Sony VAIO AW230JH

One strength of this laptop is that it has lots of ports and connections, including HDMI-out, gigabit ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, microphone, headphone, VGA, and a number of legacy types. In addition, the headphone jack doubles as an optical audio-out. Expansion and media slots are numerous as well, with Memory Stick Pro, SD card, ExpressCard, and iLink/FireWire all represented.

The massive 18.4-inch screen has a native resolution of 1920 by 1080 Full HD, so it's perfect for movie watching, and it's big enough for you to juggle multiple application windows without feeling cramped. Visually, the display achieved very deep blacks while maintaining balanced colors across the spectrum. Blu-ray movies look gorgeous, and excellent screen controls let you adjust color, contrast, and brightness. We did detect some backlight leaking along the edges of the screen, which prevented brightness from being uniform across the screen. Also, the glossy screen coating can pose problems outdoors, where glare and reflections are likelier to interfere with viewing.

The VGN-AW230J/H's internal speakers and subwoofer delivered above-average audio with fair bass response, though the low end is muddy, and the mids and highs lack full definition. The included Dolby Control Center software noticeably improves sound with bass and 3D effects. The machine has good overall sound for a laptop, but its built-in speakers still can't beat good headphones. For a true audiophile experience, you can hook the VGN-AW230J/H up to your home theater's A/V receiver with either HDMI or fiber optic cables.

A multimedia control bar at the top of the keyboard supplies playback controls for movies and music, and you also get an A/V mode button. A fingerprint scanner for security, and a switch for enabling/disabling Wi-Fi round out the manual controls.

The laptop's touchpad has an excellent feel, though the left and right mouse buttons have a cheap-feeling click. The VGN-AW230J/H is so big that its keyboard is nearly full-size. And by widely spacing the keys, Sony makes the touch-typing experience even better.

Sony didn't skimp on the software either. Our review unit came with Microsoft Works and QuickBooks Simple Start pre-installed. Media applications include InterVideo WinDVD for disc watching, Roxio Easy Media Creator for disc burning, and VAIO Media Plus for organizing and playing music, slideshows, and videos (it also lets you stream media stored on other DLNA-compliant devices on your network).

The VAIO VGN-AW230J/H is a good laptop for general computing, thanks to its great screen, comfortable keyboard, and multitude of ports and slots. It can even serve as a home theater PC, since it is armed with media streaming and a Blu-ray drive. The included software bundle is great, and Sony does a nice job of putting a friendly, cohesive face on computer-based entertainment. If you're not picky about speed and gaming performance, this machine makes a tempting desktop replacement.