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Photograph: Rick Rizner
Sony VAIO VGN-T150PL Notebook (1.1GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB, 40GB, DVD?RW, Windows XP, 10.6
| WorldBench 5: Performance word scores reflect comparisons of notebooks in the same category running the same operating system. See Guide to the Top-Rated Products for more details. | Fair: 56 (Windows XP Professional) |
| CPU | 1.1-GHz Pentium M ULV 733 |
| Screen size | 10.6 inches |
| System memory | 512MB of DDR333 SDRAM |
| Hard drive | 40GB |
| Graphics | Intel 855GME using main memory |
| Pointing device | Touchpad |
| Bays | None |
| Bundled removable-media drives | Fixed DVD?RW drive |
| Floppy drive | None |
| Ports | Two USB 2.0, FireWire, microphone, headphone, PC Card slot |
| Communications | V.90 modem, Bluetooth, 802.11g |
| Business suite | None |
| Other features | Memory Stick Pro slot |
| Overall design | Fair |
| Battery life (hours:minutes) | Outstanding: 7:04 |
| Weight (typical/minimum, in pounds): Typical weight includes the computer, AC adapter, optical drive, and floppy drive (if offered). | Very Light: 3.8/3.0 |
| Vendor's reliability/service | Average/Average |
| Support policy | One-year parts and labor warranty; free, unlimited 24-hour daily toll-free support |
Sony VAIO VGN-T150P/L
VAIO VGN-T150PL Notebook (1.1GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB, 40GB, DVD?RW, Windows XP, 10.6 Review, by Carla Thornton February 25, 2005
If you're heading out for the day, just drop the Sony VAIO VGN-T150P/L in your bag and go. You won't need to bring along a power adapter, thanks to this 3-pound ultraportable's record-setting battery life.
In our tests, the VGN-T150P/L ran for a little over 7 hours on one charge of its small but strong rear-mounted battery. That's enough juice to power back-to-back DVD movies on the clear 10.6-inch wide-aspect screen (which uses Sony's Xbrite technology). Despite the presence of a 'DVD' button, the VGN-T150P/L cannot act as a stand-alone CD or DVD player; the button launches the DVD player only while Windows is running. The VGN-T150P/L does come with handy volume control buttons on the front of the case and with CD track buttons at the top of the keyboard.
Most likely, you won't be blasting music on the VGN-T150P/L's built-in stereo speakers (unusual components on an ultraportable). Speaker sound is weak, so you'll still need the headphone port located on the front of the case.
Features are ample but not extravagant. Though the VGN-T150P/L lacks a video-out port for displaying the screen on a TV, it has a built-in DVDA?RW drive, a FireWire port, two USB ports, and a Sony Memory Stick slot. Removable hard plastic covers protect the modem and network jacks--a nice touch until you lose the covers. The VGN-T150P/L comes with Microsoft Works. For multimedia fans, this notebook comes with DVgate Plus video capture and editing software, SonicStage Mastering Studio music software, and PictureGear Studio photo software.
Given the notebook's size, the touchpad-equipped keyboard is inevitably cramped, and some functions such as Page Up and Page Down require combination keystrokes. Still, the layout is good and the white-on-black lettering is easy to read. We could touch-type on it easily.
Like most ultraportables, the VGN-T150P/L does not brim with upgrade options. You can't access the 40GB hard drive, so you'll have to send the VGN-T150P/L to a service center if the drive ever fails or if you want to swap it out for a higher-capacity drive some day. To reach the two memory slots, you need to remove three bottom screws and detach the keyboard.
The VGN-T150P/L runs mainstream applications well, but we wouldn't recommend it for big processing tasks. Our test unit was almost 40 percent slower than the fastest full-size laptop we've reviewed (which was equipped with a 2-Ghz Pentium M processor). The VGN-T150P/L performed on a par with comparable ultraportables, however, matching the WorldBench 5 score of 56 earned by the Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D, which is likewise equipped with a 1.1-GHz Pentium M processor and 512MB of RAM.
Upshot: The price is a bit steep, but for all-day, on-the-go multimedia computing, Sony's VAIO VGN-T150P/L is the new champ.
Carla Thornton
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: AnthonyHS
Strengths: VAIOs have high resolution screens
Weaknesses: appalling reliability
Overall: I bought a Sony VAIO laptop for £1,350 in 2003 having chosen the machine mainly for its large, high-resolution screen (16inch, 1600 x 1200) and in the belief that Sony laptops were some of the most reliable on the market. However, when the computer was just over 14 months old (not quite three months out of warranty), the keyboard failed completely, and I had to purchase an external USB keyboard to be able to continue using it. I wrote to Sony, arguing that such a major fault was unacceptable, and asked them to repair the product at their own expense. Their response was to offer me a derisory 10% discount on the cost of repairs. Then, about a month later, the screen flickered briefly and died completely! I was left with an expensive laptop that was effectively reduced to a desktop machine that could only be used with an external keyboard and an external monitor. So, here was a laptop that had been used carefully for about five hours a day, in a benign environment, had never suffered any kind of physical damage, and had only been taken out of the house on a handful of occasions, and yet had developed two major faults in the space of just sixteen months! Sony?s response to my complaints was simply to argue that their machines ?are some of the most reliable available on the market?. Not one, but two major faults in just over a year. Reliable? Judge for yourself. My advice: think very carefully before purchasing a Sony VAIO laptop ? unless, that is, you intend using it as a desktop machine.
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Reviewed by: miguelpark
Strengths: Very light and small. Favorable battery life. Cornucopia of features. Stellar monitor. Absolutely connects anywhere
Weaknesses: Small keyboard. Short Screen (small font). Touchpad a little jerky. Only one power cord. Sony charges too much for every extra. No office suite with purchase. Pricey, but worth it.
Overall: The 270 (a little more oomph than the 150) was absolutely a smart buy. With a port replicator at home and at work together with a wireless mouse and keyboard and monitor at both locations, I have acheived the ultimate mobility which is essentially necessary for optimum productivity as a small-business entreprenuer. Everywhere I go, I can take my office with me.In the real world, the battery doesn't last as long as the tests indicate. It lasts long enough, however.If you need or really want portability and connectivity, this purchase will satisify--unless you have large fingers/
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