Sony VAIO PCG-F180

Sony VAIO PCG-F180

SUMMARY

PRO: I.Link port for digital cameras, programmable buttons, can't-miss-'em port icons, pop-out tilt feet, picture-editing and home software, thorough documentation, nice keyboard. CON: Hard drive is not user-upgradable, short battery life, limited free support, long waits for technicians. $2299; PC WorldBench score of 172, Pentium II-333 processor, 64MB of RAM, 256KB of L2 cache, 4.3GB hard drive, 2X DVD-ROM drive, 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, touchpad pointing device, 56-kbps V.90 built-in modem, 7.9 pounds including AC adapter, battery life of 2 hours and 2 minutes. Sony 888/315-7669 www.sony.com/pc

If digital video recording and editing is your game, the Sony VAIO PCG-F180 might be the notebook you've been looking for. Otherwise, opt for a more mainstream option that comes with better support and battery life.

A trailblazer in some respects--only Sony notebooks (and desktops) come with dedicated I.Link ports for connecting digital cameras--the PCG-F180 falls short in a few of the more basic areas, such as vendor support. Sony recently reduced its unlimited free hardware support to one year; after that it charges $19.95 per incident. On the bright side, especially for home buyers lured by the big bundle of consumer-oriented applications, unlimited free software support continues. But lately in our anonymous calls we've found the quality of this support to be only so-so.

For those with an open mind about notebook color schemes, the VAIO's gray case and purple touchpad and mouse buttons offer a visual treat. Oversize Backspace and Enter keys and a dozen application-launching shortcut keys and buttons add convenience. The notebook offers a fairly flexible bay design: The DVD-ROM drive is fixed, but a modular bay on the right side of the unit accommodates the included floppy drive, an empty weight-saver module, or a second battery ($249). You may want to shell out for the latter; the VAIO lasts only 2 hours per charge. Other upgrades prove a little more difficult: Users cannot remove the hard drive and may have problems reaching the RAM underneath the keyboard.

Despite its multimedia focus, the VAIO doesn't offer strong sound or audio/video connections (other than the I.Link port). DVD movies looked a little blotchy in places, but fine otherwise. A $199 port replicator snaps onto the bottom of the notebook.