1.6GHz Mobile Pentium 4
HDD = 30Gb
Modem = Internal V.90
Ethernet = 10 Base-T/100 Base TX
RAM = 256 Mb

[Bird Strike]

Thanks for that CD.

The one that they're releasing here soon sounds like it's about the same spec except the HDD being 10 + 30 (I don't understand why they're doing this! Anyone know why?) and RAM being 512.

Despite that, I still think they're overcharging us the colonials, and we're nearer to Japan and these Asian countries that make the stuff than the UK. Not fair :D