Introducing the Sony VAIO® T Series

The summer 2012 lineup has arrived and the Vaio laptop getting the most attention is the new T Series. With a chic aluminum lid the T Series resembles the exterior of the metal framed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Besides the combination of its trendy look with high performance, the best feature of the Vaio T Series may be its extremely reasonable price starting at just $742.00. Similar to the S Series, the T Series is offered with either an i5 or i7 Intel processor. There is also an option of a spacious SATA hard drive or a fast solid state hard drive; however the solid state models are more expensive. Although the resolution is strong (1366 x 768 on 13” displays), the onboard Intel HD graphics may keep this notebook from being adequate for gaming. Due to its light weight aluminum lid, the Vaio T Series is only 3.54 lbs and has sufficient portability. The T Series comes with a built in HD webcam that has face tracking technology which can even allow a user to control specific applications with gestures. It also is equipped with a multi-gesture buttonless touchpad like the one seen below:  

The smooth touchpad can be tapped anywhere to replace the click of a button which provides a more accurate navigation of the cursor just like that of the MacBook Pro.

Although it may not quite reach the performance level for gaming, the T Series still executes above average. With these technical specifications, the luxurious looking aluminum lid, the ultraportable weight, and the affordability, the T Series results in a very practical notebook.

The All-Purpose SONY VAIO^® S Series

The design team at Sony takes great pride in creating products of high quality that satisfy the needs of their customers and in the summer of 2004 the VAIO S Series was no exception. With the option of a 13.3” or 15.5” display, the S Series is considered an ultraportable notebook with a clean appearance. Just one level below the premium Z Series, the S Series demonstrates functionality at an affordable price. The VAIO S Series has a chic look with a hard matte exterior instead of the previously used slick glossy plastic. It also has a full metal interior to maximize durability by replacing the commonly used plastic interior. Another highlight of the S Series is the backlit keyboard providing ease of visibility in any dark environment. Sony also included a touchpad which functions with multitouch gestures, meaning it can distinguish more than one finger touching the surface simultaneously. This allows for motions such as zooming in and out by pinching. Although the backlit keyboard and multitouch gestures do exist elsewhere in the market, the S Series is one of few notebooks that provides these features affordably. When measuring the overall system performance of the VAIO S Series on the PCMark Vantage, it scored 4,950 compared to the Apple MacBook which received only 2,160. This ultraportable laptop may be easy to carry but it packs the power of a desktop computer, allowing the user to shift through numerous windows and tasks simultaneously. Although Sony products are all known for high graphic quality, the S Series does not compare to the F Series when utilized for gaming. In a graphics test with Far Cry 2, the S Series ran with 50 fps at the lowest quality setting and 24 fps at the highest, both with 800 x 600 resolution. Here are some of the other Technical Specifications:

The S Series notebook is lightweight, it was designed using more durable materials, and it is stocked with features such as the backlit keyboard making it user friendly. From this it is safe to say that the VAIO S Series is ideal for mobility, it has a classy appearance, and it was designed to be functional and quick for business or everyday use. If you are looking to purchase an all-purpose laptop then you should definitely look into the obtainable VAIO S Series.

The Sleek SONY VAIO^® Z Series

Many users desire an ultraportable notebook however they also prefer the high performance often not found in the compact laptop. Sony has created the Z Series to specifically meet these qualifications. The Z Series has become known for its combined sleek and thin appearance, long lasting battery life, and system capabilities.

The Sony VAIO Z Series has many characteristics that make it stand out from the rest. To start, it is the only VAIO to be produced in Japan while all others are manufactured in China. It also offers an External Power Media Dock Station with the option of a DVD or Blu-ray Drive. This allows the notebook to be thin and ultraportable while still providing an alternative for functionality. The Z Series also has switchable graphics meaning the user can decide when to exploit high performance mode for things like gaming and with the click of the mouse they can opt to use energy saving mode to utilize the battery life. Another stand out feature of the Z Series is the biometric fingerprint sensor giving the laptop maximum security.

The other Technical Specifications are as follows:

  The Sony VAIO Z Series notebooks are aesthetically pleasing with the sleek look of luxury. Theseultraportable laptops not only have a quality appearance, they also can provide the high performance capabilities usually only found in a standard sized notebook. Designed with the priorities of mobility, performance, and business, the Z Series is ideal for any professional who needs to commute or travel with their laptop. Results from processor comparison, system performance, and graphics performance are given in the following graphs provided by Notebook Review™:

As you can see in the wPrime processor comparison results (figure 1), the Intel processor in the Sony VAIO Z Series ranks three times higher than the HP Pavilion dm3t. The PCMark05 results showing overall system performance (figure 2), concludes that the Sony VAIO Z Intel and the Sony VAIO Z NVIDIA rank in the top two, nearly doubling the Alienware M11x – SU4100 Overclocked. Finally the 3DMark06 which measures the overall graphics for gaming (figure 3), resulted with the Sony VAIO Z NVIDIA ranking third only thirty points behind the Alienware M11x – SU4100 Overclocked.

(The above results and graphs were provided by Notebook Review™ from http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5762&review=sony+vaio+z&p=2) 

Comparing & Observing Different SONY VAIO^® Series

When searching for a laptop you may discover that there are different SONY VAIO series offered such as Y, Z, S, E, F, and C. What is the difference in each of these series? How do I know which SONY VAIO specifications are best suited for me? Although each of these series has similarities, I would like to explain the key differences to help assist you in your selection.

Whether you are looking for a laptop with portable convenience or you would prefer one with top quality entertainment features, there is a SONY VAIO Series fit for you. The first SONY VAIO Series to discuss is the Y Series. With only an 11.6” display, the Y Series has the smallest screen size making it light weight at 3.23 lbs. It is not only affordable, but perfect for travel whether you need to pack it for vacation or carry it daily as you commute to work or school. The SONY VAIO Z Series is similar in that it is light weight at only 2.57 lbs. with a 13.1” display however it is ideal for business with its premium class performance and luxury appearance. Continuing with the mobility trend is the SONY VAIO S Series ranging in weight from 3.8 – 4.4 lbs. allowing it to still be considered ultraportable and a consumer-grade business laptop. The extensive SONY VAIO E Series is a standard notebook computer weighing 5.08 – 5.97 lbs. that is best suited for an everyday user whether it is at home or the office. Like the Y Series, the E Series is affordable for any consumer motivated by price. One SONY VAIO Series that may have specifications which stand out from the rest is the F Series. Providing a large 16” – 16.4” display the F Series was designed with the intended user needing optimum performance and speed for multimedia and gaming. Finally is the SONY VAIO C Series with a 14” – 15.5” display and weighing 5.41 – 6.3 lbs. Although the C Series is discontinued, it can still be purchased and is found ideal for an everyday user.

For further details that may help you in your search you can refer to the table below which provides a side-by-side comparison. Don’t hesitate to leave your comments and questions.

 Keep in touch and good luck!