Customer Reviews
Great laptop but some dumb errors
I'd agree with what Mr T Pope said regarding this laptop, but I'm surprised he didn't pick up on 2 of the hugely silly flaws this laptop has. Let's start with them then get onto the good stuff.
Flaw 1 - audio socket on the front of the laptop. So this means if you're vaguely serious about music and thus plug in external speakers, it's sticking out right under your right hand, before trailing around or under the laptop to the speakers. Why they didn't put this on the back - or even side, basically anywhere but where it is - is a mystery.
Flaw 2 - more silly port positioning: all 3 of the USB ports are on the front right, i.e. precisely where you'd use an external mouse (assuming you're right-handed). I traded up from a weaker LG model and that had the sense to split the 3 USB ports around the laptop - 2 on the front left, one at the far right. Here you have no choice. This is a serious piece of kit so Sony must have known it would be eyed up by developers and designers (like me) who, of course, always use external mice over mousepads.
OK one more mini-flaw - the lid doesn't feel like it properly shuts since there's no clip mechanism. OK so it doesn't fall open or bob up and down, but it doesn't feel all that secure.
Apart from that you can't go wrong. I really tried to avoid buying this, convinced that with Sony you pay over the odds for the name. But I just couldn't find another 17" (well, this is 16.4" but I'm talking resolution here) laptop that looked the part. Don't get me wrong, looks aren't the first criterion with laptops, but if I'm going to shell out £800 then I'd like it to look half decent (take note, Toshiba).
Unlike on other laptops, the keys are elevated, the thinking being it cuts down on typos caused by traditionally closely-knit laptop keys. If like me you touch type then you'll have no problem, it's very comfortable.
Since I never use laptops' onboard speakers, I sort of resent their being there at all since they often look terrible, in a tastless mesh, but on this it's bearable. Fine mesh which just looks like a series of mini-dotts.
It's worth pointing out too that the mouse pad has scroll detection technology built in, both vertical and horizontal, though it's not flawless. But with external mice, page-down keys and other methods of scrolling, you won't be using this much anyway
Overall, a gorgeous piece of kit with the odd flaw. Forgive those and you'll be very happy together.
Great laptop, some silly flaws (as mentioned in other reviews)
This laptop was an upgrade from my dell inspiron 6400, and my first experience with Vista (something I was unwilling to try for a long time).
The FW11E is an impressive notebook to look at, very sleek design. I do like the latch-less design, and the power button on the hinge. However, as one of the previous reviewers mentioned, I don't really understand how Sony made the mistake of placing all 3 USB ports in the same area, which also turns out to be one of the worst areas to place a USB port in the first place! Its perfectly fine if you don't use a mouse, but the USB plugs do get in the way if you do what a lot of people decide to do when using the laptop at home, which is plug in a mouse, and several other USB peripherals. This is what lost the FW11E one star.
Personally, I dont mind the placement of the audio and mic jacks, I like them better off to the right hand side than slap bang in the middle like you see on some other laptops. They don't get in the way of my hands because I place my right hand slightly more to the centre when typing, and when I'm not typing, my hand is on the mouse, so that's not an issue for me.
Bloatware. Lots of it. Not nice. Give us a clean install, Sony, I'm not interested in silly flash games on my laptop, and if I was, I would just go play them online.
Now some good points: great price for the specs. Centrino 2 2.26 ghz, ati 3470 mobility graphics card, 3gb DDR2 800mhz (as opposed to 667mhz, not much difference, but its still nice that they didn't skimp on that), will play any game out there albeit not on the highest settings.
It's quiet. The fan doesn't sound like a hairdryer like on some other laptops. The built-in webcam seems decent, definitely on par with some of the logitech ones.
I havn't had the chance to test the battery life yet, but a bit of googling indicates around 2.5 hours, which for a 2.26ghz dual core with a dedicated graphics card and a 16.4" screen at 1600x900 resolution seems pretty decent!
I like the feel of the keyboard, although the key seem to be a bit squeaky. Not sure if this will resolve itself with some breaking-in, but I really hope so...
I much preferred the port placement on my inspiron, and I liked the feel of the keyboard better, but in every other category, the Sony comes out on top. And it cost me less than my inspiron did when I bought it too :P
Best laptop I've ever used.
Screen - 16.4" is a great compromise, watching films full screen (no black bars as it's 16:9!) is fantastic, especially with mates as it's viewing angles are very wide (both directions). Very bright too. Playing games is also enhanced, and things like itunes and the web work far better with a wider screen. Absolutely faultless. No dead pixels either.
Keyboard - great action, looks good, no complaints.
Build quality - very well built, comfims the whole "vaios are well built" thing. Particularly like the hinge with the power button incorporated. Overall a good looking machine, even if (like me) you are slighly put off by the silver. One thing I will say is that it came plastered with stickers, and one left residue when removed that took a bit of effort to eradicate. I resorted to a kitchen scourer, which damaged the finish a bit, so watch this.
Speakers - much better than any others I've heard. Whilst they do, of course, lack bass, they are pretty loud, and overall are darn good for film watching.
Battery - this is the only slight compromise with this laptop. I'm not sure what happens if you put it into power saver mode, but at the mo (full screen brightness) I think I'm getting about 2.5 hours. Not sure if this is below average, but definitly is an aspect for improvement.
Performance - excellent in Vista, no delays at all. Will play Toca Race Driver 3 on full smoothly (stunning on widescreen) and Medieval 2: Total war on full, though it's a bit jittery so I turn it down to medium. Not therefore a hardcore gaming laptop, but for the odd social lan it's perfect. What do you expect for this price?!
Overall a fantastic notebook. I've used a few, and am generally quite a demanding and fussy computer user, and I can't fault this one. Very pleased.
